New Long Island restaurants to try

Pharmarista, Babylon

A dose of nostalgia lives on in Babylon village, where a charming new drugstore-soda shop blends the functionality of a pharmacy (insurance welcome!) with the convenience of a cafe. You want an egg cream or latte with your prescription? Pharmarista has you covered. The shop, a simple open space with exposed brick, has an elevated pharmacy counter — which has also has a wide selection of the over-the-counter meds — makes egg creams in vanilla or chocolate (complete with a pretzel stick), lattes, cappuccinos and espressos and tea. A candy wall is stocked with old-timey lollipops, throwback Goldenberg’s peanut chews, a full selection of chocolate bars, gum, and more modern favorites like Swedish fish and Sour Patch Kids.

Yunnandao Rice Noodles, Great Neck

First came Deng Ji in Levittown, followed by the Chinese chain Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodles in Syosset earlier this summer. And now we've got the incredibly charming Yunnandao Rice Noodles in Great Neck, owned by a family hailing from the Yunnan province. Yunnandao dedicates its menu to the bouncy white rice noodles and their army of toppings. But it also serves some very hard-to-find dishes like Yunnan rose cakes that the family imports, and Dai-style pounded shredded chicken. Go with the Rising Fortune Crossing-The-Bridge Rice Noodles. A team of servers will deliver a boiling cauldron of bone broth and an array of toppings placed on a decorative wooden bridge. They'll load the meat and vegetable toppings into the soup, saving the playfully light noodles for the end.

Mihana Japanese Bistro, Woodbury

A good neighborhood sushi restaurant is a great addition to any town, and Syosset and its surroundings are getting a new one: Mihana Japanese Bistro & Bar, which quietly debuted in Commack last year, has expanded to Woodbury. The menu includes the usual suspects, from edamame and gyoza to seaweed salads, rock shrimp tempura and crispy tuna rice. A more interesting inclusion: an uni-Kumamoto oyster pairing dolloped with roe and doused with yuzu foam. Fancy signature rolls include the Valentine, with spicy crunchy tuna on the inside wrapped in tuna. Hot entrees include hibachi teriyaki and tempura entrees available in salmon, chicken and filet — which are generous and oversized, easily able to feed two. There are also build-your-own-ramen options and lunch specials from $10 Monday to Saturday. Don’t miss the long, inviting bar and cocktail menu.

Bagelati, Lake Grove

It’s a bagel shop! It’s a gelateria! It’s Bagelati! Selvi and Mehmet Bulut could also credibly lay claim to deli and cafe, so crammed with options is their 10-month-old Lake Grove shop. And there’s plenty of room to enjoy everything in this former Dunkin' Donuts. Bagels includes classics such as sesame, poppy and everything are joined by French toast, spinach, chocolate chip, Cheddar-jalapeño and more. To schmear is a panoply of cream cheeses including plain, vegetable, green olive, lox, bacon-scallion, strawberry, Oreo and Cheddar-jalapeño. There are also salads,omelets, breakfast pastries and sandwiches and, moving into lunch, deli sandwiches, panini and burgers. If you fancy something sweet there are slices of cake, baklava, Mehmet’s mother’s rice pudding and layered strawberry-Dubai chocolate cups. Gelato is Selvi’s department and except for fresh fruits and dairy, virtually all of the ingredients are imported from Italy. Flavors include a killer pistachio, tiramisu, wild berry minty chip, chocolate banana, sour cherry yogurt, cotton candy, salted caramel, espresso chip, red velvet, gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut). Among sorbettos are green apple and mango.

La Fogata BBQ, Williston Park

Long Island's new barbecue restaurant, La Fogata in Williston Park, takes its cues from the cuisine of Ecuador. The menu at La Fogata ("the bonfire" in Spanish) checks many Brazilian boxes, with picaña (top sirloin cap), skirt steak, T-bone and pork or beef ribs grilled over live flames. The modest restaurant isn’t set up for rodizio (all-you-can-eat), but you can order a bandeja a la parilla, grilled meat platter, that will easily feed four. Side dishes include rice, beans, french fries, sausages, plantains and fried eggs. There’s a small selection of seafood dishes (ceviche as well as grilled and fried), empanadas and the distinctively Ecuadorian fish stew, encebollado.

Saffire, Commack

A longtime fixture on the Long Island dining scene, Chani Singh is back after a 10-year absence. In June, his Saffire South Asian restaurant took over the Commack space that was most recently Il Toscano (and, before that, Hooks & Chops). "South Asian" is how he describes a repertoire that is mostly Indian and Pakistani, with a little Afghan and Nepali thrown in for good measure. The venue is big enough to allow Singh to do à la carte dining as well as to host parties of up to 150 people. A rarity among local South Asian restaurants, it can also accommodate up to 100 diners outside. (Another rarity: A full bar.) There are some East-West mashups (duck breast with mixed-nut pilaf and orange gastrique, Punjabi hummus) and a few dishes from the Indo-Chinese Hakka repertoire (Manchurian cauliflower, Hakka noodles) but the menu comprises mostly traditional dishes: small plates such as samosas, paani puri and kathi rolls; curries such as tikka masala, korma, vindaloo and kadai (ginger, chilies and cilantro); kebabs such as seekh (minced lamb and chicken), lamb boti and paneer.

