Willy's Azúcar Cuban Restaurant & Bar opens in Massapequa Park

It was Cuba’s glamorous queen of salsa, Celia Cruz, who popularized the word "azúcar" in her music.

The word directly translates to "sugar," but she made it mean more than that — a mentality of joy and love of life. William Martinez, a Cuban native, is trying to bring the same energy to Long Island with his newest Massapequa Park restaurant, Willy’s Azúcar Cuban Restaurant & Bar.

"I feel happy to bring a different concept, a different strategy, a different mentality, a different culture," he said.

The restaurant opened at the end of February in the former Don Juan’s on Merrick Road after a year and a half of preparation, Martinez said. He owns restaurants across Long Island including Margaritas Cafe locations and The Cuban in Garden City and Patchogue.

This restaurant differentiates with a menu focused more on the cuisine from the eastern part of the country such as Santiago de Cuba. "The flavors, the spices are a little different," Martinez said. "We mix it up."

Starters include tableside guacamole ($15) served with pork and twice-fried plantains or tostones. A Cuban sandwich made with roasted pernil or pork, smoked ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard sauce is savory (and hearty) at lunch or dinner served with a side of fried yucca and mojo dipping sauce. Vegetarian options include paella la bronca with saffron rice, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, red and green peppers, crushed tomatoes and sofrito sauce. Salmon en melao is pan-seared Atlantic salmon with honey lemon glaze, toasted almonds, grilled figs and minted quinoa served with mixed salad greens ($29).

Willy’s has seating for more than 90 guests. The decor is colorful and lively with replica models of classic cars perched from the ceiling as well as decorative wall of Cuban hats. The elegant bar is lit up and the ceiling of the 4,500 square foot space is dripping with colorful faux foliage.

Live music on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Martinez is expanding this concept beyond Long Island with an outpost of Willy’s Azúcar Cuban Restaurant & Bar opening in El Salvador later this year.

Azúcar "is not just sugar," Martinez said. Celia Cruz "used to sing azúcar, so everybody knows what azúcar is — it’s a Cuban feeling, it’s a Cuban vibe."

Willy’s Azúcar Cuban Restaurant & Bar, 4899 Merrick Rd., Massapequa Park, 516-308-4796, Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday to Saturday.

By Melissa Azofeifa

melissa.azofeifa@newsday.com

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.