Red restaurant in Huntington closing after 25 years
Red in Huntington will close Sept. 21 and a new eatery will open at the New York Avenue site by spring. Credit: Kelley Antuzzi
Red, a Huntington mainstay for 25 years, is closing next month.
Though the restaurant serving new American fare will end its run on Sept. 21 after the retirement of chef and co-owner Nino Antuzzi, the space won’t be vacant for long.
David Tunney, founding partner of upscale Mexican restaurant Besito in Huntington, Roslyn and West Islip, and owner of Old Fields Barbecue in Huntington and Luca in Stony Brook, and former owner of Ella’s in Huntington, will take over the location, leasing from Nino Antuzzi and his wife and co-owner, Kelley Antuzzi. Though Tunney declined to share details Monday about the concept coming to the New York Avenue site, he said he hopes to open the new eatery by spring.
"It’s going to be amazing, beautiful and have incredible food," Tunney said. "Because we’re excited about it, we want to announce it correctly."
Nino Antuzzi opened Red in 2000. He and Kelley opened Osteria Da Nino in 2003, and it closed last summer, Newsday reported. The pair opened gastropub Sapsuckers in 2010, also opening Cafe Red in Kings Park that same year. Cafe Red has been owned by Chef Orlando Garcia and his wife for years, but Kelley Antuzzi confirmed that the Kings Park space will remain open. Kelley said the timing is perfect for Nino to take a "sabbatical," and focus on other passions such as guitar playing and tennis.
"It’s bittersweet news that we’ve announced this week, but for my partner in business and my partner in life, chef Nino Antuzzi, he is ready for the next chapter in his personal life," Kelley said. "I think we’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we want to end on a high note."
The restaurant survived a fire in 2014 that shuttered the eatery for 10 months.
"I don’t want to say it’s a goodbye because we still have Sapsuckers; we still feel like we’re not saying goodbye to the community," she said. "We’re just changing how big our scope is. People definitely love Red and it will be a sad thing to say goodbye to for us, for our staff and the community."
Red, 417 New York Ave., Huntington, redrestaurant.com, 631-673-0304, Open 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, noon to 10 p.m., Saturday and noon to 8 p.m., Sunday.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified David Tunney as the owner of Ella's.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
