Tom Suozzi: Primary investor in Stango's, Glen Cove

Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi may have had a reputation for stirring the political pot, but come this spring, those pots should be bubbling with marinara sauce.  Suozzi and his wife, Helene, are lead members of a group of investors taking over Stango’s, a restaurant that had been integral to Glen Cove's history for close to a century. The restaurant closed temporarily earlier this week.

Both Suozzis grew up eating at Stango’s. In fact, Tom Suozzi’s father worked as a busboy there back in the 1930s. “When my father first came to Glen Cove, he lived on Grove Street in the Orchard area, which was the old Italian neighborhood. That’s where the restaurant is,” Suozzi said. He added that both he and his wife believe Stango's is the oldest Italian restaurant on Long Island.

Right now, the Suozzis and their fellow investors are planning an upgrade and cleanup —  both inside and out — of the restaurant. But not a name change.  “The objective is to keep Stango's as much the way it is now, with the family feeling and the Southern Italian cooking,” Suozzi said. 

Walls will be decorated with black and white photos from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, many  depicting immigrants to Glen Cove as well as people eating at the restaurant over the years. “We want to celebrate the history of the Italian Americans in Glen Cove and the history of Stango’s, which is not just Italian.”

Informality will be the rule, Helene Suozzi said. “You can come with your family, your friends, after work. After one of your children has a baseball game or soccer game, they can come in uniform and be completely comfortable.”

The pizza will remain the same, promises Tom Suozzi. So, too, will the moderate prices.

Helene Suozzi said the restaurant should reopen in March.

Stango's is at 19 Grove St., Glen Cove, 516-671-2389.

Above: Tom Suozzi