Old-Timer Long Island Restaurant is Now a Cocktail Bar

Atlantic Avenue's long-shuttered greasy spoon, the Long Island Restaurant, reopened last night with new owners and a new focus. Now it's Long Island Bar, and the Spanish American diner food has been replaced by classic cocktails. One of the owners is Toby Cecchini, a longtime vet of the bartending scene. He once ran Passerby, a now-shuttered Meatpacking dive, and before that he gained notoriety at the Odeon by coming up with the modern version of the Cosmo.

Cecchini and his business partner Joel Tompkins spent a lot of time wooing the original owners before they managed to sign the lease, and promised to keep the diner's original '50s style. That means red vinyl booths and formica tables, same iconic neon sign, and according to DNAinfo even the same cigarette-burned bar. The drinks are all slightly updated classics of cocktails like the Boulevardier and the Corpse Reviver, and for now there's no food, but Cecchini and Tompkins have updated the kitchen and plan to change that soon.
· How New Owners Revamped Brookly's Historic Long Island Bar [GS]
· Long-Closed Long Island Bar & Restaurant Relaunches With New Owners [DNAinfo]
· All Coverage of Long Island Restaurant & Bar [~ENY~]
[Photo: Lost City]