New Long Island restaurants to try

Crave, Woodmere

Jerusalem-style smash burgers? People who have made the trip to Israel may have remember Crave, a popular burger vendor inside the Mahaneh Yehudah Market in Jerusalem. The restaurant owners of Crave in Woodmere were craving that experience again, so they opened a location on Long Island, on where the selection feels standard: burgers, Reubens, nachos and chicken tenders, all kosher.

Smash House, Cedarhurst

This Miami Beach export is dripping in '80s neon graffiti art. Together with the warehouse-style counter area and the loudspeaker ordering system, a trip to Smash House feels like eating at the snack bar at a roller rink ... but with better chicken strips. Owned by Cendarhurst residents, Smash House opened in August in the former home of Wok Tov, a kosher Chinese takeout spot. The menu riffs on the smash burger and chicken sandwich, along with decadences such as a "burger salad" and dirty fries topped with brisket.

NoFo Pot Pies, Mattituck

Located smack-dab in the middle of Long Island’s pumpkin trail, this shipshape shop is seasonally landscaped with gourds, corn stalks and rusting hydrangeas. Inside, the focus is on that most autumnal of dishes: pot pies. The shop sells up to 10 varieties (depending on the season) of small 6-inch pies, from traditional chicken, beef and shepherd’s pie to more out-there lobster-shrimp-scallop, jambalaya and chicken Marsala; large 10-inch pies come in chicken, beef and turkey.

Atithi, Bethpage

This fast-casual spot is serving elaborate Indian street snacks and vegetarian dishes from a nondescript perch in Bethpage. There are New Delhi-style snacks called chaatpati chaat, which consist of various crackers and puffed wheat doughs filled with bright, flavorful sauces. There are vegetarian dinner roll sandwiches from Mumbai, wraps stuffed with cheese or potatoes known as kathi rolls, Indo-Chinese food, biryani rice dishes and sizzling platters of mock meats that look like tandoori chicken.

Feta, Bellmore

Opened in the former Zorn's space in Bellmore, this create-your-own concept spot involves choosing a rice, bulgur or veggie base and loading it up with greens, spreads (tzatziki, harissa, feta, garlic or red pepper hummus, baba ganoush) and protein (grilled chicken, mildly spicy harissa honey chicken, lamb meatballs, steak, salmon, potatoes or falafel). Finish it off with a selection of Mediterranean toppers including stuffed grape leaves, Kalamata olives, sliced pickles, barrel-aged feta or crispy pita strips. The space is massive, so there should never be a run on indoor seating, but there are also shaded picnic tables for al fresco dining. 

Mangia E Bevi, Massapequa Park

This sprawling Italian spot is looking fresh as new nearly a year after the previous eatery, Il Vizio Park, was closed by the health department. Its new owners redid the interior of the building and installed a 400-bottle wine cellar. They're aiming for an upscale experience similar to restaurants they frequent in Miami. The menu includes imported fresh pastas and meat dishes and pizza-style flatbreads. On weekends the music gets louder and the lounge area has more of a nightclub vibe.

Aura Coastal Mediterranean, Island Park

Two childhood friends bring this lively Mediterranean seafood concept to Island Park, replacing Pearl. Fish is flown in daily from Europe, but there's also local-ish halibut from the East Coast, paired here with clams and bits of smoked chorizo in an oily tomato sauce. Pastas like the squid ink linguine hit high marks with an array of plump seafoods (clams, shrimp, calamari) and crunchy panko bread crumbs.

Peri-Peri Guys, Long Beach

This order-at-the-counter spot is one of the only places in New York serving peri peri chicken. The menu, the same as its Hicksville location, features flame-grilled chicken on flatbread with customizable levels of sauce, including mango lime and lemon herb, and organic halal chicken, plus housemade piri-piri sauces ranging from mild to "very hot." There's also chicken sandwiches, wraps, cheeseburgers and a small selection of milkshakes. 

