Restaurant Lungi Inks 8K-SF Lease at Base of Astoria Office Tower

Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant Lungi has signed a 15-year, 7,500-square-foot lease at the base of the Pistilli Towers office building at 31-19 Newtown Avenue in Astoria, Queens, landlord brokerage Meridian Retail Leasing announced Thursday. 

This will be the second location for Lungi, which can also be found at 1136 First Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. 

The Astoria restaurant will occupy 5,000 square feet on the ground floor and have an additional 2,500 square feet for an outdoor dining patio. This is one of the largest restaurant spaces in Astoria, Meridian noted. Asking rent was $400,000 per year. 

Ryan Adhami of Schuckman Realty represented the tenant on this deal. Adhami did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

James Famularo, Jacob Mayer and Marcelo Demoraes of Meridian Retail Leasing represented the landlord, Phoenix Management 23, which is a branch of Pistilli Realty. 

“Lungi brings together an extraordinary group of chefs, each contributing their own culinary traditions and techniques,” Famularo said in a statement. “Their combined expertise creates a seamless dining experience with bold and unique flavors, and we believe this concept will be a terrific addition to the Astoria dining scene.”

Lungi will take over space most recently leased by brew pub Katch, which appears to have closed in late 2025.

Completed in 2011, the Pistilli Towers office building is a 10-story property that spans 74,000 square feet. Other tenants include medical offices ENT & Allergy Associates as well as dental provider BraceTown Orthodontics. 

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.