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Real Estate Careers in Long Island, 211 Newbridge Road, Hicksville, NY (2026)

09/03/2026

Tony’s Tacos set to open in Holbrook amid major Long Island expansion

Julianne Mosher • September 2, 2026

The Holbrook location is expected to open in early September
What started as a 12-seat taco shop in Floral Park six years ago has grown into a rapidly expanding Long Island brand, and Tony’s Tacos is showing no signs of slowing down.

Founded by Italian-born chef and owner Mike Scotto, Tony’s Tacos was built around an unusual idea: combine the flavors and recipes of Italian cooking with the format of a Mexican taco.

Today, Tony’s has five locations in Floral Park, Franklin Square, Garden City, Huntington and Elmhurst, with several more openings planned across Long Island through 2027.

The expansion began almost as quickly as the original Floral Park restaurant took off.

“We were a small place, 12 seats,” Scotto told Greater Long Island. “The business just exploded so much that we had to open another two miles from there.”

That second location opened on Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square, followed by another on Main Street in Huntington.

Then came a much bigger gamble.

Scotto wanted to open a 160-seat Tony’s Tacos in Garden City, a move that some questioned.

“Everyone was like, ‘You’re crazy. You can’t have a taco place with 160 seats,’” he said.

The Garden City restaurant proved to be a success and helped lay the groundwork for the company’s next phase of growth.

Tony’s Tacos now sells approximately 3 million tacos a year, according to Scotto, and the company is preparing to expand even further.

It recently opened its first food-court location at Queens Center Mall, with additional restaurants planned for Holbrook, Green Acres Mall, Levittown and Babylon.

The Holbrook location at the new The Shops at SunVet is expected to open in early September, followed by Green Acres during the second week of November.

Tony’s Tacos is also targeting the end of March 2027 for its Levittown opening. Another location on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon is under construction and expected to open in spring 2027.

• An Italian take on the taco

The idea behind Tony’s Tacos grew out of Scotto’s own background.

Rather than trying to create a traditional Mexican taqueria, Scotto built the restaurant around Italian recipes and cooking techniques presented in taco form.

In fact, he had barely encountered tacos himself before deciding to open the restaurant.

“I had my first taco six months before opening Tony’s Tacos,” Scotto said with a laugh. “I didn’t even know what a taco was.”

The experience didn’t exactly win him over. Instead, it gave him an idea.

“I didn’t enjoy it. So, I wanted to make it better,” he said.

That became the inspiration for Tony’s Tacos.

“I’m not an authentic taqueria. I would never do that,” Scotto said. “The work and recipes behind every single taco are craftsmanship from a chef.”

The result is a menu that uses the taco as a vehicle for Italian-inspired flavors rather than attempting to replicate a traditional taqueria.

Offerings include Chicken Parmigiana Tacos and Vodka Parm Tacos alongside Birria, Buffalo Chicken and Steak & Cheese tacos.

The menu also features Italian-style rice bowls, loaded fries, quesadillas and chicken tenders, as well as weekly specials including $2 margaritas on Tuesdays.

Scotto describes his food as a chef-driven take on the taco that remains accessible and affordable.

“If you want something that is completely going to shock you, which will change your idea of taco, I think that’s when you should try Tony’s Tacos,” he said.

09/02/2026

Neighboring Long Beach businesses team up to make giant pizza bagels

Andrew Rappaport • August 31, 2026

A few months ago, two neighboring Long Beach businesses started kicking around ways to combine the things they each do best.

Max Bialystok & Company on East Park Avenue makes bagels. Its next-door neighbor, Francesco’s, makes pizza.

So they figured, why not put a pizza on a giant everything-seeded bagel?

“It was one of those things where we are always throwing ideas around together with them to see what we could do, and everyone loved this idea,” Carrie Rampino, who owns Max Bialystok with her husband, Joseph, told Greater Long Island.

What started as a Sunday-only collaboration over the past few weeks is now becoming an everyday offering. Starting Monday, Aug. 31, Francesco’s will offer made-to-order pizza bagels, with Max Bialystok supplying fresh, hand-rolled dough each morning and Francesco’s finishing them with sauce, cheese and whatever toppings customers want.

