Huntington’s Golden Dolphin Diner owed $163G, tax officials say

The Golden Dolphin Diner in Huntington owed more than $163,000 in state taxes when it was seized this week, officials for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance said Thursday.

Tax officials said the property was seized Wednesday with three warrants against the corporation that owns the restaurant on Route 25A — officially named Limnaria Corp., but doing business as the Golden Dolphin.

One warrant was for failure to pay withholding tax, two others were related to sales tax debt, tax officials said. The outstanding balance is for filing periods from 2015 to 2017.

Employees showed up at the diner on Wednesday to find the building closed and seizure placards posted on the windows.

Owner Theodore Caligeros declined to comment Thursday, other than to say the diner remained closed. He said Wednesday he had discovered the seizure that morning and he did not know how much money tax officials were seeking.

“I drove by and saw the signs on the building and saw the police car out front,” longtime regular customer Chris Mangakis, of Lloyd Harbor, said on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate. I know they just spent a lot of money on renovating. They were always very friendly and gracious.”

The restaurant, which at one point boasted a menu of more than 400 items, was closed for five months in 2015 for a renovation, reopening with twice the space in October of that year.

“They did have the best pancakes, so that will be missed if they don’t come back,” said Mangakis said.