New Long Island restaurants to try

Peri Peri Grill House, Bethpage

If there was a hall of fame just for sauces, peri peri would definitely be in it. But maybe that's just the sauce at Peri Peri Grill House, which just opened in Bethpage. The sauce originally hails from Mozambique, where 15th century Portuguese explorers mixed the peppers with lemon and vinegar to create the spicy ambrosia. Owner Sohaib Malik imports his own spice blends made from bird's eye chilis from his uncle's spice factory in London. His chicken is steamed and pressure-cooked in a special oven, then basted in the sauce and grilled to order. If you're with another person or two, a pro-move is to order a whole chicken with four sides. Since they're splitting up the chicken in the back anyway, they'll let you get it basted and then grilled, with two different sauces. The hot was the right amount of spice without being too painful. Although on the milder side, the garlic and herb sauce was breathtakingly good, a viscous blend of tangy heaven, with a trio of extra sauces on the side. The chicken itself is juicier than some other peri peri spots, and only faintly marked with the char from the grill. For a house built on chicken, the side dishes here are nearly as compelling. Citrusy seasoned fries are beautifully crispy and ultra zesty when dipped in the side sauces. Ditto for the gooey mac-and-cheese, which becomes a power punch with the chili. Even a brothy lentil soup was somehow packed with flavor.

Guac Island Mexican Grill, Ronkonkoma

The fiesta of halal eateries on Long Island continues to grow, with the opening of Ronkonkoma’s Guac Island Mexican Grill. The takeout-geared eatery opened this fall in the space that was formerly Portion Kitchen on Portion Road. Owner Ali Mehti runs the spot with his wife, daughter and nephew. He said his inspiration for the concept was "introducing our community a different flavor and different way to eat halal," he said. The menu includes build-your-own bowls, burritos, quesadillas and crispy or soft tacos. There's comfort food, such as wings and cheeseburgers. A "kids’ corner" serves tacos and cheese quesadillas. Have a slice of tres leches cake or churros for dessert. The 1,000-square-foot space has seating for 16.

Bite Bao, Huntington Station

Bite Bao in Huntington Station fits the mold of a neighborhood Chinese-American restaurant, serving a mix of Sichuan, Hunan and Cantonese dishes, plus excellent soup dumplings and bao buns that taste fresh off the streets of Shanghai. Owners Kexin You and Kent Zhao are a Plainview couple who spent the last decade living in Queens. All of the dumplings are made in-house daily by the kitchen staff hailing from Flushing, where the couple previously resided. The juicy, pan-fried pork buns, or sheng jian bao, are seared to a rich, caramelized brown; the Shanghai specialty seems destined to become a staple here. But also don’t miss traditional xiao long bao, or more delicate steamed soup dumplings that come in pork, pork and crab, chicken, and shrimp options.Past the dumplings, the rest of the menu is rounded out by dim sum and starters, from scallion pancakes to spring rolls; egg drop, wonton and sweet and sour soup. Classic sesame chicken or beef with broccoli can be had alongside shrimp or scallops with black bean sauce, tofu, and of course, every kind of lo mein noodle and fried rice. But trust us: You’re here for the bao.

