Diners enjoy soup, salad and sandwiches at lunch at Salumi in Massapequa. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan
When going to dinner feels like a hassle, is too expensive, or getting a reservation proves challenging, our favorite workaround is to opt for lunch instead. A shorter, less ceremonial meal, lunch is widely offered at many of the best restaurants on Long Island, but often overlooked. So much so, that we added an "open for lunch" category to our Top 50 Restaurants list for the first time this year to highlight more affordable choices at our favorite spots.
Though over half — 27, to be exact — of our Top 50 Restaurants offer lunch, we’re spotlighting four, two in Suffolk, two in Nassau, that we think have terrific daytime options for your stomach and your wallet. Whether you’re in the mood for Chinese, tapas, Italian, or a steak, we have you covered. The best part? No reservations required.
Salumi
5600 Merrick Rd., Massapequa
- Dinner large-plate price: Up to $110
- Lunch plates: $14 to $20
If you’ve been to Salumi, you know that evening reservations are essential, and the restaurant fills up quickly. For a less buzzy vibe, and a completely different menu, duck in for brunch or lunch; the restaurant opens early, at 10 a.m.
Diners enjoy Bocadillo Bites for lunch at the bar of Salumi in Massapequa. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan
Opened by Lilly Kanarova and Josh Kobrin in 2011, this laid-back spot is a Spanish-style tapas joint with exceptional cheeses and cured meats, plus wines drawn from some of the lesser-known regions of the world. By day, the dining rooms are light and bright. Leather couches complement oversize booths plus ample bar seating for solo diners. A chalkboard announces various wine specials and cheese offerings.
In the evening, large plates can reach up to $110 (for a dry-aged steak board), but by day, tapas, sandwiches and breakfast selections begin around $8 and top out around $15. Traditional small plates like patatas bravas ($11), pan con tomate and garlic shrimp, plus robust charcuterie boards focused on region (Italy or Spain, $52) or wine (white, $24, or red, $25) are served all day. At lunch there are paninis and gourmet sandwiches on homemade bread, like braised pork belly with kimchi, cilantro and sesame mayo on a baguette, and salads such as burrata and prosciutto ($16), a Cobb ($18) and a grain salad ($15). Fresh organic eggs for frittatas ($14) and croque monsieurs ($16) and madames ($16) abound at brunch, plus smoked salmon toast ($20), buckwheat waffles ($15), fresh baguettes ($5.50) and loaves of banana bread ($10).
If you’re imbibing, nearly 50 wines are available by the glass — red, white, bubbles, dessert, fortified. Beer and cocktails are equally plentiful. More info: 516-620-0057, salumibarli.com
New Fu Run
50 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck
- Dinner plates: Up to $45.10
- Lunch special: $12.95
While in the evening, entrees at this Dongbei (the northeasternmost part of China that used to be called Manchuria) specialty spot can range from $15.95 to $45, bargain hunters are in luck: New Fu Run has a $12.95 lunch special.
Triple delight vegetables with eggplant, peppers and potatoes at New Fu Run in Great Neck. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Described as gutsier and heartier than Cantonese and less incendiary than Sichuan, New York’s first Dongbei restaurant, Fu Run, opened in Flushing in 2005. Twelve years later, its sibling, New Fu Run, opened in Great Neck. With its traditional red Chinese lanterns anchored by an opulent crystal chandelier, the dining room is open and airy, clean and bright. And while diners may indulge in Peking duck or cumin-spiced lamb at dinner, there are 25 choices available for under $13 during the daylight hours, all of which come with soup and rice.
Choose from more ubiquitous Chinese American dishes, including sesame, orange and General Tsao’s chicken, beef with broccoli, shredded pork in black bean sauce, or sauteed sliced fish with tofu. More adventurous options include double-cooked pork belly, Mongolian beef or chicken in a garlic and ginger soy, and shredded pork with string beans. There are a hearty number of vegetarian options as well, including mapo tofu, eggplant with garlic sauce, tomato and egg, mixed vegetables, and the colorful Triple Delight featuring eggplant, peppers and potatoes.
