New axe-throwing spots to try in Mattituck and Huntington
Karen Calabria, 44, of Jamesport plays a game of classic target and gets the bullseye at Axe & Smash, the axe throwing lounge located in Mattituck Cinemas on Jan. 19. Credit: Randee Daddona
A trip to Mattituck Cinemas once served the sole purpose of catching a movie, but since Marc LaMaina got involved, it became much more, including a Lucharitos outpost and axe-throwing lounge, Axe & Smash.
After taking over the theater’s concession stand in 2021 with a Lucharitos burrito bar, LaMaina says he realized four of the eight theater rooms were "left abandoned" during the pandemic.
“So, we wanted to repurpose them,” he says.
Inspired by a trip to Mohegan Sun where he visited a go-cart facility with a smaller-scale axe-throwing room, LaMaina explains that was his “blueprint” for adding one to the cinema.
Mary Alice Kohs, 62, of Port Washington, plays a game of classic target at Axe & Smash in Mattituck Cinemas. Credit: Randee Daddona
Axe & Smash opened in January with four lanes where axe throwers stand 12 feet from the intended target — a slab of wood with digital games like Candy Crush, tic-tac-toe and zombie and duck hunting projected on it. “All axes are sanctioned from the World Axe Throwing League, so they’re the legit, real axes," LaMaina says, but for those under 12, he recommends using one of the provided rubber axes.
Before the fun begins, all participants are required to watch a five minute safety video followed by 15 minutes of training by an “axe master.” Time slots are available for 60- or 90-minute bookings.
Soon, a vintage arcade area, pool and Ping-Pong tables will be added to the layout. Eventually, LaMaina plans on taking over the additional two theaters and “combining them to build a 13-hole mini putt putt course,” he says.
Aside from the addition of the lounge, Lucharitos was recently revamped to feature a 1,000-square-foot dining room, where customers can have burritos, bowls, tacos, nachos, fajitas and the like. On the drinks front, there’s margaritas, sangria and beer. Snacks can be brought to the axe rooms, but no eating or drinking is allowed on the throwing floor.
When LaMaina is done with his expansions, he’ll have taken over four of the eight theaters as he tries to make the space "one hub of activity with things to go."
WHEN | WHERE Axe & Smash is at 10095 Main Rd. in Mattituck (located inside the Mattituck Cinemas). Open Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.
MORE INFO 631-292-0020; axesmashli.com
COST 60-minute sessions: $39 per person; 90-minute sessions: $55 per person
ANOTHER ON THE WAY
Over in Huntington, Carl Mazza and Mario Simone anticipate opening their third brick-and-mortar location of NY Axe in April. The longtime business partners first launched a mobile axe-throwing range (by the same name) in 2018; it was followed by a static location in Farmingdale in 2021, then Selden in 2022.
NY Axe will have 12 lanes — up to six people per lane — where those aged 9 and up can participate in eight axe-throwing games like tic-tac-toe, traditional bull's-eye and Connect Four. “It’s real wood, real axes, but we are projecting images on the board,” to provide variety, Mazza says.
Each reservation is 60 or 90 minutes; before getting started, expect a five-minute training on the how-tos of the sport. At the lane, a coach will be on deck to further assist.
A full bar and food such as pizza, pretzels and chicken fingers, will be available on site, too.
WHEN | WHERE NY Axe is at 325 Main St. in Huntington. It’s scheduled to open Mondays to Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.
MORE INFO nyaxe.com
COST 60-minute sessions: $39 per person; 90-minute sessions: $55 per person
