8 best things we ate on Long Island this month

Newsday's food team eats out every day of the week on Long Island in search of standout meals at a good value. Here are their favorite dishes from the past few weeks:

Rotisserie chicken at Don Pollo

124 Old Country Rd., Mineola

Don Pollo, an Ozone Park original, recently popped up in Mineola. This sliver of a spot, with a robust takeout counter, serves Peruvian classics. The rotisserie chicken, flavorful and succulent, spiced with garlic, cumin, paprika and oregano and a hit of citrus, was a perfect take-home meal that I enjoyed for days. Such chicken combos, served with rice and beans or fries and a salad, begin at $17 for a quarter chicken. More info: 516-266-3036; donpolloperu.com

Uni ikura don at House of Yoshin

479 New York Ave., Huntington

This spot, which changed from its initial kaiseki concept to omakase, is worth the splurge for its 16-course omakase menu that highlights the best of Japan, bite by bite, each one more tasty than the last. But the pièce de résistance, closing the meal, was a generous mini bowl (don) of silky, vibrant uni, draped with ikura, or salmon roe — something I usually don’t like — served over perfect vinegar rice. The presentation, the collision of briny flavors, and the freshness of the fish made this both memorable, and eye-opening. Where you get your ikura — in this case, fresh from Japan — makes all the difference. Part of the $180 omakase offering, this bite can only be had as part of a larger meal. More info: 631-223-0231, houseofyoshin.com.

— Marie Elena Martinez

Pasta al forno at Acasa

707 Willis Ave., Williston Park 

Acasa made an impressive debut in early March. It replaced the venerable family-style restaurant La Parma in Williston Park and, somehow, manages to be simultaneously old-fashioned and innovative. The queen of the large-format macaroni dishes is this pasta al forno ($48), an earthenware casserole filled with mini ziti (made in-house), sausage ragu, meatballs, mozzarella and, the flourish that touched my heart, chunks of hard-boiled eggs. I could see a party of four starting their meal with this — I could also see myself sitting at the bar and polishing off the whole thing. More info: 516-294-6610, acasaitalian.com

Shrimp and grits at Shands General 

67 W Main St., Patchogue

The older I get, the more I enjoy eating a big meal in the middle of the day. That’s how I came to wander into Shands General one bright Saturday afternoon. Seated next to the window overlooking Patchogue’s Main Street General, I enjoyed a terrific meal: deviled eggs, an expertly dressed salad of local greens, Korean-style chicken wings, steak frites au poivre and these gigantic tiger prawns ($38) sitting on a bed of grits with braised escarole and tempura oyster mushrooms thrown in for good measure. More info: 631-447-2337, shandsgeneral.com

— Erica Marcus

Chinese egg tart at Garden Dim Sum

1500 Old Country Rd. unit 102B, Westbury

One of Long Island's largest dim sum houses, Royal Dim Sum at the Samanea New York Mall, recently underwent a name and ownership change to Garden Dim Sum. I checked out the bustling scene on a recent Sunday morning and found the selection was pretty similar as before — they even had those cute piggy buns — but the food itself seemed to be getting even better. I absolutely adore Chinese egg tarts ($5.95), but they're often not as fresh-tasting when you get them from the roaming carts on the weekends. Here they were perfect, straight out of the oven — flaky, sweet and so satisfying, it's mystical. More info: 516-382-9091, gardendimsum.com

1900 Burger at Reese's 1900

70 N Ocean Ave, Patchogue

I think my diet was 80% hamburgers this month, as I was working my way through Long Island's best burgers of 2026. This was a difficult project for me because nearly every hamburger tastes good. But I was looking for destination-worthy patties. The one that sticks out the most is the scandalously rare 1900 Burger at Reese's, a half-century-old pub in downtown Patchogue. It's smothered in bleu cheese that's so runny it's basically a sauce — and there's bacon on there too. Woof. More info: 631-289-1900, reeses1900.com 

— Andi Belin

Birria ramen at JINYA Ramen Bar

3176 Middle Country Rd., Lake Grove

JINYA Ramen Bar in Lake Grove is the first New York outpost for the acclaimed restaurant chain, which was founded in 2010 and has 75 sites across the country. This spot is worth the visit not just for the elegant and sleek ambience, but also for their delicious ramen. My favorite is the birria ramen, made with spiced beef and chicken broth (that is so voluminous), slow cooked birria beef, red onion, fresh green onion, cilantro and lime. It tastes just like the taco in the best way. More Info: 631-516-1388, jinyaramenbar.com

Steak frites and adult happy meal at Courtside Sport + Social

96 E. Main St., Babylon

Babylon’s Courtside Sport + Social, which opened earlier this year in the space that used to be Long Island Pekin, impressed with attention to detail in just about every aspect of the eatery, from the pickleball-themed decor (which made me want to play the sport for the first time) to the food. The mouth-watering steak frites was juicy, the selection of mocktails refreshing and the fun (and delicious) adult happy meal came with well-seasoned nuggets that have the most satisfying crunch. You also get a fun toy, such as a Rubik's cube. More info: 631-314-4360, courtsidebabylon.com

— Melissa Azofeifa