Best BLTs on Long Island

March 27, 2016

The BLT is a wild party in the mouth: It's hot. It's cool. It's salty. It's sweet. It's got crunch. Even creaminess. Hooking up with a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich isn't hard. They're everywhere, on menus plain and fancy. Though it takes only five basic ingredients (bacon, lettuce, tomato, toast and mayo) to make them, not every restaurant does this lunchtime favorite justice. With selections by Newsday's food staff, these are the top spots on Long Island to land the perfect BLT.

The Flour Shoppe Café

Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus

The Flour Shoppe Café, Rockville Centre: At this eatery, chef John Maher throws everything he's got at his Le Grande BLT: The thick-cut bacon has been glazed with maple syrup and, for good measure, it sits on a schmear of bacon jam. The lettuce is a lively mix of mesclun and watercress, the mayo is herb aioli, the tomatoes are ripe and red. Not satisfied with toasting his bread, Maher slathers it with butter and griddles it until crisp.

North Fork Bacon and Smokehouse

Credit: Newsday / Joan Reminick

North Fork Bacon and Smokehouse, Wading River: The classic BLT at this casual counter-serve BBQ house is loaded with dark, intense house-smoked bacon.

Credit: Newsday / Rebecca Cooney

CJ's Coffee Shop, Rockville Centre: CJ's Coffee Shop has sat on the corner of Long Beach Road and Seaman Avenue in Rockville Centre for more than two decades. The restaurant's classic BLT piles on crisp slices of Leidy's bacon, slices of Beefsteak tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and Hellmann's mayonnaise in perfect proportion.

Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus

Off The Block Kitchen & Meats, Sayville: The O.T.B.- B.L.T. upgrades the lunch-counter standard with pepper-crusted bacon, lemon-basil aioli and multigrain toast.

Credit: Heather Walsh

Roast Sandwich House, Melville: A California BLT featuring roast beef, field greens, tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, avocado and grilled onion on ciabatta bread is a flavorful choice.

Credit: Newsday / Joan Reminick

Zan's Kosher Deli, Lake Grove: The "PLT" (pastrami, lettuce and tomato) on rye toast is a tasty spin on the traditional BLT.

Credit: John Dunn

Relish, Kings Park: A BLT comes with double bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise on grilled sourdough bread. You can add an egg on yours for an additional cost, too.

Credit: Doug Young

Silver's, Southampton: Made with excellent, thick, grilled Tuscan bread, the BLT at Silver's features a hefty amount of smoky-sweet bacon, bright Romaine lettuce and sweet crimson tomatoes.

Credit: Heather Walsh

Dugan's Sandwich Shop, Woodbury: This restaurant's BLT consists of bread that's baked in-house daily, Hormel hickory-smoked bacon, shredded iceberg, vine-ripened tomatoes and Hellmann's mayonnaise.