Comfort food restaurant Street to Table opens in Merrick
Street to Table in Merrick has Mexican-style street corn on its menu. Credit: Joann Vaglica
"Elevated street food" is only one of the draws at Street to Table, which aims to contain within four walls the vibe of an urban, outdoor food festival. The second venue from the owner of Maracas Southwest Grill in North Babylon takes over the spot previously occupied by Amerrickana Tapas & Bar.
“As a kid, I loved to eat at carnivals and fairs,” owner Tejan Arora said. “It’s that kind of excitement you have as a kid. I wanted to bring that kind of food [to a Long Island restaurant]. There’s Smorgasburg in Brooklyn and the Queens International Night Market, but you have to travel for that,” he said.
His wife, Jasmeeth Kalsi, called the week-old venue, “a fun, playful atmosphere for people to enjoy a meal or cocktail.”
And that it is. With a “guilty pleasures” playlist playing in the background (Daddy Yankee and Snow's "Con Calma," Halsey's "Without Me" and Ava Max's "Sweet but Psycho"), diners have the option to sit at the bar, or at six tables split between high-tops and benched seating. A neon red “it’s not that serious” sign illuminates the industrial-rustic dining room that features two roll-up garage doors and retro décor, including a NY 27A sign and pay phone.
The menu, which will not assume its final, seasonally changing form until next month, features flat breads, sliders, sandwiches, tacos, hot dogs and more. It tops out at $14, for three Baja-style fish tacos.
The cocktail menu changes seasonally, too, and currently features an “Apple Pie Mule” (vodka, lime, apple cinnamon syrup and ginger beer, $12), “What, Hangover?” (spirit of your choice, pineapple, passion fruit, agave and electriCOCO coconut water, $13) and “Fall Love of 11566” (bourbon, marshmallow, marshmallow syrup and chocolate bitters, $14). The beer selection ($3 to $7) includes Montauk Pumpkin Ale, Hofbrau Munchen and Allagash White in cans and Stella Artois, Blue Moon, Montauk Wave Chaser and Bud Light on tap.
With a purchase of the “Fall Love of 11566” cocktail, Street to Table donates $1 to the Only Love Foundation, which helps bring modern educational tools to less-privileged schools in underdeveloped countries. Additionally, guests can donate by leaving change in an out-of-service pay phone on the wall. All proceeds go to the foundation.
Hours are Mondays to Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Fridays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Street to Table is at 2205 Merrick Rd. in Merrick, 516-608-8185.