Restaurants create their own 'beaches'

It's just you and some friends gathered around the fire pit, oblivious to the whiz of traffic and the sight of surrounding office buildings. What matters is that you've got toes wiggling in the sand, a Margarita in one hand, a slider in the other. Who cares if there's no ocean in sight?

Thanks to a few resourceful restaurateurs, a beach can pop up just about anywhere on Long Island. All that's necessary is sand and a summery imagination.

Here are three places where the owners defied Mother Nature and made "beaches" of their own.

515 Broadhollow Rd., Suite 400, Melville

15 Railroad Place, Island Park

31 Baker Place, Patchogue