Oak & Vine, Glen Cove

Rehan Alam owns five restaurants in Manhattan, but had long dreamed of one closer to his home on Long Island. His new spot features a semiprivate area off the main room for communal dining or small parties. Another room, completely separate, accommodates up to 40 people. Beyond the bar in the main dining room, a narrow space with a grand piano can be curtained off or, on Fridays and Saturdays, serve as a live music venue. The menu has an air of contemporary comfort: grilled octopus with preserved-lemon butter, braised pork belly with butter beans and carrot purée, double-battered fried chicken with black-garlic barbecue sauce, Basque-style chicken breast with potatoes and mushrooms, vegan and vegetarian selections, plus a few steaks. Its pastas are divided between those imported from Italy and those made in house.

Cluckman's, Sag Harbor

When deciding on a name for his 14th eatery, Sag Harbor restaurateur Michael Gluckman settled on a pun: Cluckman’s, a self-described "Shake Shack for the Hamptons." The menu is an intentional alternative to the upscale restaurants in the area and includes chicken sandwiches and fingers, smashburgers, ice cream milkshakes, housemade French fries and onion rings, and salads.

Kyuramen, Huntington

One of Long Island's most innovative ramen shops, Kyuramen is known for its futuristic restaurant design that includes wooden booths stacked on top of each other like a honeycomb. Ramen, available in 10 varieties, delves into regional styles like Kyushu in the south and the capital, Tokyo. Kyuramen prepares an 18-hour bone broth and uses a multiday process of cooking and freezing its chashu pork to produce a fatty exterior with a solid center. But the most interesting thing on the menu might not be ramen at all. It's omurice, a Japanese omelet dish with a unique preparation technique that has made it a cult favorite.

Honolulu Hawaiian BBQ & Poke Bar, East Meadow

This new spot serves a style of Hawaiian cuisine called the plate lunch, a hearty comfort dish. Similar to a Japanese bento box, the Hawaiian plate lunch is a sampler platter of sorts, with a barbecued meat alongside a dome of white rice, and creamy macaroni salad. Honolulu Hawaiian BBQ has other familiar Hawaiian dishes on the menu like the iconic breakfast plate loco moco, an over-the-top comfort food that consists of hamburger patties smothered in gravy and topped with fried eggs on a bed of white rice. There's also a straightforward take on Spam musubi, the Hawaiian alternative to sushi that features a slab of the canned ham on a mound of rice in a seaweed wrapper. Because this is a Honolulu spot, there is also a hard-to-find noodle dish called saimin, popular in the noodle shops of the Hawaiian capital city.

Bango, Hauppauge

With its bright, clean, tropical vibe, and selection of health-conscious options, Bango in Hauppauge is the first franchise location of the Bango brand, which has dropped the "bowls" from its name since expanding its menu. If you’re craving something sweet, go for their cold bowls featuring bases of acai, pitaya (or dragon fruit), or spinach, and smoothies. Add to that, salad bowls, poke bowls that are made with marinated sushi-grade salmon or tuna, and grain bowls. There are handheld panini-like flatbreads for those averse to bowls, as well as various steel-cut oatmeal options for breakfast. 

JBBQ Wok & Dumpling, Commack

What was JBBQ & Shabu Shabu has reopened as JBBQ Wok & Dumpling, ditching the barbecue and hot pot for Chinese fare. Soup dumplings and dim sum take top billing, with more than a dozen varieties including crab soup dumplings and chicken feet. The rest of the menu is greatest hits of the wok, with Thai and Japanese classics alongside dishes like beef with black pepper sauce and pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple.

Iavarone Bros., Garden City

Perhaps best known for its prepared food and catering services, this Iavarone is a wonderland of Italian classics from lasagna to chicken cutlets to sautéed broccoli rabe to eggplant Parm. There are cases of roasted vegetables, crab cakes, meatballs, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and every type of macaroni you can imagine. The eponymous Iavarone Bros. Villa di Pasta line includes sauces, as well as fresh pastas. New for Garden City is an imported brick oven for making pinsas, or Roman-style flatbread pizzas. Its newest market joins locations in New Hyde Park, Wantagh, Woodbury and Maspeth, Queens, as well as restaurants in New Hyde Park and Plainview. The store also offers outdoor seating for take-away along buzzy Seventh Street. 

