Joey’s Italian Restaurant set to reopen in its new building today; here’s a look inside (video)

The former home to Joey's Italian Restaurant will be demolished within two weeks. The restaurant is set to reopen Wednesday in its new location in Carrier Circle.

Syracuse, N.Y. — For more than 40 years, Joey’s Italian Restaurant has been a go-to spot for veal parm, fresh pasta and long dinners under the glow of table lamps at Carrier Circle. This week, the Syracuse restaurant opens a new chapter, literally next door to the old building.

It’s a space owner Bill Cleary says “every human being in Central New York should come in and see.”

The new 6,500-square-foot Joey’s isn’t just bigger. It’s flashier, brighter and designed to draw in a younger crowd while keeping the loyalists happy. You’ll still find Joey DeCuffa’s recipes, the jarred sauces made in Central New York and longtime staffers. But now you’ll also find a bar twice the size, with 12 draft beers and 100,000 soft LED lights built into the bartop, which glows 34 feet below a wooden dome.

The cooking line in the new kitchen at Joey's is 36 feet long. The restaurant is set to open Wednesday in its new location in Carrier Circle.

Walk into the main dining room, and your eyes immediately land on a 40-year-old glazed ceramic bust of David, a sculpture salvaged from an estate in Florida. Step into the Goombah Room, the only space with carpet (“The old Italians like carpet,” Cleary said.), and admire the stained-glass window and wrought-iron gate brought over from the old restaurant.

Joey's owner Bill Cleary and his wife Joanne pose in front of the statue of David in the main dining room. Joey's is set to open Wednesday in its new location in Carrier Circle.

The walls are lined with original paintings purchased from Palm Beach estates. Joey and Janice DeCuffa even restored an old wine press now on display next to the dining room.

And then there’s the wine cellar. Beneath the dining room sits a 2,100-square-foot basement where the restaurant’s most expensive bottles are caged off. Diners can ride down in a lift and choose their own vintage.

The dome above the bar at Joey's is 34 feet from the ground. Joey's is set to open Wednesday in its new location in Carrier Circle.

Cleary promises the food that made Joey’s a Syracuse institution isn’t changing. “Why would I change it?” he asked. “Joey’s the best cook in Central New York. That would be crazy.”

Joey's is set to open Wednesday in its new location in Carrier Circle.

The prep kitchen was the first part of the new building designed — with Joey himself. And then comes the star of the back of the house: a 36-foot cook line with 36 gas burners, a pasta station, two deep fryers, open-flame grills and double-stacked conveyor ovens to keep the pasta, veal, beef, poultry and seafood dishes moving.

The format is familiar: During the day, the vibe is casual with the Pronto Joey’s menu, no tablecloths and brighter lights. At night, linens come out, lights dim, and the full Joey’s dinner menu takes over.

On Sundays, they’ll offer four different kinds of housemade pasta at no extra charge.

The only tweak to the menu is pizza. “That’s my thing,” Cleary said.

The main dining room seats about 160 — more than one of the old restaurants, less than both together. There’s also a banquet room for 55, fitted with a wall-sized screen that looks like a painting but doubles as a TV for presentations. Outside, 25 more seats line the patio.

Cleary poured $5 million into this project. “Why did I do this? Stupidity,” he said with a grin. Then he turned serious: “We need a nice place for lunch and dinner. And with Micron coming, people will want a good place to eat. We’re giving it to them.”

The old Joey’s building will be torn down in two weeks, ending a 43-year run at that structure. Workers are already severing utility lines and removing anything of sentimental value. Inside the new space, though, Cleary hopes to balance nostalgia with modern flair.

“People will gripe: ‘It’s not Joey’s, or it’s not the Joey’s I grew up with,’” he said. “That’s true. We want to get people under 70 in here — and we’ll keep making the 70-year-old loyal customers happy too.”

Joey’s is expected to open either for lunch or dinner service today (Wednesday, Sept. 24).

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