Hercules Churrasqueria opens in Franklin Square

A grand opening sign hangs over the shiny silver facade that for years held the Franklin Square Diner. The business closed in 2019, but now a neon sign proclaims Hercules Churrasqueria with a cartoon chicken standing over a flaming pit of charcoal. 

Inside, half of the room features manicured tables draped in white tableclothes, but most customers are tucked into booths sharing family-style plates of barbecued meats. The service is friendly and casual. 

Hercules Churrasqueria, which opened in August, is owned by brothers Oscar and David Hercules, along with Nelson Marquez. The friends, who are of Salvadoran descent, had been talking about opening a restaurant together when Marquez, a Franklin Square resident who worked as a manager at Mineola's iconic Churrasqueira Bairrada for 16 years, saw the diner space sitting empty. 

The menu is based on the Portuguese/South American concept of the churrasqueira, which seems to be growing across Nassau County. The format is the same: Choose a grilled meat and the table piles up with salads and side dishes. But at Hercules, the menu dishes are all written in Spanish. 

Meat and fish entrees range from $24.25 for grilled short ribs to a $47 plate of grilled tiger shrimp still in their massive shells. A fat slab of swordfish ($33.75) is assertively grilled with just a hint of lemon. The grilled half-chicken for two ($30.57) is a popular item, but the showpiece is a massive hunk of grilled prime rib or costilla de vaca, still attached the bone and bearing feisty char marks. The sizable cut of meat was so rare the juices flowed out the plate — not how it was ordered — but all the more delicious for it. 

If you're looking for a bargain steak, the $39.75 entree includes olives and a salad, a plate of rice, sauteed broccoli and carrots, and crispy battered French fries. Although slightly upgraded from its diner days, the dining room doesn't make for a high-end experience. Still, there's something to be said about enjoying the world's abundance in an unfussy setting. It made the Portuguese dishes feel more approachable, like sitting down for French fries and a burger.   

Hercules Churrasqueria, 813 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square, 516-216-5150, herculeschurrasqueria.com. Open 11:30 to 10:30 Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.