New Upscale Italian Restaurant Opens in Wappingers; Honest Review

Nonnina's opened up in the Village of Wappingers for the very first time this weekend, so I decided to give it a try. It's certainly not for everyone, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

After Il Continori closed its doors on Market Street in 2011, The Village was without a proper Italian restaurant for eight years before Stefano's opened on West Main Street in 2019, followed the next year by Patsy's Pizzeria. While Patsy's is still serving up Italian dishes across from Il Continori's former location, Stefano's is long gone, replaced by Casa Ortega, a delicious Mexican Restaurant, on West Main Street.

Now, a new player has entered the Village. The owners of Beacon mainstays, The Bird & Bottle Inn, Wonderbar, and Cooper’s, have taken over the former location of The Hog on West Main, transforming it from a greasy sandwich joint to an upscale Italian bistro.

Dinner at Nonnina's in the Village of Wappingers Falls

On Sunday evening, I took my family to Nonnina's. Aside from a few opening-week hiccups, it was clear by the end of the meal that a new era of fine dining is about to begin in the Village of Wappingers, but it may not be for everyone.

The intimate space of the former Hog was carefully reimagined to include not only a full bar, but also a surprising number of tables that can easily be rearranged to accommodate large parties or intimate couples. Decorated with mismatched plates on the walls and pictures of old Italian grandmas, Nonnina's presents itself as a cozy family-style restaurant, but that's not exactly what the menu suggests.

Review of Nonnina's in Wappingers Falls

Growing up in North Jersey, I didn't know any Italian grandmas who topped their dishes with black truffle pangrattato or had nduja cream in the fridge. Those looking for ravioli in tomato sauce or spaghetti and meatballs won't find anything like that here. The menu at Nonnina's is a bit more adventurous; however, it still falls back on familiar Italian flavors that will satisfy all but the pickiest of eaters.

Luckily, my family is always up for a culinary adventure, so we eagerly dove into the menu.

Our table ordered the kale Caesar salad and the beet and gorgonzola salad. Both were delicious. The gorgonzola cheese used in the beet salad was not the food service crumbles you find at most restaurants. Earthy and strong, the cheese was an early sign that Nonnina's is hyper-focused on high-end and fresh ingredients.

Unfortunately, our server mistakenly fired off our salads and entrees at the same time, so I felt like I had to rush through the salad so my entree wouldn't get cold, but things like this are expected during the first week of service.

I ordered the Strozzapreti in a pesto sauce with pancetta. Although beautifully presented, the dish was way too overseasoned. The sodium from the pancetta, Parmesan cheese used in the pesto and the topping of breadcrumbs and truffles supplied more than enough saltiness. A bit of restraint on the seasoning would have balanced this dish out much better. This was disappointing because the freshly made pasta was perfectly cooked and the pesto was bright and fresh.

My son ordered the classic Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe that was like a big warm hug on a plate. Creamy with just the perfect kick of pepper, this dish was certainly something grandma would be proud of. Finally, my wife ordered the Lasagna, made with smoked mozzarella, pecorino cream and beef bolognese in a vodka sauce. This twist on the classic lasagna was also very delicious and a welcome change from the same-old Italian dishes you can find at every other restaurant in the Hudson Valley.

Don't Forget Dessert at Nonnina's

Although we were full from all of that pasta, we had to make some room for dessert. Again, Nonnina's menu didn't include the predictable chocolate lava cake or tiramisu. Instead, my wife and I opted to share the coconut panna cotta while our son enjoyed a rich bowl of gelato. The panna cotta was masterfully put together, with just the right balance of citrus, coconut and cream with a nice crunch of almond. It was the perfect way to end a very heavy meal.

Overall Impressions of Nonnina's in Wappingers Falls

If you're looking for those classic Americanized Italian dishes that most diners are used to, you're not going to find them at Nonnina's. Families with simpler palates looking for a fancy night out might be better served somewhere else, like Pasta D'oro in Wurtsboro or Il Figlio in Fishkill.

Don't expect a basket of bread for the table or mints handed out at the end of the meal. At around $75 to $100 per person for drinks, dinner and dessert, Nonnina's is clearly geared towards those who are game for some culinary twists and turns and willing to spend a bit more for higher-end ingredients instead of larger quantities of food.

Small issues persisted throughout our meal, like uncleared plates, forgotten drink orders, missing utensils and our entrees being served at the same time as our salad. However, those things are to be expected during opening week. Overall, we were very pleased by the friendly staff and their attention paid to my son's tree-nut allergy.

Our family is already looking forward to returning and even considered moving our Christmas Eve dinner to Nonnina's, but ultimately decided not to because our extended family members aren't quite as adventurous. On our next visit, I'm planning on trying one of Nonnina's pinsas, light and fluffy Roman-style flatbreads topped with clams, Italian meats, cheeses and other toppings.

Wappingers' newest Italian eatery certainly isn't for everyone, and that's fine by me. If you've been searching the Hudson Valley for an elevated Italian dining experience in a cozy dining room run by a friendly and welcoming staff, Nonnina's checks off all of the boxes and then some.