Cibo Pasta Bar, Wantagh

The swank new Cibo Pasta Bar offers 12 sauces, from Bolognese to porcini-Cognac, cacio e pepe to pesto and everything in between. Six fresh pastas made daily include trofie, spaghetti and pappardelle, plus dry-cut options like ziti. Pick a sauce, pick a pasta, indulge. If you’re still hungry, entrees include rosemary-and-garlic-infused lamb chops ($50) and a filet with white peppercorn sauce ($56), plus the fish of the day. The star of the menu is Zozzona sauce, all of Rome’s most famous sauces — carbonara, Amatriciana and cacio e pepe — combined. To start, there’s bone marrow alongside a light chimichurri, braised short rib over polenta, and soft, fried calamari drizzled with Gorgonzola cream — initially confusing, ultimately delicious. Cooler options include burrata with black truffle and honey, a shellfish plate of shrimp, crab and lobster, plus salads from shaved Caesar to a summer version with watermelon, goat cheese, candied walnuts and arugula.

Bikanervala, Hicksville

Pass the burfi — a new Indian sweet shop just landed in Hicksville and it's quite the experience. An international chain from Delhi, Bikanervala has locations in New Jersey but none in New York, until now. Tucked into a small shopping center on Broadway, the strip mall store is quite lively for a brand that's 120 years old. The Hicksville shop has a similar vibe to the nearby Mithaas, a Newsday Top 50 restaurant. The neatly-designed space is bursting with color and a long counter of Indian sweets of every shape, size and hue. There are neon green patties with nuts inside, sweets that look like turnovers, syrupy balls of gulab jamun and treats that look like European cheeses. Another wall showcases an open kitchen where you can watch cooks dishing up curries into plastic trays and forming beautiful breads to scoop everything up. With lots of names and no explanations, the menu might be intimidating to people not versed in Indian snack food culture. A good way to handle this is to order the seasonal thali meal, which is a sampler plate of flavorful dips and breads. It comes with a loaf of soan papdi which is made from stringy layers of sweet gram flour that you pull apart with your fingers. 

Artemis, Station Yards in Ronkonkoma

It seems like every bar is calling itself a speakeasy these days, but here's one that actually takes the idea seriously: Nestled in the Station Yards housing and shopping complex in Ronkonkoma, Artemis is so hard to find that I had to ask a security guard how to get there. The vibe feels like a private club for 1920s aristocrats. Co-owner Ed Fabian, who's also involved with Billie's 1890 Saloon in Port Jefferson and Culpers 1778 steakhouse in East Setauket, said he and business partner Brendan Mooney spent nearly two years getting the project to fruition, and designed most of the interior themselves including sourcing their own turn-of-the-century light fixtures from salvation yards and auctions. Nick McCaslin of 1653 Pizza Company in Huntington was brought in to design and run the bar program, which is heavy on classic cocktails. You'll probably want to order something dark and bourbon-y like the South Bay sazerac, a straightforward take on the iconic drink with a splash of absinthe adding an herbal note. You'll find a decent wine selection as well as a substantial list of reserve wines and spirits. There's also a changing menu of bar bites, the most compelling of which is the grazing plate. It's actually a steal for how much meat and cheese you get, a hearty spread of European offerings that includes a fat slab of pate.

Pasta Project, Farmingdale

Pasta Project in Farmingdale is taking an Italian tradition and giving it a mass-market, quick-serve, maximalist American twist. Pasta alla ruota — pasta tossed in a hollowed-out wheel of cheese — became popular in Italy 30 or 40 years ago before crossing the Atlantic and becoming a tableside spectacle in America. Here on Long Island you can find it at Osteria Umbra in Smithtown and One10 in Melville, among other fine-dining restaurants. But Pasta Project is within a pizzeria (Gino’s of Farmingdale) and the dish takes five minutes to make. How do they do it so fast? By making fresh spaghetti and mezze rigatoni that require only four minutes to cook, and preparing the dish right in front of you. You could stop there but the Pasta Project drill involves an additional sauce — tomato, cacio e pepe, Bolognese, pesto or Sunday (with sausage and meatballs) and additional toppings, such as burrata, broccoli, sautéed eggplant, sun-dried peppers, meatballs or grilled chicken. The possibilities are virtually limitless but most customers avail themselves of one of four signature combos: Alla Norma (tomato sauce, eggplant, ricotta, basil), Holy Sunday (Sunday sauce, burrata, basil), Truffle Mushroom (cacio e pepe sauce, sherry-wine mushrooms, truffle oil), Pesto Siciliano (pesto, sun-dried peppers, baby mozzarella).

Tous Les Jours, Centereach

Centereach is now a tad more chic with the opening of its newest bakery, Tous Les Jours. It's the third Long Island location for the Korea-based French bakery. Tous Les Jours, which translates to "every day" in French, is lined with self-serve bakery cases stocked with treats both savory and sweet, from kimchi croquets to cheese and blueberry Danish ($4.49) and crookies. Tous Les Jours also sells a range of bread and cakes. Besides brewed coffee, espresso and tea, beverages include iced hot chocolate, smoothies and lemonade.

