Every table at the Narragansett Cafe, affectionately called The Ganny by its loyal customers, was taken Tuesday during trivia. The watering hole in the heart of Jamestown’s village has changed owners for the second time in three years. PHOTOS BY ANDREA ON HOHENLEITEN
For the second time in three years, the Narragansett Cafe has been sold to a local couple that plans to keep the bar as the island’s watering hole.
Mark and Esther D’Arezzo closed the sale June 8 from Joseph Colon and Cecelia Verta for $1 million. The bar previously was owned by John Recca from 2007-21. During its history, the Narragansett Cafe has been a perennial winner of best blues hangout, best neighborhood bar and best place for live music by Rhode Island Monthly.
Mark D’Arezzo said the final sale price was $750,000 for the building and $250,000 for the business. Colon and Verta had bought the business from Recca for $1 million. The D’Arezzos had been in talks to buy the bar since January, but licensing and other obligations needed to be squared away before the deal was finalized. The town council approved a transfer of the liquor license at a special meeting June 2.
“We just want to put our own spin on it, and keep the music playing and the drinks flowing,” Mark said. “We’re the only show in town as far as a bar is concerned. We’re going to carry on what the Narragansett Cafe has always been doing.”
New owners Esther and Mark D’Arezzo at their establishment Wednesday morning.
Like Colon and Verta, the D’Arezzos are Jamestown residents. Mark is the coach of the North Kingstown High School girls’ soccer team, which won the state championship in November. They also have been regulars at the Narragansett Cafe for years and regularly stopped by for blues concerts.
One day, Mark said Esther wondered about what it would be like to own the bar. Mark knew Colon and Verta had just bought it, and probably weren’t looking to sell.
“Next time it’s up for sale, we got to be ready to go,” Esther said.
Their chance came sooner than they thought. They heard through neighbors that Colon and Verta were looking to sell. Colon said they originally bought the Narragansett Cafe to keep it as a local establishment, and they believed the D’Arezzos would be the right people to continue its legacy.
“It’s the last locals place that you can come in after work and it’s OK that you might have a little dirt on your sleeve,” Colon said. “They seem to be doing the right things and I support them absolutely.”
Mark said Colon and Verta told him they were the only prospective buyers who came forward that didn’t want to compromise the integrity of the bar.
“We understand that it’s an icon and it’s the only place for locals to come,” Mark said. “We want to carry on the tradition and keep it going. The Narragansett Cafe is going to stay the Narragansett Cafe.”
The cafe will be the first restaurant owned by the D’Arezzos, although Mark does have bartending experience and is familiar with how things are run behind the bar. Members of their family also are in the culinary business.
The Narragansett Cafe, known informally as the “Ganny,” has been in business since at least the 1940s. The Santos family owned it until 1987, when it was sold to brothers Dan and Tom Alexander. Recca bought it from the Alexanders in 2007.
The establishment, Mark said, is known by people well beyond Jamestown. He recalled a visit to Jamaica when a fellow traveler from the Midwest recognized Esther’s Jamestown shirt and remembered visiting Beavertail and “that little bar.” They had a similar experience in Mexico.
Colon said he and Verta will help the D’Arezzos as much as they can as they take over the reins of the Ganny. Just as Colon and Verta did, the D’Arezzos will split the responsibility of running the business. Esther will handle the financial side and Mark will handle the operations of the bar and kitchen.
Mark said the plan is to operate the bar this summer without much aesthetic change from the past. They initially planned to repaint the interior before the summer, but because of the delay in the ownership transfer, they will wait until after the season is over.
“After the summer is over, we’ll go forward with our plans, painting and all the other little touches we wanted to do,” he said. “There is not going to be drastic changes.”
There will be some minor changes to the bar and its menu. New televisions have been purchased for the bar, and Cox Communications currently is rewiring the building to accommodate them.
They also are recruiting staff members. A new menu will launch next week featuring new sandwiches, including tuna salad and meatball subs, and specialty pizzas will be added in the summer. While most of the old menu will remain, Mark said he has taken steak off the menu.
“We’re a small pub kitchen. We are not a steakhouse,” Mark said. “It’s one of the most expensive things on the menu. We want to keep the food reasonable. The best way to make our kitchen work is to keep it simple. By keeping it simple, it keeps it simple for the customers and they can come in and have a reasonably priced sandwich instead of having to pay for a giant meal.”
The bar’s music series is ongoing with local bands performing at the venue four nights a week. Concerts Thursday, Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 8 p.m. and the Sunday afternoon shows will take place at 4 p.m.
“We are booked well until late fall already,” Mark said. “We will be adding more music. There will probably be some Wednesday night music. Four or five nights of music a week throughout the summer.”