The Grand Lobby, Amityville

Park Avenue Grill fans in Amityville are joyful this month, and it has nothing to do with the holidays. The restaurant’s long-awaited second venture, The Grand Lobby, has opened with a cozy interior, buzzy bar, kaleidoscopic murals and hands-on service. Long an Amityville staple for breakfast and lunch, the Park Avenue Grill has a wide selection of vegan and gluten-free options. The Grand Lobby takes over where it leaves off, with double the capacity (80), a larger kitchen and a private event space.  Chef Roberto Leon, whose resume includes Viaggio, Prime 39 and Brewology, turns out massive portions of colorful starters, like ahi tuna with wonton crisps, a tower of ruby-red tuna, chartreuse avocado and a tumble of fruit — strawberries, blueberries, mangoes. Spanish octopus comes with nutty romesco, roasted red peppers, almonds and a cucumber relish. There are crispy Brussels sprouts, jumbo Bavarian pretzels served with cheese dip, French onion soup with brisket, plus oysters, clams, charcuterie boards, and flatbreads, like the honey rose burrata loaded with prosciutto, sweet potato, hot honey and pistachios. For entrees, classic options include roasted half-chicken, strip steak with truffle butter and salmon with sweet potato risotto alongside vegetarian cauliflower steak, and more creative options, like grilled pineapple filled with shrimp and scallops in coconut sauce. There are three burgers — chipotle BBQ, turkey and smash — an enormous French dip and a chicken sandwich. The restaurant plans to offer more of the vegetarian options that Park Avenue Grill has become known for.

Ensenada Bay, Freeport

Ensenada Bay in Freeport is a rare concept on Long Island, a Mexican steakhouse with waterfront views, a solid selection of Mexican wines and specialties from Baja California. There are two awesome dishes, and both involve rib eye. The first is rib-eye aguachile, which sounds counterintuitive if you've never been to the Baja. The northwestern Mexican dish is typically a seafood affair that showcases the freshness of the fish by enhancing it with tangy chili juice. But a less common version is the rib-eye aguachile, which has the same flavors but with thinly shaved steak. Beautifully presented in the center of a row of English cucumber slices, the shaved strands of rib eye are just ever-so-slightly cooked in the dark brew of lime and soy sauce. It's so tasty that it's even worth ordering when your main dish is an actual rib-eye steak. There's also a vibrant shrimp ceviche in a rip-roaring broth and strands of dill for freshness. Ensenada Bay is a rare concept on Long Island, a Mexican steakhouse with waterfront views, a solid selection of Mexican wines and specialties from Baja California.

YoYo Chicken, Deer Park & Huntington Station

With shops across New York and New Jersey, YoYo Chicken is positioning itself to be the next big franchise in takeaway chicken. In addition to its first Long Island restaurant, in Baldwin, which opened in 2004, the two latest locations — in Deer Park and Huntington Station — are officially open. The menu is dedicated to the chicken lovers out there, with chicken sandwiches served Nashville-style, seasoned to taste, with slaw, pickles and pink YoYo sauce. There are chicken plates with two sandwiches plus seasoned waffle fries, wings ($8.99 for five) in sauces from Buffalo to sweet and spicy. Chicken can also be had as tenders, in mac-and-cheese bowls, with rice bowls are atop loaded waffle fries.For the non-chicken fans, smashburgers pack just the same punch and come in double and triple options.

Harleys American Grille, Huntington

Harleys American Grille, a 7-year-old Farmingdale restaurant, has expanded to Huntington. Owner Michael LoManto's team gutted the old space and looked to Farmingdale for the decor — a comfortably elegant vibe featuring plush chairs and banquettes, modern light fixtures, shiny black subway tiles on the walls and Portuguese-style black-and-white tiles on the floor. The dining room feels more intimate than its 130-seat capacity might imply. (Another 60 seats will occupy a glassed-in, four-season extension, currently in the works.) Starters include Amalfi-style calamari (garnished with pepperoncini, tomatoes and olives and showered with Parmesan), whipped burrata crostini with roasted tomatoes and balsamic reduction, rib-eye egg rolls, Caesar, wedge, roast beet and artichoke salads. Mains include fettuccine with lobster and tomato confit, rigatoni with filet mignon tips, shrimp risotto, braised short ribs with sweet-potato puree, roast halibut with cauliflower puree. Steaks include sirloin "frites" with peppercorn-cream sauce to a 16-ounce boneless rib-eye. Harleys has the same menu for lunch and dinner but, for the former, you might be drawn to the Southwest or Mediterranean rice bowls, smashburger, steak sandwich or chipotle-ranch chicken sandwich.

