NewsdayUpdated October 15, 2026 7:07 am
Thai. Indian. Japanese. Italian. And OK, possibly the best french fries you’ve ever had. A chic supper club, a wine bar with stellar food, a simple room where the flavors of Venezuela and Japan intertwine in surprising and savvy ways. Chefs and owners who have been around and know a thing or two. This is your introduction to 10 restaurants that have recently burst upon the Long Island food scene. They are too new to be considered for Newsday’s more comprehensive Top 50 restaurants listings, but boy, are they exciting.
Note: Our critics always pay their own way and strive to dine anonymously. Restaurants do not pay or otherwise compensate Newsday in any way to be considered for coverage, nor do advertising or marketing play a role in editorial decisions.
The Comet Club
At the sprawling Comet Club, which has anchored The Vanderbilt luxury apartment and hotel in Westbury since late April, New York’s Gilded Age segues into the glamour of 1920s Miami and Havana. And it has chef Jesse Schenker, whose Long Island restaurant portfolio has, until now, been focused on Oyster Bay. He’s spent years revamping that town’s dining scene with 2 Spring (and its tasting-menu sibling, Four, a Top 50 restaurant, plus the Italian spot Gioia, the fast-casual Gimme Burger and the gourmet market Provisions.
For The Comet Club, Schenker went back to the heyday of supper clubs that served lobsters, oysters—“big drinks, big portions, steaks and chops.” Reflecting Schenker’s vision, the space has an overall grandeur, but the menu is approachable and familiar. Raw bar offerings include caviar, shrimp cocktail and oysters. Or, instead, start with deviled eggs with roasted red pepper and pickled onion relish or guacamole. Light eaters will appreciate the salads, with add-ons such as shrimp, steak, or chicken. The excellent burger made with 8 ounces of prime beef and Cheddar, comes on a brioche bun with fries cooked in beef tallow (see page 12). Fish includes grilled local tuna and roasted halibut, while there’s a range of steaks, chops and roasted chicken, too. In an homage to “The Comet,” the 1935 streamliner train that serviced Boston and Providence (from which the restaurant derives its name), dessert carts and trolleys circulate with a variety of pies, cakes and seasonal sweets. — Marie Elena Martinez