Brooklyn Randazzo’s Clam Bar owner Paul Randazzo Sr. dies at age 66

The beloved proprietor of Brooklyn’s famous Randazzo’s Clam Bar has died at age 66.

Paul S. Randazzo Sr. died Aug. 12. after dedicating his life to serving fresh lobster rolls, baked clams and a smorgasbord of Italian-American seafood dishes at his family’s multi-generational diner in Sheepshead Bay, according to an obituary for the restaurateur posted by the Marine Park Funeral Home.

“Fondly known as ‘The Ham,’ Paul was a cornerstone of his community, dedicating over 50 years to Randazzo’s Clam Bar,” reads the obituary. “Paul was known for his strong personality and unwavering commitment to his restaurant and family.”

Though its standing dipped this year over last, Randazzo’s Clam Bar eaked out the final place on the NY Times list of the top 100 restaurants in NYC for 2024, with food critic Pete Wells highlighting the fried calamari as the eatery’s ultimate draw.

“If you don’t understand how such a pedestrian dish could be the organizing principle of an entire restaurant, you probably haven’t tasted the calamari at Randazzo’s,” Wells wrote.

Paul Randazzo Sr. continued a more than century-old tradition that began when his great-great-grandfather, Sam Randazzo, entered the fish trade with a Lower East Side seafood market in 1916. Sam dispensed local catches for more than a decade before migrating to Sheepshead Bay and opening the family’s first Emmons Ave. outpost in 1932, according to Eater.

In 1959, Sam’s daughter Elena opened a second Randazzo’s on Emmons Ave. as a watering hole for local fishermen, who came for drinks and specialty dishes, including Elena’s Gal-a-Mah served with the family’s proprietary red sauce.

The restaurant gained in popularity and the Randazzo’s brand continued to expand throughout Sheepshead Bay, with a total of five clam bars, restaurants and fish markets bearing the family name as of 1982.

The current Randazzo’s, opened in 1986, was devastated by 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which swept over Emmons Ave. with 11-foot swells that destroyed businesses located in the heart of Sheepshead Bay’s commercial fishing district.

When Wells asked what of the restaurant survived the storm for his one-star review of the eatery in 2013, the owner of Randazzo’s Clam Bar responded simply.

“Me,” Paul Randazzo Sr. told the food critic.

The red lobster hung above Randazzo’s door would beckon customers once again following its reopening in 2013, as the restaurant continued to garner acclaim as one of the city’s best seafood restaurants under the management of Paul Randazzo Sr.

“Randazzo’s Clam Bar is not only one of the city’s best Italian restaurants, it’s one of the city’s best seafood restaurants,” read a 2013 Eater review of the restaurant.

Born June 2, 1958, Randazzo was the son of Jacqueline Page. He is survived by his children Joseph, Elena, Paul S. Jr, Samantha and Thomas Randazzo. He had five grandchildren. His wife, Rosemary Randazzo, died three years ago.