Hanami Japanese Cuisine, Merrick

Oyster udon, hamburger curry, fluke fin sushi — these aren't commonly found at Long Island Japanese restaurants, but are among the interesting menu items at the new Hanami Japanese Cuisine in Merrick. The neighborhood spot has been flying under the radar since it opened on Merrick Road in August. Co-owner Tina Shi has a unique backstory. She was born in the Fujian province of China, but moved to Japan as an international student and spent nearly 15 years soaking up the food culture there. This included working as a chef at an izakaya (a Japanese pub) in Tokyo. Then she and her husband, Chun Wang, brought this aesthetic to Merrick. Wang works the sushi bar up front, putting out hard-to-find items like mirugai, or giant clam, and shiro maguro, which is white tuna. Shi said that 90% of the restaurant's ingredients are imported from Japan, as her cousin runs a pair of Manhattan Japanese markets. An early hit from the appetizer menu is asari, which is buttered, soy sauce-steamed manila clams with plump king mushrooms. Hanami also has a substantial selection of Japanese brown curries, and the fried pork katsu curry is more than serviceable.

Cherry Amber, Plainview

Cherry Amber, an Asian fusion eatery, opened in what used to be the Plainview Diner. Owner Joyce Li renovated the space inside and out, giving it a blingy-modern feel. The bones of the old establishment are still evident in the row of booths that face the parking lot and the old counter, which has been repurposed into a bar. (A liquor license is imminent.) The largest category on the menu is sushi. There are classic and chef special rolls; the Cherry Amber roll, contains pepper tuna and avocado, topped with spicy tuna and scallions. The rest of the menu surveys the kitchens of China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia — all of which are filtered through a crowd-pleasing suburban lens: honey-barbecue ribs, Thai coconut shrimp, gyoza, tom yam and wonton soups, pad Thai and lo mein, duck with wok-glazed ginger and scallions, honey-walnut crispy chicken and shrimp, sliced flank steak with Thai basil, "Thai casserole" with red curry, basil chicken and shrimp. No matter what cuisine you’re interested in, there’s a lunch special for you.

Lil' Al's, Long Beach

Chef Alexis Trolf, the auteur behind Newsday Top 50 restaurants Lost & Found and Lost at Sea, cooking burgers out of a kitschy takeout window. And his takeout window is the old Waffle Cabin, a tiny storefront on Long Beach’s West End that’s literally built to look like a log cabin. Trolf's weekend burger concept is called Lil’ Al’s, named after his daughter Alice. Lost & Found makes a legendary burger, so fat and juicy that it’s currently on Newsday's list of standout Long Island burgers. His menu is stylishly small, with only one burger and a couple of sides. On a recent Friday night, this meant French fries and a paper cup filled with an ooey gooey bechamel mac-and-cheese. A new item, a "sausage confit" with Dijon, turned out to be a well-done spicy sausage in a bun.

MOTW Coffee, Hicksville

Java lovers on Long Island have been enjoying lots of new coffee spots popping up, and now it’s Hicksville’s turn with the opening of MOTW Coffee. The shop opened in November at the new Soni Centre strip mall on South Broadway. MOTW Coffee, which stands for Muslims of the World, started as an Instagram page in 2014 and grew into a community of over 700,000 followers, according to the organization’s website. The 1,700-square-foot space, with seating for 25 guests, feels elegant and warm, with blue velvet benches, soffit ceilings and murals. The menu includes "Arabic-inspired twists and flavors," Qureshi said, such as a date cardamom latte. Get your caffeine fix with a Yemeni chai or pistachio latte . Caffeine-free drinks include the velvety Egyptian chamomile tea. Pastries range from a French toast muffin to a savory chicken empanada.

