Pino Wine Bar & Bistro — Restaurant in Town of Babylon

So this place wound up on my Instagram feed a few months ago by a guy on IG named @alfenza. He reviews food all over the island. I like his descriptive reviews, so I tend to put a lot of faith in him. He ordered the meatballs and the mozzarella sticks, and with how they looked, he sold me.

I wasn't sure if I could bring kids here, so I had wanted to take my Mom and my wife here this summer, but it just didn't work out. So, I took my whole family on Thursday, 13 and 10 year old kids included. We went early (5pm) because I got the sense that this place may get crowded and may not be the ideal scene for kids after 8pm.

My son is a picky eater, but he loved the cheese quesadilla. My daughter had the steak sandwich. I didn't get a chance to taste either , but they both devoured their meals. My Mom is a big fan of small plates, so my Mom, wife and I decided to share: meatballs, mozzarella sticks, hot wings, and the baked brie.

Meatballs: Among the best I've ever tasted. Comes with a whipped dollop of ricotta in the center, and it's just delicious.

Mozzarella Sticks ("Thunder Sticks"): Cheese pull was real, they tasted amazing. Not overly fried, not oily. Just really, really good. Came with a vodka sauce that was a great change of pace from the standards.

Wings: It's easy to mess up a wing, but they didn't do that here. Perfectly fried, big, juicy. "Hot" was hot, but not overpowering by any means. I could have eaten 50 of these if left to my own devices.

Baked Brie: I love brie. Grapes and baked brie was new to me, but not to my Mom. I loved it, but my Mom finished it. I haven't seen my Mom finish anything in years.

Drinks: I had a beer, my wife had a lemonade of some kind and my wife had a happy hour special of a NZ sauvignon blanc that she never tried. My Mom is a big wine drinker; she likes the good stuff, 2 glasses a night. She loved the wine and all of the food. To get my mom to say she "loved" a place is a big deal, but it happened here.

I don't give too many places 5/5's, but this one deserves it. On the way out I met the owner. He was asking how we liked it, and he was very involved with the other patrons as well. Clearly takes pride in his place, and he should.

My brother who lives out of town is visiting in a few weeks, and we've already made plans to come back.

I hadn't been down in this section of Lindenhurst for many years, but I was glad I came back. I live 20 minutes north of here by the LIE, but I'm thrilled to add this place to my...

I threw a surprise birthday party here last night. From the moment I sat down with Anthony to discuss, I knew it was perfect. He was so great to deal with and his knowledge about the best food choices were a hit! He was very helpful and communicative throughout the process which made the planning that much easier.

The night of the party Anthony and his amazing mother, Susie greeted us and escorted us to the surprise. The entire 3 hour party was so seamless. The order in which the food came out was perfect! His charcuterie boards are incredible and each course was better than the next. I was so excited for the Thundersticks and calamari… everything completely exceeded our expectations. I was concerned as we did a bunch of different appetizers, but Anthony promised me that no one would be hungry at the end and boy was he right!

The party ended at 9, as the DJ was coming on. Everyone was having such a great time that a bunch of us stayed to dance the night away. Each staff person was amazing and attentive. Being the host, I had a bite or 2 of everything, but didn’t really get to eat too much. I CANNOT wait to go back and be able to sit down and enjoy all of the food.

I cannot say enough great things about Pino, Anthony, and his entire staff. It was my first time there and I will most definitely be becoming a...

I have been trying for a while to go to Pino and finally I made it. When we go to the door, we were greeted by the owners mother, such a nice lady and the hostess, and the owner. It was more than a warm welcome. We were seated at the high table which is preferred if you want to engage in all that goes on. Gina was our server and she was so nice, I asked what was a suggestion or signature drink, she suggested the Fig Martini, it was delicious. So good, you can down it in one go. We ordered from the Summer menu, I had the Crispy Hot Honey Chicken sandwich, it was an explosion of flavor. For those who like a good kick, get that. We also had the EVERYTHING Pretzel as an appetizer and it was huge and delicious. One word of advice, bring out the appetizer before the main food. Give about 10-15 minutes between the courses. Other than that, food was great. Now, I don't know what happens on other nights, but this night was a Karaoke night which was very entertaining. My sister-in-law sang and all were dancing, singing and happy. The vibe here is just a lot of fun. Like the sign under Pino reads, "Come in as a stranger leave as family." Or words to that affect. I plan on returning and trying out other things...