If you’re searching for special deals, you’ve found the wrong list. This is for date night on Long Island, prime time, nights to get gussied up, to wine and dine.
We’re talking white tablecloths, olive oil, oysters, water views, quaint villages, downtowns and extensive wine lists. Scroll down to start planning.
The Farm Italy
HUNTINGTON
The Farm Italy Restaurant & Bar, which opened to immediate fanfare in February of 2023, brings the simplicity, artistry and seasonal freshness of local Italian dining to the heart of downtown Huntington.
Here, delicious food is served alongside a collection of alluring cocktails in a transportive yet welcoming space with impressive art lining the walls. It’s elegant yet comfortable, romantic yet welcoming, bright yet perfectly lit in the evenings.
This is truly a space for every occasion.
Stunningly sophisticated in its simplicity — and known for using only the freshest ingredients — The Farm Italy creates dishes that ignite the palate, warm the heart and create moments you and your special someone will both taste and see.
The idea is simple in its execution: offer food you want to eat every day with simplicity and freshness, bold flavors and a warm and spirited ambiance. It’s not about not being fussy; it’s about being where you want to be and eating food you want to eat.
Here’s a pro tip: Make reservations now, as this spot is in very high demand.
Avino’s Italian Table
BELLPORT VILLAGE
In the heart of this historic seaside village you’ll find Avino’s Italian Table, which has taken up residence in an 1856 farmhouse worthy of a Currier and Ives painting. Our favorite time to visit is the fall and winter, when the Avino family keeps three fireplaces burning through dinner service.
And we all know there’s nothing like that fiery reflection in a wine glass to get date night started.
Within their southern Italian menu you’ll find an array of antipasti options, salads, and pasta, fish and chicken dishes. But we say it’s a special night, so go for the Filetto, grass-fed angus tenderloin with mushroom reduction, whipped potato, vegetable and crispy onions, and add the gorgonzola crust.
We also suggest starting with Salumi e Formaggi, the chef’s selection of artisan cheeses and Italian cured meats, olives, mushrooms, artichokes and roasted red peppers. Pair all that with a half-dozen refreshing Long Island oysters.
Now you’re really having fun by the fire.
Revival by Toast
PORT JEFFERSON VILLAGE
Think cozy but classy.
And let the photos speak for themselves.
Revival by Toast opened in the heart of Port Jefferson Village in November of 2022, by the same folks behind the immensely popular Toast Coffee + Kitchen, and in the same space.
But that space is no longer recognizable from a brunch spot. The interior has been redone in an upscale theme with a nautical touch.
The decor is textured and intimate, with accents that are clearly nautical, such as the knotted rope that’s stretched, twisted and hanging between the bar area. The dining room was furnished with materials that came from a shipyard in Northport. Then there’s the exposed brick and plastered walls that would seem at home in any New England downtown.
In the kitchen, partner and chef Scott Andriani whips elevated comfort foods served in small-plate fashion for a little sharing, or full courses in prix fixe form. All approachable, of course.
Small-batch spirits light up their creative craft cocktails, and Revival offers a real hidden gem of a wine program.
We can not emphasize this enough: This is a place to impress, casual yet with just the right touches of upscale for any special night.
Besito Mexican
ROSLYN, HUNTINGTON, WEST ISLIP
Isn’t upscale Mexican such a great choice for date night? And few do it better than Besito, which means “little kiss,”in English. How appropriate for this list! Each of Besito’s three locations offer an elegant and dimly lit, yet vibrant atmosphere where the service and every detail of the dining experience is crafted with care.
Every dish and salsa is made from scratch using only the freshest of ingredients, down to the dessert (order the Tres Leches cake). Even the quality of cocktails rival any elevated cocktail bar or lounge in the region. We’d be looking to spice things up on this particular night, starting with their spicy margaritas, which are second-to-none on Long Island.
If you’re looking to flirt across the table, order the iron skillet tacos, then share and mix and match. But be warned, you might end up fighting over that last scrape of baked queso Chihuahua that’s sure to be stuck to the bottom of those hot skillets.
Besito turns lovers into regulars. So if you give them a try, you’re sure to be back.
It’s no wonder they were recognized as one of OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in America,
Primi Italian Steakhouse
WEST ISLIP
Primi Italian Steakhouse was already one of Long Island’s most romantic restaurants, ever since it opened back in 2016.
Then in 2023, ownership shut the place down for an entire summer for extensive renovations, with absolutely jaw-dropping results. We’ll let the above photos speak for themselves.
Primi’s menu is diverse, offering everything from gnocci with vodka sauce or bolognese cavatelli, to beef Wellington or a 28-day, dry-aged porterhouse steak for two. We’d start light, with the tuna crudo or clams oreganata, because t’s going to be a long and cozy night — capped off with some crisp crème brûlée.
Mix in a little brandy with that jazz trio that performs every evening and you might never leave.
Plans are also in motion to renovate the outside patio for al fresco dining by candlelight.
Chops Steakhouse
PATCHOGUE VILLAGE
Chops is a luxe, dimly lit downtown steakhouse with a Prohibition-era feel, all designed to keep the wine and cocktails flowing as the night gets better and better.
It’s an intimate space that was built for romance and awash in red — from the linen, to the seating, to the velvet drapes and wallpaper, highlighted with rustic wood and exposed brick.
And the food!
We would first go surf-and-turf off the appetizer menu by ordering either the Beef Carpaccio and Oysters Rockefeller or Steak Tartare and Lump Crab Cakes. Either way your endorphins will be flowing at this point, especially after that first smoked Old Fashioned arrives to the table.
Dinner options are plentiful, with traditional steakhouse selections as small an 8-ounce Petit Filet and as large as a 40-ounce, dry-aged Tomahawk Ribeye.
Then there’s the array of sides like you’d find at any NYC steakhouse, such as creamed spinach, along ones unique to Chops, such as the Hot Honey and Bacon Brussels Sprouts, along with a menu of sauces to choose from — though we always opt for the Creamy Horseradish. There’s there’s the chicken, fish and pork options, and a complete raw bar.
On the service end, Chops is all about experience, with a front-of-the-house team that treats everyone like a celebrity. This is where you go to make some great memories on Main Street.
Sandbar
COLD SPRING HARBOR
Right in the middle of one of the prettiest little Main Streets on Long Island, is Sandbar.
Once inside, you’ll be immediately immersed in a coastal casual ambiance — providing the sleekest of backdrops for an elaborate American dining experience from both land and sea. Also a great setting for a very memorable date night with your person.
The menu was created by none other than six-time James Beard semifinalist Guy Reuge, who combines local fare, tavern favorites and seafood specialties into everyday elegance. Your camera will indeed eat first, as the kids say. This means the dish presentations are an absolute art form, so you’ll want to snap some photos to show off this special night to friends and followers.
If you really want to show off, spring for the Seafood Tower, followed by the Duck Two Ways and the Scottish Salmon. We would finish the night with creme brûlée, the mixed berries, sorbet and an after dinner drink, maybe a Coquito or Brandy Alexander, as the cocktails at Sandbar are consistently, perfectly executed.
Lessing’s, the ownership group, describes Sandbar as a spot where “modern opulence collides with classic comfort foods.” The handhelds and more casual options — such as the Sandbar Cheeseburger or Cajun Chicken Sandwich — are as tasty as the entrées. But this is date night, after all; let’s stick to the forks and knives.
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