In Bayville, hopes rise for a new restaurant to replace iconic Steve's Pier One
Restaurateur Leonard Gross plans to open a new waterfront restaurant in Bayville in the place of the former Steve's Pier One, which was on the parcel behind him. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A waterfront property in Bayville that once held the iconic Steve’s Pier One seafood restaurant is set to start a new chapter as a seasonal eatery and event space, ending a yearslong effort to develop the site.
Leonard Gross, an owner of the property, said The Beach Barn — a restaurant and clam bar — could open as early as the middle of this year after years of failed proposals and setbacks. The venue, capable of holding around 200 people, will be able to host events like weddings, said Gross, who has owned the site for nearly 15 years.
“It was a family restaurant, and that’s what we want to bring back,” Gross said. “I think it’s going to be a phenomenal thing for Bayville.”
Steve's Pier One was a beachside draw for decades that brought people to the quiet North Shore village, situated far from the Long Island Expressway and the foot traffic of busier parts of Nassau County.
After the restaurant closed in 2006 and was knocked down years later, numerous proposals by Gross for the empty waterfront lot fell short of getting off the ground.
The village approved a spa that stalled after foundation was poured; the village board reversed course in 2018 and shot down a pitch for a 23-room seaside inn; and plans for a three-story event center never materialized.
“Truthfully, they were overdevelopment,” said Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi, who said he met with Gross in his first week of being voted into office in 2022 to discuss the new project.
Mike Carrozza — owner of Bayville Wines & Liquors, which is located across the street from the site — said he’s watched the plot sit unused for years since he took over the business in 2006. There were “a bunch of starts and stops,” he said.
Putting in the foundation at the site for the new venue “gives them some credibility,” said Carrozza, who is also the vice president of the village's Chamber of Commerce.
“But, you know, it’s been a while,” he added.
While the new restaurant will take away his shop's view of the water, Carrozza said he'd "rather have some commerce here in town" to help the surrounding businesses in the isolated village.
The new venue is about half the size of the former Steve’s Pier One and is not expected to trigger parking problems since Gross owns a lot across the street, Minicozzi said. Gross is in the process of building three waterfront homes on an adjacent lot that he said will serve as a buffer to the restaurant.
When Steve’s Pier One closed, Minicozzi said, it “kind of dragged the whole strip down with it, that whole commercial area.”
With a new restaurant serving as an anchor to draw visitors, he thinks the new project will be a boon for Bayville.
“Besides the fact of not having to look at an empty lot anymore, there’s going to be a beautiful seaside restaurant that’ll bring people,” Minicozzi said.
Gross, whose family also runs Teddy’s Bully Bar in Oyster Bay and The Clubhouse in Bellmore, said he remembers going to Steve’s Pier One with his family and seeing sunset views. He aims for the new restaurant to use that view — incorporating large window panels that can open the entire back of the restaurant to the water — as he tries to help resurrect an area that for years has remained undeveloped.
The open concept and large outdoor patio will make visitors feel closer to Long Island Sound, said Glen Cherveny, of GRCH Architecture, and the architect for the project.
“Lenny was looking for a true waterfront restaurant,” Cherveny said. “His main directive to me was, ‘When we’re inside, I want to feel like we’re on the ocean.’”
The restaurant will have the appearance of a barn and have exposed wood beams, Gross said. He said a Connecticut company is fabricating the framing of the 6,000-square-foot structure, which will then be transported over to Long Island and assembled on the foundation.
After it’s put together in Bayville, the inside of the venue needs to be built, said Gross, which could affect the timing of its opening.
“We don’t want to rush it,” said Gross. “It’s been long enough — I can wait another season.”
A waterfront property in Bayville that once held the iconic Steve’s Pier One seafood restaurant is set to start a new chapter as a seasonal eatery and event space, ending a yearslong effort to develop the site.
Leonard Gross, an owner of the property, said The Beach Barn — a restaurant and clam bar — could open as early as the middle of this year after years of failed proposals and setbacks. The venue, capable of holding around 200 people, will be able to host events like weddings, said Gross, who has owned the site for nearly 15 years.
“It was a family restaurant, and that’s what we want to bring back,” Gross said. “I think it’s going to be a phenomenal thing for Bayville.”
Steve's Pier One was a beachside draw for decades that brought people to the quiet North Shore village, situated far from the Long Island Expressway and the foot traffic of busier parts of Nassau County.
After the restaurant closed in 2006 and was knocked down years later, numerous proposals by Gross for the empty waterfront lot fell short of getting off the ground.
The village approved a spa that stalled after foundation was poured; the village board reversed course in 2018 and shot down a pitch for a 23-room seaside inn; and plans for a three-story event center never materialized.
“Truthfully, they were overdevelopment,” said Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi, who said he met with Gross in his first week of being voted into office in 2022 to discuss the new project.
Steve's Pier One restaurant as it looked in 1984. Credit: Newsday/Dick Kraus
Mike Carrozza — owner of Bayville Wines & Liquors, which is located across the street from the site — said he’s watched the plot sit unused for years since he took over the business in 2006. There were “a bunch of starts and stops,” he said.
Putting in the foundation at the site for the new venue “gives them some credibility,” said Carrozza, who is also the vice president of the village's Chamber of Commerce.
“But, you know, it’s been a while,” he added.
Closing 'dragged down the whole strip'
While the new restaurant will take away his shop's view of the water, Carrozza said he'd "rather have some commerce here in town" to help the surrounding businesses in the isolated village.
The new venue is about half the size of the former Steve’s Pier One and is not expected to trigger parking problems since Gross owns a lot across the street, Minicozzi said. Gross is in the process of building three waterfront homes on an adjacent lot that he said will serve as a buffer to the restaurant.
When Steve’s Pier One closed, Minicozzi said, it “kind of dragged the whole strip down with it, that whole commercial area.”
With a new restaurant serving as an anchor to draw visitors, he thinks the new project will be a boon for Bayville.
“Besides the fact of not having to look at an empty lot anymore, there’s going to be a beautiful seaside restaurant that’ll bring people,” Minicozzi said.
Pieces coming together
Gross, whose family also runs Teddy’s Bully Bar in Oyster Bay and The Clubhouse in Bellmore, said he remembers going to Steve’s Pier One with his family and seeing sunset views. He aims for the new restaurant to use that view — incorporating large window panels that can open the entire back of the restaurant to the water — as he tries to help resurrect an area that for years has remained undeveloped.
The open concept and large outdoor patio will make visitors feel closer to Long Island Sound, said Glen Cherveny, of GRCH Architecture, and the architect for the project.
“Lenny was looking for a true waterfront restaurant,” Cherveny said. “His main directive to me was, ‘When we’re inside, I want to feel like we’re on the ocean.’”
A rendering of The Beach Barn, which is being planned for the site. Credit: GRCH Architecture P.C.
The restaurant will have the appearance of a barn and have exposed wood beams, Gross said. He said a Connecticut company is fabricating the framing of the 6,000-square-foot structure, which will then be transported over to Long Island and assembled on the foundation.
After it’s put together in Bayville, the inside of the venue needs to be built, said Gross, which could affect the timing of its opening.
“We don’t want to rush it,” said Gross. “It’s been long enough — I can wait another season.”
Replacing a landmark
- Steve's Pier One restaurant was a popular draw in Bayville for decades, but its closing in 2006 left a void along the waterfront, according to some locals.
- There have been “a bunch of starts and stops” for plans at the site over the years, according to one local business owner.
- Now, the property owner is planning a restaurant and clam bar at the site, which could open as early as the middle of this year.
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