Angelo’s Civita Farnese: Eggplant con Ricciolo (curls of eggplant deepfried with sauce on the side).

Angelo’s veal cutlet parm sandwich is enormous, filled with tender veal and chock full of flavor.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Gretchen Ertl

I felt a bit of panic driving on Federal Hill back in July when I saw Angelo’s Civita Farnese closed up tight. Fearing the worst, I immediately regretted not making it to the Federal Hill institution for such a long time.

Relief set in when word arrived that there was a sign in the window signaling owner Bob Antignano was renovating.

The place looks great, with light walls, dark wood wainscoting, dark-cushioned high-back booths, a black-and-white checkerboard floor and a whole new lounge space. There are new wine racks for a list Antignano is slowly growing.

While Angelo’s old décor — with its heavily paneled walls and tables and chairs jammed together — may be gone, the menu is still chock full of comforting, familiar favorites. The service is fast and efficient as ever. And still, no server writes a thing down, yet all the orders still arrive.

As for the prices, they are as reasonable as ever, making just about any meal a great deal.

Opened in 1924 by Angelo Mastrodicasa and owned for the past 20 by Antignano, Angelo’s is one of those places that inspires a sense of ownership among the customers. They feel invested in the place and fear any change. The challenge was to keep the Old World feel while freshening everything up.

Antignano said photos of the restaurant taken back in 1935 inspired the design, now centered on the comfy booths rather than a counter. The addition of the lounge next to the second dining room is Antignano’s way of reaching out to a new generation.

But the vast majority of customers, like me, come for the Italian homestyle food and diner-like daily specials. There’s something very nice about knowing that the roast chicken is offered every Wednesday ($6.45 for the leg and $6.95 for the breast), is moist and filling, and comes with a generous cup of hearty homemade minestrone, with lots of veggies and just enough pasta. We ordered the breast, and liked the wings for their tasty skin.