German Doner Kebab, Centereach

Centereach has become a magnet for international chain restaurants lately. Now comes German Doner Kebab to the mix. The doner kebab is a unique dish that came about when Turkish communities emigrated to Berlin in the 1960s and '70s. They brought along their spinning rotisserie meats, and eventually the kebab morphed into a sandwich with fresh and crunchy salad toppings. Today, the doner kebab is one of the most popular latenight street foods in the capital, alongside currywurst. German Doner Kebab is based in the United Kingdom, with more than 170 stores internationally. You can get your doner in a sandwich with the waffle bread, or made into a wrap, thrown on a rice bowl, or stuffed into a doner box with crispy fries. The doner itself is packed with shredded purple cabbage, raw onions, lettuce and tomato as well as a mélange of garlic yogurt sauces. 

Speak easy Tapas Bar, East Rockaway

Speak easy Tapas Bar in East Rockaway looks like the type of neighborhood joint you'd stumble upon, opened by Frank Pollack, a well-known bartender in the Long Beach area, having worked at Corazon de Cuba and Felicia, a newer bistro on Park Avenue in Long Beach and A Taberna in Island Park. The menu is bistro fare, like potato croquettes and whipped ricotta cheese. Pollack is a well-known bartender in the Long Beach area, having worked at Corazon de Cuba and Felicia, a newer bistro on Park Avenue in Long Beach and A Taberna in Island Park. The highlight of the small menu is the signature burger, made with a blend of chuck and brisket that stays juicy even if customers order it well-done. The burger is laced with melted Gruyere and bourbon sautéed onions, which add a sweet funk to the soft affair. A shareable plate of whipped ricotta also stands out, with its spectacularly puffy pita bread. The thoughtful plating and interesting flavors punch above their level. But many people will still come in just to see Pollack, and enjoy a bourbon cocktail (his favorite is the classic old-fashioned without any muddled cherries or oranges).

Brasas Peru Bistro Bar, Huntington

Slow and steady wins the race. What started as a takeout spot in Franklin Square in 2015 has expanded with another full service restaurant, Brasas Peru Bistro, which recently opened in Huntington village.  After a glow-up of the former Osteria da Nino — adding dark leather banquettes, light wooden ceiling and a cascading floral chandelier over the bar — this Brasas outpost feels cozier than its older sibling to the west. The food, however, remains true to the Peruvian culinary canon. Start with a mix of cold ceviches and tiraditos — the Nikkei style, which includes salmon in an ají amarillo and passionfruit tiger’s milk, is a standout. Or try the solterito, Peru’s answer to the chopped salad, made with oversize corn, fava beans, queso fresco, rocoto peppers — and in this case — quinoa. Warm appetizers include the classic papa a la huancaína, composed of sliced boiled potatoes, bits of hard-boiled egg and olives smothered in an amarillo-spiced sauce, as well as salchipapas, or Peruvian-style hot dogs and fries.

The Whales Tale, Hampton Bays

After 16 years in Northport, The Whales Tale is making a splashy debut out east. The restaurant opened in Hampton Bays June 3 at the former Tully’s Fish Market and Snack Shack. The Hampton Bays location offers the same menu of crowd-pleasing comfort food, with starters including mussels, elote con queso or corn with cheese guacamole and loaded street fries. Mains include sandwiches like a tuna BLT and rice bowls. Cocktails include a watermelon mojito made with rum, lime juice, watermelon, simple syrup and mint. A grab-and-go market offers tacos, lobster rolls, ice cream, smoothies and coffee.

No Good Burger Joint, Rockville Centre

One of Long Island's top burger spots, No Good Burger Joint, is known for its thick steak burgers brimming with decadent toppings like vodka sauce and macaroni and cheese. The small but mighty restaurant, which opened in Baldwin in 2017, is on Newsday's standout burgers list. So it's a surprise that its new Rockville Centre location eschews the beefy burgers for a slimmed-down smashburger that's half the size of the original. And yet, it's still a fantastic burger. The new spot has a pared-down menu that focuses more on classic burgers than the kitschy nostalgia of Baldwin's No Good Burger Joint. But the attention to detail is still there, with the same high-quality burger blend from Double R Ranch, ground in-house every day. The mushroom Swiss is eight to 10 bites of beefy heaven. The plump 'shrooms are contained under the Martin's potato roll and the cheese melts over the crispy burger edges in the most manageable way. There are seven burger options, and the wildest one is a Hawaiian burger with pineapple, bacon and a fried egg.

Jade Eatery & Lounge, Port Washington

Jade identifies as "modern Asian fusion," but that doesn’t convey the breadth of the menu. Globe-trotting through Japan, Thailand, China and India (as well as the Hakka repertoire of Chinese restaurants in India), it’s apparently too broad to be printed and lives on a tablet that customers swipe through.  This overwhelming electronic document lists 26 appetizers (including crab Rangoon, coconut shrimp with mango sweet chili, sriracha wings, steamed dumplings, chicken satay, Manchurian cauliflower) and seven soups (e.g. tom kha, miso, hot and sour). The sushi menu is further subdivided into nine sushi appetizers, 31 rolls and 19 entrées. There are more than 50 entrees (divided among steak, lamb, chicken, seafood, noodles, rice, vegetarian and tacos) and then an additional 38 "Mughlai kitchen" entrees (tandoor, biryani and more South Asian dishes). 

