About Us

ar - moh - nie

the Albanian word for “harmony.”

In the late 1970s, Gafur “Gus” ventured to the United States to explore the country, meet people from different cultures, and take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities here in New York City. After over a decade of working in the industry, and even winning an award for “the best pizza maker in New York,” Gafur and his wife, Lonnie, opened Ray’s Famous Pizza on 14th Street. Their pizzeria quickly became a local favorite and allowed them to continue sharing their gift of great food and community within the city. Their reputation even landed Gafur an article in USA Today, a commercial advertising contract for a global automobile manufacturing company, and guest appearances on a long running day-time television show.

After a widely successful run at Ray’s Famous Pizza, in 2012, Gafur and Lonnie opened a new restaurant – Armonie Bistro – in the El Barrio neighborhood of East Harlem, NYC. It was important to them to continue providing a place that celebrated everyone’s differences, offered a sense of community, and inspired a sense of peace and harmony – hence, its name “Armonie.”