After strong Roslyn debut, Pilar Coffee Bar eyes rapid Long Island expansion

Less than a month after quietly opening its first Long Island location, Pilar Coffee Bar is already outperforming expectations — and its owners say it’s only the beginning.

The Roslyn café, located across from the LIRR station at 333 Warner Ave., welcomed its first customers on July 6 and will officially celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, Aug. 7, with live music and discounted food and beverages.

“It’s been a lot busier than we expected for a soft opening,” franchise owner and Brentwood native Steve Giordanella told Greater Long Island. “Plus the high school is right down the road and they were already closed for the summer when the store opened, so it should be even better come the fall.”

For franchisee Joe D’Alessandro, the early response has reinforced the vision he and his partners had from the start.

“We wanted to build a community spot — we just love talking to people and getting to know them,” D’Alessandro said. “The goal was to create a place where people feel comfortable and leave with a smile. So far, that’s happening.”

While specialty drinks like the Biscoff Butter Cookie Latte, Toasted Marshmallow Latte and Honey-Cinnamon Latte have quickly become customer favorites, D’Alessandro said the café’s food menu has been just as popular.

Its freshly made breakfast sandwich — smoked ham or sweet bacon, an egg or egg-white omelet, cheddar cheese and garlic aioli on toasted ciabatta or a butter croissant — has become the café’s top-selling food item. The Avocado Toast and Mediterranean Milanese Salad, featuring breaded chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, marinated feta, pickled onions, baby arugula, lemon vinaigrette and balsamic glaze, have also proven popular with customers.

“If you eat here, you’re going to eat well,” D’Alessandro said. “And you aren’t going to eat with a plastic fork and knife.”

The Roslyn café is owned by D’Alessandro and longtime friends Michael Brown and Justin Johnson. Brown and D’Alessandro hold the rights to develop Pilar Coffee Bar locations throughout New York.

The two went to school together in Huntington and have been friends for 40 years.

“We always wanted to go into business together and kept asking ourselves, ‘What’s missing on Long Island?’ After visiting Pilar in Deerfield Beach, Florida, we realized it was an elevated coffee house,” D’Alessandro said.

As Greater Long Island previously reported, Roslyn is the first of several locations planned for the region. D’Alessandro said a café in Elwood is expected to begin a soft opening at the end of August, while a Huntington Village location in the former Christopher’s building is now slated to open in early 2027.

“The goal is to open at least 10 of these on Long Island and then help others expand throughout the state,” D’Alessandro said.

Pilar Coffee Bar is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.