Bahia Restaurant & Bar Latin Food, Brightwaters

Colombian and Ecuadorian fare come together at Brightwaters newest restaurant, Bahia Restaurant & Bar Latin Food. The new eatery opened last month in the space that was previously home to Lulu’s and then JTI’s American Kitchen and Bar. Although owner Hernan Hernandez is Colombian, he has 11 years of experience with Ecuadorian food through his deli, Ecua Deli on Brook Avenue in Bay Shore. To ensure authenticity of the dishes, Hernandez hired two chefs: Edgar Hernandez, who has worked in Colombian restaurants for more than 15 years, and Emma Criollo, who specializes in Ecuadorian fare. The menu boasts Colombian classics such as the picada bahia, which includes beef, chicken, pork, sausage french fries and twice-fried green plantain slices. Ecuadorian dishes include the chaulafan, also known as the Ecuadorian chicken fried rice, made with a combination of meats, sauces and seasonings. Treats include pastries like pan de bono and Colombian cheese bread. Singers Daniel Orozco and Janann Velasco are among Latin American artists who play live music, and there are karaoke nights.

The Old Mill Inn, Mattituck

It’s been out of commission for eight years, but The Old Mill Inn in Mattituck is back. Lovingly restored and packing crack front- and back-of-house teams, it may well be this year’s "it" North Fork restaurant. The Old Mill Inn, a 200-year-old structure on Mattituck Creek that, after many owners and iterations, had given up the ghost in 2017. Owner Anthony Martignetti started restoring the property in 2018, moving the building off its foundation for a year, sinking 67 new pilings into the creek and raising the foundation 5 feet before putting the building back. He kept as much of the old structure as possible, including the original beams, the gear cog (that turned the millstone) and, from its earliest days as a tavern, the zinc bar. The decor of the 50-seat dining room is classic, vaguely nautical, but never tilts into nostalgic kitsch. The newly built deck, with a more modern feel, seats another 20 people. A lower deck, with another 50 seats, is used only for drinks. There are local treasures such as Peeko and Little Ram oysters, greens from KK’s The Farm in Southold, asparagus from Cooper’s Farm in Mattituck. Starters include smoked beet dip with labne and grilled pita, black-garlic chicken wings and fluke ceviche. Mains include Baja-style fish tacos ($24) and a fine lobster roll ($44) at lunch, roast chicken with maitake mushrooms and salsa verde and swordfish with red-pepper chimichurri at dinner, and fish and chips and double burger with Gruyère and garlic aioli all day. 

Culpers 1778, East Setauket

When new owners took over Mario’s, the half-century-old Italian that closed in 2023 and just reopened as Culpers 1778, they totally changed the menu and the decor but they were adamant that it remain a place for locals. The new restaurant’s name digs deep into the community’s past, referring to the Setauket-based Culper Ring which, according to the Three Village Historical Society, was "the nation’s first spy ring ... providing General George Washington with critical information that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution."  All three partners grew up in the Three Village area (Stony Brook and the Setaukets), live and do business nearby. Fabian is a partner in Billie’s 1890 Saloon in Port Jefferson as well as Artemis, the Prohibition-themed cocktail bar that just opened at Station Yards in Ronkonkoma. Scott Brittman and Chris Otero also own Port Jefferson’s Whiskey Barrel. Chef Ron Chodkowski's menu features a tight roster of prime steaks — filet mignon, strip, rib-eye, tomahawk for two and porterhouse for two. Beyond the beef is a modern American menu with starters including crab cakes with herb aioli and shaved asparagus salad, duck arancini with truffle aioli, beef tartare, burrata with peperonata and toasted pine nuts, Caesar salad and charred Brussels sprouts. Mains include roast chicken with broccolini and cauliflower puree, steak frites au poivre with hand-cut fries, short-rib pappardelle, grilled beef Wellington with roasted heirloom carrots, seared scallops with fregola and lobster sauce, butterflied branzino with salsa verde and a half-pound dry-aged burger with pickles, onions, Cheddar and 1778 sauce.

The Barn, Huntington

Refurbishing the old Dairy Barn drive-throughs on Long Island is bordering on trend: The Barn, which launched in Merrick, has expanded to a second location in Huntington. Joining forces with For Five Coffee for the caffeine, The Barn is a latte lovers’ drive-thru dream. The hot and iced specialty drinks are colorful, playful and peppy in flavors like Summer 'Smores (latte topped with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers), Powdered Donut (a sprinkle of cinnamon and an actual powdered doughnut crowning the cup). There's a rainbow cookie latte with requisite rainbow cookies on top, even a Dubai chocolate matcha latte. More basic coffee beverages, such as chai lattes, vanilla lattes and plain old iced coffees, can be had as well as a variety of iced teas, lemonades — the green matcha lemonade is a standout — and soft serve ice cream. Besides all the sugar and TikTok madness, the original purpose of the Dairy Barns of yesteryear was convenience. So, fret not when you run out of orange juice and eggs for breakfast, Doritos for soccer snacks, peanut butter for school lunches, and coffee beans for clarity, The Barn has you covered on that front too.