Max Bialystok will initially make about five or six 10-inch bagels each day, enough for 10 to 12 pizza bagel pies.

The idea actually grew out of customer demand.

“They have always been asking us for something like this, but Francesco’s is an amazing neighbor and we would never step on their toes,” Carrie said. “So we were talking to them one day and said, yeah, let’s just work together and do it.”

The businesses initially planned to use plain bagels. Then they tried one coated in everything seasoning.

“It just made it so much better,” Carrie said. “It was perfect. The seeds made it really feel like a pizza and a bagel.”

Getting there took some trial and error.

The bagels can’t be fully baked in Max Bialystok’s ovens because they still have to make a second trip into Francesco’s oven after the sauce, cheese and toppings are added.

“It took a lot of testing, because it’s not just as easy as making a bagel and giving it to them,” Joseph said. “You can’t bake it fully, because if we did, then it would burn when they put it in their oven with all the toppings.”

The finished product proved popular during a three-Sunday test run, enough for the businesses to make it an everyday offering.

“I had a feeling they would become popular,” Joseph said. “I just didn’t realize it would happen this quickly.”

Joseph and Carrie’s favorite combination so far is pepperoni and vodka sauce topped with hot honey.

“The combination of hot honey with pepperoni is so good,” Carrie said. “It’s not too spicy but the flavor is perfect.”

Then again, the whole collaboration seems particularly fitting for where it was born.

“What’s more Long Island than a pizza bagel?” she added with a laugh.

09/01/2026

Merrick Library opens full-service coffee bar with a local flavor

Andrew Rappaport • August 29, 2026

The Merrick Library has a new addition, and you won’t find it on a bookshelf.

It’s a coffee bar.

This month the library replaced its vending machines with a full-service coffee bar, giving patrons a new place to grab a cappuccino, espresso or light snack.

For Library Director Dan Chuzmir, the change made sense.

“It seemed to me like it was an underutilized area,” Chuzmir told Greater Long Island. “It just seemed like it had a lot of potential to be something more than just a place to get bottled drinks.”

The idea was centered around convenience while giving people another reason to stick around.

“We wanted to provide a better experience for people who were coming to spend time here, whether it was to work, use our programs or just read,” Chuzmir said.

The menu rivals that of a neighborhood coffee shop.

Signature drinks include a crème brûlée latte, white mocha raspberry cream cold brew and brown sugar honey cortado.

The library also wanted to keep the operation connected to the community. Its coffee comes from Flux Coffee in Farmingdale, while its tea comes from SerendipiTea in Manhasset.

“Keeping it local and supporting local businesses on the Island was very important to us,” Chuzmir said.

Behind the counter is Gina Noto (picture, above), who has quickly settled into her new role as the library’s only barista.

Noto spent eight years working at Massapequa Perk. While she loved the job, she said she eventually realized she needed something more “sustainable.”

Then she came across an Indeed posting for a civil service barista.

“I said, ‘Wow, this seems too good to be true,’” Noto said with a smile.

And as the only library employee who knows how to make cookie butter cold foam, Noto has plenty of freedom to make the coffee bar her own.

She said cold brews, iced lattes and anything with matcha have been the most popular drinks so far. She has also added refreshers, lemonades and hot chocolate for younger customers.

“I’m the only barista here, so I get the experience of acting like an owner, the decision maker, without all the responsibilities that come with owning a shop,” she said. “I feel so lucky. I pinch myself to make sure it’s still real.”

But what Noto likes most is that she isn’t simply making drinks. She gets to know the people ordering them.

“I always say coffee builds community,” she said. “And when you are in one of those chain shops, you don’t get to spend time to get to know your customers. Here, I get the opportunity to get to know everyone.”

And customers have noticed.

Since the coffee bar opened, Noto said people have repeatedly stopped to tell her how much they enjoy the coffee.

“On a personal level, the feedback for me has been really heartwarming,” she said. “Some people have told me it’s the best coffee they ever had. The love is fueling me.”