Though lunch provides an ample amount of food, we suggest starting your meal with one of New Fu Run’s delicacies, the country style green bean sheet jelly ($15.95), slippery-chewy "noodles" cut from a sheet of faintly green mung-bean starch. Surrounded by discrete piles of shredded carrots, cucumber, wood-ear mushrooms and tofu, the noodles get tossed by your server, with a sesame sauce, in the manner of a Caesar salad. More info: 516-708-1888, furunrestaurant.com
Luca
93 Main St., Stony Brook
- Three-course dinner: $94
- Two-course lunch: $39
One of Newsday's top Italian restaurants, the delightful Luca in Stony Brook offers two fixed-priced options. The three-course dinner ($94 for first course, pasta and entree) is only bested by a two course lunch for $39. Since entrees can range from $34 to $69 and pastas $35 to $38, we think lunch is the way to go. Plus, the stunning room, the vision of owners David Tunney and Rory Van Nostrand, is awash in sunlight by day, giving the swank room a whole different energy. The marble bar is separated from the main dining room by a regiment of bark-stripped red pine tree trunks that warms up the white-and-gray space; but if the weather allows, we always opt for the pebbled patio.
Orange and fennel salad with Castelvetrano olives dates, fennel and pistachio at Luca in Stony Brook. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Though the a la carte is menu is available all day and changes seasonally, many of Luca’s most popular plates can be ordered off the lunch menu. On the light side, start with the vegan orange and fennel salad, full of Castelvetrano olives, dates and pistachios; the organic romaine, which is basically a deconstructed Caesar salad; or the watercress and smoked trout. Heavier starters include a grand meatball alongside ricotta, gramigna (g-shaped) pasta in pomodoro, or braised calamari with ’nduja (spicy sausage), a Luca favorite.
For main dishes, there’s a hearty chicken Parmesan, a delicate sauteed shrimp with vegetables including tomato, sweet pepper, eggplant and zucchini, and chef Luke DeSanctis’ popular tagliatelle Bolognese, a Northern Italian recipe that is light on tomatoes. There’s also a prosciutto, mozzarella and pesto sandwich, a market fish and roasted squash with tahini, honey, garbanzo, dried cherries and kale for vegetarians. It should be noted that Luca accommodates gluten-free eaters and most pastas can be adapted. And though lunch doesn’t include dessert, do not skip dessert. We recommend the lemon tart ($14) or the Sicilian pistachio gelato ($14). More info: 631-675-0435, lucaitalian.com
Tellers: An American Chophouse
605 E. Main St., Islip
- Dinner: Up to $175
- Lunch: $29
Past the gleaming copper bar and cocktail lounge of this stunning, restored bank-turned-restaurant, which celebrated a quarter-century milestone last year, carts staffed by an attentive crew traverse the dining room floor delivering fat steaks to hungry diners. One of the most lush dining rooms on the Island, it boasts soaring 25-foot windows and deep red upholstery on spacious banquettes and chairs. The food matches the vibe of the room, where light jazz plays in the din.
The black pepper bacon appetizer at Tellers in Islip. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Though Tellers’ $29 power lunch is devoid of a proper steak, the entire a la carte menu is available alongside its bargain prix fixe, which promises to be out of the kitchen in 35 minutes or less from the time the order is taken. Served Monday through Saturday, it’s quite a steal since evening entrees can range from $34 to $175 for a 38-ounce porterhouse for two. Lunch options are much more wallet friendly.
Start with a seasonal soup or salad, including baby wedge, apple pecan and Caesar. Jammy black pepper bacon, baked clams and shrimp and lobster wontons round out the appetizers. Those feeling carnivorous can indulge in a Tellers "black label" burger, a prime dip, filet tips or a pastrami sandwich. Not so meaty? There’s chicken pot pie or chicken Milanese, while in the fish category, salmon and a pan-seared branzino. Add a glass of the wine of the day for a mere $10.
If you feel like the $29 value allows you to try some of the offered a la carte menu items, we suggest the miniature loaf of sesame-potato bread served with black truffle butter ($7) to start, and the duck fat fries ($10) or the tater tots ($16), which are smothered in Gruyere and horseradish cream, to accompany. If you feel like throwing on a steak — perhaps to share — 35-day, dry-aged cuts from rib-eye to New York strip to a porterhouse are on offer, as well as classic cuts like filet and skirt steak. More info: 631-277-7070, tellerschophouse.com
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
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