Roast Sandwich House, Babylon

Roast Sandwich House has opened in the heart of Babylon village, bringing the local chain's number of locations up to six. The artisanal sandwich shop offers house-roasted meats and made-from-scratch soups. Roast first opened in Melville in 2011. Syosset, Mineola, Bellmore and Hicksville locations followed. The menu here is largely the same as at the other locations, including fan favorites like tomato bisque soup, a tuna salad sandwich and crispy chicken alla vodka sandwich served on a garlic semolina hero. Babylon-specific additions include buffalo mac-and-cheese balls, a steak sandwich and Wagyu patty melt. Also new in Babylon: a range of canned beer, cocktails and hard seltzer, that will be available once the venue's liquor license is issued.

Babylon Social, Babylon

The new Babylon Social gastropub has opened in the heart of the South Shore village. Co-owners Chris Cappiello and James Economou revamped the former Horace & Sylvia’s Publick House, which operated for 20 years before it closed last year but continue to honor the building's history in their menu. (Cappiello said they kept the Horace & Sylvia's classic Kids Kap N’ Krunch chicken fingers.) The extensive pizza menu includes vodka, chicken Francese and Mexican street corn made with crema sauce, roasted sweet corn, cotija cheese, Tajin seasoning, lime and cilantro. The "girl dinner" salad is a Caesar salad served with truffle fries. Mega mozzarella sticks come with marinara and vodka dipping sauces.

Bar Lucy, Bay Shore

Bar Lucy is the third concept Drew Dvorkin has launched since he and his partners bought the building in 2015. A thorough redesign gave the room "boutiquey" feel that manages to be both old school (tin ceilings, red banquettes) and new-cool (sleek cafe tables, globe lights, brass fixtures). Chef-partner Henry Freidanks’ menu name-checks all the Italian basics, from the traditional — baked clams, fried calamari, meatballs, Caesar salad, linguine vongole, chicken scarpariello, Parms and Milaneses — to the new classics — grilled octopus, burrata Caprese, grilled heritage pork chop, grilled branzino, baked snapper "acqua pazza." The eight pastas break more molds with preparations such as lemon fettuccine with grape tomatoes and asparagus, fusilli Gregorio (sausage, peas, ricotta salata in a pink sauce), spinach rotolo (fresh pasta with stracchino, béchamel and chorizo) and S.G.’s penne pizzaiola (filet mignon tips, mushrooms and tomato sauce). There are also seven 12-inch pizzettes. 

Matsuya, Roslyn

Great Neck’s Matsuya has revived in an unlikely location: inside the bustling Delicacies Gourmet in Roslyn, bringing yet another sushi option to the waterfront village. A yellow curtain separates the deli from Matsuya's sit-down dining area, but the shared space is still decidedly more deli than restaurant. Televisions at full blast tussle with light dinner jazz music for acoustic supremacy. Locals dash in to order Boars Head heroes as lavish plates of sashimi land on the tables. But the sushi is as good as it was in Great Neck, where Matsuya opened in 1996. The short menu features starter plates like gyoza and vegetarian spring rolls, yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, spicy tuna crispy rice and Matsuya’s sashimi pizza — a crispy flatbread loaded with jalapeño and avocado (and tuna for an additional $6). There are miso and udon soups for slurpers, larger hot plates like a chicken katsu and curry sauce, plus a full branzino in yuzu sauce. But it’s the full sushi menu — with traditional rolls accessed via a table side QR code — that are the main draw. Try the Matsuya Dream featuring spicy tuna, avocado on the inside with spicy kani salad and crunch on the outside or the no rice Kobi-Shimi with spicy tuna and avocado inside, wrapped in salmon sashimi and tobiko. Round out your order with the Matsuya fried rice.

Rockstar Korean BBQ, Valley Stream

Sitting in the darkly lit, clubby room listening to K-pop music and drinking soju, you'd have no idea that the new Rockstar Korean BBQ used to be a diner. Unless you're from Valley Stream or have driven down Sunrise Highway in Nassau, where you might have seen the previous tenant along the Long Island Rail Road tracks. The main dining room was retrofitted with Korean barbecue grills on every table. The menu is several pages long, and in addition to the Korean barbecue meats, there's an array of noodles, silken tofu soups and bibimbap stone bowls, including one with beef tartare. Shortly after ordering, the table fills up with an array of interesting banchan side dishes as well as dipping sauces, lettuce wraps and a fresh carroty ginger salad. Once the meat is grilling, think boneless galbi beef, rolled brisket and fat cubes of pork belly, more side dishes appear, including a brothy soybean based soup with cubes of firm tofu, and an excellent steamed egg gyeranjjim, which has the fluffy consistency of custard when you spoon it out of the stone bowl. Rockstar Korean BBQ is pretty much the only place on Long Island where you can find corn cheese, a sizzling skillet of buttery hot corn that's loaded up with cheese blanket of melted mozzarella.

Lola's Southern Cuisine, Patchogue

When Tiffany and Darrell Darwood were searching for a location to start Lola’s Southern Cuisine, they looked in Patchogue before landing in Medford. They come full circle on Saturday, opening a second location in the Main Street space that used to be Rise & Grind. Lola’s first spot opened in 2022 at 2717a Rte. 112 in Medford with a menu inspired by Darwood’s grandmothers’ recipes, from fried chicken and smoky pulled pork to fried green tomato BLTs, catfish or shrimp po'boy sandwiches and peach cobbler. Darwood said the restaurant can't meet demand in Medford. The second location in Patchogue has seating for more than 100 and a patio. The expansion includes new additions to the menu with breakfast items such as shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, pancakes, French toast and breakfast skillets that drew diners to the location's previous incarnation.

