Aloi Family Opens Aloi's Ristorante Rigatoni in Shinnston
By Julie Perine on October 26, 2025
Growing up in a big Italian family, Bridgeport's Sam Aloi and his siblings were surrounded by a plethora of homemade foods featuring his great-grandfather Papa Joe Manchin’s recipes.
Now grown with families of their own, Aloi, his brother and sister are in the restaurant business and still making those same tried-and-true entrees and sandwiches. Just last weekend, Aloi's Ristorante Rigatoni-WV made its debut in Shinnston, and it was met with much enthusiasm with thousands pouring into the eatery over recent days.
Sam’s brother John is the primary owner with John’s son Tim, and sister Stephanie manning the kitchen. “Papa Sam” can often be found greeting customers and singing Italian songs.
“It was overwhelming, needless to say, as we are still learning the sit-down restaurant business,” Aloi said. “And we’re still using Papa Joe’s sausage recipes – the original ones used when the grocery store was in Farmington where we all came from.”
Among menu favorites is his great-grandmother Mama Kay Roscoe Manchin’s sausage, peppers and cheese sandwich, now known as Roscoe Sausage Hoagie. Other staple sandwiches – all 12 inches long – John Anthony’s Meatball Hoagie, Tim’s Triple-Decker Italian Sandwich (salami, capicola, ham and pepperoni) and, of course, Papa’s Pepperoni Roll.
And as the restaurant’s name implies, rigatoni and meatballs are also in great demand.
“We don’t do spaghetti. Rigatoni is what we do - in standard marinara, as well as Quatro Formaggi (four 
cheese) sauce, and garlic butter sauce,” Aloi said.
cheese) sauce, and garlic butter sauce,” Aloi said.
The rigatoni specials are also named after family members such as Mama Kay’s Rigatoni and Meatballs, Uncle Donnie’s Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers, and finally Grandma Aloi’s Sunday Italian dinner featuring Rigatoni smothered in our homemade red sauce, 8 homemade meatballs, 12 pieces of homemade Italian Sausage with sweet red peppers in red sauce, 4 cups of Zuppa Toscana soup, 4 side salads, 12 pieces of Abruzzino’s bread, and a baker’s dozen of almond galettes for just $60 (Sunday’s only).
The menu also features soups and salads, a kids’ menu, ala carte items like meatballs and sausage and desserts from tiramisu to Nonna’s Homemade Almond Galettes.
Aloi’s Ristorante Rigatoni follows on the heels of Papa Joe’s in Monongah.
“We were opened there for three years, opening June 20 of 2022 and closing June 20 of this past summer,” Aloi said. “We were wanting to do a sit-down restaurant, and since we weren’t able to buy the Monongah property, we looked at a couple different places including in Fairmont and then there was the former Jimmy’s in Shinnston.”
Since the latter restaurant was located along Route 19, just seven miles from where Papa Joe’s was located and since two busy family restaurants had recently closed in Shinnston, the family decided upon that location. It was easy for their Monongah-based customers to follow them there, but customers have come from all over to try out Aloi’s Ristorante Rigatoni.
In addition to the Italian staples mentioned above, the restaurant also features some old-school Italian deli items including pepperoni, Italian cheeses, pepper shooters, and spicy olives – black, green, and mixed.
“It’s very family-oriented,” Aloi said. “My brother’s big goal was to build a legacy on my grandfather’s name. We are proud to come from where we did. We want to build that and hopefully pass on to the next generations.”
Aloi's Ristorante Rigatoni-WV is located at 1121 Hood Avenue in Shinnston. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
