THERE’S A NEW GASTROPUB ON THE BLOCK, spicing up the restaurant scene in downtown Avon: Bar NOVA.
With pasta, flatbreads, meatballs, tacos, burgers and more on the menu, it may take an extra visit or two to get a taste of what the gastropub is all about.
Part-owner Dina Nemo says the restaurant’s menu and vibe were inspired, in part, by what types of foods she thought the Avon area was missing.
“It was [the kind of food] we wanted to eat around here, and while I love everything that’s around here, I felt like the area could use something a little more unique,” she says.
Bar NOVA opened in February 2018, but you may already be familiar with a couple of the faces behind the establishment — Dina and Bob Nemo — as the owners of Nemo Grille, which sits about 500 feet down the road from Bar NOVA.
With 18 successful years in the restaurant business under their belts, the Nemos decided to switch it up and add Bar NOVA to their repertoire.
“It’s either higher-end restaurants or bars, so we wanted something in the middle,” Nemo says. “We have a lot of customers who come down from Nemo who know that we own Bar NOVA, and it’s nice they come down there to change things up.”
As if Bar NOVA’s food wasn’t enough, the structure itself is a historical building. In fact, according to Nemo, it used to be a Model T repair shop back in the 1920s.
“We could only make so many changes to the structure, but it gives it some character,” Nemo says. For the interior remodeling that did take place, Bar NOVA made use of reclaimed wood from local barns in Grafton to fashion items including tables and the bar top.
Additionally, work for an outdoor patio is underway, which will add another 25 to 30 seats to the restaurant’s 65 indoor seats.
“There’s only so many months of good weather around here, and we want to get outside be able to [offer] that for our guests,” Nemo says.
