Pine Restaurant ★9.1

Pine Restaurant: The Bronx Legend Everyone Calls the Pine

Ask an old-school Bronxite where the borough really eats, and odds are you’ll hear one word: Pine. What began in 1969 as a tiny storefront with a secondhand sign has grown into a block-long Italian-American institution in Morris Park — the kind of place where waiters recognize three generations of the same family and every plate arrives built for sharing.

The Story

Brothers Francesco and Giovanni Bastone — Frankie and Johnnie to the neighborhood — arrived from Calabria with their mother’s recipes and bought an old tavern called the Pine. Too broke to change the sign, they simply added their initials, and F&J Pine was born. Over five decades the eight-table room swelled into a two-level dining hall with a bar and banquet spaces, while the guest book filled with politicians, celebrities and a steady parade of Yankees who treated the place as a clubhouse away from the stadium.

What to Order

Come hungry and bring backup: plates here mean family-style Calabrian abundance. Rigatoni alla vodka is the signature, the zuppa di pesce comes loaded with shellfish, and calamari tossed with hot cherry peppers nods straight to the brothers’ home region. A raw bar handles the starters, the porterhouse for two could feed three, and linguine with white clam sauce keeps the purists happy. Meals open with bread and salad for the whole table — pace yourself.

The Space

The dining room is pure Bronx theater: two levels, a mural of an old Italian neighborhood, walls thick with pinstripe memorabilia and photos of famous regulars. In warm months a private garden opens for al fresco dinners. It’s big, buzzing in the best way, and unmistakably proud of where it stands.

Who It’s For

Multi-generation family dinners, baseball fans hunting relics of Yankees history, and anyone who judges an Italian restaurant by the weight of the doggy bag they carry home.

Good to Know

Do I need a reservation? On weekends, yes — the banquet crowd fills the place fast. Weekday walk-ins usually find a table.

Are the portions really that big? Genuinely. Most pastas comfortably feed two; ordering for the table and sharing is the house style.

Can they host a big celebration? Yes — banquet rooms handle everything from christenings to retirement parties, a Pine specialty for decades.

Is there outdoor seating? A private garden opens in the warmer months for al fresco dining.

Anything besides pasta? Plenty: a raw bar, serious steaks, and a long list of seafood entrees carry the menu well beyond red sauce.

Opening hours