A Modo Mio (Formerly Joe’s Place)

The three Farruggio Brothers, Joe, Charlie, and Vinnie, and their families, moved to the US to chase the American dream. The Farruggio family has been in the restaurant business since Uncle Joe moved to New York in the late 1960s. After working in New York pizzerias for ten years, Joe moved to Northern Virginia and in 1978 and opened the first Joe’s Place in Bailey’s Crossroads. As the family expanded their restaurant business, they opened the Joe’s Place, which we know on Langston Boulevard, in 1985. Families along the corridor remember Joe’s Place as the family restaurant you went to after soccer games or for birthdays

You may have noticed a change from those days; the restaurant and its name have changed, but it remains a family-run establishment. The change came about mainly because of COVID-19. Since they could no longer have a buffet or salad bar during the pandemic, the family decided to retool the restaurant to focus on more traditional Italian food. Joe suggested that they rename the restaurant to A Modo Mio, which loosely translates to “my way”. They wanted to bring Italian food to the corridor in their own way. The restaurant is now run by a member from each of the three families, and a family friend, Antonio Biglietto, who came back from Italy as a partner and head chef. 

Rosario Farruggio is a second-generation owner of the restaurant. He was born in Sicily and came to the US in 1983 when his father, Charlie, joined his uncle Joe in a pizza place. Rosario grew up in Arlington, attending local elementary schools and then Yorktown High School. As a kid, he has fond memories of Arlingtonians being friendly and welcoming to him and his family, with many of his teachers and coaches helping him along the way. Like a lot of family-owned businesses, working in the restaurant as a child was required and not an option. Rosario started at Joe’s Place but enjoyed learning the business and working in all the roles. He even helped his uncle Joe start up a delivery service after learning how it was done by working at Domino’s. 

Rosario says that A Modo Mio is now more of a “date night” restaurant than the “after the soccer game” restaurant it used to be. Through the change, many locals have grown to love the new direction, and it has also brought in new clientele. Though they feature dishes from throughout Italy, they are famous for their Neapolitan pizzas. Since 2023, their pizza has been ranked in the top 50 in the US for Neapolitan pizza. They are proud members of an international organization called Vera Pizza Napoletana, which requires them to make their pizzas the way they were traditionally made in Naples. They have an Italian pizza oven, an Italian dough mixer, and use all Italian ingredients except for the cheese. 

The family takes pride in creating a warm, friendly atmosphere where locals can come and relax. They treat their customers and their staff with respect, which is perhaps why they have so many long-term customers and staff who have been with them for many years. The interaction and giving back to the Arlington community provide them with deep satisfaction as well. The family remains heavily involved in day-to-day operations to ensure the highest quality, and a third generation of the Farruggio family is coming up to ensure this continues. 

Joe Farruggio’s book: My Name is Joe and I am a Pizza Man