Nautilus Roasting Co. opens in Huntington Station

Nautilus Roasting Co., a small storefront with a large, loungey adjacent seating area in Huntington Station, begs a visit for its coffee, but also its wholly vegan menu of sweets and muffins.

Growing up in Lindenhurst in the '80s, owner Hugo Fitzgerald has been drinking coffee since he was 8 years old. He recalls sneaking sips from his nightly visit to the local Friendly Deli, where he got his mom her post-dinner coffee. "Eventually she started, you know, giving me an extra, back in those days — 50 cents probably — to get myself a small one," he said.

Contrary to its name, Nautilus doesn’t roast its own coffee (although they have a roaster and hope to in the future), but highlights exclusive blends and single origins "from a couple of different roasters." Within its subway-tiled white storefront, Fitzgerald is sticking to coffee basics like lattes ($5), iced coffee ($4) and cold brew ($5), as well as fall specials like maple and pumpkin creme lattes ($8). There’s raspberry hibiscus tea ($4), and something called the Jackie Daytona ($5), which is raspberry tea mixed with a cold brew that "tastes like a rainbow cookie."

Don’t miss the sweet offerings from cookies to cupcakes ($3.50-$4.50), all of which are 100% vegan and made in-house by baker Malyssa Sue Ferruzzo. Recommended: the cinnamon coffee cake muffin and Fluffernutter cupcake.

Fitzgerald's journey to brick-and-mortar shop owner hasn't been straightforward. In 2017, working in advertising as a photo researcher, Fitzgerald dug deeper into coffee culture. "Photo researchers, sitting in dark rooms for long periods for color control, are notorious coffee drinkers," he said. That led to researching origins that had lower acidity and different brewing methods.

He started selling beans in Queens, working with a local roaster to create some blends, but nothing really took off. A vegan since 1999, he was a vendor at a 2017 vegan festival at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station that drew more than 2,000 people. He did pour-overs, had a line around the cafeteria for his java, and realized there was a "vegan coffee scene" happening on Long Island.

Subsequently, organizers for the Babylon farmers market reached out, looking for a new coffee vendor. Saturdays at Sayville’s market followed, then pop-ups. The pandemic was a light bulb moment for Nautilus.

"I was driving around, you know, four or five days a week, dropping off growlers of concentrated cold brew to people's houses. I would take any order, free delivery." Slowly, he added vegan brunch boxes and baked goods to the mix and started to get return customers.

When Fitzgerald heard about the space Nautilus now inhabits, it was just a real estate developer’s vision. He jumped when the lease turned over last year for the space at the other end of the strip that houses Mercato Cucina. "This is my neighborhood. This is my community. Coffee shops are hubs, for the arts, for culture, and that’s what I wanted to create," he said.

Fitzgerald also owns the events business Perks Department with his girlfriend, Gaelen Harlacher, which celebrates local crafters and musicians. The cafe’s vast seating space — which Fitzgerald himself renovated with kitschy artwork, mismatched tables, bright green walls and funky knickknacks — looks to host such creatives regularly. Works of local artists are displayed for sale along the walls. 

The best part, besides the coffee, the culture and the vegan goodies: There’s parking. A whole indoor garage of parking. "Hey, in Huntington, that’s super important, too," Fitzgerald said.

Nautilus Roasting Co., 1000 New York Ave., Unit A., Huntington Station; nautilusroasting.com; Open Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.