Recent Long Island diner closures

Pre-pandemic, there were about 100 diners left in Nassau and Suffolk counties, one of the largest concentrations in the country according to diner expert Richard J.S. Gutman, Newsday reported in 2019. In the years since, a number of diner owners have shuttered their businesses, many citing financial hardship resulting from the pandemic as their reason for closing establishments that Long Islanders visited for decades. The closures continue, with the most recent being the South Bay Diner closing in Lindenhurst, the first local diner closure of 2025. Take a look back at diners we've recently lost. 

South Bay Diner in Lindenhurst 

Closed in January 2025  after 24 years 

Lindenhurst's South Bay Diner, on a busy stretch of Sunrise Highway, closed in January 2025 after 24 years. Co-owner Steve Mourelatos cited financial hardship after the COVID pandemic as one of the reasons for the closing. "It’s odd because everything has gotten so expensive and I look at my menu prices and I gasp because I just can’t believe that with these kind of prices it’s hard to make a go of it and do well," he said. "I remember when our prices were 35 to 40% less and our [profit] margins were there, so it’s terrible what’s going on." The diner opened in 2000 after Mourelatos helped his father design its maroon-and-gold dining room. Its specialties included the Texas smokehouse burger ($19.99), avocado chicken salad wrap ($18.99) as well as chicken souvlaki lunch special ($16.99) served with a cup of soup, French fries, coleslaw and pickle.

Lindencrest Diner in Lindenhurst 

Closed in 2024 after nearly 40 years

The Lindencrest Diner, which has been a fixture of the South Shore community of Lindenhurst since 1985, closed in the summer of 2024. A sign posted on the front door cited "economic hardships" in the decision to pack up shop after 39 years. "We will truly miss all the familiar, happy faces that made this establishment a huge part of our lives and family. Once again, we are sorry, and you all will be missed," the sign read. The diner's phone number played a recorded message: "After 39 years of serving our community, we are saddened to announce that we will be closing our doors. Thank you for your loyalty and support over the years."

Mediterranean Diner in Bellmore

Closed in 2023 after 26 years

"We were doing pretty well until COVID," said Pete Tsempelis, who owned the 26-year-old diner with his brother, Chronis. "But, unlike a lot of other diners, we didn’t have our own parking lot where we could set up a tent. A lot of our customers found other places that had outdoor dining and when we reopened, we found that people didn’t come back, or they didn’t come back as often." The lack of sales made a challenging situation unsustainable. And the Tsempelis brothers say it all came down to menu prices. The diner closed in 2023. "It won't do us any good now," Chronis said, "but I wish customers would understand that the era of diners serving big, cheap portions is over." In the past, he explained, "diners were supposed to be places where you could get a lot of food for not a lot of money. But people don’t realize that diners pay the same amount for food as restaurants do."

Lantern Diner in West Hempstead

Closed in 2023 after nearly 60 years

At the time of The Lantern Diner in West Hempstead’s closure in spring 2023, it was one of Long Island’s few remaining 24-hour diners. The business closed after nearly 60 years. A sign posted on the inside of the door of the vintage building on Hempstead Tpke. read: "Closing until further notice. Thank you for your patronage, The Lantern Diner team," with a handwritten addition that read, "Kitchen renovations." But the building was later put on the market and Nassau County court documents indicated the space at 564 Hempstead Turnpike was in foreclosure. Owners Lori Zimmerman and Socrates Fokas, who took over the restaurant in 2014, said that they were trying to sell the building to recoup some money. The diner was profitable up until COVID, Fokas said, but had fallen into financial hardship. After decades in the restaurant industry, he planned to retire at age 67 and his children did not want to take over the business.

In business since 1964, The Lantern Diner was a local favorite for generations of Long Islanders who flocked to the eatery at all hours of the day for its expansive menu of Belgian waffles, challah bread pudding, burgers, seafood and breakfast omelets like the Lantern with pork sausage, green peppers and feta. A baker by trade, Fokas prepared all the baked goods from scratch including muffins and lemon meringue pie with fresh egg whites. Newsday highlighted the restaurant in a list of 12 favorite 24-hour diners.

Seven Seas Diner in Great Neck

Closed in 2023 after 44 years

Jimmy Tsolis, who owned the diner at 607 Northern Blvd. along with his brother Peter since 1979, said he planned to retire in winter 2023. Operating a diner is just not a profitable business anymore, Tsolis said. Between labor costs, inflation and the lingering effect of the coronavirus pandemic, it's been more difficult than ever to keep the Seven Seas going. Over the years he's had to pare down his menu, which became so compact that it was literally printed on the paper table mat next to the silverware. He also had to limit the hours of operation, closing earlier after coronavirus decimated his night crowd. The diner closed that winter for a complete remodel and reopened as Paros Grille restaurant in December 2023, which has since shuttered.