Rites Brewing, Bay Shore

With only five beers on tap, an off-the-beaten-track warehouse brewery has quickly become a destination spot for New York beer lovers. Owned by a former head brewer from Sand City and Barrier, the new Rites Brewing has gone into the space previously occupied by The Brewers Collective, which closed in May. Chris Dougherty, who owns the business with his cousin Tim Irwin, has been a professional brewer for 12 years and started Rites as a side project while at Sand City, where he was head brewer from 2020 to 2023, he said. Rites is certified as a New York State Farm brewery, which means that 60% of the hops and other ingredients must be grown here.

Tang Yun Noodle House, Centereach

Tang Yun Noodle House, specializing in soups from China, Japan and Vietnam, opened in October. The shop’s signature soup is from China’s Sichuan Province: sauerkraut fish soup. Not only does it not contain noodles, it does not contain sauerkraut. "Suan cai yu" takes its name from suan cai, salted-and-fermented mustard greens, a condiment that is similar enough to European sauerkraut (salted-and-fermented cabbage) to explain why it is regularly translated thus. The menu also features non-soup items from China (dumplings, pork bao, steamed bok choy with oyster sauce), Japan (edamame, octopus balls) and Vietnam (summer rolls, over-rice dishes) as well as Thai tea, Vietnamese coffee, fruit and boba teas. 

Beehive Espresso Bar, Huntington

Remember that sunny, oversize space on the corner of Prime and New York avenues just off Heckscher Park in Huntington that used to house a dry cleaner? It has joined the cast of Long Island’s fall coffee shop openings as Beehive Espresso Bar. With an expansive sitting area, bright orange walls, a bumblebee motif and premium java drinks made from roasted Georgio’s Coffee beans out of Farmingdale, Beehive Espresso Bar serves both classic espresso drinks from cortados to cappuccinos to lattes, as well as Turkish coffee, the strong unfiltered cousin of espresso. Drinks include espressos, macchiatos, Americanos, cappuccinos and mochas, as well as drip coffee, cold brew and Turkish coffee. A plethora of syrups for flavoring, from butter pecan to gingerbread to praline to peppermint are on offer. Non-coffee drinkers will appreciate the hot chocolate made with rich Ghirardelli chocolate; the vibrant green matcha latte is another winner.

Perfect Pasta & Gelato, Bay Shore

\Bay Shore is the latest town jumping on the fresh made pasta pop-up trend. Perfect Pasta & Gelato has opened, offering fresh made pasta for takeout as well as cappuccino and gelato. The tiny, white subway-tiled space serves espresso drinks and has a nearly a dozen gelato flavors, from hazelnut to rainbow cookie. First, pick a pasta base: There’s spaghetti alla chitarra, fusilli and rigatoni. Next, add one of six sauces, including tomato and basil, meaty Bolognese, creamy Alfredo, garlic and oil, pesto Genovese or spicy arrabbiata. From there you can add chicken, shrimp, sweet Italian sausage or heavenly meatballs. Veggie options include mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes. And don’t forget the cheese: ricotta, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.

Chico's Tex-Mex, Commack

Chico’s Tex-Mex, owned by Shirley native Vinay Galani, started as a food truck in 2018. The eatery opened its fourth outpost in Commack, in the space that housed Burrito Loco on Commack Road. Chico's Tex-Mex has other locations in Selden, East Setauket and Bohemia, plus two food trucks. With a menu of crowd-pleasers like chicken wings and BBQ chicken empanadas, Chico's also serves birria tacos, chalupas. Twists on Tex-Mex favorites include a chipotle chicken bacon mac and cheese burrito and crunch tacos, a hard shell wrapped in a soft tortilla bonded with queso, stuffed with meat, lettuce, cheese, tomato and sour cream.

Umberto's, Farmingdale

Umberto’s of New Hyde Park turns 60 this year and, to celebrate, the celebrated pizza chain (and contender for the title "Home of Grandma Pizza") opened a sixth location. Last week, Umberto’s debuted in Airport Plaza in Farmingdale, taking over the former home of Bellagio Pizzeria, which moved less than two miles away. The new spot seats about 100 and has separate areas for a counter-serve pizzeria and a full-fledged restaurant. The menu is as familiar as it is extensive, a collection of antipasti, pastas, Parms and other entrees, heros, rolls, calzones and, of course, pizza, which can be had in Neapolitan, Sicilian grandma and deep-dish formats, by the pie or by the slice. There are also individual pizzettas with traditional or cauliflower dough.

