For Pino Wine Bar & Bistro in Lindenhurst, it’s hometown pride.
And family traditions.
Owner Anthony Cucinella was born and raised in Lindenhurst in a family that has run several Italian restaurants on Long Island for many years.
The Cucinella family formerly owned Joe’s Pizza in Plainview, Bono’s Pizza in Lindenhurst and Valentino’s Pizza in Bayshore, where Anthony Cucinella developed a love of cooking and the restaurant business.
Along the way, he learned some words of wisdom to live by when it comes to work:
“Why serve it in a restaurant if you wouldn’t serve it to your family and friends?”
Ricotta meatball appetizer. (Photo by Nick Esposito)
And he applied that to Pino Wine Bar & Bistro, which is more than just a wine bar.
This is a fully-fledged restaurant that opened in the fall.
Everything Cucinella serves is fresh, and he takes great pride in that, he told Greater Long Island. Pino Wine Bar’s quesadillas are a unique four-cheese blend that he makes from scratch.
“When people eat something and say it’s the best thing they’ve ever eaten, it makes me very proud,” he said.
Charcuterie boards are also a customer favorite at Pino Wine Bar & Bistro.
Everything is fresh and cut to order.
Naturally, as a wine bar, Pino’s has a wide selection of wines to choose from, but it also has a liquor license on the wall and 14 specialty cocktails on offer, including the Lindy Express Martini and an excellent Old Fashioned.
Cucinella also places great importance on the quality of the liquor used in the cocktails.
When asked why he chose Lindenhurst, he simply said, “I chose Lindenhurst because I wanted to study here.
“Why not Lindenhurst?”
He sees his hometown as a great town that rivals its nearby downtowns, and he wanted to add to that appeal with Pino Wine Bar & Bistro.
“What makes the village grow is customers flying from place to place,” he said. “That makes business better for all of us.”
The restaurant is named after his late father, Pino, as the family thought it would be the perfect way to honor him, and it’s also a fitting play on the Pinot grape variety for a bar that specializes in wine.
If you go
St. Louis ribs appetizer at Pino’s Wine Bar & Bistro in Lindenhurst. (Photo by Nick Esposito)
Pino Wine Bar & Bistro is open Wednesday through Sunday and features DJs on Friday and Saturday nights and live entertainment on Sundays.
The address is 143 N. Wellwood Avenue, one block north of Hoffman Avenue.
Above: Pino Wine Bar & Bistro owner Anthony Cucinella was born and raised in Lindenhurst in a family that owned several Italian restaurants on Long Island. (Photo by Nick Esposito)
