Little Fino Brings 20-Inch Italian Sandwiches To Brooklyn

Forbes

16-04-2025

The 20-inch long sando at Little Fino in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Sandwich too stubby? Head to Williamsburg, where a new restaurant by Andrew Carmellini's restaurant group, NoHo Hospitality, just opened at The William Vale.
Located on the ground floor of the luxury Williamsburg property, Little Fino opened on April 15, 2025. The restaurant is an addition to The William Vale's dining options, which include Leuca and popular rooftop bar Westlight.
Inspired by the new wave of small bars and cafes opening in Rome today, Little Fino melds Italian charm with contemporary Brooklyn, in a cafe-meets-piazza space open all day and into the evening.
Mornings at Little FIno in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
In the morning, guests can enjoy La Colombe coffee with a freshly baked pastry or Early Birds breakfast menu, with the company of a book, laptop, or, perhaps, other people. Come afternoon, an Italian menu with snacky bites plus martinis is offered through the evening.
Chef Anthony Ricco, who grew up blocks from the restaurant, runs the kitchen at Little Fino.
"Chef Ricco and I have worked together for years, and he never stops impressing me with what he brings to the table," says Chef Carmellini. 'After running the show at The William Vale for nearly a decade, I knew Ricco was the perfect fit to bring his creativity to the table for Little Fino. A lifelong Brooklyn native, no one understands the neighborhood better than Ricco as he grew up just blocks away in Greenpoint cooking in his Nonna's kitchen. Together, we've created a menu that combines his talent with his Italian roots, serving up a menu that's ready to welcome both locals and out-of-towners alike.'
House dips at Little Fino in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The menu starts with 'little somethings' like a smoked salmon cornetto with scallion cream cheese, egg and everything spice, and Sicilian flapjacks with toasted pine nut butter. The in-house pastry program features treats such as pistachio snacking cakes and cinna-cruffins, a hybrid cinnamon roll, croissant muffin creation.
Later on, snacks are designed to pair with martinis, including marcona almond-stuffed filthy olives, crispy polenta tots with a squeeze of lemon, black and white tarallini, and Grana Padano with truffle wildflower honey. Shareable appetizers dubbed 'Novelties' include a green eggs and ham inspired play on deviled eggs topped with crispy pepperoni.
Inside Little Fino at the William Vale in Williamsburg, Boroklyn
Larger format 'Crowd Pleasers'' include Tony's Antipasto , a twist on a classic salad with crunchy chickpeas, wood-roasted veggies such as artichokes and zucchini, then finished with a salumi vinaigrette) . A selection of handhelds offers a signature 20-inch long sando, served on a housemade skinny torpedo baguette baked in a wood-fire oven and filled with freshly shaved prosciutto, grana padano, arugula, and agrodolce.
For a sweet finish, guests can enjoy the Lickety Split homemade soft serve gelato made in-house with panna triple cream.
New York studio Saguez & Dash deisgned Little Fino's centerpiece bar, surrounded by hand-painted wall murals of neighborhood scenes by artist Manuel Santelices. The space is accented with custom terracotta tiles with warm brass and blackened steel accents, and dense ivies and ferns float from the ceiling above.
Little Fino's beverage program was created by bar director Darryl Chan (The Portrait Bar, Café Carmellini, Westlight). Inspired by Italian aperitivo and soda culture, the menu features a Teeny Tini martini tasting, plus spins on the classics, utilizing amari and aperitif in cocktails such as the Campari Creamsicle, Root Beer Negroni, Basil Boulevardier and Fig Leaf Americano. Those who want a bite of booze can also go for the Solid Dirty Martini, a bespoke jello shot served in a martini glass, made by Brooklyn brand Solid Wiggles.
The Campari Creamsicle cocktail at Little Fino
'The bar program at Little Fino takes inspiration from Italian soda and aperitivo culture, with a nod to Americana,' says Chan. 'Nostalgic stateside flavors smash with Italian bitterness, such as root beer in our Negroni and Campari in a creamsicle. We take our ingredients seriously, but our approach is carefree and playful – sometimes the rules don't apply.'
For wine drinkers, Master Sommelier and beverage director Josh Nadel curated a by-the-glass selection of indigenous Italian varietals featuring biodynamic and organic farming alongside hands-off winemaking.
Little Fino is located on the ground floor of The William Vale (111 N. 12th St. and is open for walk-ins only, with reservations forthcoming. Current hours of operation include: Bakery Cafe (7 a.m. -3 p.m.), Early Birds (7 a.m.- 11 a.m. ), Bar and All-Day (Sunday–Thursday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - midnight).