Long Island restaurants decorated for Christmas, holiday season
Immersive holiday decor at King Umberto's in Elmont. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
North Pole temperatures have been hitting Long Island hard, and the following eateries have gone to huge lengths to transport guests to a winter wonderland and get diners in the holiday spirit.
NASSAU COUNTY RESTAURANTS
King Umberto
1343 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont
This Italian American eatery dazzles with over 200 snowflakes and seven chandeliers adorning the patio. Anthony DeFiore, lead decorator for the event decoration company NY Backdrops, said the process took about four nights, with 20 decorators working almost 30 hours to transform the space. More info: 516-352-3232, kingumberto.com
Embassy Diner
4280 Hempstead Tpke., Bethpage
Embassy Diner in Bethpage is covered in holiday decor. Credit: Gus Tsiorvas
Embassy Diner is bursting with holiday cheer. Diners are immersed in wreaths, garlands, snowflakes, ornaments and lights hanging above each booth. Owner Gus Tsiorvas said it takes about three weeks for the decorations to be completed, at a cost of thousands of dollars. New additions this year include a 6-foot nutcracker in the vestibule and an additional Christmas tree outside. More info: 516-796-1132, embassydiner.com
Milleridge Inn
585 N. Broadway, Jericho
This historic restaurant uses an in-house staff to erect Christmas trees and decorations around the restaurant and surrounding property, including "singing" reindeer by the entrance and live carolers. The adjacent walk-through retail village is its own destination, with new decorated dining igloos and an interactive candy shop. This year's updates include outdoor photo areas, new characters, such as Mischief and Mayhem, and new holiday bounce rides. More info: 516-931-2201, milleridgeinn.com
Vincent's Steakhouse
1919 Wantagh Ave., Wantagh
This American eatery has been decorating for the holidays for the past four years and has been improving each year, owner Vincent Luna said. There are two Christmas trees in the restaurant, plus a large Santa welcoming guests as they walk in. The restaurant has six large poinsettias and more than 100 ornaments. Luna said he spent more than $2,000 on the decor, which took a staff of about 10 people a week to transform, starting before Thanksgiving. More info: 516-226-3485, vincentssteakhouse.com
SUFFOLK COUNTY RESTAURANTS
Country House Restaurant
1175 North Country Rd., Stony Brook
Country House in Stony Brook is decorated with more than 50,000 lights. Credit: Newsday
Owner Bob Willemstyn and his business partner, Scott Wendt, take about a month to complete the transformation of the eatery into a wintery wonderland. Guests are greeted by two 6-foot nutcrackers. Willemstyn said the eatery is decorated with at least 50,000 lights. More Info: 631-751-3332, countryhouserestaurant.com
The Snapper Inn
500 Shore Dr., Oakdale
The Snapper Inn in Oakdale has a long tradition of erecting an upside-down Christmas tree in its dining room. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
This 95-year-old Oakdale restaurant has three artificial Christmas trees — including its signature upside-down tree hanging from the ceiling in the Connetquot dining room. General manager Kelly Blanchard said it takes three days to set up the restaurant's decorations, which include fresh garlands, poinsettias and bows. More info: 631-589-0248, thesnapperinn.com
Oconee Diner
749 Montauk Hwy., Islip
Chef William Thompson has made a 40-year tradition of decorating Islip’s Oconee Diner. The restaurant shines with green-and-red lighting, wreaths, garlands, ornaments and more hanging over each table. Owner Spiro Karagiannis said this year there is a corral outside with Santa. The affair takes about 90 hours of work to pull off, Karagiannis said. More info: 631-581-2663
Mannino's Italian Kitchen and Lounge
2158 Jericho Tpke., Commack
The decorations at Mannino's in Commack includes hundreds of feet of pre-lit garlands. Credit: NY Backdrops/Mannino's
This Italian American restaurant has been decked out with hundreds of feet of pre-lit garlands with dripping ornaments and snowflakes. On the second floor, guests can enjoy heavy design in the ceiling. Owner Joe Mannino said this was the first year he hired NY Backdrops, and it took them about 10 hours to complete. More info: 631-462-0909, manninosrestaurant.com
Bird on the Roof
47 S. Elmwood Ave., Montauk
The dining room at Montauk’s Bird on the Roof includes 870 feet of Christmas lights and 2,000 ornaments. Credit: Apollo Fields
This eatery at the end of the Island transports guests to whole different worlds, including Whoville, Candyland, the North Pole and "Harry Potter."
The dining room includes 870 feet of Christmas lights and 2,000 ornaments hanging from the ceiling, with presents galore on the shelves and walls. Owner Leo Daunt said some ornaments are ones his great-grandparents used to set up Christmas villages at the adjacent hotel. Daunt said a team of three to six employees help set up, sometimes working up to 14-hour days. More info: 631-668-5833, birdontheroof.com
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.