Seven Beach Lane, Westhampton Beach

The imposing Victorian structure at 7 Beach Lane in Westhampton Beach had operated as the Grassmere Inn from 1990 until it closed in 2020. Now, new owner Corey Gluckstal has redone it in a grand style, adding dining to the mix for the first time. On the seafood front: tuna carpaccio with charred-lemon aioli, dayboat fluke with Key lime gel and Fresno chilies; pan-roasted fluke with summer squash and a squid-ink tuile. Land-based dishes include a selection of Mecox Dairy cheeses with housemade crackers, Caesar salad with baby romaine, pan-roasted chicken with smashed and fried potatoes, Wagyu strip steak with pommes purée and roasted marrow.

El Chalet Salvadoran, Mastic Beach

El Chalet, a strip mall deli in Mastic Beach, specializes in tortas from El Salvador. It's owned by cousins who serve the tortas from their childhood in El Salvador. The Hula Hula is the iconic torta on the menu here, a maximalist sandwich hearty enough to put you out of commission for awhile. It features a toasted hoagie roll stuffed with strips of ground beef patties, deli ham, avocado, salty Salvadoran white cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and ketchup. The queso Salvadoreño has a fresh grassy flavor to it that adds some funk to the meaty mix. El Chalet also serves five other sandwiches.

Quiero Tacos, Mineola

If you’re a purist when it comes to Mexican food, the new Quiero Tacos is for you. The cozy space serves tacos in platters of three. Varieties are common to Mexico and include pollo, chorizo, lengua — or tongue — al pastor, carnitas, fish and birria. But it would serve you to move past the tacos and opt for some other traditional selections including sopes, or open-faced mini tortillas, pinchos, or skewers, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, fajitas, bowls, nachos and larger format plates including al pastor "trompitos" (pork and pineapple skewers) and carne asada.

Tony’s Tacos, Garden City

When Tony’s Tacos opened in Floral Park in 2020, defining itself as an "Italian cantina," diners might have been skeptical. Fast-forward four years: Italian-fusion tacos have found an audience. Now, a 4,000-square-foot storefront in Garden City with indoor and outdoor dining complete with a dedicated tequila bar, makes four. The menu boasts more than 40 tacos made with chicken, pork, shrimp, fish and vegetables. Combinations include chicken Milanese (fried chicken cutlet, queso, burrata, arugula, pico, pesto and balsamic glaze), Italo-Americano (shredded tender beef, pico, breadcrumbs oreganata, shredded cheese, sour cream) and the Italian riff on birria tacos -- smoked mozzarella, Angus beef, quattro formaggi and pomodoro sauces, plus cilantro.

Zuzu, Farmingdale

The crew from Croxley's opened Zuzu, a pizzeria with a retro-glam-bistro design that doesn’t feel like any other place in town. The soaring space comprises a U-shaped bar, a roomy dining room plus two rooms that can handle overflow or private parties. The vibe is rock and roll, with '70s classics on the playlist and portraits of rockers on the walls. In addition to pizza, Zuzu has fried mozzarella, Italian nachos (housemade potato chips topped with melted Gorgonzola, burrata Caprese, clams oreganata. Pastas include paccheri alla vodka or with "Sunday sauce," cavatelli with sausage, spaghetti carbonara and penne chicken Milanese (with mozzarella and tomatoes). Mains include eggplant and chicken Parm, salmon with mushroom risotto and Chianti-marinated skirt steak with truffle-Parmesan shoestring fries. You can get cannoli, tiramisu or cheesecake for dessert, but the star meal-ender is soft-serve ice cream that can be topped with sprinkles, nuts, candy, hot fudge or caramel.

Moo Burger, Syosset

Island Park residents know that a cow statue atop a building painted in a telltale black-and-white pattern signals one thing: Moo Burger. Now, Syosset eaters can join in on the fun with the opening of the burger restaurant’s second spot. The Syosset menu mimics Island Park, as does the décor of the cozy space. Aside from burgers, the menu is packed with comfort classics: chicken sandwiches, BLTs, grilled cheese, mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese bites, chili and shakes.

Felicia, Long Beach

Long Beach has a sultry new bistro in its lineup — Felicia, named after first-time restaurant owner Felicia Nicholas, has been buzzing since it opened in July. The scene gets even livelier on weekends, when you really need a reservation to get in. Potted palm trees sit at the front, recalling the location's previous days as El Malecon de Cuba. The Miami nightclub vibe heightens in the moody corridor of the dining room. The menu is dominated by salads, boards and small plates from Asia and the Mediterranean/North Africa (orecchiette with peas, whole shrimp and lobster meat; crispy Brussels sprouts; short rib and more).

