| (July 28, 2016) -- LBREPORT.com is deeply saddened to report that a significant part of Long Beach will disappear by mid-August: Nino's Italian Restaurant -- Long Beach's oldest Italian restaurant and an iconic presence in Bixby Knolls at 3853 Atlantic Ave. -- will be closing just two weeks after marking its 58th anniversary in business.
Nino's will celebrate its 58th anniversary on July 31 (see their Facebook page here. ("We have loved serving you and your loved ones over the years," they said in a June 30 Facebook posting.) We're told that their final day open to the public will be August 12; two private events are scheduled August 13 and 14. [Scroll down for further.] |
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Nino's was always about more than food. It was about people -- the Cristiano family: patriarch Vincenzo, wife Inge, and their children Nino, Mike and Carina. Their restaurant was an extension of their family and the Cristianos treated their customers and workers as family. Beyond the usual pasta and pizza, Nino's offered genuine delicacies, brought by Mr. and Mrs. Cristiano from Europe: a fabulous spinach and carrot soup (if you were lucky on certain days), cauliflower pancakes, handmade gnocci (potato dumplings) and the best eggplant on the planet. Following WWII, Mr. and Mrs. Cristiano left Europe, eventually made it to U.S., came to Long Beach and prospered through the years by delivering an outstanding product.
So deep were its Long Beach ties that when Vincenzo Cristiano celebrated his 80th birthday in February 2004, the Long Beach City Council paused in the middle of its Council meeting to send its best wishes during the Council telecast (viewed by a crowd at the restaurant.) We covered that event a dozen years ago and recall it in archival coverage below. (Vincenzo Cristiano passed away in October 2014.) [archival coverage]
Councilwoman Kell: We are also celebrating that this business has continued to prosper into its 46th year. It is serving delicious Italian food with a three star rating. This has been a successful family business. Inge, Vince's wife, as well as his son, Nino, whose name graces the restaurant, his son Mike and daughter Carina have all been participating in this success story. So, from all of us, the Mayor and City Council: Vince, happy birthday! Mayor O'Neill: Happy birthday. Councilwoman Kell: And Ernie, who has a dish named after him, our former Mayor, is now going to present Vince with a plaque of appreciation. Go for it! Happy birthday Vince!
The story of Nino's is well known locally. In 1957, Vincenzo Cristiano and wife Inge (having survived wartime Europe) arrived in LB with two sons (Nino four years old, Mike four weeks; daughter Carina would arrive considerably later). Mr. Cristiano brought with him family recipes handed down from generations beyond current memory...and built Nino's with the care of a family kitchen. Home made delicacies include cauliflower pancakes and (on lucky days) a spinach and carrot soup. Many customers are fanatics over their favorite dishes. Mr. Cristiano's children came to the microphone and offered warm words for their Dad.
Looking out over the crowd, Mr. Cristiano said "With all of you here, I have lots of money in the bank." LBREPORT.com will have more on Nino's to follow.
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(February 5, 2004) -- Roughly 100 people gathered at Long Beach's oldest Italian restaurant to celebrate...and the City Council in CA's fifth largest city took time to acknowledge...
...the 80th birthday of Vincenzo Cristiano, patriarch of Nino's Ristorante Italiano.
...Vice Mayor Colonna had a special birthday greeting delivered to his old boss via Council office staffer Julie Maleki.
Another Nino's alumnus is Terry Jensen [later appointed to LB's Redevelopment Agency Board] who washed dishes at Nino's in 1958..."Nino's had just opened a year earlier and everyone worked very hard. It was a true family business," Mr. Jensen said.
Mayor Kell brought along some sort of document he kept tightly guarded while repeatedly checking the time. We couldn't figure out what he was doing...until 7 o'clock rolled around and someone flipped on a TV carrying the live telecast of the Long Beach City Council meeting.
The crowd in Bixby Knolls fell silent and watched (Mrs. Cristiano in foreground)...
...as Mr. Cristiano pulled up a chair and saw the following take place:
Up in Bixby Knolls, Mayor Kell presented the document to Mr. Cristiano to loud applause.
Nino: "My father is a man of honor, generosity and love."
Mike: "I love this man more than anything in the world."
Carina: "When I was growing up, my father told me always to put God first."
Vince sang a touching 
...then launched into a rousing, 
Mr. Cristiano told wellwishers that Mayor Kell once said, "When you have friends, you have money in the bank."