The Sandbar, Patchogue

Patchogue’s newest waterfront restaurant, The Sandbar, is a beachy, laid-back tribute to summer with a seafood-heavy menu and alfresco dining. Serving lunch and dinner, the large menu's starters include lobster bisque, mussels and fried calamari. Raw bar items position tuna tartare alongside plantain chips and a ginger sesame sauce, plus clams, oysters and shrimp cocktail. Crabmeat sandwiches, octopus tacos, and lobster rolls join more formal entrées like roasted chicken, grilled branzino and swordfish steaks at dinnertime. If you’re not a fan of the sea, there are burgers, chicken sandwiches, a daily risotto, even a bone-in rib-eye. There are plenty of cocktails, including the spicy Sandbar margarita  — a piquant blood orange and muddled jalapeño combo — or a Key Wester rum bucket full of rum and juices for on-site DIY craft cocktail making.

Gemelli's Gourmet, Lindenhurst

"Gemelli: The Next Generation" could be the name of the new gourmet deli that opened Wednesday in Lindenhurst, but Gemelli’s Gourmet is the name chosen by Adriana, Alessia and Marc Schutz. The siblings are the grandchildren of Gelsomina Cosentino, the matriarch behind Gemelli Fine Foodsand Gemelli Ristorante in Babylon; they are the children of Robert and Patrizia Schutz, who established Glen Head’s Gemelli Gourmet Market North in 2016. The three had been working for their parents in the Glen Head store, a sprawling emporium that encompasses prepared foods, grocery items, a butcher, baked goods, sushi, salads, sandwiches, catering and more, but Alessia said they wanted to get back to their roots with a one-stop shop for grab-and-go foods. While Alessia was looking for a Gemelli space, her husband, Michael Khoury, was casting about for a third location for Coyle’s, the homemade ice cream chain that he and partner Quadir Russell operate in Bay Shore and Islip. This long, narrow space on South Wellwood Avenue fit both of their bills. Gemelli Gourmet’s 30 specialty sandwiches range from traditional Italian flavors to a Vietnamese-inspired banh mi, a Mexican-inspired birria and an All-American Vermonter.  A full range of prepared foods includes fried or grilled cutlets, meatballs (beef-pork, turkey or eggplant), Tuscan kale salad, potato salad, coleslaw and three different pasta salads — fusilli with cherry tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella; orzo with shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and almonds; classic macaroni salad made with twisted gemelli. There are also freshly prepared burgers, pastas, 15 signature salads and an extensive salad bar where you can have your romaine, mesclun, spinach or arugula chopped and tossed with your choice of dozens of ingredients.

Nirvana, Huntington

New Indian eatery Nirvana opened late April in the Main Street space that was House of India for more than 20 years before closing last summer. Like its predecessor, the restaurant serves traditional Indian fare. And you'll see some familiar faces, too: owner-manager Rohit "Roy" Tondon and chef Mukesh "Mike" Madhiyan have stayed on from their House of India days. The menu includes traditional Indian street food such as bhel puri made with puffed rice, gram flour noodles mixed in spicy green chutney, sweet and tangy tamarind chutney and ground spices. Papri chaat is fried wafers served with chickpeas, boiled potatoes, yogurt and tamarind chutney. Entrées — from a velvety mango chicken to versions of the flavorful tomato-based tikka masala including paneer, shrimp and lamb -- are served in gorgeous traditional Indian serving dishes. Nirvana’s saag paneer honors North Indian cuisine from the region of Punjab with cubes of cottage cheese cooked in spinach sauce. The biryani or basmati rice entrées include spiced chicken, lamb and vegetables with nuts. Meatless options also show up big with an extensive vegetable entrée section that includes mixed vegetable curry and dal tadka yellow lentils cooked with ginger, garlic, onion, tomatoes and spices. Nirvana’s chickpea salad with boiled chickpeas, chopped onions and tomatoes is also a good meat free option.

Balkh Kabab House, Valley Stream

Afghan eatery Balkh Kabab House, which opened on Merrick Road in Valley Stream this January, is an offshoot of a longtime Astoria restaurant Balkh Shish Kabab House. The original restaurant was founded in 1997 by two business partners originally from the north of Afghanistan, Mohammad Nasim and Abdul Jabar. When you walk into the restaurant, an employee might point you to the glass case at the front next to the kitchen. Here you'll see various meat kababs on display. A lamb and onion stew called dopiaza was succulent. Little nibbles of fatty lamb meat on the bone become even richer when baked with soft fried onions. The dish is oily and savory, but thankfully there is a carrot raisin rice to soak it up. Another specialty, the shola, is a stickier rice dish made from short grain rice that's bulked up with lentils. Topped with stringy bulbs of curry chicken and splatters of yogurt, the hearty mix tastes like a comforting home-cooked meal. If you order any one thing, get the aushak and mantu combo. Both are dumplings, which were brought to Afghanistan from China via the Silk Road. Mantu, or manto, is the more well-known of the pair.  The soft wrappers are filled with beef and steamed, before they're drizzled with tangy yogurt and tomato sauces. On the same plate and also covered with the sauces, flatter dumplings called aushak are stuffed with a spiced scallion mix before they're boiled to slippery tenderness. 

