East Quogue's New Moon Cafe closing after 46 years
A half-rack of pork ribs and a strawberry mocktail at New Moon Cafe in East Quogue. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
East Quogue is going to look different this holiday season. After 46 years, the Tex-Mex restaurant and live music spot New Moon Café is closing.
Owners Ron and Shana Campsey cited financial hardship aggravated by the pandemic as the major factor behind the decision to close. The couple has also been dealing with health issues and fell behind on their taxes.
Ron came to East Quogue in 1978 after serving in the Vietnam War and earning a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart. He poured his energy into New Moon, building the bar and kitchen at its location on Montauk Highway.
"When I came here there was no community," Ron recalled. "And we worked hard to make it that."
The spot started off as a pizzeria and a clam bar. Over the years, the menu evolved to include tacos, Texas-style baby back ribs ($35) as well as kid-friendly fare like chicken fingers, fish sticks and grilled cheese.
Cathy Seeliger, the owner of the nearby Roses and Rice Flower Shop, recalled when New Moon hosted popular Christmas events in the barn adjacent to the property that drew a line of families trailing down the street.
New Moon Cafe was a longtime hub for Tex-Mex food and live music nights in East Quogue. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
"Everybody is just devasted," Seeliger said. "They’re the heart and soul of our whole town. It’s almost like a ‘Cheers’ kind of place; everybody would gather there after teacher parent conferences, after winter concerts, if you had to have a meeting about something in town, the chamber of commerce or something like that we’d be there. It’s part of the fabric of East Quogue."
Upon retirement, the couple will travel to visit friends who served with Ron in Vietnam and spend the winters in Austin, Texas. They'll keep their home base in East Quogue and return for the summers, Shana said. They hope to sell the business to someone who wants to keep the family-friendly ambience.
New Moon is hosting one final soiree, a going-away bash 6-9:30 p.m. Saturday, with live music at the eatery that has doubled as a music spot by hosting open mic nights and more.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