Tasting Room Kitchen & Cocktails, Farmingdale

Farmingdale has a new restaurant in a familiar spot. Earlier this year Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro owner Jeff Rumman said he closed the restaurant because of "the high cost of doing business in New York." Now he's opened Tasting Room Kitchen & Cocktails, an upscale, moody restaurant with dark walls, an elegant bar, warm orange accents and a menu by former Farmingdale resident-chef Marc Anthony Bynum. Bynum’s Tasting Room menu has a little bit of everything, including simple starters like avocado hummus served with naan bread, fried calamari, lobster-stuffed egg rolls and kung pao pierogies. There’s charcuterie for two or four people, salads from a Mediterranean-style piled high with quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, pistachios and feta, to an Asian-inspired seared tuna with carrots, scallions, sesame seeds, crispy noodles and honey soy vinaigrette.

Millie's Smash Bar, Patchogue

There’s a shake-up and expansion happening in Patchogue: That Meetball Place rebrands; a speakeasy lounge debuts next door, and Millie’s Smash Bar, a burger joint and retro diner, opens in the space connecting the two. Partner Joe Reale and chef Pedro Morales worked on the burger blend, adding sauces and a bourbon bacon jam. Now, they’re slinging classic smashburgers on sesame seed buns like The Crusha, featuring American cheese, secret sauce, that finger-lickin’ bourbon bacon jam and pickles. The Hot Chick is a spicy fried chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, avocado ranch and pepper jack cheese if you'd like. There are disco fries, which come with an extra side of brown gravy, and onion rings, a full bar and a walk-up window for those with the late-night munchies. Offerings include the Adult Happy Meal, made up of a martini, a burger and a side of fries. Daily specials from special milkshakes to limited edition burgers are also on rotation.

Two Thirty Six Omakase, Syosset

A sleek, new omakase bar and lounge has opened in Syosset, giving Long Islanders another spot to try this adventurous style of dining, in which the chef decides what you'll eat. Two Thirty Six (named after its Jericho Turnpike address) is in the former Mara’s Southern Kitchen mere steps away from Syosset Lanes. Reservations are essential, as is prepayment for the $231 all-inclusive, multicourse dinner experience at the sushi counter that involves an assigned seat and a menu inscribed with your name. But first: You can start at the lush, exclusive-feeling lounge up front that's full of blue-velvet chairs, moody table lighting and clubby wood paneling. It serves curated selections of imported sake and Japanese whiskey, plus cocktails like Yuzu Verde featuring tequila, basil syrup, pineapple and yuzu, described as "a garden party gone rogue," or the Midnight Doctrine, "a velvet echo of old jazz and candlelight" that riffs on a Manhattan, with bourbon, vermouth and buttered cacao. Its a la carte bar menu includes cold plates such as sea bream crudo with shaved uni and lemon zest; and a four-piece Toyosu nigiri selection that give a glimpse of what’s happening in back. Hot dishes feature batter-fried chicken thigh, lobster udon pasta, and an 8-ounce A5 Wagyu strip with polenta fries.

