Top Long Island restaurant closures in 2025

Five High Market, Huntington

Since late 2023, aficionados of the iconic deli meat have been making pilgrimages to Five High Market in Huntington to sample the smoky, succulent thick-cut pastrami. But the modest Huntington shop is closed, a victim of its own success. Soon after owner Ben Zelouf took over the lease, a family friend offered to supply him with pastrami. The friend, whose name Zelouf never revealed, used a century-old recipe, brining and smoking the beef navels at an undisclosed Long Island location. Smokier than your average deli pastrami, this one was also so tender that it had to be hand sliced. Piled between two slices of insufficiently sturdy rye bread, it was a sandwich that was, at once, impossible to eat and impossible to stop eating. Zelouf said he needs a larger space to prepare and store the pastrami, as well as a gas stove and a fryer. New tenants will be taking over the Huntington spot and Zelouf says he is searching for a new location to open a "proper, kosher-style deli."

Baldwin Coach Diner, Baldwin

The Baldwin Coach Diner, which has fed multiple generations of Long Islanders, closed on April 10 after 61 years. The shuttering of the family-run business comes after the death of co-owner John Kanaris earlier this month, said Trissy Kanaris-Navas, his sister and business partner. The eatery was opened in 1964 by Kanaris-Navas’ father, Peter Kanaris, and his business partners, George Tsotsos and Tommy Matthews. The trio worked hard learning to grow the business as well as bake and cook, Kanaris-Navas said. By 2000, the diner was fully run by the Kanaris family, with Kanaris-Navas and John Kanaris managing the restaurant with their father. After his cancer diagnosis in 2016, Peter Kanaris stepped down and Kanaris-Navas and John Kanaris managed the eatery together. Baldwin Coach Diner had 150 seats for patrons in the homey space with three dining rooms, offering both cozy booths and tables for diners to order dishes like steak quesadillas with french fries and the popular chicken cutlet parmigiana.

Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro, Farmingdale

After 10 years of serving a wide variety of wines and tapas on Farmingdale’s Main Street, Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro has poured its last glass. When Vintage Wine Bar and Bistro opened in 2015 at 185 Main St., it offered more than 40 wines sold for less than $10 a glass and less than $35 a bottle, Newsday previously reported. The menu also featured more than 30 tapas, soups, salads, bruschetta and pizzas, among other items. Owner Jeff Rumman said the business first felt a financial pinch almost exactly five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. But rising prices due to inflation over the past five years is the true culprit for its financial issues, he said.

Five Ocean, Long Beach

As the Long Beach summer season begins to heat up, one familiar business will be missing from the boardwalk: Five Ocean, a top restaurant for seafood that was also featured on Newsday's 2023 Top 100 Restaurants list, has closed. The restaurant normally shutters for the winter season, but owner Craig Attwood said he sold the space to veteran bar owner John Lugano, who runs a string of bars and restaurants including John Scott’s Surf Shack in Westhampton Beach. Attwood, a Manhattan and East End fine dining chef, said he had tired of the seasonal nature of Long Beach, and needed the money to put into a yet unannounced concept he's working on in Lindenhurst. One of the top restaurants in Long Beach, Five Ocean served gorgeous plates of halibut and ahi tuna layered with fresh vegetables.

The Linwood, Bay Shore

The Linwood, a trendy restaurant and cocktail lounge in Bay Shore that opened in 2019, has closed. Co-owner Drew Dvorkin said the restaurant shut down after service on Saturday, Mar. 29, for renovations and rebranding through the month of April. With "fingers crossed," Dvorkin hopes to reopen "the second week in May," with the same ownership and management team in place, including chef Henry Freidank in the kitchen. The new concept is a "neighborhood Italian" spot called Bar Lucy and will serve a mix of red sauce classics, modern Italian dishes, artisanal pizzas and cocktails. Named for the nearby South Shore hotel that stood until 1925, the robust and eclectic menu at The Linwood featured everything from mac and cheese to grilled naan accompanied by spreads, filet mignon sliders to hot chicken sandos, and large plates like fried chicken over grits, meat loaf, a short rib and vegetable bibimbap, and rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce.

Revival by Toast, Port Jefferson

Terence Scarlatos, owner of Toast Coffeehouse, closed the popular all-day breakfast chain's nighttime concept, Revival by Toast, as he prepares to launch two new eateries: The Study by Toast in East Setauket and Toast Coffeehouse at Station Yards in Ronkonkoma. The decision to close Revival by Toast in the heart of Port Jefferson village was difficult. Revival is housed in the original home of Toast Coffeehouse on East Main Street in Port Jefferson. It opened in late 2022 and offered two tasting menus, "Short Story" and "Long Story," as well as cheese and chocolate fondue.

