ITA Kitchen to open in East Moriches marina

ITA Kitchen, the spirited Italian American restaurant with locations in Bay Shore and Garden City, is planning to open a third location in East Moriches this spring. The waterside venue, at Atlantic Cove Marina, was last occupied by Coral Tapas but has been vacant since 2020.

Christina Sorrentino, who opened the Bay Shore restaurant in 2020 with her husband, Salvatore, said that the location was suggested by and belongs to one of their partners at Garden City (which opened last year).

Initially, she said, the couple was “wary of the waterside location. We run an Italian restaurant and now we were going to be surrounded by boat slips. If people come in a boat, are they going to be looking for chicken Parm?”

The Sorrentinos (including chef Matthew Sorrentino, Salvatore’s brother) decided to press forward, adding dishes such as a cold seafood tower, seafood risotto and a burger to their established menu of re-imagined standards such as mozzarella made tableside and served with tomatoes, prosciutto and roasted peppers; pesto risotto balls; crostini with figs, stracciatella, candied prosciutto and balsamic; ricotta gnocchi with truffled cream sauce; rigatoni with spicy vodka sauce; chicken burrata Caprese; and pounded veal chop Parm. The menu already features such seafaring fare as fried calamari, shrimp Luciano and sweet chili salmon. 

The new restaurant boasts a dining room with views of Moriches Bay;  with outdoor dining areas on three sides. Sorrentino said that the kitchen will also deliver to boats moored at the marina. The team is shooting for a May opening.

When ITA Kitchen opens, it will increase the dining options in East Moriches by a third. Right now the hamlet has three eateries: Crust Around the Corner Pizzeria, Tony’s Sushi & Steakhouse and El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant.

ITA Kitchen will be at 215 Atlantic Avenue, East Moriches; itakitchen.com.