The Barn opens in Huntington village

Remember the nostalgic satisfaction of a Dairy Barn run back in the day? Milk, a loaf of bread, a pack of smokes. The ultimate convenience. Nowadays, the milk may be organic, the bread gluten free and the smokes, well ... off the list, but the easy allure of the Dairy Barn still endures. Refurbishing the old Dairy Barn drive-throughs is bordering on trend: The Barn, which launched in Merrick, has expanded to a second location in Huntington.

Joining forces with For Five Coffee for the caffeine, The Barn is a latte lovers’ drive-thru dream. The hot and iced specialty drinks are colorful, playful and peppy in flavors like Summer 'Smores (latte topped with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers), Powdered Donut (a sprinkle of cinnamon and an actual powdered doughnut crowning the cup). There's a rainbow cookie latte with requisite rainbow cookies on top, even a Dubai chocolate matcha latte. All specialty drinks run between $7 and $8. More basic coffee beverages, such as chai lattes, vanilla lattes and plain old iced coffees, can be had as well as a variety of iced teas, lemonades — the green matcha lemonade is a standout — and soft serve ice cream.

Besides all the sugar and TikTok madness, the original purpose of the Dairy Barns of yesteryear was convenience. So, fret not when you run out of orange juice and eggs for breakfast, Doritos for soccer snacks, peanut butter for school lunches, and coffee beans for clarity, The Barn has you covered on that front too. There’s even parking, picnic tables and — in true throwback fashion — Entenmann’s baked treats.

Owners Irena Angeliades and her husband, Michael Wieczorek, who also own Northport’s Greek spot Symi, are the folks behind The Barn. "My father, sister and I bought all of the Dairy Barn stores on Long Island 15 years ago — 49 of them," Angeliades said. After changing the name from Dairy Barn to The Barn the Angeliadeses sold off a bunch of properties to different owners.

"When they opened them in the '50s, Dairy Barns were a hit," Angeliades said. "But slowly places like 7-11 killed us, Uber Eats, Door Dash, Instacart — what’s more convenient than a drive-through? Now, they bring it to your door." But "COVID saved us. Giving people the opportunity to drive-through kept us alive."

Then, another stroke of luck: The Merrick store started doing "these crazy coffees." At first, they were just another menu item, but "one person drives through, puts it on TikTok, and there’s a million views." From there, Angeliades wanted to see if Merrick's coffee success was a fluke, or if The Barn was onto something bigger. "I figured if it works in Huntington, I’m going to reopen more of the remaining stores we still own." A week since opening, Angeliades has her answer.

Not to be confused with Ready Coffee, which recently purchased 10 former Dairy Barns for renovation — from the Angeliades family — The Barn has its own expansion plans. "Look for The Barn East Northport, Patchogue, and then Kings Park next," Angeliades said. "I’m looking to open one per month for the next six months."

The Barn Huntington, 50 Wall St., Huntington, 631-432-6422; Open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.