La Chiva, Lake Ronkonkoma

Diners plunge into a bright yellow scene packed with Colombian flags and a decorative faux balcony that's a hallmark of Colombian restaurants at this new eatery. There are a few grilled and rotisserie chicken dishes on the menu, as well as the iconic beef and seafood options like bistec encebollado or grilled steak with onions and mojarra frita, a whole fried porgy fish with cassava, rice and beans. A meal starts off with a complimentary platter of mini arepa cakes paired with a stewed tomato and onion sauce called hogao. Beef empanadas arrive with an uncooked tomato aji sauce, which is still pretty mild. The punch comes from the iconic Colombian dish bandeja paisa. The countryman's platter usually features a gut-busting selection of meats loaded on a plate with beans, rice and a griddled corn cake arepa. La Chiva is the rare spot that serves its version in a multitiered stand that gestures toward the heavens.

Casita RD, Baldwin

Dominican food pioneer Stephen Rodriguez started leaning into Instagram food mashup trends around 2017. In Brooklyn, he was credited with inventing Dominican pizza, a breadless pie featuring mashed plantain as a crust that's topped with fried salami and fried cheese. He opened Casita RD, with Massiel Medina, where the menu flirts with Japanese, Italian and Mexican flavors in the context of his Dominican upbringing. Diners can expect Dominican sushi, pioneered by another Long Island figure, Mitsuhisa Nishio; creative seafood, like grilled Spanish octopus with a sweet corn purée, chimichurri and eel sauce and shrimp mofongo, with a twice-fried dome of green plantain mash topped with plump shrimp drenched in his untraditional alfredo sauce. Even something as basic as salmon arrives with an interesting coconutty Creole sauce.

SUP Vietnamese, Rockville Centre

SUP Vietnamese, a growing brand of upscale pho restaurants that now sports three Long Island locations, focuses on soup, which are limited to nine varieties of basic but well-executed pho. But the menu differentiates with coffee and desserts: SUP may be the only place on Long Island to get a cup of egg coffee, the frothy delicacy that's finally starting to show up in the United States. The dessert menu's other interesting specimens include pandan coconut sago pudding, an egg tart with purple ube chips and a sweet dish of "warm tofu with orange ginger syrup."

Hungry Monster Tasty Pot, Great Neck

Hungry Monster Tasty Pot opened in the former home of Nohara Ramen, which closed earlier this year. The new restaurant may just be the only place in the state that's completely dedicated to the art of Taiwanese hot pot. The independently operated spot provides a menu of personalized hot pots and brothless dry pots: it offers four ingredient "packages" that are customized by choosing a soup base and adding a starch (noodles, rice, rice cakes). You can get premade combinations or build your own.

BRGRS, Huntington

BRGRS is a new fast-casual spot owned by three Melville brothers who opened on New York Avenue in the heart of the village. Its no-frills menu is short: Smashburgers come in single, double or triple stacks, with chicken and Impossible varieties. There are classic hot dogs, as well as BLT, vegan, and Chicago options, fries, onion rings and thick shakes. Daily specials have included a chicken bacon ranch sandwich, loaded fries topped with meat, cheese and sauce drizzles and a chopped cheese patty melt-meets-cheesesteak.

Myles on Main, Riverhead

Located in a 119-year-old home that connects to the Preston Hotel, this casual crowd-pleaser offers seating on the main floor, upstairs, on a wraparound deck and in the front courtyard. Burgers are front and center here: There’s a classic cheeseburger, a brunch burger (topped with bacon, egg, cheese and red-pepper aioli), a black ‘n’ bleu burger (blue cheese) and a vegetarian black-bean burger. Sandwiches include grilled chicken or sirloin, a Reuben, a meatball hero and a classic turkey club. Starters include a giant meatball, fried cheese and shrimp ceviche. Mains range from meatloaf, steak frites and braised short ribs to lasagna, penne with chicken and eggplant rollatini. The kids menu features hot dogs, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, chicken tenders and meatball sliders, all served with fries.

