Coming soon: Long Island restaurants opening
Grilled calamari at Meli Estiatorio in Forest Hills, Queens. The restaurant is opening a location in Garden City. Credit: Meli Estiatorio
Harleys, Huntington
After seven years in Farmingdale, Harleys American Grille is expanding and heading north. A second location on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington is currently in the works. Owner Michael LoManto is constructing an outdoor area that will function all-year round and has gutted the interior. "There hasn’t been much work done in here since it was a comedy club 50 years ago — it still has the stage," he said.
Long Island's first self-pour beer garden and eatery, The Pour Authority, plans to open on Main Street in Farmingdale. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
The Pour Authority, Farmingdale
Long Island’s first self-pour beer eatery is almost ready to open in Farmingdale. The eatery will be in a 3,600 square foot space at 303 Main St. It will have 40 beers on tap, most being from local breweries such as Great South Bay according to owner, Ritu Kumar. There will also be non-alcoholic beers and mocktails. The concept includes a menu of vegetarian and vegan food. Kumar is aiming to open in October.
Meli Estiatorio, Garden City
When the ambitious Greek restaurant Noema abruptly shuttered earlier this year in Huntington, the owners also pulled the plug on a future Garden City location that was announced when the Huntington restaurant opened in 2023. Now that venue, the old Gross Jewelers building at the corner of Franklin and Stewart avenues, has been taken over by another Greek restaurant group, the owners of Meli Estiatorio in Forest Hills, Queens. The owner is hoping to open in October.
ACASA, Williston Park
When La Parma closed after 41 years, it left a family-sized Italian hole in Williston Park. Now a restaurant group from South Shore is moving in to fill the void. Maurizio Vendittelli and his team from Rockville Centre’s Mangia Bene and Churchill’s have purchased the Willis Avenue building and hope to open ACASA this fall.
Bonchon, which specializes in Korean fried chicken, has a location in Centereach and another one on the way in Westbury. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Bonchon, Westbury
Those who love Korean fare are in luck: Bonchon, which translates to "my hometown" in English, will be among the newest restaurants to join Samanea’s restaurant row. The Korean fried chicken franchise recently opened in Centereach and is planning its second Long Island location in a 2,350-square-foot space. On the menu, patrons will find appetizers such as pot sticker dumplings stuffed with pork and cabbage, fried octopus dumplings and more. Main dishes include glass noodles with bulgogi and chicken katsu.
Tony’s Tacos, Holbrook
Italian classics in the form of tacos at Tony's Tacos in Garden City. Credit: Newsday/Marie Elena Martinez
Owner Mike Scotto's brand of Italian Mexican fusion fare is expanding to Holbrook in 2025 with a new location at The Shops at Sun-Vet Mall. The new restaurant will encompass 4,000 square feet. Customers will find a familiar ambience and menu from the brand’s established locations in Floral Park, Huntington, Franklin Square and Garden City.
Rocco's Tacos, Huntington Station
Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, a casual Mexican restaurant chain that has nine Florida locations from Naples to West Palm Beach, will open its first Long Island restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station in early December. Founded by Long Island native Rocco Mangel, Rocco’s Tacos offers a buzzy setting in which it serves Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes including the requisite guacamole, tacos filled with ingredients from mushrooms to meats, and enchiladas, molcajetes (Rocco’s version of fajitas), burritos, bowls, salads and nachos, plus plenty of options for kids.
Angie's, Manhasset
The storied Publicans pub in Manhasset has closed to transition into a new family-friendly restaurant, Angie's, with an "American Coastal vibe." A gut renovation is underway and partner Joe Ragonese said they hope to open in December.
Sup Vietnamese, Farmingdale and Jericho
Sup Vietnamese, with restaurants in Stony Brook, Massapequa, and Rockville Centre will be expanding to two much larger, more visible spots, in Farmingdale and Jericho scheduled to open by the end of the year. Each of the new locations — 2120 Broadhollow Rd. in Farmingdale, and 399 Jericho Tpke., in Jericho — will seat about 120 guests.
The Pizzeria, Yaphank
The Pizzeria can’t stop, won’t stop. The 5-year-old chain has signed the lease for a new location in Yaphank that partner Paul Saccocio said will hopefully open early next year. The 4,3000-square-foot restaurant will occupy a new freestanding, one-story building across from Southpaw Brewing Company. Right now, the structure "is a shell," Saccocio said. He expects the build-out to be similar to the largest Pizzeria (5,000 square feet), which opened in Babylon last year.
Erica Marcus and Marie Elena Martinez contributed to this story.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