T.O.A. Asian Fusion, East Islip

With the opening of T.O.A. Asian Fusion in East Islip, the restaurant group has added its fifth location in 10 years. It was in 2015 that the first T.O.A. opened in Huntington; Farmingdale (2017), Sayville (2018) and Melville (2022) followed. T.O.A. stands for "taste of Asia," and the menu at all five locations blends Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese flavors. Try the pork buns, avocado and peanut rolls, pineapple fried rice, avocado salad and more.

What's the Scoop?, Shirley

This is a second time around for Shirley’s What’s the Scoop? ice cream shop owner Jena Termini, who owned Ben & Jen’s ice cream shop here from 1999 to 2003. She sold the business when it began to compete with her young children for attention; now that they are grown (and old enough to help), she has come back. In between her two tenures, the building served as a Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices, and you can still get ices (both water and cream) that Termini makes herself. But the focus of the cheerful, freestanding store is ice cream, more than 40 flavors including almond joy, butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter fudge, cotton candy, cherry pistachio, jelly ring fudge, Nutella, piña colada, rum raisin, strawberry cheesecake and vanilla chocolate chip — plus shakes, sundaes, floats, "Arctic Blasts" (soft-serve swirled with toppings), cakes, ice-cream novelties (premade confections) that you pluck right from the freezer.

Americana Eatery & Bar, Great Neck

First it was a diner, then it was an upscale Greek fish restaurant, now it’s all of that and more. Americana Eatery & Bar, which opened in Great Neck in the former Seven Seas Diner, is an all-day family eatery. Customers looking for breakfast will find all the traditional eggs, omelets, pancakes and French toast that a diner serves, plus a French "croque-madame" sandwich with Black Forest ham, Gruyère cheese and fried eggs, shakshuka (eggs poached in a spicy tomato-pepper sauce) and pancakes studded with Valrhona chocolate nuggets and grapes. Lunchers can still avail themselves of most of the breakfast menu, plus burgers and sandwiches, salads. There’s a small selection of pinsa, Roman-style flatbreads made with prebaked shells. Small plates include adobo-roasted chicken wings, spanakopita rollini, truffle mac-and-cheese and Wagyu meatballs. Diners will find plenty of seafood. There's seafood with orzo, broiled flounder, char-grilled tiger prawns and Icelandic salmon with saffron pilaf. From the land come Amish roast chicken, dry-aged New York strip and Berkshire pork chop with bourbon apples and garlic mashed potatoes.

Wonder, Melville

With a name like Wonder, it’s hard not to "wonder" what sets apart this (mostly) delivery service that recently opened a Melville location. Billing itself as a "new kind of food hall," it’s the ability to order popular menu items from well-known restaurants in one place — a celebrity chef ghost kitchen with no celebrities or chefs, if you will. That means you can order Marcus Samuelsson’s fried chicken (made famous at Streetbird in Harlem), brisket from the Texas barbecue spot Tejas, or Bobby Flay's steak. There's Hawaiian poke, DiFara pizza and dishes from Yasas, a Mediterranean bowl concept by Michael Symon. Wonder pays a licensing fee to officially serve dishes from 18 restaurants and chef concepts, with equity in the company as an added benefit. Order from any, all at once. Served from all, at once.

The Empanada Spot, Farmingdale

The Queens-based Empanada Spot has opened a Long Island outpost in Farmingdale. The takeout-only shop on Main Street opened March 16, next to Ralph's Famous Italian Ices. The business is run by Marlen Otalora and her family, Colombia natives who arrived in the United States in 2002. At one point the family had as many as five locations of The Empanada Spot: now only one other remains, in Bayside. The menu is extensive, with more than 40 flavors that can be made with either corn or wheat flour. Typical stuffings include sausage, chicken, beef and cheese. More creative twists include a lineup of pizza-style empanadas including the ever-controversial Hawaiian, made with ham, mozzarella cheese and pineapple. For those with a sweet tooth, a selection of dessert empanadas includes guava and cheese, sweet plantains and cheese, or apples and cinnamon. You'll also find tamales made with chicken and/or pork, and a classic Colombian bandeja paisa, which is grilled steak with white rice, fried sweet plantains with fried sunny side up eggs and pork rinds.

Mann's Homemade Ice Cream, Amityville

It’s truly a family affair at Mann’s Homemade Ice Cream in Amityville. The shop, owned by Linda and Eric Mann, is a labor of love whose labor depends on the couple, their children and, occasionally, Eric’s retired parents, plus a crew of local kids who have become like family. Flavors are inspired by trends (the Dubai sundae is flying out of the store), by travels (a recent trip to Aruba resulted in butterscotch-rum-pineapple "Aruba wedding cake" ice cream), by staff contributions (s’mores in under development) and by recipes that the Mann family had in the vaults such as the rum raisin and salted caramel. In addition to cups, cones, sundaes and shakes, the ice cream finds itself into nachos made from waffle wafers and fat ice cream sandwiches bookended by homemade cookies. There are also chocolates and coffee drinks made with Hamptons Coffee. 