The Merrick Library coffee bar, at 2279 Merrick Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. It is closed on weekends.

08/31/2026

Popular food truck Taquero Mucho goes brick-and-mortar in Dix Hills

Andrew Rappaport • August 29, 2026

Three years ago, Max Carballo had a few hundred dollars in savings, a passion for cooking and an idea:

Buy a food truck and see what happens.

He never imagined it would lead to a restaurant of his own.

Last month, Carballo opened Taquero Mucho at 15 E. Deer Park Road in Dix Hills, carrying the same name as the Mexican food truck he launched on Fifth Avenue in Bay Shore three years ago near Great South Bay Brewery.

“I opened the truck with the few dollars I had tucked under my pillow and hoped it would be something that helped pay the bills,” Carballo told Greater Long Island. “It has turned into something so much more than that, and I’m so thankful.”

The restaurant’s menu is largely the same as the food truck’s, though the bigger kitchen has allowed Carballo to add a few new items, including lobster tails and short ribs.

Still, when customers ask for his recommendation, he points them toward one of the originals.

“I love our burritos,” he said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s chicken, steak, pastor, chorizo. That’s what I tell everyone who asks me for my opinion.”

Taquero Mucho also offers seasonal specials, both in Bay Shore and Dix Hills.

In the summer, that includes a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with vegetables, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and Hot Cheetos. Come winter, Carballo serves birria cup o’ noodles, made with broth in place of water and loaded with meat, onions and jalapeños.

Everything, he said, is made fresh each morning.

“That’s the right way to do it,” Carballo said. “If not, then it’s an insult to my customers, and I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to insult anyone.”

But while the food brings people through the door, Carballo said money isn’t what keeps him going.

“I don’t know if anyone is going to believe this, but I don’t cook for money,” he said. “Of course, that’s important, but to me, connecting with my customers is the reason I do this.”

Some of those connections have already caught him off guard since the restaurant opened.

“People have come into the store, taken a bite, and said, ‘Thank you. We needed you here. We needed a place like this,’” Carballo said with a smile. “I was taken aback. I never thought of myself as a chef. I’m just a guy who loves to cook.”

For all the attention his cooking has received, Carballo sees the restaurant as something bigger than a business.

“This is a person who grew up in South Central LA and had nothing,” he said. “Finally I can see a little success, and that’s great for my family, my kids.”

And he knows he didn’t get here alone.

“It would not have happened without everyone who came here and had my food,” he said. “So I say thank you.”

08/30/2026

Feast of Mother Cabrini in Brentwood features 8 nights of rides, music and fireworks

Brian Harmon • August 27, 2026

Suffolk County Community College’s Grant Campus hosts the Long Island tradition Aug. 28 through Sept. 7

The 53rd Feast of Mother Cabrini opens on Friday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7, at Suffolk County Community College’s Grant Campus in Brentwood.

Presented by the Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge #2234 of the Order of the Sons of Italy in partnership with Newton Shows, the festive event brings eight nights of carnival rides, live music, fireworks and Italian food to Brentwood. Admission and parking are free.

Below is the complete schedule for the event, which runs for three days this weekend before breaking on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then kicking thing off again for Labor Day weekend.

Rides and food
Organizers say more than 20 thrill rides, children’s rides and midway games will run throughout the feast, alongside a quarter-mile food promenade featuring multiple zeppole stations and two sausage-and-pepper hero stations.

Children’s magic and illusion shows run both weekends, with three shows daily starting at 5 p.m.

Fireworks, procession and the food drive
Fireworks light up the sky twice this year. Both shows — this Saturday and on Sunday, Sept. 6 — start at dusk. The traditional Mother Cabrini Procession takes place Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Zeppole Eating Contest at 9 p.m.

On Thursday, Sept. 3, feastgoers who bring two cans of food for Island Harvest get 50% off a second POP Bracelet with the purchase of one at regular price.

• Tickets

Pre-sale wristbands, which offer unlimited rides at a discount off ticket-counter prices, are available now at newtonshows.com. They can be bought up to five hours before the feast opens and are valid for any single night.

