Nino's Pizza 842 Franklin (at Union) to get an upgrade
It seems it will soon be reborn as Italian Passion Cafe and Pizza Restaurant, a fancier version of its present self.
From this photo, it appears it has been a pizza place for decades....
Comments
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Cool!
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very cool. their pizza is better-than-OK and they've always been friendly in there. Wish 'em luck!
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When I moved to BK, this was my go-to for pizza. Spicy sauce and delicious.
Twice, though, in like 2006, the owner tried to corner my parents (white 50-something's) to buy a building from him because he liked them (as he pointed at their hands and back to his repeatedly to remind them that they were all white). We usually did delivery.
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http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/corner-of-franklin-union#post_content
dmiami wrote: Speaking of this area... i noticed that Nino's rebranding of themselves has happened online but not in real life.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/italian-passion-pizza/menu
They seem to be going about this very gradually.
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whynot_31 said:
It seems it will soon be reborn as Italian Passion Cafe and Pizza Restaurant, a fancier version of its present self.
From this photo, it appears it has been a pizza place for decades....It has been a pizza place for decades. I think it was there when I was in elementary school in the 80s (and I went to school around the corner on President Street).
Interesting that the place is undergoing a makeover instead of just moving out of the neighborhood all together.
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Based on xlizellx's post, I am assuming the restaurant owner owns the property, as well as others.
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Today, a guy was distributing a menu that says "Italian Passion Cafe, formerly known as Nino's"
Est 1959.www.italianpassionpizzarestaurant.comThey are clearly now at the salad, pasta and lasagna level.
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Ever since the new ownership/management took over the quality of the food has really improved there. It's always been my convenient, downstairs pizza spot, but it's definitely gotten nicer of late. Gotta keep up with the Barboncinos of the world.
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good to hear. will have to check them out. but no comparison to barboncinos, to different clientele. one for groups/families who want to 'dine', and the other for a quick bite.
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Good thing I found this thread again.
I noticed this when I walked by last week:
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Bummer! Lorenzo made some killer pizza.
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hmmm. The removal of the awning would seem to indicate they are not just renovating the interior.Established 1959 ....closed 2016?
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Too bad.
He was a nice guy and always working.
Wasn't someone looking for a space for a ramen shop? This would work well. -
Agreed, too bad... Good pizza. He also employed some of our youth.
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This business seemed to be really popular with the students from the nearby high schools.
...I just did a quick search and did NOT see the storefront as being listed for lease, so I wonder if the person who took it over in 2013 is going to try something else.
I'd like to think the business that was there since 1959 owned the building.
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I could be wrong, but there was a sign up when I was walking by indicating that it was being renovated, but that it would still continue to operate as a pizza place. I heard the guys gutting the place saying that it could be quite some time before they re-open. Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, the food there had really improved over the last couple years. Hopefully the quality continues to improve under new management.
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I actually think it said it would be called "Sal and Brothers" or something like that, which is funny because this place has always reminded me of Sal's Pizzeria from the movie Do The Right Thing. I don't see any filings on the BIS site, which is weird since it looks like they're completely gutting the space.
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Also weird because there's already a Sal's right up the block, if that's actually the name.
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If they are changing the name yet keeping it a pizza place, that would explain why they got rid of the awning.
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I passed by yesterday. Looks like it's being renovated, not closing, as mcpoet mentioned!
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Ok. I didn't see any signage when I walked by that it was under renovation.
Maybe that will come later...like with Checkers. -
Work permits have not been requested on the property.
However, one can do a lot of non-structural and non-plumbing work without having to get a work permit.
For example, they could get rid of their current Formica tables and install fancy ones. They could upgrade their kitchen appliances.
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The sign that I mentioned says that it will be called "Joe & Sal's Pizzeria."
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I have been told that Sal is Nino's son.
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Like, the original Nino that the place was named after back in the day? Hopefully they don't change the pizza too much, as it markedly improved under Lorenzo.
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Yes, THAT Nino.
...time will tell whether this renovation/rebranding will be positive in terms of pizza quality.
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I spoke to someone this evening as he saw me snapping a picture.
It is being renovated.
It will be under new management.
ETA: about 3 weeks.
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It isn't clear to me who was operating it when it was (briefly) Italian Passion Café.
Above, we concluded the building was owned by the Nino's family.
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Wow, that fast? The guys I saw gutting the place seemed to be indicating that it would be longer than that. I know when I looked in there the place was completely gutted. They've been working in there pretty consistently though, so it's entirely possible it'll be a pretty quick turnaround.mugofmead111 said:I spoke to someone this evening as he saw me snapping a picture. It is being renovated. It will be under new management. ETA: about 3 weeks.The guy who was running the place recently was Lorenzo. I'm not sure what his relation is to Nino, if any, but I thought he did a good job of fixing the place up, expanding the menu, and significantly improving the quality of the pizza. Honestly, for what I get (plain marinara with maybe some mushrooms and olives), it was pretty much on par with Barboncino. Different styles, but both solid pizzas.
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