Sneak peek: Long Island restaurants opening in 2026

Several established Long Island restaurants are in the process of opening additional locations. Other new eateries are moving into spaces vacated by longtime eateries as owners retired and leases weren't renewed. Here's a sneak peek at some of the most anticipated restaurants slated to open in 2026. 

Bhaijaan, Hicksville

Long Island has recently welcomed a new crop of savvy, cocktail forward-Indian restaurants, and Bhaijaan promises a new level of sophistication. Neha Kake and her husband, Shalil Sabharwal, closed their Manhattan restaurant, Pippali, and will open a new concept on Long Island, where they live. The sleek lounge interior is meant to evoke the private members' clubs of Bombay in the 1960s. And their menu mainly focuses on Northern Indian curries, kabobs and biryani. The restaurant will also have an expansive bar program with cocktails inspired by Indian ingredients, Kake said. It's opening in Hicksville in the former Trullo D'Oro space. January

The Chas, Smithtown

Jerry Sbarro barely took a breath after renovating and reopening Louie’s Prime Steaks & Seafood in Port Washington before plunging ahead with a takeover of the old Carrabba’s in Smithtown, which closed last year. According to Sbarro, who also owns Rothmann’s Steakhouse in East Norwich and Matteo’s Italian restaurants in Huntington and Roslyn Heights (plus two in Florida), The Chas will be most closely related to the steakhouse whose first owners (in 1907) were Charles and Franziska Rothmann. "Rothmann’s full name is actually Chas. Rothmann’s," he said. "This is going to be similar in feel — classic, cozy, lots of wood — but with a broader menu and appeal." While the steaks will be the same quality (38-day dry-aged) and price, there will be many more affordable options. January

ACASA, Williston Park

When La Parma closed in the summer after 41 years, it left a family-sized Italian hole in Williston Park. Now a restaurant group from South Shore — Maurizio Vendittelli and the team from Rockville Centre’s Mangia Bene and Churchill’s — have purchased the Willis Avenue building. Where Mangia Bene is a regional Italian trattoria-pizzeria, Vendittelli said, "ACASA won’t veer too far from what La Parma has always done here — Italian American family dining." Marsalas, Franceses and Parms, never front and center at Mangia Bene, will be here in full force, along with big platters of pasta, some of it homemade. Fresh mozzarella will also be made in-house. Some Mangia Bene specialties (cherry-pepper pan sauce, for example) will make the trip and there will also be a full pizza menu. January

JINYA Ramen Bar, Lake Grove

JINYA Ramen Bar is bringing its signature slow-simmered broths and handmade noodles to Suffolk in the new year. The North American chain is establishing a beachhead at 3190 Middle Country Rd. in Lake Grove, in the same shopping center as Long Island’s largest grocery store, Wegmans. The Lake Grove space will feature outdoor seating with a firepit and a private dining room for special events. January

Aunt Jakes, Huntington

A town well served by pasta, Huntington is about to get another helping. Aunt Jakes, an Italian restaurant that offers homemade pasta — and pasta-making classes — will expand from Manhattan into the old Leilu space on New Street. Hauppauge native Nick Boccio opened Aunt Jake’s on the Upper East Side in 2020 and soon came up with a concept that "in addition to value," provided "something experiential: a 2½-3-hour pasta experience comprising a hands-on class followed by a meal that includes fresh pasta — but not the pasta patrons make themselves. Instead, they take home the fruits of their labor, plus a ball of dough so they can practice in their own kitchens. Boccio, who moved back to Suffolk County in 2022, suspects that in Huntington there may be more of a demand for a traditional restaurant with pasta classes offered on weekends. He’s prepared to let his future customers determine the exact mix. February

Say Cheese Pizza Cafe, Melville

Rosario Asta has been working on his pizza-cafe concept for a couple of years and plans to open it in February within the old Ruland Road Deli. The eatery will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner during the week, lunch and dinner on weekends, he said. The menu includes both New York- and Roman-style pizza plus sandwiches served on schiacciata (Italian flatbread) as well as Italian American dishes, according to chef and manager Angelo Amato. February

