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Nino’s is back.
Mastic Beach’s popular pizzeria and restaurant is open again after a health scare led owners to temporarily shut down just before the New Year.
On Dec. 28, Nino’s closed when the eatery’s owner Vinny Antonacci — already battling leukemia and diabetes — was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“It was a scary time for all,” said Antonacci’s daughter Tricia. “We wanted to be sure he would be okay and to take the proper precautions with the family, our staff and for our customers.”
Tricia, in a Facebook post announcing Nino’s was re-opening over the weekend, explained that her father has recovered from his bout with COVID-19.
“He is now doing better, always a tough fighter, and is in the clear after successfully battling COVID, thank goodness,” she said in the post, while noting that the store has been sanitized and that all necessary precautions are being taken.
“For the time we have been closed we wanted to assure we took all the proper actions to open back up safely for our staff and customers,” read a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “Our prayers and thoughts go out to all families who have been hit with Covid and all the stress of this crazy world right now. Everyone has been hurt by this in some way.”
The restaurant at 201 Mastic Beach Road will serve take-out only and temporarily operate with a limited staff. This translates to a limited menu that still includes its famously delicious pizza, calzones, pepperoni wheels and chicken pops.
“(We) will gradually expand to our regular menu,” she said.
