With the recent arrival of Puglia’s of Little Italy in Nassau County, Long Islanders can get a close approximation of their favorite Italian landmark restaurants without bridging and tunneling it to Manhattan.
Puglia of Little Italy
2366 Hempstead Tpke.
East Meadow
516-513-1354
They’ve been packing them in on Hester Street in the city forever. The tourists eat up the singing, the napkin shaking, and those big platters of down-home Italian fare-like the popular Rice Ball (Aracina Angelina) and the big shareable chopped salad.
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Vincent’s Clam Bar
179 Old Country Rd.
Carle Place
516-742-4577
www.vincentsclambar.com
The first of a wave of New York City Italian “landmark” eateries to discover the Island, the original on the corner of Mott and Hester Streets in Little Italy opened in 1904. This branch brings world-famous Vincent’s Original Sauce on top of ravioli to Long Islanders, plus its famous fried calamari. The restaurant offers a massive menu in addition to the raw bar and a rather lively atmosphere.
Il Mulino
1042 Northern Blvd.
Roslyn Estates
516-621-1870
www.ilmulinony.com
This top-rated Greenwich Village destination for Italian food has always been one of the toughest spots to get reservations at in Manhattan. Here, near the Miracle Mile, the upper-bracket prices are a perfect fit: If you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it. The menu is similar to the original-whole red snapper, osso buco-all expertly prepared with service to match. The acceptance of Il Mulino’s sky-high tariffs just proves that Long Islanders will stop at nothing for an exemplary dining experience, whether it’s worthre-mortgaging your home or not.
Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria
980 Franklin Ave.
Garden City
516-294-6565
www.patsygrimaldis.com
In pizza legend, first there was Lombardi’s on Spring Street in 1905, where Patsy Lancieri learned his stuff. He opened Patsy’s Pizzeria (see below) and taught his nephew Patsy Grimaldi the way of the pie. Grimaldi’s, which opened under the Brooklyn Bridge in 1990, has become, in the hands of Grimaldi’s nephew, a chain with outposts on Long Island, in Hoboken and throughout Arizona. What makes this coal oven-baked pizza so special is the smoky taste imparted by the coal and the charred crust from the intense heat. The menu proudly proclaims “No slices,” so get a 12-, 16- or 18-inch pie and enjoy a taste that generations have been experiencing. Make sure to let your server know not to hold back on the char.
Patsy’s Pizzeria
407 Jericho Tpke.
Syosset
516-802-4125
www.patsyspizzeriany.com
The original was opened in East Harlem in the early 1930s by Patsy Lancieri and became the first real pizzeria in New York. Up until then, pizza was served from the coal ovens of Italian bakeries like Lombardi’s. This branch, housed in a former diner, is part of an expanding operation (and had to fight off ridiculous claims to its name), but the thin-crust coal-fired pizzas here are just as good as what you get these days from the original on First Avenue. Try the simple regular pizza on a good, charred crust and savor the tastes and idea of what pizza was like at its inception.
