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There are familiar faces behind the new dining establishment in downtown Port Jefferson.
The family that owns Port Jeff’s frozen treat eatery, Yogo Delish, opened Port Bistro and Pub in the old Brewology building at 201 Main Street on Wednesday.
For this venture, Yogo’s owners, husband and wife Bob and Christine Nyholm, recruited Christine’s sister, Palma DiVito.
“We’ve done things together for many years,” said Christine on opening up a restaurant with her sister. “When we saw the space was available, we just went for it and took a chance.”
The two sisters, who are next-door neighbors in Hauppauge, have always been close to each other.
“We always worked together,” said Palma.”And we always went on vacation together and our kids grew together.”
The Port Bistro owners want to take that family experience and bring it to their patrons in Port Jefferson.
“Even though we are a pub, we want to have a family-friendly atmosphere,” said Christine. “We want this to be a place people can come together to enjoy each other.”
Since taking over the 4,200-square-foot space in May, the three proprietors put countless hours of sweat into re-inventing the 140-seat restaurant and its 20-seat bar.
“We painted the entire space to brighten up,” Christine told GreaterPortJeff. Other changes include adding new decor, lighting, seating, and TV systems.
Since opening earlier this week, Port Bistro launched with a limited American menu that features dishes such as a Port Bistro Burger, filet mignon, grilled salmon, and penne alla vodka.
Moving forward, the owners say they will be “mixing things up” with the kitchen items, possibly adding special international nights like an Italian Sunday dinner.
“We could have pasta and meatballs, all things our grandmother would make,” said Palma.
There are also plans to add lunch dining in the future.
To learn more about the hours of operation and grand opening, make sure to check back at GreaterPortJeff.
Scroll down to see photos of Port Bistro and Pub.
Top: Port Bistro Pub owners Christine Nyholm (pink) and Palma DiVito (pattern) with their staff behind the bar.
