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While the Village of Patchogue has gone through a renaissance, little has changed in East Patchogue.
But for Two Morrow’s Pub, a 75-year-old building at 300 East Main Street, consistency is a welcomed hallmark.
Now in the hands of its third owners, Rocco Morabito and Spiro Papanikolatos, Two Morrow’s Pub’s German gothic storefront will retain the same familiar facade residents of the area have known and loved for decades.
Under Morabito and Papanikolatos, the pub’s name will remain.
And that’s also to honor Robert “Bobby” and Sheila Morrow, the previous owners who took over and renamed Reidy’s Tavern in 1977.
The couple were married 49 years before Robert’s passing last year.
Morabito said he had actually dreamed of one day running the charming pub himself.
“It was a family place,” Morabito said. “My kids got raised in here. It’s usually not a place you’d bring kids, into a bar to eat, but the food was so good here.”
Morabito said Two Morrows should be back open this fall.
“We’re shooting for October, November,” he said.
Yes, the ‘Piggy Platter’ is still on the menu
Keeping the place family-friendly and familiar to clients was essential for the duo.
“We’re not changing the ambiance of the place,” Papanikolatos said. “We’re gonna leave the wood walls the way they are, the fire place where it is.”
The owners said they intend to only implement changes they deem necessary. These updates include new hardwood flooring in the dining room, a new roof and a new air conditioning system.
Their menu will include all the same items customers had long-read off the pub’s signature chalkboard menu, plus some new appetizers and a few salads.
“They had no menu, the only menu they had was a chalk board,” Morabito said of the old Two Morrows. “You could tell when somebody was new here when they asked for a menu.”
For Two Morrow’s veterans, yes, the ‘Piggy Platter’ will remain on the menu, the new owners assured.
For the unfamiliar, the pub’s staple was named after Robert’s nickname. The ‘Piggy Platter’ is a hamburger with choice of cheese, cooked onions, mushrooms, bacon and a side of fries.
New opportunities
For Morabito, Two Morrow’s is a chance to expand his restaurant footprint.
He also owns and manages Roccos’ Pizza on Medford Avenue, less than a mile from his new pub.
For Papanikolatos, on the other hand, the restaurant game is new territory, although his father once owned a diner.
But when his friend asked him to come along for the Two Morrow’s ride, he said ‘yes.’
“I was retiring and I needed a second career,” Papanikolatos said. “And I liked this place. I used to hang out and come here a lot. I knew its history, I knew the family, I knew the customers. We were on the same page, we were gonna keep the same name and the same vibe, if you wanna call it that.
“And keep it for the Patchogue community.”
