Fradei, Bistro Serving Regional Italian Food, Will Replace Cafe Lafayette in Fort Greene

Another new restaurant is arriving in the heart of Fort Greene.

Fradei, an Italian bistro located at 99 South Portland Avenue, will have its “soft opening” on Thursday, December 20. A new sign for the restaurant recently went up on the awning, after weeks of interior work. The name is a play on an Italian slang word for the word brothers.

The space was formerly occupied by French-Moroccan restaurant Cafe Lafayette, which closed in 2017 after more than a decade in business.

Federico Armagni, one of the owners, told Brownstoner they noticed that a restaurant that reflects the “experience of a real Italian trattoria” was missing in the neighborhood. The spot will serve regional Italian food, he added, accompanied by a diverse selection of wines that will rotate weekly. Both dinner and brunch will be served.

The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license yet, according to New York State Liquor Authority documents.

Other owners of the restaurant include Lorenzo Baricca, Clement Besset and Simone Finotto. Baricca was the wine director at Tarallucci e Vino, an Italian restaurant with three locations in Manhattan, while Finotto worked at Frank, an Italian restaurant owned by Manhattan restauranteur Frank Prisinzano.

[Photos by Craig Hubert]

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