Amalfi Coastal Kitchen & Cocktails, Hampton Bays

This restaurant takes over the former site of Crash Cantina, an indoor-outdoor venue with majestic views of Shinnecock Bay. Mediterranean cuisine was underrepresented in the area, so the owner expanded Amalfi’s menu to encompass both Italian and Greek seafood dishes. Starters include a mezze plate and fried zucchini and eggplant chips along with truffled arancini and fried calamari served "Casino" style, with bacon and Parmesan. There is Caesar salad alongside a swanky take on the Greek romaine-feta-dill maroulosalata. Moving into pasta and mains: linguine with clams, malfadine with lump crab, lemon cream and pistachio dust, grilled branzino, filet mignon with charred broccolini, Amalfi moussaka and chicken Parm pizza.

3Natives, Huntington

Founded in 2013 as a small juice bar by Anthony Bambino, 3Natives now has more than 25 shops across the country. The Huntington location marks the franchise's first in New York. The selection of acai and yogurt bowls runs the gamut from the "Chronic" with acai, granola, banana, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, coconut and honey to the "Calypso" with yogurt, granola, almond butter, banana, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, chia and hemp seeds. Bagels and toasts can be had simply or protein-heavy with avocado, hard boiled egg, red onion, feta and sprouts. There are also wraps, salads and hot sandwiches. Juices are pressed on site and include the "Slim N' Spicy," with lemon, ginger, agave and cayenne and "Easy Greens," made with spinach, kale, celery, apple and cucumber. 

The Peruvian Corner, Franklin Square

Co-owner David Astete hails from Lima, Peru and his wife, Gisella Astete, is from Guayaquil, which is Ecuador's largest city and the gateway to the Galápagos Islands. Most of the menu here is Peruvian, with a large selection of classics including ceviche, Peruvian pollo a la brasa or rotisserie chicken, and the shredded chicken dish aji de gallina. But there's also a smaller section of hard-to-find Ecuadorian classics, which are whimsically adapted by their two chefs, Pedro Infante and Bryan Cabrera.

Off the Hook, Freeport

Iglent Fejzulla opened Off the Hook Raw Bar & Grill in Astoria in 2013, but his dream was always "to bring the concept to the water." In May, he accomplished that task, taking over the old River House Grill and sprucing up both the inside and the deck. The restaurant’s raw bar puts out clams, oysters and platters that add in shrimp and mussels. During the summer months, Fejzulla sources his oysters from the colder waters off Massachusetts; come fall, he’ll serve local oysters. Landlubbing diners can choose among Buffalo cauliflower, watermelon or Caesar salads, cheesesteaks, tamarind chicken, grilled sirloin steaks, country-fried pork chop and more.

Prime on the Mile, Freeport

Prime on the Mile has taken over the sprawling, multilevel building that used to be Hudson’s on the Mile. Owned by Bryant Postell and Rocky Jenkins (of Lynbrook’s Prime 39) the venue has indoor and outdoor bars and dining areas, including a rooftop "SkyBar" with views of the water. There’s a full lineup of DJs, live music and comedy. On the menu, starters include mussels with lobster and crab, chargrilled oysters with lobster and crab, "sweet and crispy" calamari, lamb chops and tacos. Mains include lobster rolls, surf-and-turf mac-and-cheese, roast chicken, crab-stuffed salmon, surf-and-turf burger, lobster ramen and short rib pasta.

Meats Meat BBQ, Mattituck 

Larry Mondello's Meats Meat barbecue just moved from a takeout shop in Mattituck to the sprawling Branch Brewing Co. (formerly North Fork Roadhouse) about a mile west. Now, in addition to supplying his two trucks and catering customers, he feeds all the hungry quaffers at Branch, which opened earlier this year. On the menu: smoked brisket burgers, ribs, sausage, pulled pork and pulled chicken, wings and more.

Pho Express, Farmingdale

This casual new pho shop has gone up in the Main Street space that previously held Long Island's oldest Vietnamese restaurant, The Rolling Spring Roll. It has a new owner and has been renamed Pho Express, and while it doesn't have the same pioneering quality of the original, it does make a decent bánh mì sandwich. The simple menu includes four varieties of the Vietnamese noodle soup pho, appetizers such as shrimp, pork and veggie spring rolls, and a more substantial selection of bun dishes.