Kahani, Huntington

The three Singh brothers behind one of Long Island's top burger joints have opened a buzzy new concept in Huntington: Kahani, an Indian cocktail bar with Punjabi food. Raja and Bobby Singh helped open the smashburger joint BRGRS in 2024 as a way to give back to their brother Rana Singh, who had spent years recovering from a serious car accident. But the brothers wanted to have a restaurant that honored their Punjabi culture. In October, they opened Kahani down the street, in the former Italian spot Lasagna Ristorante. The redesign gives it a look that's a cross between a swank New York City speakeasy and a tapestry-laden Indian restaurant. The two-sided menu is a greatest hits of Punjabi and Northern Indian fare, with buzzy dishes you'll see on hip Indian restaurant menus these days. (There is even steak on the menu, as Raja says, because beef is more commonly consumed within the Sikh community in Punjab.) The popular South Indian dish, 1965 chicken is a hit with crispy nuggets of fried chicken tossed with a spicy mix of peppers and curry leaves. The Punjabi bharta features eggplant roasted in a tandoor before being hand-crushed to a paste and sautéed with peppers and spices. Skip the Taj Mahal lager in favor of a cocktail — there are 13 on offer, most featuring cardamom, jaggery cane sugar, masala powder or coconut water.

Flippin Buns, Hicksville

The dining scene in Hicksville just got beefier, with the new halal smashburger spot Flippin Buns. The concept was started by the brothers behind nearby chicken joint Slappin Chick, Aziz and Zafar Ahmad. It took about 15 months to open the takeout-centric eatery, which opened last month, Aziz Ahmad said. The menu includes classic burgers with onions, pickles and a signature Flippin Sauce as well as twists like the Green Kick burger with jalapeños for a bit of heat. Fries are served plain or loaded with onions, cheese and sauce.

Karmic Grind, Oyster Bay

The first Karmic Grind, a chic cafe with pastel-colored merch that asks patrons to "grind & be kind," opened seven years ago in Locust Valley. Partners Regina Smith, a former yoga studio owner, and Alicia Zarou Scanlon, a former restaurateur and art dealer, have teamed up to open a second outpost on Pine Hollow Road in Oyster Bay. The large, white, sun-drenched space, outfitted with subtle art and windowed garage doors that open up in warmer weather, entices guests to slow down, sit and savor as they sip. It also expands the reach of fair-trade Colombian coffee brand Devoción, which just debuted a new Brooklyn flagship in Williamsburg. Their Wired and Inspired blend, made exclusively for Karmic Grind, is a medium roast with chocolate, vanilla, raspberry and almond notes. Have it in espresso, latte, macchiato or cortado, among other classic drinks. Devoción's cold brew is on tap, and the organic teas include chai and matcha, as well as hot and iced teas. Additionally, there’s a growing food menu, including decadent grilled bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches on Bread Alone sourdough, avocado toast, fresh bagels from Glen Cove Bagel Cafe, muffins and pastries from King Street Bakery and doughnuts from Doughnut Plant.

Alto Enoteca, Roslyn

With Alto Enoteca, the tiny new Italian eatery on Old Northern Boulevard in Roslyn, Nico Di Lullo is back where he grew up — in a restaurant. His parents, Franco and Gemma Di Lullo, settled in Bayville after emigrating from Italy and owned two restaurants. Di Lullo recruited chef Massimiliano Francucci, born in Capri, to run the open kitchen and the two have put together a casual menu that can take customers from wine-adjacent snacks to full-blown meals. Cheeses and salumi are imported from Italy — except for the bresaola (air-dried beef) made from Italian cattle raised in Nebraska — and bread is made on the premises. Snacks  include marinated stem-on artichokes and wild mushrooms sott’olio; bruschette are topped with sweet-sour eggplant; mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio; semidried cherry tomatoes and stracchino; salami, mushrooms and ricotta. Plates are divided into cold (among them, burrata di bufala and oven-dried cherry tomatoes; shaved fennel, grapefruit, olives and candied walnuts; greens with Nebbiolo-poached figs and citrus vinaigrette; tuna crudo with lemon and cilantro) and hot (Tuscan-spiced ribs with lemon-parsley emulsion; roasted cauliflower and cannellini beans with lemon-caper tahini; skirt steak with white miso and cherry tomatoes). 

