How Glen Cove was reborn as dining destination

Patrick Hannett was born in Glen Cove and returned to the area about three years ago. One evening in November, he found himself at Otherside Wine Bar, enjoying charcuterie with grilled sourdough and a small plate of chef Ian Bock’s slow-roasted carrots with ricotta, hazelnuts and honey butter sparked with Calabrian chili.

It was his third time at the restaurant, a vaulted, wood-paneled 200-year-old space updated with modern light fixtures and a sleek bar and tables. Otherside opened last year, in the “other side” of uber-hip, four-year-old Southdown Coffee. And just as Southdown upgraded Glen Cove’s coffee scene, Otherside is introducing the community to small-production natural wines from all over the world—plus a few bottles from the Roslyn-based winery and cidery, Floral Terranes.

“I was thinking when I moved back, ‘Maybe it won’t be so bad,’ ” admitted Hannett, who was drinking an NV14 Cain Cuvée from Napa Valley. “But now I wonder, ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner?’ ” He added that he’d been pleasantly surprised to find a clutch of establishments that are “casual but with an excellent vibe and excellent food.”

Once a destination for Italian-accented Continental places such as Zanghi and La Pace, Glen Cove has, in the last few decades, punched well below its weight given its position amid such well-heeled burgs as Locust Valley, Lattingtown, Matinecock and Old Brookville. But now, it looks like the city (it and Long Beach are the only cities on Long Island) may follow Oyster Bay’s recent gustatory path from drab to fab. 

Every thriving downtown has great restaurants, and that means attracting renters and owners who prioritize dining.

– Pamela Panzenbeck, Glen Cove mayor

Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, the longtime city council member who took office in 2023, attributed the current boom to a business-friendly atmosphere aided by an active Chamber of Commerce, and to the construction of two large housing developments that, eventually, will comprise more than a thousand units: Village Square, downtown, and Garvies Point, which rises and sprawls a mile west on what had been a moldering waterfront parcel. “Our downtown needs revitalization,” she declared. “Every thriving downtown has great restaurants, and that means attracting renters and owners who prioritize dining.”

The mayor might have been talking about Jodie Sheinbaum, Hannett’s dinner companion at Otherside. Sheinbaum moved to Garvies Point from Roslyn in 2022 and, while she’s a regular patron of the brewery next door to her building and the bagel shop across the street, she was thrilled to discover Otherside. “When I lived in Roslyn,” she said, “the only place we knew in Glen Cove was La Ginestra [est. 1986]. Who knew the town had gotten so bougie?”

Less than a half mile down the street at Plado, customer John DeRosa said that when he first moved to Garvies Point three years ago, most of his local dining dollars were spent at The Americana, the spendy Manhasset shopping center that houses Cipollini and Toku. “I’ve been going to Pio Pio since it opened,” he said, “and we come here once or twice a week. Because of places like this, we hang out in Glen Cove more.”

Plado has that Americana look down pat, inside and out. “Last Saturday night,” said chef-owner German Rizzo, “the parking lot was full of Porsches and Jaguars.” He and his wife-partner, Kristen O’Donnell, gutted the old Riviera Grill, creating a pleasing mix of subway tile, exposed brick and dark wood, with two bars—the one where DeRosa sat facing a wall of top-shelf spirits and a six-seater that looks into the open kitchen.

Rizzo’s global repertoire is reflected in the name of the venture: “Plado” means “plate” in Esperanto, the “universal language” created by L.L. Zamenhof in 1887. His menu offers a few big-ticket steaks and chops, but, otherwise, it is composed of small plates—prawns or duck confit, say, but many of them highlight the vegetables at the heart of his artistry. Cauliflower has been having a moment for the last decade, deployed all too often by chefs trying to deflect accusations of meatism. But Rizzo clearly loves this pale plant, coaxing sweetness out of its charred florets while ensuring that the stems are meltingly tender. The garnish of Kalamata olives, pickled onions and tomatoes is almost—but not quite—too much, offset by the nutty tang of tahini yogurt.