Paradise Diner in Hauppauge 

Closed in 2019

In their ongoing battle against the forces of change — namely, rising costs and changing tastes: Hauppauge's Paradise Diner closed November 2019. A sign in the window read, "Due to unforeseen circumstance, we are closing the business permanently." The 8,500-square-foot diner, with an ornate stainless steel crown over the facade, was built by DeRaffele Manufacturing, who have designed at least 70 Long Island diners. The property, near the intersection of Routes 454 and 347, was owned by Lorraine Poelker and Beverly Zorn, according to property records. In June 2019 it was listed for sale at $1.38 million.

The Plainview Diner 

Closed in 2022 after 50 years

The Plainview Diner served its last Western omelet, Swiss cheeseburger and spinach pie in September 2022. After 50 years on Old Country Road, owner John Papavasilopoulos closed up shop to retire, said his son and partner, Niko Papavasilopoulos. When Peter Kalamaras opened the diner in 1972, his cousin, John Papavasilopoulos, just arrived from Kalamata, Greece, was in the kitchen washing dishes. The dishwasher worked his way up through the ranks and, around 1990, bought the business from his cousin. Niko said that his father’s retirement was prompted by the diner’s 30-year lease expiring. "We had a tough time during the pandemic," he said, "but business has picked back up recently. Still, this business isn’t what it used to be and it seemed like the right time for my father to retire."

Sunny’s Riverhead Diner & Grill

Closed in 2021 after 89 years

Long Island’s oldest diner had been in continuous operation since 1932, but in August 2021, Jim and Sunny Liszanckie served their last order of eggs over easy with rye toast and well-done home fries, a casualty of COVID. Sunny’s was only the third tenant in the diner’s 89-year history. The original Riverhead Diner & Grill was opened by John Moustaka in 1932 but, in 1937, it was replaced by the current steel-clad building. In 1961, Moustaka sold the diner to Joseph and Frank Strebel. Joseph’s daughter, Liz, bought the diner in 1973 and operated it until she sold it to the Liszanckies in 2017. They changed the name, slightly, to Sunny's Riverhead Diner & Grill and, Jim said, "at the end of year three, we felt we had created an amazing thing." Then the pandemic hit.

In 2022, Marc LaMaina opened a Cuban restaurant, LuchaCubano, in the property; a year later he changed the concept to a burger joint, Burgercade, which lasted less than a year.

Park City Diner in New Hyde Park  

Closed after 40 years in 2020

According to Long Island Business News, the diner was built in 1980 and run, by the Skiades family, as the Sparta Family Diner. They leased the property to tenants who operated it as the Park City Diner until that establishment closed in 2020. Three years later, Xinchao Tang, owner of Orient Odyssey in Jericho, bought the building and transformed it into Orient Garden, a top Chinese restaurant.

Seaford Palace Diner

Closed in 2020

It took a while for the Seaford Palace Diner to officially close. After closing in 2015, it was reborn as the short-lived Friendly Greek and then, in 2018, it reemerged from 2018 to 2020. Later that year, Islip’s Dang BBQ took over the building and rechristened it Dang Roadhouse.

Franklin Square Diner 

Closed in 2019 after more than 50 years

The Franklin Square Diner abruptly closed with no warning to loyal patrons in June 2019. The diner, in the space for more than 50 years, underwent a number of name changes — the Silver Star, which closed in 2015 was the immediate predecessor of the Franklin Square Diner at 813 Hempstead Tpke.  In 2023, the building was transformed into the Brazilian-style grill, Hercules Churrasqueria.

Lynbrook Diner  

Closed in 2019 after 90 years

The Lynbrook Diner, which first began operation in 1929 and was one of the island's oldest, closed March 2019. Owner Nick Mavromihalis posted a sign in the diner's window explaining that the diner, at 401 Sunrise Hwy., had been sold and closed for good. Susan Kelly, of Lynbrook, was a longtime customer. "We took our kids to the Lynbrook Diner every Christmas Eve morning. It was a tradition of ours we began after moving to Lynbrook 12 years ago," said Kelly. "They took good care of my family. We manage food allergies and other dietary restrictions. We will miss this friendly place, and our Christmas tradition."