Sunnyside Diner, Huntington

During a time when diners on Long Island seem to be endangered, Huntington’s got a reason to celebrate: Sunnyside Diner has opened on New York Avenue in the space that was Skorpios by Avli. Sunnyside Diner is owned by chef Kelvin Alfaro and managed by his nephew, Lucio Alfaro. Kelvin Alfaro owns two other Long Island eateries, Blue Angel Diner in Plainview and Station Coffee Shop in Huntington Station. The menu includes Greek favorites such as chicken souvlaki and chicken or lamb gyros. Breakfast shows up big with chicken and waffles as well as chocolate chip pancakes. Lighter dishes include wraps, paninis and salads.

Urubamba, Huntington

A long-standing, family-owned Peruvian restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, has expanded to open a Huntington location. Urubamba is New York City's oldest Peruvian restaurant, opened in 1970 by Julian and Maria Ruiz. Their granddaughter, Silvana Rojas, brings a chic and modern version to Long Island. Start with a classic ceviche, which can be spiced to order. It has a nice kick at any level and the delicate pureed sweet potato florets are a great touch, offset by toothy maize, or choclo. If raw fish isn’t your thing, opt for the anitcuchos. These tender veal heart skewers are accompanied by fragrant rosemary potatoes. If you prefer your seafood cooked, the octopus is another solid selection. For entrees, arroz con mariscos is a Peruvian-style paella with shrimp, mussels, octopus and squid. Short rib chaufa, or stir-fry, made with quinoa — subbing mushrooms for vegan diners — is also a good choice — but it's the perfectly cooked lomo saltado, a sirloin, onion and tomato stir-fry accented with roasted potatoes, that wins.

Bartaco, Uniondale

The sleek new Bartaco in the Roosevelt Field mall looks more like the Hamptons than a Mexican restaurant. But perhaps this is part of its charm? Formerly Osteria Morini, the 5,000-square-foot space is now a bright and buzzy taqueria. The chain started in 2010 in the Westchester County village of Port Chester. Bartaco's green margarita might just be the drink of the summer. The bright green concoction looks like something you'd get from a juice bar, but more fun. The backbone of the drink is a fresh juice blend of pineapple, mango and spinach. The drink is light on the tequila and not too heavy on the lime either. It basically tastes like you're sipping fresh juice. The food menu flirts with fusion, with a dozen tacos stuffed with everything from ahi tuna, roasted duck to "chicken verde" and a Baja fish taco. You'll probably want to double up on your order, because the tacos are on the petite side. The mushroom taco is a winner with sautéed wild mushrooms and a light roasted poblano salsa. Another hot tip: Get some black beans on the side.

Ficarra Ristorante, Hicksville

Regular customers were just learning that the sign at Hicksville’s singular Italian restaurant, Luigi Q, had come down when another sign went up in its place: Ficarra Ristorante. With no fanfare, owner Luigi Quarta has left the Long Island dining scene after 25 years, selling his business to Demetra and Carl Mattone. Carl Mattone, a developer, brings his Sicilian heritage to the table: His mother, Irene Ficarra Mattone, grew up in Ficarra, in northeastern Sicily and her recipes for dishes such as caponata, arancini, pasta alla Norma and swordfish involtini will be in regular rotation alongside a pan-Italian-Italian American-New American menu. The Mattones barely touched the interior as the dining room and lounge had been completely reconfigured in 2020, when Luigi Q reopened after a fire shuttered the restaurant for three years. They also brought back one of Quarta’s former chefs, Jorge Gonzalez, whose menu retains old favorites such as paccheri Luciana (with octopus and tomatoes), lobster ravioli and a 14-ounce pork chop with cherry peppers. 

Vintage Mirchi, Hicksville

Vintage Mirchi is a new Indian restaurant at the Kundan Galleria in Hicksville, right around the corner from Apna Bazar supermarket and Mithaas, a Newsday Top 50 restaurant. While Mithaas specializes in Southern Indian vegetarian and requisite flatbreads, this new spot goes hard on the sizzling platters of Northern Indian meats. The saag paneer is worth the trip by itself, thick and chunky with the blended greens and a potent backbone of housemade masala spices. The kitchen makes its own paneer cheese, which results in softer more supple cubes than the usual industrial versions. A lentil curry, dal makhani is another banger, served in a tall steel bowl and topped with a cube of melty butter. Even the fish tikka masala is spicy enough to make you sweat. There are also Delhi-style appetizers, like fried samosas, pakoras and kathi rolls.

Mizu II, North Bellmore

A popular Asian fusion restaurant from Farmingdale has expanded, opening a new location in North Bellmore. And the sushi they're preparing is surprisingly good for the casual takeout setting. The menu in North Bellmore is pared down compared to the large pan-Asian selection of the original, but the place still offers everything from sushi to teriyaki bowls, poke bowls, hibachi, pad Thai and ramen. A small sushi counter at the front features fish imported from Tokyo's Toyosu market. Sushi rolls are also on the delicate side, with a fish-to-rice ratio that is higher on fish. The yellowtail scallion roll is a solid bet. It's on the smaller side, but the Dancing Eel roll is stuffed with hot and crispy shrimp tempura, and topped with flaky eel in its viscous sweet sauce.