Long Island restaurants that have lasted 50 years

Fifty years may signify middle age in humans but, for a restaurant, it is a feat of endurance to be celebrated. On Long Island there aren't many eateries that have managed to persevere through a half century of changing demographics and culinary trends. Here are a baker's dozen for your consideration:

Atlantic Seafood

117 Montauk Hwy., Center Moriches

Driving along this bucolic stretch of Montauk Highway, you can’t miss Atlantic Seafood: The front door is framed by a giant shark’s jaw, teeth and all. Colleen Donovan, the fourth-generation owner, said her grandparents first established a swap shop here around 1948 and turned it first into a lobster-pot shop, then into a seafood market and, sometime in the 1960s, into a restaurant. Raw oysters (The Great Guns are farmed in nearby Moriches Bay) and clams can’t be beat here; follow them with a bucket of steamers, mussels, lobster, peel ’n’ eat shrimp, crab legs or combinations thereof. More info: 631-878-8406, atlanticseafoodcompany.com

Ben’s

Locations in Greenvale, Carle Place and Woodbury

From bris to shiva, Ben’s is the go-to kosher deli for thousands of Long Islanders, providing a steady stream of soulful meals that can be enjoyed in one of its bustling dining rooms, at home with the family or, even, in the car where that knish was exactly what you needed to tide you over until dinner. Ronnie Dragoon has been at the helm of this enterprise since 1972 when he and his father, the eponymous Ben, opened their shop in Baldwin. And while the kosher deli is an endangered species, the tradition is thriving here: Walk into Ben’s in Greenvale or Woodbury or Carle Place and you are enveloped in a heady haze whose components — simmering chicken soup, sizzling hot dogs, steaming pastrami — capture the migration of Eastern European Jews to the U.S., and the assimilation of their food into the great melting pot of American cuisines. But Dragoon is also an innovator and he’s proud to see his pastrami delighting a new generation of customers as the “kosher bacon” laid across a plate of avocado toast or the crowning glory on the “Big Ben burger” already saddled with a couple of onion rings. Brisket now gets pressed into panino service and Hungarian goulash gets into the act nestled between two halves of a hoagie roll. More info: bensdeli.net

Borrelli’s

1580 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow

Borrelli’s opened in 1955, “before the Meadowbrook Parkway,” said owner Frank Borrelli Jr., “and before chicken parmigiana. We had veal parmigiana.” The informal Italian spot expanded and updated the menu over the decades but remains a magnet for local diners as well as visitors to Jones Beach and Eisenhower Park. Recommended: lasagna, linguine with clam sauce, chicken Francaise. More info: 516-794-0190, borrellisrestaurant.com

Bigelow’s

79 N. Long Beach Rd., Rockville Centre

When Bigelow’s started frying in 1939, a new house cost about $3,800 and average annual income was $1,730. It remains an ultracasual destination for seafood, notably Ipswich clams, which Russ Bigelow was the first to fry on Long Island. Recommended: fried Ipswich, or whole belly clams; fried clam strips, smelts and whiting; fish and chips, made with either cod or flounder. More info: 516-678-3878, bigelows-rvc.com

Casa Basso

59 Montauk Hwy., Westhampton

The namesake restaurant of M.L. Basso opened in 1928. Thirty years later, it changed ownership and was renamed Rene’s Casa Basso. Since 1986, it has been known as just Casa Basso and has been run by Bejto Bracovic, also the executive chef. The castle-like structure always has been identified by the 12-foot-tall statues of dueling musketeers just outside. Recommended: lobster, any style; clams casino; roast Long Island duckling. More info: 631-288-1841, casabasso.net

Claudio's

111 Main St., Greenport

The Claudio family opened this dockside restaurant in 1870 and, over the next century and a half, it sprawled over more than two acres of the Greenport waterfront. New owners bought it in 2018, shored up the structures and updated both the décor and the menu. Claudio's Tavern & Grill, the main restaurant, now serves swordfish Bolognese and roasted cauliflower steak in addition to clam chowder and lobster rolls. On adjacent piers, the full panoply of casual seafood is found at Crabby Jerry's while drinks and small plates are the purview of chic Claudio's Waterfront. More info: 631-477-0627, claudios.com