Toastique, Woodbury

Long Island will see its first location of the Washington, D.C.-based gourmet toast, juice and coffee bar franchise Toastique, at 8027 Jericho Tpke., in the Woodbury Country Square shopping center. The Long Island outpost, the third in New York State, will be operated by local residents Chris and Andrea Pedersen. February

Mexicandy, Riverhead

The East End Mexican ice cream shop will open its second Riverhead location at 749 Old Country Rd. in 2026. Co-owner Chris Aguilar said the new spot's menu will also offer more than a dozen flavors of authentic Mexican fruit pops in flavors such as watermelon, mango, lime, mango con chile (mango with spice), sandia con chile (watermelon with spice), Oreo and horchata. The 1,700-square-foot space will have booth seating for about 16 customers, he said. Feb. 2026

Luca Steak, Huntington

"Luca" is a name familiar to local Italophiles — it’s the Stony Brook restaurant that’s one of Long Island’s very best. Now, partner David Tunney said, "we want to do for steak what we’ve done for Italian." He and his team (Rory Van Nostrand, Anthony Argiriou and executive chef Luke DeSanctis) have taken over the old Red space, one of a very few in Huntington village that has a dedicated parking lot. Luca Steak, Tunney said, "will not be a Peter Luger’s clone with the same cuts, the same sides. And it’s not going to be a huge steak-and-sushi hot spot either." The plan is to source meat "from farms and purveyors all over the world — the U.S., Australia, Italy and more" — and lavish attention on each plate. Spring

Lyon by Duck Island, Huntington

Duck Island Bread Company’s baker-owner, Robert Biancavilla, has taken over the old Bicycle Playground on Main Street and will turn it into a French cafe serving his baked goods plus sandwiches anchored by his terrific baguettes. Look for jambon-beurre (ham and butter) the OG turkey and house-roasted rib-eye. Plus, savory classics such as French onion soup and ratatouille. Spring

The James, Garden City

After opening two eye-poppingly swanky, bi-level eateries in Suffolk, Andrew Affa and Steven Squirito are taking on Nassau. The owners of Arlo in Northport and The James in Babylon bought Primehouse in Garden City, operated it through the end of 2025 and are poised to transform it into The James II. The single-story restaurant "may not have the grand design" of the Babylon original, Affa said, "but what it lacks in square footage, it will go above and beyond in vibe." Not only will Garden City serve The James’ signature prime rib, "because it’s on one level, we may be able to serve it from a rolling trolley cart." May

The Pizzeria, Yaphank

The 5-year-old chain has signed the lease for a new location in Yaphank that partner Paul Saccocio hopes to open early in the year. The 4,300-square-foot space will occupy a new freestanding building across from Southpaw Brewing Company. When finished, it will be comparable to The Pizzeria's largest Pizzeria (5,000 square feet), in Babylon. The Pizzeria got its start in 2020 as a 500-square-foot operation at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, but soon grew to include locations in Bay Shore, Lindenhurst and beyond. The 3,000-square-foot Smithtown location opened in April within Branch Plaza. Opening to be determined.

Poll Brothers Italian Steakhouse, Roslyn

When Roslyn’s venerable Jolly Fisherman closed in 2023, local glutterati wondered if the spot would be taken over by Gillis and George Poll, the brothers who operate Roslyn hot spots Hendrick’s Tavern and Bryant & Cooper. Instead, the building overlooking the village pond was leased to the owners of Pietro’s, a 93-year-old Italian restaurant in Manhattan. Pietro’s Long Island only lasted eight months and, as soon as the restaurant closed, the speculation began anew: Now would the Poll brothers take over the space? This time, the answer was yes. Next question: Since it was the Poll family that owned Williston Park’s late, lamented fish house, Riverbay (1980 to 2013), would they resurrect it in a spot long associated with seafood? No dice. The concept for the as-yet-unnamed restaurant is Italian steak. Fall

Newsday's Melissa Azofeifa, Andi Berlin, Erica Marcus and Marie Elena Martinez contributed to this story.