08/28/2026

Uncle Giuseppe’s plots Pennsylvania debut, along with South Jersey store

Mike White • August 26, 2026

Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace is marching south and west across the U.S.

The Long Island-based specialty grocer announced plans Wednesday to open two new stores in late 2027, including its first-ever Pennsylvania location in King of Prussia and a new South Jersey marketplace in Moorestown.

The expansion comes as Uncle Giuseppe’s continues to grow beyond its Long Island roots, with 13 stores currently operating across New York and New Jersey and another Long Island location expected to open later this year.

The two newly announced stores are planned for DeKalb Plaza at 320 W. DeKalb Pike in King of Prussia and East Gate Square at 1311 Nixon Drive in Moorestown.

Both are expected to open in late 2027. RIPCO Real Estate brokered both leases.

“King of Prussia and Moorestown are two markets we’ve been looking at for some time,” said Carl DelPrete, CEO and co-founder of Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace. “As we grow, we’re careful about where we go. We look for communities where we believe our stores will be a good fit and where customers are looking for fresh, quality food and good service.

“We’re very excited about both locations.”

The King of Prussia store will represent a significant milestone for the company as Uncle Giuseppe’s makes its first move into Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania has been part of our growth plans for a while, and King of Prussia is a great place for us to start,” DelPrete said. “It’s a strong market, and it gives us an opportunity to introduce Uncle Giuseppe’s to a lot of new customers.”

The Moorestown location, meanwhile, will expand the grocer’s existing New Jersey footprint while giving it a presence in South Jersey.

Both locations will be in what’s considered the greater Philadelphia area.

“New Jersey has been very good to us, and we continue to see opportunities there,” DelPrete said. “Moorestown gives us a chance to reach customers in South Jersey and continue growing in a market where people already know Uncle Giuseppe’s.”

Both stores are expected to feature the departments that have become staples of Uncle Giuseppe’s marketplaces, including fresh mozzarella made in-store, house-made pasta, full-service meat and seafood departments, an Italian deli, scratch bakery, prepared foods, fresh produce, specialty cheeses and imported Italian products.

The announcement follows the August opening of Uncle Giuseppe’s newest Long Island marketplace at Wheatley Plaza in Greenvale.

The company is also preparing to open another store in Levittown by the end of 2026.

“We’ve always said we want to grow at a steady pace and make sure we do it the right way,” DelPrete added. “It’s not about opening stores just to open stores. The location has to make sense, and we have to be confident that we can deliver the same quality and experience customers expect from Uncle Giuseppe’s.”

Hiring for the King of Prussia and Moorestown locations has already begun across management, deli, bakery, meat, seafood, prepared foods, produce, grocery and customer service positions.

Specific opening dates and additional details for both stores will be announced closer to their late-2027 debuts.

08/27/2026

New Patchogue craft studio gives kids and families a place to get creative

Julianne Mosher • August 26, 2026

A new arts and crafts studio has opened in the heart of Patchogue, giving children and families a new place to make, create and spend time together.

The Creative Patch, owned by Patchogue natives Rachel and Kyle Kelly, is primarily geared toward children, with hands-on projects including ceramics, slime, squishy-making, build-a-stuffy activities and canvas art. The studio also plans to host select events for preteens and adults.

For Rachel, a special education teacher who minored in fine arts in college, the idea for the business was something she and her husband had discussed for years.

“We always said it’s a shame there’s not a lot of stuff for kids here,” Kelly said.

The couple often visited Main Street with their family and began thinking about what the area was missing. The idea became more tangible when they came across a space Rachel already knew well as the former home of The Curiosity Shoppe.

“We were so sad to see it go because we loved going in there,” she said.

Located at 33 E Main St, the shop’s open layout, Main Street setting and rear parking lot made it an ideal fit for the couple’s vision.

The Creative Patch features an open craft studio where visitors can choose from a variety of projects based on their ages and interests. Kelly said that flexibility was important to her as a parent.

“I have an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old who are very different,” she said.

The studio is primarily geared toward preschoolers through preteens, though Kelly said groups of teenagers spending time in Patchogue Village have also stopped in to work on projects such as ceramics.