Cliff’s Elbow Room

1549 Main Rd., Jamesport

In the early 1950s, Cliff’s was known as a bar. Now, there are 14 tables at Cliff’s Elbow Room, and they fill quickly. This casual gathering place has been serving since the year of “Vertigo” and “Gigi.” The restaurant is a destination for its marinated porterhouse steak. The secret marinade has hints of garlic and soy. Recommended: all steaks, marinated or not; fried oysters; broiled bay scallops. More info: 631-722-3292

Modern Snack Bar

628 Main Rd., Aquebogue

Modern Snack Bar came in during the Truman administration, at first selling hot dogs and hamburgers passed through a window. The Wittmeier family, which established and has owned it all these years, expanded the place into a warm restaurant that now seats 125 for dependably homey “comfort” food, either to eat in or take out. The mashed turnips are peerless. Recommended: seasonal Peconic Bay scallops, lobster salad, sauerbraten, loin of pork, roast duckling, pies.  The restaurant closes every year from mid-December to mid-May. More info: 631-722-3655, modernsnackbar.com

Stella Ristorante

152 Jericho Tpke., Floral Park

Family-owned and operated, Stella came to Floral Park while John F. Kennedy was en route to the White House. It began in 1960 as a pizzeria and became a long-lived, traditional Italian American restaurant. A portrait of the late “Mamma Stella” now welcomes diners, as she herself did for many years. Recommended: eggplant rollatini, lasagna, tagliatelle with prosciutto and tomato sauce, breaded and baked pork chop with broccoli rabe and roasted potatoes. More info: 516-775-2202, stellaristorante.com

 Umberto’s

633 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park

Founded by brothers Umberto and Carlo Corteo in 1965, Umberto’s is the very model of a modern major pizza chain. The original New Hyde Park shop is now a vast operation encompassing a pizzeria, restaurant and catering hall and locations all over the Island. But underlying everything are pies that never rest on their success. The great Long island grandma pie was invented here and Umberto’s has become a byword for great pizza for more than half a century. More info: 516-437-7698, umbertosfamily.com

The 1770 House

143 Main St., East Hampton

A residence in 1663, this handsome place was converted to an inn in 1770 and evolved eventually into an ambitious, country restaurant. The modern restaurants are traceable to the 1930s and had dishes as different from each other as Chinese lemon chicken and cheese cannelloni. Wendy Perle Van Deusen, who owned the vintage spot from 1977 to 2002, balanced the traditions and the updating, as have newer owners, and current chef Michael Rozzi. Recommended: Hog’s Neck Bay oysters, Montauk fluke tartare, braised beef short rib, dry-rubbed Berkshire pork filet. More info: 631-324-1770, 1770house.com

Louie's Prime Steak & Seafood

395 Main St., Port Washington

The name changes slightly and chefs come and go, now steering Louie’s in a slightly Asian direction, now toward New American. What doesn’t change is a lineup of seafood classics — chowder, raw bar, fried calamari, baked clams, crabcakes, fish and chips, lobsters and lobster rolls. You’ll also find steaks and unparalleled views of Manhasset Bay, especially at sunset. More info: 516-883-4242, louiessince1905.com

The Milleridge Inn

585 N Broadway, Jericho

Nostalgia still runs high in the dining room of this historic building, which dates back to the 1700s when it offered overnight lodging to traveling Colonial settlers. It's been a restaurant since 1937 (when it was known as the Maine Maid Inn). The Murphy family bought the inn in 1961 and expanded it to include the village shops, where you can still get a miniature loaf of the Milleridge's cinnamon swirl bread to take home. Traditionalists favor the Milleridge for festive holiday meals, milestone birthday dinners and private parties. The property was sold to Kimco Realty in 2015. More info: 516-931-2201, milleridgeinn.com