Albanese Meats and Poultry

Albanese Meats and Poultry (pronounced Alban-easy) is the “last butcher of Little Italy.” The grandly familial holdout on Elizabeth Street was established in 1923, when Moe Albanese’s father, Vincenzo, arrived in New York from Palermo, Sicily. The Albanese butcher shop opened at 252 Elizabeth Street and moved to its current location at 238 Elizabeth in 1940.

Moe grew up in the neighborhood and partnered with his mother, Mary, to run the shop after his father died in 1952. When Mary passed, Moe took over the business solo. In 2017, Moe’s granddaughter, Jennifer, also began working at the shop.

The register, lights, and sausage machine you see in the store today are original to the “252 Elizabeth Street” location and have been used ever since. Albanese is also known as the home of the “Gotcha Steaks.” That means they’re so good that after you try one, they’ve “Gotcha,” and you’re hooked! You’ve got to keep coming back for the exceptional cuts of meat.

For Moe, this was more than a great business. He had a great love for the neighborhood, and it ardently loved him back. And, when he wasn’t at the butcher’s block, you’d find Moe sitting outside the shop chatting with regulars. Since Moe’s passing in 2020, Jennifer has been running the business with the same passion as her familial predecessors, a legacy passed down for nearly 100 years.