Queens celeb spot Park Side dishing up takeout deals

Finally, a coronavirus story that won’t give you agita.

The legendary Park Side Restaurant, known for its celebrity clientele and acclaimed Italian food, is keeping its Queens doors open with a tasty takeout menu and healthy discounts despite this week’s widespread closings of city bars and restaurants.

The eatery, faced with laying off its entire staff after the statewide mandate shuttering eateries in all five boroughs, instead reorganized its workforce and offered reduced prices on chicken ($55) or pasta ($45) for four.

And the salad comes free. “We wanted to help the community that’s supported us for so many years,” said Anthony Federici Jr., who was pitching in at his dad’s restaurant. “We’re here practically 40 years. We made changes to our work schedule, and everybody on the floor staff was willing to help out.”

Billboard magazine hailed the Park Side as one of the city’s top dining spots for celebrity sightings, with a clientele including singer Selena Gomez, actors Johnny Depp and Robert De Niro, and athletes Deion Sanders and Robinson Cano.

The Corona restaurant is also offering a 20% discount on menu items and 30% off its wine list.

Federici said the family business began feeling the pinch in the week before the Monday announcement ordering restaurants and bars to stop admitting patrons, leaving takeout service as the lone option.

“Sales started to dip as panic set into the community,” said Federici. “The reality set in Tuesday morning. All of a sudden, it was like a ghost town.”

In addition to the highly regarded menu, the restaurant received attention over the years for allegations by federal authorities that owner Anthony Sr. is a capo in the Genovese crime family. But this is about community and trying to make it through hard times, said Anthony Jr.

“We’re trying to get the word out through social media and survive, and keep these people working,” he said.