South Bay Diner in Lindenhurst closes after 24 years
Lindenhurst's South Bay Diner opened in 2000. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
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.
"It’s odd because everything has gotten so expensive and I look at my menu prices and I gasp because I just can’t believe that with these kind of prices it’s hard to make a go of it and do well," he said. "I remember when our prices were 35 to 40% less and our [profit] margins were there, so it’s terrible what’s going on."
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 this year following the Lindencrest Diner's shuttering this summer after nearly 40 years.
South Bay Diner had about 40 employees, Mourelatos said, 85% of whom he helped find work elsewhere during the transition. "They’re like family," he said.
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.
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