Mesita, Port Washington

After little more than a year in Port Washington, Mesita has closed. The Mexican restaurant's last day was Sunday, just three days after the group opened its biggest, grandest Mexican restaurant, in Amityville. Polo Pacheco, the general manager in Amityville, said, "We loved Port Washington, but the concept didn't work out. Amityville was a better fit since it is not as seasonal." Some of the Port Washington employees have transferred to Amityville, he said, others will be staying in Port Washington to work at the new restaurant taking over the space, Jade Eatery & Lounge, an Asian-fusion spot.

Modern General Dreamy Coffee Co., Sag Harbor

After 35 years in Sag Harbor, Modern General Dreamy Coffee Co. has closed its brick-and-mortar shop along the village's bustling Main Street. Owner Lynda Sylvester said the company will continue selling its beans through its website as well as wholesale distribution and partnerships with local markets. Coffee beans are sold in 12-ounce bags (house blend, hazelnut, coconut, Colombian and French Roast). Also popular: 32-ounce cold brew concentrate. Dreamy also partnered with Greenport’s Matchbook Distilling Company to create a ready-to-drink espresso martini made from its cold brew and vodka with hints of nutmeg and orange peel. Sylvester will continue selling the coffee through wholesale distribution and partnering with businesses such as Sag Harbor’s Schiavoni's market and Provisions cafe and Barryville General in Southampton. 

Sushi by Kuryu, Roslyn Heights

When a new Roslyn Heights spot from former Nobu sushi chef Teruo Yoshioka opened in late 2022, it was quickly embraced by the community for its fresh, luxe Japanese food. But its run was short; Kuryu closed on Dec. 21. Choco Yoshioka, manager of Sushi by Kuryu, as well as the chef's spouse, explained that the "sudden closure" after two years was a "gut-wrenching decision" prompted by the dueling needs of the Roslyn Heights storefront and the catering side of Kuryu, which offered a private chef service that has been growing steadily. Nestled within Roslyn Seafood Gourmet, Kuryu's served a selection of standard rolls from California to specials loaded with tuna, crab, salmon, avocado, cucumber and tobiko. The sashimi, sushi boxes, as well as omakase specials, were crafted thoughtfully and meticulously by Yoshioka himself.

George Martin's Grillfire, Merrick

It was hard to miss George Martin’s Grillfire in Merrick. The illuminated cornice and boldly colored graphic awning managed to magnify and dramatize what was, in truth, an unremarkable one-story building across from the Long Island Rail Road tracks. Now, 31 years after he started leasing the space, George Korten is closing the restaurant; it served its last dinner on Jan. 15. Korten cited rising costs and said he was unable to reach a deal with the landlord.  Korten’s first concept in the location was Route 66 Roadhouse, which opened in 1994 serving a Southwestern menu inspired by Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. But within two years, Korten switched to the Italian Nick Di Angelo, "because people will eat Italian food a few times a week." In 2009, Nick Di Angelo gave way to Grillfire. The menu featured crowd-pleasing comfort standards, from Wagyu pigs in a blanket and chicken pot pie to marinated skirt steak and burgers.

South Bay Diner, Lindenhurst

Long Island is down another diner — Lindenhurst's South Bay Diner, on a busy stretch of Sunrise Highway, has closed after 24 years. Co-owner Steve Mourelatos cited financial hardships after the COVID pandemic as one of the reasons for the closing. The diner opened in 2000 after Mourelatos helped his father design its maroon-and-gold dining room. Its specialties included the Texas smokehouse burger ($19.99), avocado chicken salad wrap ($18.99) as well as chicken souvlaki lunch special ($16.99) served with a cup of soup, French fries, coleslaw and pickle. This is the second longtime diner closing in Lindenhurst within a year following the Lindencrest Diner's shuttering this past summer after nearly 40 years.

Trullo D'Oro, Hicksville

Ten years after they opened Trullo D’Oro, Gino and Maria Giannuzzi served their last meal on Christmas Eve. In a sea of samey-samey Italian American eateries, Trullo D’Oro stood out for its dedication to the foods and wines of the Giannuzzis' native Puglia. Gino’s kitchen specialized in two great Pugliese pastas, hybrid shapes that are made by hand like the fresh pastas of the north, but from hard semolina wheat and no eggs, like the macaroni of the south. Orecchiette were served here with meatballs. Larger, more elongated strascinate came with the very traditional Pugliese duo of broccoli rabe and sausage.