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The moment many sweet-toothed Long Islanders have been waiting for has finally arrived.
Dolce Bella, the viral dessert sensation known for its over-the-top cannoli creations and house-made gelato, officially opened its new Smithtown location Saturday — marking the brand’s first expansion into Suffolk County.
Located at 85 E. Main St., the new shop welcomed customers beginning at noon, bringing the Oceanside-based dessert hotspot closer to its growing fanbase across eastern Long Island.
“When we opened Oceanside, it was a huge success,” co-owner Brandyn Williams previously told Greater Long Island. “People come from Connecticut, upstate, Florida… it’s crazy. But the only complaint people had was that Suffolk County needed one.”
Dolce Bella’s rise has been anything but ordinary.
What began during the pandemic as a small catering cart serving gelato and Italian ice quickly evolved into a social media phenomenon. In 2022, Williams teamed up with longtime friend Tim “Big Red” Downey to launch a cannoli cart concept that exploded online, helping the business rack up millions of TikTok likes and nearly 46,000 Instagram followers.
Known for colorful, unconventional desserts and rotating cannoli flavors, Dolce Bella has built a loyal following by blending classic Italian pastries with playful modern twists.
Popular flavors have included rainbow cookie, cosmic brownie and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, while more adventurous specials — like Hot Cheeto and everything bagel cannoli — have generated buzz online for pushing the boundaries of what a cannoli can be.
Williams said finding the right Suffolk County location took time.
“We did it the old-fashioned way,” he said. “We drove through Bay Shore, Patchogue, Islip — every little town.”
That search ended when the team arrived in Smithtown.
“We really liked it,” Williams said. “The community, everything about Smithtown spoke to us.”
The partners secured the former Energy Boost storefront on Main Street last fall and spent months renovating the space into what Williams described as a vibrant, welcoming shop.
According to Williams, the Smithtown location is nearly twice the size of the original Oceanside store and features artwork of the founding fathers along with a timeline mural throughout the interior. Scroll down for more photos.
Top: Tim “Big Red” Downey and fellow Dolce Bella owner Brandyn Williams outside their Smithtown shop this week. (Credit: GLI/Julianne Mosher)
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