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Great South Bay Brewery is putting the final touches on its new and grand restaurant that will be opening soon in downtown Lindenhurst.
The Davis family, majority owners of the Bay Shore brewery, has spent the last nine months or so transforming the old bank building in the heart of the downtown into a new, 8,000-square-foot venture.
The $5 million project involved turning the old First National Bank of Lindenhurst, built in 1930, into a space that will have something for everyone.
“[Lindenhurst] has become a real hotspot and we fell in love with the building,” said Brian Davis, who co-owns GSB with his brothers, Chris and Bill, and their father Doug. “It’s a beautiful space.”
But they had their work cut out, having to cut through three feet of concrete in the walls and ceiling to convert the bank into a specious restaurant.
As it nears its opening, patrons can expect a mix of traditional seating and lounge seating throughout, with a 30-seat, horseshoe-shaped bar on the main floor featuring spirits and a 12-beer tap system.
“It’ll certainly be focused around craft beer as one of the branches of the Great South Bay Brewery, but we are going to serve your other favorite spirits,” said Doug Davis.
Other features include a second-floor bar that overlooks the restaurant, a terrace with outdoor seating, and a lounge with views of Wellwood Avenue.
They also transformed the old vault into a spot that can be used for additional dining or rented out for parties and events.
Sit-down dining service with an elevated menu is on tap for the restaurant. Greater Long Island also got a peek at the menu; it features items from short rib mac-and-cheese to artisanal pizzas to heartier meals like chicken capricciosa, a dish that features chicken cutlets topped with baby arugula, Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and glazed with balsamic honey.
The Davis family is aiming to open GSB Lindenhurst this month, with hopes to open by the village’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for March 23.
Greater Long Island visited the new Great South Bay Brewery restaurant on Tuesday. See the photos below.
The before
The before photos were supplied by the Davis family.
The after
More GSB
Great South Bay is also opening a casual restaurant and tasting room at the Station Yards development in Ronkonkoma. They just got the keys to the location and expect to begin work later this month.
Some recent history
The Davis family teamed with Great South Bay Brewery founder Rick Sobotka, a practicing anesthesiologist, in 2016.
Before that, in 2012, the family had sold its aerospace company in Bay Shore. That company’s headquarters, a 40,000-square-foot industrial building at 25 Drexel Drive, would later become home to Great South Bay Brewery.
Since becoming majority owners (it was originally a 50-50 deal) the family members knew they wanted to grow the brand. Now it’s finally time.
“It took a little while to get there, but we feel super comfortable now and are really excited,” said Chris Davis. “We’re not done after these two. We’re looking to continue to expand the Great South Brewery name, and bring as much beer and smiles to people as we can.”
Top: (L-R) Chris Palmer, Chris Davis, Brian Davis, Ryan Kim, Doug Davis, and Billy Davis. (GLI Photo/Nicholas Esposito)