Nautilus Roasting Co., Huntington Station

Nautilus Roasting Co., a small storefront with a large adjacent seating area in Huntington Station, begs a visit for its coffee, but also its wholly vegan menu of sweets and muffins. 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, iced coffee and cold brew, as well as fall specials like maple and pumpkin creme lattes. There’s raspberry hibiscus tea, and something called the Jackie Daytona, which is raspberry tea mixed with a cold brew. Don’t miss the sweet offerings from cookies to cupcakes, all of which are 100% vegan and made in-house by baker Malyssa Sue Ferruzzo. Recommended: the cinnamon coffee cake muffin and Fluffernutter cupcake.

Sweet Harbor Coffee, Roslyn

Sweet Harbor Coffee is a cozy, family-owned cafe with seating for 14 and a tight menu of perfectly executed espresso drinks. The easy-drinking opening coffee is an exclusive medium to dark blend for Sweet Harbor from Shared Roasting, a wholesaler in Brooklyn. From that base, they plan to expand to various blends and single origin offerings. Iced lattes are clearly top sellers, with the seasonal special — a maple sea salt latte — being the most requested; on a recent day, one party ordered eight of them. The other current special is a dirty cardamom rose chai that the Jensens plan to make a regular menu item. Non-coffee drinks include hot and iced tea, hot chocolate and matcha lattes.

Eddie's Bistro and Bar, Oyster Bay

Soccer-themed Eddie's Bistro and Bar, owned by mother-daughter team Michelle and Elizabeth Reilly, honors their late family patriarch Edmund "Eddie," a beloved coach in the community, according to Elizabeth. Bistro classics include starters like stracciatella with tomato and basil with sourdough crostini and lamb meatballs with whipped ricotta. Generous pizzas include a Margherita and Mo’s mushroom truffle, while green salads range from a lightly grilled baby gem Caesar to a harvest option with endive, arugula, seasonal fruit, Gorgonzola and candied walnut. Intricate pastas like blue crab torchio with Calabrian chiles offset a simple a cheese agnolotti. There is a daily catch plus a more casual roster of sandwiches, ranging from steak to crispy chicken to cheeseburger.

Mokafé, Melville

Yemeni coffee shops are the biggest dining trend of the fall, and now Long Island has its first shop with a drive-thru. The shiny and spacious Mokafé opens today on Route110 in Melville, in the former fast-food spot Cheezly’s. The Astoria, Queens- and Paterson, New Jersey-based chain differentiates by asking each customer whether they prefer Guatemalan or Yemeni coffee for each drink. Mokafé offers a full menu of espresso drinks as well as halal food items like honeycomb bread, pastrami sandwiches and avocado toast. 

Tacos Malamadre, Mineola

One of Long Island's best restaurants has expanded with a second, clubbier location and new menu items. Tacos Malamadre has opened in Mineola as an extension of its sister spot in Westbury, Mala Madre Taqueria, currently on Newsday's Top 50 restaurants and best Long Island tacos lists. With a bigger kitchen, Owner Alejandro Nava expand the menu with new tacos, an excellent aguachile seafood dish and Mexican torta sandwiches, which are currently one of his top sellers. The two new taco selections are impressive: The pulpo and chorizo taco features crumbled and spiced chorizo with fat slabs of grilled octopus. The second taco, inspired by a spot in Mexico City called La Once Mil, features a juicy slab of rib-eye with a cheese crust on a housemade hibiscus tortilla, made from the leftover flowers used to steep hibiscus agua fresca.

Naya, Oceanside

Think of it like the Middle Eastern version of Sweetgreen — a growing NYC chain serving Lebanese salad bowls and wraps has opened in Oceanside, its second Long Island location. Originally a spinoff of a Manhattan Lebanese restaurant, the fast-casual spot Naya has been around since 2010, and boasts 39 locations in surrounding states. Choose a wrap, bowl or salad and pile on the fresh veggies and Lebanese dips, like hummus, cucumber yogurt and toum, a creamy garlic whip. They also sell packages of this to go, and it's worth bringing some home and spreading on everything in sight. Proteins like chicken and beef shawarma are scooped from troughs rather than being prepared to order. During a recent visit, the salad with roasted cauliflower turned out to be a better option than the wrap, which was packed loose.

