From a Family Dream to a Suffern Tradition
Serving our community since November 10, 1988
Da Nina’s story is about more than a restaurant. It is a story of family, opportunity, hard work, hospitality, and a deep connection to the community that has surrounded us for nearly four decades.
Since opening in Suffern on November 10, 1988, Da Nina has welcomed generations of families through its doors. Over the years, birthdays have been celebrated, friendships have grown around the table, families have returned with new generations, and countless memories have become part of the restaurant’s own history.
At the heart of that story is the Zuniga family.
A Tradition Begins
Da Nina opened its doors in the heart of Suffern on November 10, 1988.
From its earliest years, the restaurant developed the warm neighborhood character that would become central to its identity: Italian food prepared with care, personal service, and a dining room where guests could feel comfortable returning again and again.
Long before the Zuniga brothers became the owners, they were already learning Da Nina from the inside. They did not arrive as outside investors or take over a restaurant they barely knew. Their connection to Da Nina was built over years of work, long hours, and relationships with the people who came through its doors.
The Zuniga Family Story
An archival newspaper feature titled Family Ties — How four brothers found success through relying on each other tells the story of Tony, Abel, George, and Rudy Zuniga and the path that eventually led them to ownership of Da Nina.
The brothers came from Guatemala with a shared dream of one day owning a restaurant together. Abel, the oldest of the four, was the first to begin working at the restaurant. Rudy followed after finishing high school, and Tony and George later joined them.
They learned the business one job at a time. Rudy recalled working long weeks — often between 65 and 70 hours — taking on responsibilities in the kitchen, waiting tables, and helping wherever he was needed.
Tony developed his career in the kitchen. He worked as a sous chef, continued learning through cooking classes, and eventually became a chef. The restaurant’s previous owner, Nina Pasalaqua, trusted Tony with increasing responsibility in the kitchen, and that experience became an important part of his development as a chef.
By working together, the brothers came to understand not only how to prepare and serve food, but how every part of a restaurant depended on the others. Their closeness as brothers became one of their greatest strengths.
An Opportunity They Couldn’t Let Pass
Before the Zuniga brothers became owners, Da Nina had been offered for sale. By that time, they had already spent approximately eleven years working for the previous owners and learning the restaurant business firsthand.
When they learned that another buyer had made an offer for the restaurant, the brothers realized that the opportunity they had talked about for years might disappear.
Rudy later recalled: “We knew that we had to buy it right then.”
After years of working inside Da Nina — learning its kitchen, dining room, customers, and day-to-day operation — the brothers were finally in a position to take responsibility for its future.
Because each brother had developed experience in different parts of the restaurant, they were able to divide responsibilities and continue operating the business they already knew so well. Just as importantly, many longtime customers remained loyal.
The brothers wanted Da Nina to continue feeling like a family restaurant — not only because it was operated by their own family, but because they wanted guests to feel that same sense of belonging when they walked through the door. That philosophy continues to define Da Nina today.
Memories Preserved Through the Years
The photographs, newspaper clippings, framed memories, and keepsakes preserved inside Da Nina tell another part of the story. They capture different generations of the restaurant: early days in the kitchen, the Zuniga brothers and staff working together, the changing exterior, and special moments that became part of Da Nina’s history.
Stories Preserved on the Walls
Over the years, Da Nina’s dining room walls have become an informal scrapbook of the people and moments that have passed through the restaurant. Among those memories are two photographs the Zuniga family identifies as visits by actor Ben Stiller — one outside Da Nina and another preserved in a frame inside the restaurant.
The wall collection also includes a photograph the Zuniga family identifies as a visit by Paul Teutul Sr. Together, these photographs are part of the personal collection that gives Da Nina its lived-in sense of history — memories gathered not in a formal museum, but in the same rooms where guests continue to dine today.
Growing Together With Suffern
As Da Nina became established under the Zuniga family, its relationship with Suffern and the surrounding communities continued to grow. The restaurant has participated in community celebrations, local events, charitable efforts, and neighborhood traditions throughout the years.
Several recognitions preserved in Da Nina’s historical archive document that relationship.
Each represents a different moment, but together they tell the same story: Da Nina has never existed separately from its community. Suffern has been part of Da Nina’s story, just as Da Nina has become part of Suffern’s.
Da Nina on the Big Screen
One of the most unusual days in Da Nina’s history came on September 21, 2017, when the restaurant became a filming location for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
According to coverage later published by The Journal News, the production spent a full day at Da Nina. Scenes featuring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were filmed in the restaurant’s second-floor dining room, while the first floor was used as a staging area for the production.
When The Irishman was released in 2019, The Journal News revisited Da Nina and other Suffern locations used in the production, preserving another unique chapter in the restaurant’s history.
When Hospitality Meant Helping
Da Nina’s connection with the community became especially meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when restaurants and families everywhere were facing uncertainty, the Da Nina team prepared and donated meals as part of its efforts to support people in the surrounding community.
Photographs from that period remain part of the restaurant’s archive. They document a different kind of hospitality — one that extended beyond the dining room and reflected a simple belief that has guided Da Nina for years: when a community has supported you, you support that community in return.
Recognition & Legacy
In 2023, Da Nina Italian Restaurant received the New York State Senate Empire Award, presented by Senator Bill Weber of New York’s 38th Senate District.
The award recognized Da Nina for its outstanding contributions and dedication to the growth, prosperity, and betterment of the community and New York State.
For a family restaurant that had grown through decades of hard work and community relationships, the recognition represented another important milestone.
Welcoming New Generations
Nearly four decades after Da Nina first opened its doors, the restaurant continues to serve as a gathering place for celebrations, community events, and memorable occasions.
On March 9, 2026, Da Nina hosted a dinner for the Miss Teen New York 2026 contestants. Lauren Norris, Miss New York 2025, was also in attendance.
The restaurant’s historical collection from the evening includes photographs and a signed Lauren Norris keepsake, as well as a photograph identified by the Zuniga family showing Alexis Ryan, Miss Richmond County, with Rudy and Tony Zuniga.
It was another reminder that while the restaurant has a long history, new memories continue to be added to it every year.
Nearly Four Decades of Memories
From four brothers who dreamed of owning a restaurant, to generations of guests who have made Da Nina part of their own family traditions, the story of Da Nina has always been about people.
It is about the employees who became part of the family, the customers who returned year after year, the community that supported the restaurant, and the celebrations, challenges, milestones, and everyday dinners that became memories.
And it is about continuing the values that helped build Da Nina in the first place: hard work, family, hospitality, and taking care of the people who walk through the door.
We look forward to welcoming you and adding your memories to the story.