5 De Mayo Steak House opens in Farmingdale
The Colorado rib steak at 5 De Mayo Steakhouse in Farmingdale. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
There was a time when steakhouses served steak, creamed spinach, various permutations of potatoes and very little else. That started to change on Long Island in 2005 when Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville put sushi on the menu and, in the ensuing years, most high-end steakhouses (notable exception: Peter Luger in Great Neck) followed suit, and steak and sushi became comrades in high-end dining.
Well, get ready for steak plus tacos, guacamole and enchiladas. That’s the format at 5 De Mayo Steak House which opened in August in Farmingdale. Chef-owner Roberto Herrera has owned Westbury’s 5 De Mayo Mexican restaurant since 2011 (it opened as Casa Latina, changing its name in 2015) and his new spot is a brand extension with a twist. Why steak? Herrera was the chef at Bryant & Cooper in Roslyn for 20 years.
“Since I left Bryant & Cooper I always wanted to open a steakhouse,” he said. The decision to create a hybrid restaurant was a response to the price point of prime beef. “Not everyone wants to spend heavy duty on steak; there’s a lot more on my menu.”
5 De Mayo’s prime steaks include a skirt steak ($34.95), 12-ounce filet mignon ($55), porterhouse ($67 per person) and Colorado rib steak ($76). But you can also get Tampiquena carne asada (marinated strip steak, $26.95) or bandeja Azteca (grilled strip with sweet plantains, guacamole and a fried egg, $26.95). In addition to starters of shrimp cocktail and a seafood platter, the menu offers guacamole, ceviche, nachos and queso fundido.
There’s also a full range of Mexican crowd pleasers: Burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and arroz con pollo hover around $20; fajitas (steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp), around $30.
The 200-seat room has the warm wood, white tablecloths and butcher-coated servers of the classic steakhouse, but the well-spaced tables and walls of windows give it a lighter feel than most. The building itself has had a checkered history. Built in 1997 as a Ruby Tuesday, it hosted the only Long Island location of the national breastaurant chain, The Tilted Kilt, from 2018 to 2019 after which it was a satellite of Oyster Bay’s venerable The Homestead that closed during the pandemic.
5 De Mayo Steak House, 2120 Broadhollow Rd., Farmingdale; open for lunch and dinner daily, 631-557-2970, 5demayosteakhouse.com