Kalamaki Greek, Hauppauge

It’s been 14 years since Chris Giorgou and his partners closed their quick-serve Greek eatery Kalamaki in Roslyn, but he recently saw an opportunity in Hauppauge and couldn’t pass it up. In June, he took over the 4-year-old Pete the Greek in Motor Parkway Plaza. "Kalamaki" refers to the skewers of grilled meat that, in the United States, are more commonly called souvlaki. You’ll find skewers of chicken and pork and vertically roasted gyros of beef-lamb, chicken and pork. The beef-lamb is of the usual prefabricated minced-meat variety but both the chicken and pork are made from stacked slices of meat. Along with grilled chicken, falafel and salmon, proteins of all forms can be ordered in full-blown pita sandwiches, small or large platters. Platters come with one side, soup or salad, pita and sauce. There are also plenty of classic Greek starters, soups, salads and desserts.

Millie's Mimosa House & Eatery, Babylon

Brunch in Babylon is getting its latest refresh, at Millie’s Mimosa House and Eatery, which has opened in the former Don Ricardo's on a prime stretch of East Main Street in the village. The spot was last home to another brunch concept, Mack's, which closed over the summer. The two-floor eatery serves breakfast and lunch in a remodeled space (think breezy sky blues and white) designed to transport guests to the muse, the French Riviera. The menu offers elevated takes on quintessential brunch dishes such as lemon meringue French toast and a riff on eggs Benedict with duck confit. Millie's takes a specific approach to mimosas, treating the classic brunch drink as more of a cocktail. The Capri Sun is made with mango-orange juices and a raspberry puree. The Evil Queen winks to the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with apple juice, raspberry puree and caramel.

Two J Kitchen, Oceanside

Two J Kitchen in Oceanside, which popped up this July in a former bubble tea spot on Long Beach Road, serves must-try kimbap rolls, a savory seaweed and rice wrap that's one of the most popular foods in South Korea. With nine varieties, the rolls can be stuffed with fish cakes, Spam, bulgogi beef, chicken and spicy tuna. Two J Kitchen also serves rice plates, ramen noodle dishes and other snacks like kimchi french fries and Korean corn dogs. The galbi short ribs rice plate has been on constant rotation at my house.

Wonder, Westbury

Billing itself as a "new kind of food hall," Wonder lets diners order popular menu items from well-known restaurants in one place — a celebrity chef ghost kitchen with no celebrities or chefs, if you will. On the heels of the first Long Island Wonder storefront opening in Melville, the chain has expanded to Westbury and has seven more locations planned to open here through the end of the year.  Diners can mix and match say, Jonathan Waxman’s roasted chicken with salsa verde and crispy rosemary Parmesan potatoes from Barbuto. Or try Marcus Samuelsson’s fried chicken (made famous at Streetbird in Harlem) alongside brisket from the Texas barbecue spot Tejas, or Bobby Flay's steak in one meal or delivery/takeout order. Besides signature dishes from headlining chefs, Wonder offers Hawaiian poke, DiFara pizza, Thai from SriPraPhai, kids’ meals from Bellies, and dishes from Yasas, a Mediterranean bowl concept by Michael Symon — over 20 concepts in all — all prepared in the Wonder kitchen.

Chiyoda, Great Neck Plaza

In the former home of Mi Casa es Tu Casa, this certified kosher restaurant is a more casual alternative to upscale kosher spots like Tiger Sushi. The space is significantly larger than other sushi spots, making it an ideal venue for parties and large groups. The small menu is dominated by rolls. The rolls here are well constructed and don't skimp on the fish. The Edelman roll was particularly substantial, stuffed with spicy tuna and avocado, and topped with fatty hunks of bluefin tuna. There's also a small menu of Chinese American stir fries for those who aren't into sushi.