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The Dark Horse Tavern team has saddled up and is galloping into Suffolk County.
The goal is to open in March at the former American Standard location in Bay Shore.
But the real dream would be to open by the March 8 Bay Shore Brightwaters St. Patricks’ Day Parade, the Dark Horse ownership team told Greater Long Island.
Either way, co-owner Christopher Daro says Dark Horse will be open soon enough — dishing freshly prepared food from the kitchen, pouring craft beers and shaking up premium cocktails.
This will be the company’s fourth Dark Horse location and the first in Suffolk, with the others being in Rockville Centre, Farmingdale and Massapequa Park. All locations, even the High Horse catering space in Farmingdale, operate in a downtown.
That’s what drew the team — which includes Joseph Mantovani, Kevin McDermott and Peter Phelan, all restaurant industry veterans — to the heart of Bay Shore after a Babylon deal fell through in 2024.
“We like the Main Street aspect of [downtown Bay Shore],” said Daro. “And how the town gets together for events. We also love how it’s located near the ferries to Fire Island.”
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“Suffolk County is the next frontier for us,” he continued. “Nassau is over-saturated, we feel, and I think Bay Shore is one of the leading towns out here. That’s what interested us.”
He said he’s also heard the restaurant community and the customers who frequent the downtown “are great.”
Related: Winter Long Island Restaurant Week is now in full swing!
In the run-up to March, the team is reflooring the former American Standard, which closed after a New Year’s Eve bash to make way for Dark Horse Tavern.
“We’ll definitely be adding some more TV’s and kind of change the flow of the inside and change the look a bit,” Daro said. “It won’t be a tremendous change but we’ll give it a Dark Horse aesthetic.”
The team is especially excited for the locals to meet their bartenders.
Because, they say, Dark Horse bartenders are known to become fast friends with their customers.
“That’s what we love to bring,” Daro said. “The bartenders treat you like a person who cares about you. It’s not just about serving you a drink and walking away. That’s what we’re trying to build here in Bay Shore.”
Click here for the Massapequa menu, just to get a taste of what will be cooking in Bay Shore.
Top: American Standard opened at 53 W Main St. in Bay Shore in August 2023. (file photo) Dark Horse logo inset.