At first, it was home to one of our favorite pizzas.
Then it caught our attention for its outstanding burger.
Now we love what it’s become.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Michael Franzino opened Zino Neighborhood Restaurant (Zino Ristorante back then) in Estero on Aug. 1, 2019, with Vinny Ricigliano right by his side. It opened in the former Cancun Bar & Grill space in the Rusty’s Raw Bar-anchored Estero Ridge Plaza on South. Tamiami Trail.
“I worked with him, guided him when we opened it up,” said Ricigliano, who originally met Franzino while working at Divieto in Estero. “When he bought it, the plan was to open a neighborhood Italian restaurant.”
It took about three months to figure out what was working and what wasn’t, Ricigliano said.
“From January to the second week of March we were packed,” he said. “Then COVID hit. After that, it always seemed we were behind the 8-ball. After COVID, a lot of places called it quits.”
While Zino didn’t, the restaurant struggled to find its identity over the next few years.