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The shuttered South Ocean Grill is sizzling once again.
Reopening under the new name The Grill on South Ocean, the Patchogue restaurant is now owned and operated by longtime bartender and industry pro Jean Pierre, who had worked at the original restaurant.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Pierre, who partnered up with realtor Kyle Kelly and Jesse Roenbeck, a part-owner of Road Trip restaurant in Bay Shore, to open The Grill. “I always said that if I could open my own place, this would be the one.”
Pierre — a Deer Park resident who is formerly of Patchogue and has worked in the hospitality industry for more than two decades — said his vision was to revive the spirit of the former South Ocean Grill while giving it a fresh identity focused on community and Long Island pride.
He aims for it to be a destination, as well as a neighborhood favorite.
“People still talk about South Ocean Grill like it was a second home,” he said. “We want to bring that feeling back — but with a new energy, new flavors, and a strong emphasis on local.”
The Grill on South Ocean is located at 567 South Ocean Ave., just a block from the Great South Bay. It officially re-opened during Memorial Day weekend.
The revamped restaurant features a menu centered around elevated American cuisine, with a commitment to sourcing ingredients from Long Island farms, fisheries and purveyors whenever possible.
“We are a Long Island forward concept. I have Long Island vodka. I have Long Island gin. I have Long Island beer and wine,” Pierre listed proudly. “And we’ve got oysters from Long Island. This is a Long Island kitchen through and through. If it’s Long Island, we do it.”
Favorites on the menu include the lobster grilled cheese, kale salad, wild-caught Long Island striped sea bass, the “legendary” fall-off-the-bone ribs, stuffed artichoke and house-made key lime pie, said Pierre, a former TGI Friday’s general manager.
New on the menu are the Great South Bay-farmed oysters from the self-styled “Tall Mutha Shucker” — oyster educator, farmer and shucker Keenan Boyle.
The restaurant’s interior has also been refreshed, with warm woods, nautical accents and a new bar setup — one of Pierre’s favorite parts of the space.
“It’s where I started,” he said. “Behind the bar is where I really learned what people want in a restaurant: connection, comfort, and consistency.”
Pierre credited the outpouring of local support with making the reopening possible.
The Grill on South Ocean is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.
Top photo: Jean Pierre (Courtesy)
