A new Italian restaurant is slated to open in downtown Ansonia by the end of the year.
It’s Antonio’s — as in the same Antonio’s that used to operate on Route 67 in Oxford.
“It’s good food at a reasonable price,” said Chris Setaro, who will operate the restaurant with his brother Tony and Jerry Nocerino
Nocerino owns the Ansonia Commons Plaza, where Antonio’s will be located.
“We’ll make homemade pasta on-site,” Setaro said. “It will be an open kitchen.”
There will be seating for 120 people and a 40 person bar, Setaro said.
Nocerino is currently renovating the inside of the building — at the corner of Bridge and Main streets — to accommodate the restaurant’s opening in November.
“We’ve done a lot of this high-end stuff,” Nocerino said. “We’re doing our end to make it a really special place. We know it’s going to be a huge success.”
The Families
The Setaro family is from Oxford. They used to operate the former Antonio’s in Oxford, Southbury and Waterbury, Setaro said.
The family recently opened up restaurants in Beacon Falls and Woodbridge.
Setaro’s mother, Mina, runs the Beacon Falls location, “where I learned to cook,” Setaro said.
Setaro will be the chef for the restaurant and his brother, Tony, is the manager, he said.
The Setaro family partnered with the Nocerino family — which owns retail strip malls along the Route 8 corridor and in the Hamden area — to open the new Antonio’s.
“It’s been a whole year planning back and forth,” Nocerino said. “We just officially signed all the leases last month.”
Antonio’s has signed a 10-year lease for the property, Nocerino said.
‘This Is Going To Be A Winner’
Nocerino and Setaro said they were excited about opening up in downtown Ansonia.
“They’re starting to revitalize downtown Ansonia again,” Setaro said. “And we’re from the Valley. We love the Valley.”
Nocerino said he hopes the restaurant draws more business to the area.
“The people that know the quality of food there — they’ll draw from all over,” Nocerino said. “It’s just exciting to see a really good business come to town. When you bring something like a restaurant or deli where there’s a lot of traffic, it’s good for everything else too.”
