In mid-November, Dina’s Italian Cafeteria opened quietly on Liberty Street in Newburgh. Instead of throwing the front door wide open, owner Chuck Bivona slid up the “finestrella,” Italian for “little window,” and presto! Dina’s was open.
Walk-up ordering is central to the concept for Dina’s; it’s also the first step of a three-phase rollout. “I like to do things slow and consistent,” says Bivona, who is joined in the new venture by partners Rosa Wallace, Sean Moul, and Dan Schiavone, former owner of Craft Draft. “I don’t rush anything.” This unhurried, methodical approach to expansion is his way of protecting the integrity of his cooking, which is already well-known in the area for Bivona’s Simply Pasta, which he opened in 2023 about a five-minute walk down the road.
Even before that, the name was familiar to old-guard Newburgh residents, who remember the first Bivona’s Simply Pasta, owned and operated by Chuck’s parents and grandmother from 1989 to 1991.
For the pasta shop, Bivona initially envisioned a takeaway spot offering fresh pasta, sauces, meatballs, and prepared foods. “That was the intent,” he says. “But very quickly, I got pressured by almost every single person asking for sandwiches.” A makeshift kitchen in the back and a few tables and chairs were all that it took to drum up a devoted following. “It ended up being wildly popular,” Bivona says. “We went from being a pasta shop to a lunch counter.”
Now, Bivona intends to divert the lunch counter function to Dina’s and return Bivona’s Simply Pasta concept to its original vision as a takeaway pasta shop. Eventually, when phase three is complete, Dina’s will be a relaxing spot to sit down and enjoy a meal, complete with a bar and outdoor dining. But until it’s running on all cylinders, Dina’s is currently only open for pick-up and online ordering Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 4pm.
The menu at Dina’s reads like a Bivona’s greatest hits list. There’s the caesar salad ($9), the side of meatballs or eggplant stack ($7.50 each), and the popular cannolis ($7). Sandwiches include the much in-demand meatball; a chicken parmesan; and a sausage, peppers, and onions served with parmesan and balsamic (all $17). The Godmother features smoked paprika, roasted eggplant, and meatballs, while the Godfather comes with sausage, peppers, onions, and meatballs. Vegetarians can opt for the caprese sandwich with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella, spinach, and balsamic.
House-made pastas ($14) range from the twisted Trofiette and pesto and the classic spaghetti and red sauce ($4 to add meatballs) to rigatoni with meat sauce and lumache all calabrese. The fettuccine and cream sauce is “like alfredo but not so American,” and a quickly rising favorite is the Cresi di Rasta with jerk-seasoned chicken, cream sauce, peppers, and onion.
Around February or March, Dina’s second phase will extend hours to also be include Friday and Saturday, 11am to 4pm, as the team adds finishing touches to the dining room. The final phase, tentatively set for April, will extend daily hours to 9pm, Monday through Saturday, with indoor dining and the addition of beer and wine to the menu.
In keeping with the family throughline, the new restaurant is named for Bivona’s grandmother Dina DiDonato, who taught him how to make pasta at a young age. Born in 1924 in Italy, DiDonato arrived at Ellis Island at age 11 with her mother. They went straight to Newburgh to join their family.
Eventually, DiDonato opened her own business, Dina’s Beauty Studio. During her retirement, she worked part-time in the cafeteria at Newburgh Free Academy. Dina’s was created to honor her legacy, and “cafeteria” is a nod to her days as a lunch lady. Bivona did his best to capture her dishes for the menu.
“She didn’t write down a lot, but we did find some recipe cards,” he says. “My mom would help me taste-test and dial it in. It’s the heart and the style of ingredients—and what she liked to eat.” The simple, traditional recipes rely on fresh, high-quality ingredients. Bivona’s mission is to serve delicious and affordable fare in a fast casual environment that feels like home, where he jokes, “you might just get yelled at by your Italian grandmother at any moment.”
The best way to stay in the loop on opening dates and menu drops is to sign up as a “friend of the family” online or to follow Dina’s on Instagram.
