Sparks Steak House

The story

On the evening of December 16, 1985, Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano and underboss Thomas Bilotti were shot dead outside the front entrance, a hit ordered by John Gotti. The restaurant they died outside had begun modestly enough: brothers Pat and Mike Cetta, whose family had immigrated from Campania, Italy, worked as butchers and winemakers before buying a place called Sparks English Pub in 1966 and converting it into a steakhouse. That transformation, and one brutal winter night, made Sparks one of the most storied addresses in Midtown Manhattan.