Nino's Italian Deli Brings New York-Style Sandwiches To Geneva

GENEVA, IL — Genevans can now access a slice of New York City without hopping aboard a flight.

A New Yorker born and raised in Queens, Nick Gaynor brought a taste of the city that never sleeps to Geneva by opening Nino's Italian Deli, a small counter-service restaurant off State and Fourth streets.

"I missed the sandwiches from home," he told Patch. "The style that we do it, where we cut very, very thin slices of meat versus more of a thick cut that I've noticed in other places. ... We wanted to bring that style [to Geneva]."

Nino's uses the highest-quality meats and cheeses for its sandwiches, though the price gives customers the "best bang for your buck," Gaynor said. He sources turkey breast from a small farm in Michigan, bread from the East Coast and some styles of mozzarella from Italy.

"We wanted to make everything from scratch — the dressings, the pestos, the chicken cutlets," he said. "Everything is made to order."

Gaynor credits his family for the reason he moved to the Fox Valley. But it wasn't his first stop from New York.

"After the pandemic, like most people during lockdown, I did a lot of thinking ... [and] I moved to Nashville for three years," he said.

At the same time, his brother and family moved to the west suburbs. Soon, his parents came, too, and they began "doing a lot of convincing for me to move up here."

"I visited a couple of times to check out the place and I loved Geneva and St. Charles, the downtown areas and the restaurants and the shops and all that stuff," he said. "It's beautiful, gorgeous."

It's lucky — had Gaynor not moved to the area, he would have opened Nino's in Nashville, he said.

"I wanted to, for the first time, work for myself and take a chance," he said. "I saved money for years and years and years to do this. ... I wanted to do things my way with as much love as I could possibly put into these sandwiches and my food."

Nino's held its grand-opening celebration June 13 but softly opened two weeks prior. In that time, the deli has already amassed a perfect 5.0 rating on Google.

"[The reception has] been absolutely incredible," Gaynor said. "We definitely had a line out the door for probably about three hours straight [June 13]. We've had people come back twice in the same day for the same sandwich."

As Nino's clientele continues to grow, so too will the shop's offerings. Customers currently have the choice to order five cold or three hot sandwiches, some made on ciabatta and others on sesame subs.

"We're slowly one by one adding a sandwich as we go," Gaynor said. "As soon as I get more people, I'd love to expand everything in the store as much as possible."

Nino's, at 17 N. Fourth St., is open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.