Party on: Long Island Italian restaurants that are good for big groups

So much pasta! So much garlic! So much wine! So much toasting and celebrating and, as the evening latens, singing, napkin waving and, later still, dancing!

Long Island has thousands of Italian spots to suit every need — from the neighborhood pizzeria that supplies your lunchtime slice to the white-tableclothed restaurant where a black-jacketed server decants your Barolo. But there’s a certain breed of eatery with a mission that goes way beyond food and drink. At restaurants like Salvatore’s of Elmont, Vincent’s Clam Bar of Carle Place and Patrizia’s of Hicksville, Hauppauge, Massapequa Park and, soon, Commack, the prime directive is PARTY.

PATRIZIA'S 

Patrizia's is "home of the family style," so nearly every table at this Bronx-based mini chain is filled with large families celebrating birthdays and special occasions. The main draw here is the four-course family style dinner for $59.95 a person, complete with unlimited beer and wine. But even if you come alone, all "guests become family" by the end of the meal, as the restaurant's slogan goes. "It's an energetic time," says manager Christian Cafarella, who is gearing up for the latest opening this August in Commack. Solo parties can post up at the rowdy bar area for people-watching.

VINCENT'S CLAM BAR

“It only took 40 years,” Vincent's Clam Bar owner Bobby Marisi said, panning over a full dining room on a recent May afternoon. The restaurant, which is decorated with twinkle lights across the ceiling and massive faux flower arrangements, bustles with large parties celebrating graduations, communions and milestone birthdays. Everyone's favorite Italian specialties are on display, piled high along servers’ forearms as they shimmy through the maze of tables, shouting directions at each other, clearing messes, delivering goblets of drinks.

Started as a seafood pushcart on the streets of Manhattan's Little Italy back in 1904, the original Vincent’s Clam Bar on Hester and Mott streets was named for owners’ Guiseppe and Carmela Siano’s son, Vincent. Two young servers working at the Carle Place franchise saw an opportunity when the restaurant went up for sale in 1983. Since then, the Marisi family has been at the helm of the Carle Place Vincent’s, continuing the traditions of red sauce and big, celebratory meals. At 4 p.m. on any given afternoon, expect Vincent’s to be packed.

SALVATORE’S OF ELMONT

It looks like a tiny pizzeria from the front, but follow the sign along the side of the building pointing to “garden” and you find yourself in a warren of tents whose white nylon “walls” are festooned with lights and garlands and floral sprays, glitter and sequins. There’s even a tiny waterfall.

“Hello, my friends!” chirps co-owner Anna Cortesiano as she shows you to your table, which will soon receive a big plate of garlic knots and another of Sicilian pizza (cut into decorous bite-sized pieces). Then the wine begins, red or white, served in big goblets with or without ice. (Or bring your own wine; there’s no corkage fee.) Someone will probably come around proffering Margarita shots too. None of this, mind you, will appear on your bill — nor will the plate of zeppole that will be delivered long after you can eat another mouthful (though you probably will).

“People came from New Jersey and Florida to be with me tonight,” the birthday girl said. “The owners are wonderful people, I knew the food would be great and we’d all be able to dance. I could not be happier.”

Of the 200-plus people enjoying themselves, almost half are here for a special occasion, whether it’s a ​​50th birthday party that gets its own tent or an intimate anniversary dinner for two. That’s what brought Susana and Jerry Palacio to Salvatore’s. “This is our neighborhood spot,” Susana said. “It fills all our needs.” Jerry will stop by for a slice for lunch or he’ll pick up takeout for a quiet meal at home. For a special celebration like their 52nd wedding anniversary, she said, “we want to be where we feel at home, and Vito and Anna are like family.”

In between courses, Atanasio serenaded the couple with a sweet rendition of “Strangers in the Night” and they danced close, as if they were the only ones in the restaurant.