New Italian Restaurant Nunzi's Mixes Modern With Traditional

FARMINGDALE, NY —This fall, Long Island got another Italian restaurant. But the owners of Nunzi's in Farmingdale wanted to create a unique Italian dining experience.

Michael Napolitano knew downtown Farmingdale would be the perfect place for the southern Italian food eatery, he told Patch.

"We wanted to find something in a town that was growing and expanding such as Farmingdale is now. There's so much life here and so much going on, especially as you see all these beautiful apartment buildings going up. We all know there has been a major influx of people leaving the city and many young professionals choosing to stay on LI versus moving out, so this was just the perfect place for us. The town and people in it have welcomed us so nicely and it's been a pleasure to be here," he said.

Napolitano grew up being exposed to the restaurant and hospitality scene in Manhattan—his father owned restaurants in the city—and wanted to see more of a city-style destination on Long Island.

"I loved Long Island growing up, but in my late teens and early twenties, everyone always wanted to go into Manhattan at night. I wanted to create a place that you feel like you're in a beautiful Manhattan restaurant but right here in LI."

The decor and food at Nunzi's mixes modern elements with classic home-made inspired dishes that Napolitano's grandmother cooked. Grandpa's Rigatoni and Grandma's Meatballs are two staples on the menu. But new twists on Italian cuisine is also present, like "Limoncello wings," Italian egg rolls with broccoli and sausage.

And the look and feel was also designed to be modern.

"There are a ton of amazing Italian restaurants on Long Island, and I love them all. I wanted to create something different. You notice it the second you walk in with our decor. The design and layout were just as important as anything else for us when creating Nunzi's. From the first day the idea came to life, my head always said 'modern Italian.'"

Nunzi's is located at 125 Secatogue Ave.