Nino's Italian Restaurant

10/15/2025

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THE Better Half herself, Susie, came into the shop yesterday while we were closed and completely shook things up! It looks like a whole new store in here. Come see for yourself. 💕✨

THE Better Half herself, Susie, came into the shop yesterday while we were closed and completely shook things up! It looks like a whole new store in here. Come see for yourself. 💕✨

10/15/2025

Looking for Sunny still!

Local residents are helping a 93-year-old Southern California man search for his missing dog, Sunny, whom he calls his beloved companion.
Details: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/its-lonely-without-her-93-year-old-southern-california-man-searching-for-beloved-missing-dog/

03/04/2025

If you receive a spam in your inbox or spam folder about "deleting your page," please ignore it as it is some kind of virus/ spam. Delete to not click on it. Thank you. Carina

06/19/2021

It is with a sorrowful heart, we announce that Inge Cristiano passed away in May 2021. Inge Cristiano, my mother, was fondly known as the matriarch of Bixby Knolls and Nino's Italian Restaurant. Vincenzo and Inge Cristiano owned and operated this business for 58 years with their children Carina, Nino, and Mike. Their long-time staff ranging from 20 to 35 years also worked with them. Alfredo, Alvaro, Valentino, Ervin, and Ana. Besides working at Nino’s, they became an extension of the family. Inge loved each one of them very much. Even Mike Bancroft, who worked at Nino's 55 years ago, flew in. He was every bit of the family from the first day of working there. Nino’s daughter, Jaclyn, also became a part of the restaurant crew. Everyone benefited from Inge’s strength, values, and integrity. She taught by example. It is said the most important aspect of communications is to have listening skills. Inge, my mother, had phenomenal listening skills. Thus, being articulate, keenly aware, and very effective when she spoke. She made sense. She was generous, kind, gracious, and full of good advice. I'm deeply touched by the outpouring of love for my mother. Each story shared means so much to me.

We did not make her funeral service public, yet over 100 guests attended her mass service—such a beautiful tribute to my mother, honoring and celebrating her life.

Here is the full mass service.

Mass starts at 8:25
Father George at 20:00
Nino 53:48
Councilperson Austin 56.49
Eulogy by Carina Cristiano 1:05
Blessing by Monsignor 1:22

Her lessons in my life are never-ending, each one my compass. She taught me the values of having strength, bravery, dignity, and self-respect all by her example. I'm blessed that God picked me to be her daughter; I'm honored to have had her as my mother. In her honor, please remember to be beautiful of heart, generous in spirit, intelligent in productivity, and full of integrity. In this way, I know her legacy will live on in each of us.

Carina Cristiano

Inge Reuschling Cristiano was fondly known as the matriarch of Bixby Knolls and Nino's Italian Restaurant. Vincenzo and Inge Cristiano, owned and operated th...

12/06/2020

Small business owners represent our community because they MAKE our community. Restaurants create a driving force of employment for people of ALL backgrounds at every ENTRY LEVEL to a job! You can operate a gift store with one employee, but you cannot operate a restaurant with only one. It takes a TEAM!

My brother Mike and I were most appreciative to March with the restaurant industry and our community!

12/03/2020

Accountability March in Long Beach, CA

09/21/2020

Long Beach Gives is our city’s annual day of online giving. Since we closed our business, we have been actively helping in the community. This is an amazing 24-hour online fundraiser that provides an easy and fun way for our entire city to give to local nonprofits together, which is so important with many organizations not able to hold normal fundraising events this year — us included! The best part is that the donation lines are open NOW. At Nino's and over the years, we hosted many of these events, and we understand the difficulty of today's times.

This is why nonprofits need your support more than ever this year. Carina Cristiano, of the family, is helping Gems Uncovered and here is why! In addition to providing the ONLY Drop-in Center for victims of s*x trafficking and they have a weekly STREET OUTREACH for women and youth, plus they offer a court approved FREE 2BMe course that is on s*xual exploitation diversion that is curriculum created by a former victim now schoolteacher. It is such an important program to helping these women decompress, regroup, get help, feel hope, discern from toxic to healthy relationships, and find the road to recovery from survival to thriving. Without the necessary technology they cannot continue their GED requirements, other online courses, counseling, medical appointments, job seeking and apartment hunting.

Since volunteering I can provide statistics how horrendous of an illegal business this is in California, making our state number 1 in the country or I can share a story of young girls abducted and forced into a modern-day slavery. Three young girls just recovered here in Long Beach when someone say a young girl prostituting in the Wrigley area and the good samaritan called in as a “tip.” Thankfully she was rescued along with two other young girls ages 15 to 17. Two arrests made, 32-year-old man of Carson and a 21-year-old man from San Bernardino. This all took place August 28 to September 2. Covid-19 has pretty much closed down everything, especially our restaurant community, but it has not stopped human trafficking and s*x exploitation. Certainly not in our local neighborhoods.

Whether I am sharing statistics or countless stories like this one, it is all heart wrenching and we are called to do something about it. For me, Gems Uncovered is the low hanging fruit. They have all the needed resources and programs in place to streamline how we provide prevention and aftercare to those affected by s*x trafficking.

To help us continue to save the most vulnerable, Gems Uncovered mission-driven work, and Carina's hope is that you'll consider Gems Uncovered in your giving during the Long Beach Gives event this year. As a nonprofit, they are determined to raise $10,000 to purchase 40 graduates’ laptops and hotspots with our partnership of Human I-T. My personal campaign is $1,000 or 4, $250 packages for 4 graduates. Will you help me? There is no donation too small or too big?

Thank you for your support! Please donate today if you can! Please share my link with others too!

https://donate.longbeachgives.org/GemsUncovered-Carina-Cristiano

As the week progresses, I will share other links, let’s get involved with Long Beach Gives Day! Every dollar helps and there is no donation too small or too big.

Like I said, I will be happy to post other nonprofits, the remainder of the week.

Heartfelt thank you,
Carina Cristiano

Join me in supporting Gems Uncovered, whose work builds a strong and vibrant community for human trafficking survivors. Right here in Long Beach! Your donation will help this organization to fulfill its mission and support a cause that is very close to my heart, "rebuilding lives affected by Human T...