Plado is the rare example of a Long Island restaurant that uses fresh, not canned, baby artichokes both raw (in a salad with avocado and stracciatella) and halved and fried (drizzled with smoked paprika aioli). Rizzo, born in Turin, is a master of pasta. He makes inventive gnocchi with taro root instead of potatoes, and they are impossibly light, though brought down to earth by oyster mushrooms, truffle cream and the welcome crunch of toasted breadcrumbs.

Rizzo and O’Donnell operate an Italian restaurant, L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, in Upper Manhattan as well as a sister Plado (est. 2019) on the Lower East Side. The couple bought a house in Glen Cove three years ago and were determined to open a third spot on Long Island. Initially, they considered an established dining hub such as Roslyn, Rockville Centre or Manhasset, but when they learned that Riviera Grill on Cedar Swamp Road was closing, O’Donnell said, “Why don’t we give it a chance?”

Rizzo noted that rent was much lower in Glen Cove than in Roslyn and “the space you can get is so much bigger—in my basement here I have a commissary kitchen for all my restaurants, catering, my whole operation.” His faith was also bolstered by the presence of Pio Pio, which opened less than a half mile south in June 2023. “Augusto started this movement,” he said. “It gave me confidence.”

In truth, Augusto Yallico’s decision to choose Glen Cove for his ninth Pio Pio was not driven by market research. “I live nearby,” he said. “I drove by, saw the ‘For Sale’ sign, I liked the building.”

Certainly, he figured that a sizable portion of the customers who patronize Pio Pios in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx would appreciate the shorter trip for ceviche, pisco sours and, especially, the Matador Combo, which can feed four people. Centered around a burnished whole chicken—which must be anointed with Pio Pio’s famous spicy green sauce—it also includes a platter of salchipapas (French fries topped with hot dog slices), tostones (fried and smashed green plantains), avocado salad and rice and beans.

The look of Pio Pio may be high-end tropical chic, but the food has a distinct populist appeal: That Matador Combo is only $74, or under $20 a person, and the most common beverage is the sangria, made with merlot, chardonnay and enough sugar to make you think the only varietal is Concord grape.

Plado and Pio Pio are situated a short drive south of the city’s walkable downtown, and the third member of this “south-of-town” triumvirate is Oak & Vine. Co-owner Billy Figaro observed that, when it comes to Glen Cove, geography can be destiny. “That’s the beauty of our location,” he said. “If you’re in Glen Cove and you want to go to Roslyn, you have to drive by Oak & Vine. That’s why we put so much effort into the exterior of the building—striped umbrellas, shrubbery, floral arrangements—it’s ‘curb appeal.’ ” Figaro believes that the dearth of destination restaurants in Glen Cove has not been the fault of the town, but of operators who don’t think big enough. “We’ve opened a place with a New York City vibe and aesthetic. While places here have met expectations, we want to exceed them.” And, chimed in his partner, Rehan Alam, “You don’t have to travel too far up into Glen Cove to come here.”

The name of the place alludes to the bar’s focus on wine and, especially, whiskey; there are four signature Old Fashioneds that may also be sampled as a flight. The interior is contemporary and inviting, with richly hued walls and wood floors. The menu, from executive chef Fernando Leites, has a similar air of modern comfort with crowd-pleasers such as tuna-avocado tartare with sweet soy and yuzu; grilled octopus brightened by preserved lemon butter; burrata and heirloom tomatoes with roasted pistachio and balsamic glaze; double-battered fried chicken with mashed potatoes and black-garlic barbecue sauce. Figaro knew Glen Cove was a noodle town, and so, for maximum hospitality, the kitchen will add your choice of chicken, shrimp or salmon to spaghetti carbonara, truffle gnocchi or any of the other four pasta dishes.

