Photo via Krave It on Facebook.
Dec. 4, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Krave It, a popular pizza and sandwich joint with locations in Bayside and on 30th Avenue in Astoria, is set to open a new Astoria location on Ditmars Boulevard next month.
The new location is set to open at 35-16 Ditmars Blvd. in the first two weeks of January, replacing the former Vivi Bubble Tea store.
Co-owners Vishee and Jenna Mandahar opened the first Krave It location in Bayside 10 years ago before opening the 30th Avenue location four years ago.
They also operate a Krave It location in Huntington on Long Island and will be opening new spots in Bushwick and East Village before the Ditmars Boulevard restaurant opens in January.
Vishee Mandahar said it was a “no-brainer” to open a second Astoria location, stating that the 30th Avenue restaurant has been growing in popularity ever since it opened four years ago.
“We love Astoria,” Mandahar said. “The Ditmars side was another great busy side that we thought we would capitalize on and show some love to. People have been coming from that side saying we should be there.”
He added that he and his wife are excited to open a Ditmars location, describing the Astoria expansion as a “dream come true.”
Krave It’s 30th Avenue location recently switched to Halal meat, but Mandahar said the new Ditmars restaurant will serve non-Halal meat – for the first few months at least.
“We’re going to feel out the area, then we’re going to make the decision from there,” Mandahar said.
Other than the style of meat, the new Ditmars location will offer the exact same menu as Krave It on 30th Avenue, which offers a variety of specialty pizzas, chicken subs, brisket sandwiches, wings, fries and desserts.
Mandahar believes Krave It is “completely different” to a typical Italian pizzeria, stating that the restaurant offers toppings and sauces not typically found at other pizza shops around the city.
“We love plain slices and we love pepperoni, they’re great, but we bring a different approach,” Mandahar said. “We focus a lot on chicken cutlets and a lot of different types of sauces. We turn pizza into a comfort food item and and there’s no one else that does what we do. That’s why we’re about to have six locations very soon.”
The new Astoria restaurant will seat 24 customers and employ around 15 staff members, Mandahar said, adding that the new location will have a community ethos.
“I grew up in Queens, where I went to Holy Cross High School. All of our success comes from Queens, so we love to give back, especially during the holidays.”
Mandahar said Krave It regularly donates pizzas to local hospitals as well as running fundraisers for local schools and PTAs.
“Anything we can do, we we jump right on it, because we wouldn’t be where we are without our community.”
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