New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
A taste of Napoli
Strada Gastrobar brings authentic Italian cuisine to Milford
MILFORD — Owning and operating a restaurant is nothing new for Giuseppe Cinque.
Cinque, now owner of Strada Gastrobar, first started in the restaurant business while still living in Naples, Italy. With his latest venture, he has turned his attention to Milford, a place he now calls home.
“I grew up near Napoli, a very touristic city, so I was around restaurants my entire life,” he said. “I worked part-time in very high-end restaurants, and through this profession, I worked in different countries — Northern Italy, Germany, Austria, and England. And I came to the United States to be a wine waiter over 20 years ago.”
Cinque opened Strada Gastrobar at 1573 Boston Post Road on June 30 after he sold his previous restaurant prior to the pandemic. Strada Gastrobar is now open Monday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m., with plans to start opening for lunch in December.
“I used to have places in Norwalk, New Haven and Newtown and Monroe,” he said. “In the past, I have owned more than one business, but after COVID, I took a little break when I sold my last business, and in the meantime, I bought some property in Milford.”
After 33 years in the restaurant business, Cinque said he simply felt burnt out and needed some time away. The break did him good, he said.
“What I didn’t gain in money, I gained in health,” he said.
Cinque lives in Milford and wanted to stay local when he decided it was time to open a new restaurant.
“I saw potential in this place,” he said.
The food at Strada Gastrobar is authentic Italian, he said.
“There’s very little American-Italian in our menu, and I’ve been with the same chef for almost
20 years,” he said. “Little by little, we are building our clientele, and right now, my only issue is the lack of staffing, but so far, people have appreciated the food, and we have been busy.”
The key is to keep the food simple, he said.
“At the core, Italian food is onion with basil, onion with parsley, garlic with basil, and garlic with parsley,” Cinque said. “In Italian cuisine, when you make pasta, you only use three or four ingredients.”
Besides choosing Milford to start his new business, Cinque said Milford is not only a hometown city, but it’s getting into a new dimension.
“It’s not just Milford and Orange anymore because the Post Road makes it easy for out-ofstate clientele to come to eat at my restaurant,” he said.
Strada Gastrobar was one of the restaurants that participated in this year’s Restaurant Week, and Cinque said it went so well he is bringing back the deal he had during the event.
“Next week, I’m going to start doing a $30 prix fixe three-course menu, just serving on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.” he said. “Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the slowest days of the week, so doing something like this, I hope to attract more customers.”