Plado, Pio Pio and Oak & Vine all occupy buildings that were once Italian restaurants—Plado in the old Riviera Grill, Pio Pio in La Pace and Oak & Vine in La Veranda, three establishments that were major players in Glen Cove’s glory years. Nestled in the center of the city’s historic downtown is its oldest Italian restaurant, La Bussola Ristorante, founded by Pasquale Lubrano in 1980 and, along with La Ginestra (1986), the sole survivors of that era.

La Bussola is now run by Pasquale’s sons Carlo and Marco, the chef. (His other two sons, Tony and John, can be found at La Piccola Bussola in Huntington.) “In the ’80s,” reminisced Carlo, “people would drive to eat at La Pace, La Veranda, La Vigna, Pappagallo, Zanghi’s, Callegari’s, Villa Pierre. They’re all gone now. The owners died; the kids didn’t want to take over. But there’s also much more competition now—these places on Northern Boulevard, in Roslyn—people don’t have to drive all the way up to Glen Cove if they want a nice meal.”

If they do drive all the way up to La Bussola, though, they’ll find a warm dining room, seasoned service and an approachable menu, much of it preserved, not in amber but a thin metaphorical veil of red sauce: fried calamari, stuffed artichokes, baked clams, spaghetti marinara, chicken scarpariello and scaloppine (Parmesan, Marsala, piccata, Francese, pizzaiola, Sorrentino, saltimbocca) and dishes such as fegato alla Veneziana, calf’s liver with onions.

Lubrano said that he has benefitted from the buzz created by new restaurants and from the potential customers who have moved into new apartments, particularly those at Village Square, which is only a block away. Another beneficiary is Joseph Valensisi, proprietor, since 2000, of Glen Cove’s oldest restaurant, Henry’s Confectionery. Open only for breakfast and lunch (and ice cream), Henry’s misses those newcomers “who go to work early and come home late,” but are “seeing new faces on weekends and Federal holidays.”

The ground floor of Village Square is home to Tocolo Cantina, which debuted in 2023. Owner Lloyd Rosenman selected Glen Cove as the site of his second Mexican restaurant (the original opened in 2014 in Garden City) because, he said, “Glen Cove is on the upswing and there are tons of people in these apartments who can be customers.” Village Square lies at the northern terminus of Glen Street, and the three blocks between it and Otherside Wine Bar/Southdown Coffee manifest the challenge faced by a downtown that is trying to reinvent itself. Dominated by nail and brow salons, convenience stores, delis and offices, it is bustling by day yet deserted at night.

Hard by the Glen Street Laundromat and across the street from the looming Pistilli Metro Center office building is precisely where Bikash Kharel decided to open the second location of his Nepali restaurant, While in Kathmandu, in October. “I know people say this isn’t a visible location, there’s no chance of walk-ins,” he acknowledged. “But it was the same thing when I opened my first restaurant in Queens.” That restaurant, on a previously dead stretch of Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, has developed a cult following in the eight years it’s been open. “I have the energy to really express what Nepali food is,” he said, “And I believe people are going to travel to eat it.”

People should travel to sample the momos, Nepali dumplings, that are filled with chicken, shrimp, water buffalo meat or vegetables; all are available steamed, fried or in a creamy, tomato-based broth (jhol momo; see cover). You’ll also find sekua, Nepali-style grilled skewers that are served on a bed of chiura, which, Kharel explained, is rice that has been beaten flat and then dried to preserve it.

Some of Kharel’s dishes split the difference between Nepali street foods and those of other nations. “It’s traditional, with a twist,” he said of the “not tacos” made with choila (spiced) chicken or jackfruit enfolded in a freshly made roti. A new item on the ever-expanding menu is bara, lentil pancakes, served with a rainbow of accompaniments: black bean–yam curry, potatoes with cumin, spicy coleslaw and savory pickles. Wash down your momos or bara with one of three Nepali beers or a cocktail made with Khukri rum, named for the dagger that is the national weapon of Nepal and distilled from the sugarcane that grows in the lowlands south of the Himalayas.

Himalayan rum! In Glen Cove! Could there be a better metaphor for a city reaching for new heights?