6 Long Island restaurants with New Year's Eve dinner parties
The Snapple Facts cocktail at Shands General in Patchogue. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
New Year's Eve is business as usual at most Long Island restaurants — and you'll be happy if you already have a reservation. Some eateries are inviting patrons to ring in the new year with multi-hour dinner parties that segue into dance parties designed for those who are going to stay out 'till (or past) midnight. Among the standouts:
ITA Kitchen
9 Nassau Blvd., Garden City
THE PARTY Extended New Year’s Eve dinner party starting at 9 p.m. includes a DJ and open bar.
COST $125 a person starting at 9 p.m. ($50 for open bar only)
ON THE MENU Appetizer options include steak pizzaiola spring roll, shrimp oreganata and artincini. Carb-lovers might go for spicy rigatoni as the main course, while other entrées include chicken oreganata luciano, shrimp scampi, sole oreganata and veal Milanese. Then comes Italian cookies for dessert.
MORE INFO 516-485-4848, itakitchen.com
317 Main Street
317 Main St., Farmingdale
THE PARTY Downtown dancing, with a la carte dinner if you'd like. A DJ kicks the celebration off at 9 p.m. with music and dancing. VIP tickets include access to seating near the stage and bar.
COST $85 includes open bar ($100 VIP)
ON THE MENU The restaurant's kitchen and main dining room are open until 10 p.m. with a la carte appetizers including duck quesadilla ($19) and charred octopus ($16); five-onion soup ($11); plus mains like Spanish paella ($38) and roasted rabbit ($27).
MORE INFO 516-512-5317, 317mainstreet.com
Osteria Umbra
197 Terry Rd., Smithtown
THE PARTY Italian-focused sit-down dinner that segues into a '70s/'80s dance party from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
COST $179 a person
ON THE MENU The restaurant's five-course dinner starts at 8:15 p.m. with ribiola cheese with prosciutto di parma, honey and hazelnut followed by lentil soup with sausage and ginger-marinated salmon. Then comes pasta: shrimp risotto and white truffle crepe. Main course options include a 7-oz. filet mignon, Chilean sea bass. Dessert is pistachio tiramisu.
MORE INFO 631-780-6633, osteriaumbra.com
Shands General
67 W. Main St., Patchogue
THE PARTY The small plates restaurant, a Newsday pick for best new restaurants of 2024, is hosting an upscale hipster dinner affair that is particularly appealing for groups of eight to 12.
COST $165 a person (6-9:30 p.m.), $285 a person (seatings start at 8 p.m.) for eight to 12 guests.
ON THE MENU: The earlier "golden ticket" menu includes a choice of squash salad, tuna crudo or beef tartare followed by potato burrata tortellini. Mains include sea scallop, roasted root terrine or Wagyu beef followed by dessert. The later "platinum package" for groups includes a chef's tasting menu (including a seafood plateau, whole grilled monkfish and a prime rib roast) plus a private booth for the evening, open bar and a view of the televised Times Square ball drop.
aside from also including the chef’s menu includes a selection of the chef’s hors d’ouevres, a grand seafood plateau, fettuccine tartufo, a prime rib roast,
MORE INFO 631-447-2337, shandsgeneral.com
Myles on Main
428 E. Main St., Riverhead
THE PARTY Buffet dinner starts at 7:30 p.m. with live music 8 p.m. through 1 a.m.
COST $78 a person
ON THE MENU From 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the buffet will include lobster bites, ahi tuna crostini and béchamel tarts. From 8:30-10:30 p.m., heartier fare includes fettuccine with pesto sauce and grilled tenderloin with oyster mushrooms in a cabernet reduction. Desserts, served 10:30-11:30 p.m., include fruit skewers, profiteroles and ricottina with pistachio.
MORE INFO 631-775-1550, mylesonmain.com
Southold Social
56125 Main Rd., Southold
THE PARTY New Year’s Eve on the East End with a 8-9:30 p.m. dinner seating followed by a DJ, dancing and midnight champagne toast to ring in 2025.
COST $165 a person
ON THE MENU The restaurant's 8 p.m. seating includes a selection of canapes followed by a choice of appetizer (oysters rockefeller and homemade gnocchi among them), main course (including lobster newbugh, homemade orecchiette, filet mignon and braised short ribs), with baked Alaska for dessert.
MORE INFO 631-765-8888, southoldsocial.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.
