Farmingdale's Whiskey Down Diner opening 2nd spot

A bright spot of 2026 news for Long Island restaurants: Farmingdale’s Whiskey Down Diner, a cult favorite comfort food spot that opened in 2019, is expanding to Babylon Village later this year.

"We’re still in the process of getting permits and all that, but we’re taking over Gemelli’s and we’re hoping to open in the fall of 2026," co-owner Alyson Kanaras said. Mimicking the updated diner concept that made Farmingdale’s Whiskey Down a hit, the Babylon location will be bigger, as the Ristorante Gemelli’s space is reborn at 175 E. Main St.

When Karanas and her brother John opened the downtown Farmingdale eatery as a 21st century diner, it was an obvious extension of the Kanaras family’s business, the Olympic Diner in Deer Park, co-owned by their father, Peter. The siblings had long worked in the diner space assisting their dad. By the time the pair reached their 30s, they felt ready for a modern diner project of their own. Now comes a second location.

In Whiskey tradition, the Babylon offshoot will serve a long list of all-day breakfast fare, including pillow-soft, loaded pancakes; sandwiches at lunchtime, like their famous lobster roll; and dinner plates both small and large, from tacos and burgers to meatloaf and fried chicken. There’s also a killer late-night menu of items like sloppy, delicious disco fries and milkshakes. At brunch, don’t miss their Bloody Marys.

A family affair, the original Whiskey Down Diner in Farmingdale opened on the Kanaras’ parents’ anniversary, June 5, 2019. Expect to see family members, including Peter and his wife, Patty, as well as their other daughter, Kristina, at the new space.

Whiskey Down Diner, Babylon Village, 175 E. Main St., Babylon; whiskeydowndiner.com

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.