Nonno’s: the Knuckles Duo’s All-Day Pizzeria–Social Club

Nonno’s is the newest project from the people behind Knuckles. Vincent Lévesque-Lepage runs the kitchen, while Matthew Shefler handles the front of house. Where their previous room leaned polished and precise, this one is deliberately more relaxed: pizza you can eat morning to night, a counter you can perch at, a place built for regulars rather than reservations.

Named after a grandfather from Puglia

The restaurant carries the name of Matthew’s maternal grandfather — an Italian from Puglia who once made his own pizzas in Africa, and whose paintings hung on the walls. For Matthew, that lineage is the whole point. “A restaurant needs a story, roots in something bigger than a business,” he says. It’s a fitting anchor for a room stitched together from salvaged pews and family references, where the design leans on authenticity rather than theme-park nostalgia.

New York slices, plus a burger in disguise

The house style is New York pizza: a thin, crisp crust built to fold. Beyond the classics, the kitchen lets itself have fun — the Big Wac is an unapologetic riff on a famous North American burger, translated onto a pie. But the one to order first is the marinara: no cheese, no fuss, just tomato, garlic and oil doing the talking. It’s the signature, and the clearest read on what this crust can do.

A $9 negroni and the case for accessible aperitivo

The bar is where Nonno’s shows its other hand: revisited Italian aperitivos built around vermouth and amaro. The house negroni goes for $9 — a price that’s the point, not an afterthought. Matthew wants good drinks to feel within reach rather than reserved for special occasions. “I want to normalize an attractive price,” he says. It’s the same instinct as the all-day pizza: come as you are, stay as long as you like.

Church pews meet a Mondrian counter

The space does double duty as a take-out window and a sit-down room, which means it flexes to your visit and your budget — a slice on the way home one day, a full table and a round of negronis the next. Salvaged church pews sit beside that ceramic counter with its Mondrian-style grid, and the family artwork threads the personal history through the design. It reads less like a concept and more like a place that grew out of someone’s actual roots.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on August 06, 2026

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