As of Aug. 1, the popular LowBrow Pizza & Beer in East Naples will have a new owner.
Antonio Longobardo, who owns two pizzeria restaurants in Estero, is buying LowBrow from its founders, Chris Jones and Henrik Lagergren, but the restaurant’s name and menu will stay the same.
“We love what they’re doing. We want to keep it going,” Longobardo said.
The staff of the 6-year-old pizzeria at 3148 Tamiami Trail E. will remain intact and will be overseen by Jones, a former country club chef who created LowBrow and a few other notable pizza and barbecue concepts in the area.
“Chris is going to stay on and ensure that everything, the food, is up to snuff and the quality is going to stay the same as it is,” Longobardo said. “So, we’re going to keep everything the same. The quality is going to be the same. It’s going to be the same LowBrow that people know and love.”
Longobardo intends to be a hands-on owner and plans to make what he says will be welcome changes to the restaurant.
“We’re going to put a full liquor menu in there and kind of spruce things up,” he said. Other additions will include new TVs and a back bar as Longobardo invests money to improve the experience.
“I want to make some minor tweaks. I’m going to listen to the staff,” he said. “They’re a very busy place. They’ve been around for a while. We don’t want to fix something that’s not broken. We’re just going to make some minor adjustments.”
Just as Longobardo’s other pizzerias—Pezzo Pizza + Bar on U.S. 41 in Estero and Luigi’s Pizza É Pasta at Miromar Outlets—are different from each other, LowBrow’s authenticity will prevail. The new owner doesn’t plan to change the successful local concept.
“The food is fantastic there, so that is what initially drew us to the concept, in general,” he said.
While serving up its Maggie classic Margherita and its super cheesy Cheesus H. Crust specialty pizzas, LowBrow is especially known for its meaty varieties. The Meatfest pie includes barbecue brisket, hot guts sausage, chorizo, pork belly and pulled pork; The Porker features barbecued pork, pork belly, pineapple, jalapeño, pickled red onion and cotija cheese; Pepper-Bro-Ni has smoked brisket, pepperoni, ricotta, garlic mushrooms and charred onion; and Facemelter serves up pepperoni arrabiata, hot capicola, mozzarella, ricotta, sweet chilies and hot honey.
“Not Pizza” menu items include the Bovine Love brisket smash burger, the Dad Bod Salad, meatballs, wings and Pizza Bones—pieces of fried, wood-fired pizza crust with garlic butter and queso served with a house red sauce.
LowBrow offers a unique vibe to accompany its fun menu. Expect to see a continuation of the same unpretentious attitude reflected in the pizzeria’s droll menu, irreverent T-shirts and pop culture artwork.
During a surprise stop at the pizzeria in April 2021, Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy of Barstool Sports bought a LowBrow T-shirt and a painting of baby Yoda eating pizza that was painted by Naples artist Esau Rodriguez. In his trademark One Bite—”Everybody knows the rules”—online pizza review, Portnoy also honored LowBrow’s Maggie pizza with a respectable 7.1 rating.
“I want to emphasize that we’re keeping everything the same,” Longobardo said. “I know it’s kind of a beloved place in Naples.”
LowBrow launched April 20, 2018, in an East Trail space that had been a Five Guys fast-food eatery between Bayshore Drive and the Collier County Government Center. That freestanding building previously was a series of memorable restaurants, such as Grecian Gardens, Ponderosa Steakhouse and Steak Town USA, dating back nearly 50 years.
LowBrow’s operating hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is not open for lunch Monday through Thursday during the summer.
