Esli Molina, 37, worked at pizzerias in Norwalk and Greenwich in his 20s, learning the business in hopes of owning his own restaurant one day. Thirteen years later, he opened Nonna’s Pizza & Pasta at 140 Main St. in Monroe, next to Chuck’s Corner.
“I always wanted to have my own place,” Molina said during the grand opening celebration Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a family dream.”
Molina and Dunia, his wife of 17 years, co-own Nonna’s, an Italian term of endearment for grandmothers. The couple lives in Stamford with their two children, Esli Jr., 14, and Zoe, 8, who are already helping out at the restaurant.
Molina said Nonna’s prepares Old World recipes in Italian cuisine.
“We’re always happy to take care of every customer and prepare the dishes everybody likes,” Molina said.
“We buy the best ingredients,” Dunia added.
In addition to popular Italian fare like pizza, calzones, pastas, chicken marsala, chick parmigiana and chicken frances, Nonna’s offers salads, burgers, subs and wraps.
The couple searched for a place to open their restaurant for nearly three years, before finding the standalone building on Main Street. Molina said he likes that it is located in a high traffic area with ample parking.
Nonna’s officially opened its doors on Aug. 16.
“The people we’re serving, they say we have good food and good pizza,” Molina said, adding customers have primarily come from Monroe, Easton and Shelton. “People are coming back and I’m happy about that.”
On Wednesday, First Selectman Terry Rooney, Economic and Community Development Director William Holsworth and several Monroe Chamber of Commerce members participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Esli Jr. placed two pizza pies on the glass counter inside the restaurant, one cheese and another a margarita pizza that is popular among patrons, according to Molina.
Dunia said another favorite is the chicken, bacon ranch.
Guests helped themselves to slices of pizza, penne alla vodka, salads with fresh mozzarella, buffalo wings and chicken dishes among the spread.
“On behalf of the town of Monroe, welcome,” Rooney said after the ribbon was cut. “We love to see Monroe grow the way it’s growing with our eateries. Thank you for taking the opportunity to do business in Monroe. We wish you great success. Congratulations.”
Nonna’s is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For information, call the restaurant at 203-268-1500, visit its website or follow Nonna’s on Facebook and Instagram.
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