During open craft sessions, families receive some guidance to get started, including short tutorials, while Kelly is available throughout the session to help. The studio will also offer more structured events featuring additional one-on-one and small-group instruction.

Birthday parties, camps and other special events are also planned.

Affordability was another priority for Kelly. She wanted to offer projects that families could return for without spending a significant amount of money or committing to a lengthy activity. Many projects can be completed relatively quickly, with the most expensive options generally costing about $25 to $30.

Transforming the space into The Creative Patch became a family project of its own.

The Kellys began work shortly after deciding to move forward with the business, with Kyle handling much of the construction and the couple’s children helping add some of the creative touches.

Together, the family created splatter-painted tabletops for the studio, while other playful features include ball pit chairs and a homemade vending machine.

The Creative Patch is currently open for weekend craft sessions, generally from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with scheduled special events and early evening activities.

Beginning in September, Kelly said the studio plans to expand to five days a week and add more programming, including mommy-and-me classes, after-school activities and birthday parties. Updated hours and upcoming events will be posted on the business’s Instagram page.

For Kelly, the goal is to create a space for kids — and anyone else who enjoys making something — to explore their creativity.

The Creative Patch is designed for “the young and young at heart who love to be creative,” she said.

Scroll for more photos courtesy of Rachel Kelly/The Creative Patch

08/26/2026

Ross Dress for Less coming soon to the Shops at Sunvet in Holbrook

Brian Harmon • August 24, 2026

Coming soon signs and visible construction point to a new storefront at the booming Holbrook shopping center

Coming soon signs, construction crews on site and new ceilings.

Yet another new storefront is taking shape at the Shops at Sunvet in Holbrook — and it’s going to be yet another Ross Dress for Less for Long Island.

The off-price retailer’s arrival at the busy Sunrise Highway shopping center adds to a growing list of Ross locations that have popped up across Long Island over the past year, following openings in West Babylon, Farmingville, Hempstead, Riverhead and Lake Grove.

The exact opening date for the Holbrook location has not been announced, but signage and ongoing buildout inside the plaza point to a store opening on the horizon in the coming months.

• Shopping destination

The Shops at Sunvet, at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Veterans Memorial Highway, has quickly become one of the South Shore’s most talked-about shopping destinations since developer Regency Centers began transforming the former Sun Vet Mall into a nearly 168,000-square-foot open-air center.

Whole Foods Market has been the anchor of the transformation, opening in March. Nordstrom Rack has also opened at the center, along with Starbucks, Wonder food hall, Shake Shack, Crumbl Cookies, J. Crew, Tony’s Tacos, Mogu Modern Chinese Kitchen and California Closets.

Ross Dress for Less has been on a Long Island tear since debuting in Hempstead last summer to long lines and packed parking lots. The chain followed with an October opening in Farmingville, then opened two stores — in Lake Grove and Riverhead – in March. Most recently, the chain opened a store in West Bavbylon.

The treasure hunt retailer is known for stocking name-brand merchandise at 20 to 60 percent below typical department store prices.

08/25/2026

Verde’s long-awaited Bay Shore move takes shape as opening nears

Jose Martinez • August 24, 2026

Now comes “the fun stuff” for a popular Bay Shore restaurant’s long-awaited move to a more spacious home.

Verde Kitchen & Cocktails will mark its 12th anniversary at 70 East Main Street in October, but the Mexican eatery’s owners are aiming to welcome customers by the end of this year to a new West Main Street location that’s triple the size of its current space.

“We’re excited because the fun stuff is kind of starting to happen,” said Anthony Tartaglia, president and founder of Bay Shore-based Costa Verde Hospitality, which operates three Long Island restaurants and bars. “The decor, the tile, the light fixtures, the things that you can see and touch and feel that people are going to see and notice — it’s not just like steel and structural things.”

The visible signs of progress around 55 West Main Street, which formerly housed Asian fusion spot Peninsula, mark a significant development in a move that has been close to five years in the making.

“We’re going from 2,700 square feet to about 9,000 square feet so it’s three times bigger than what we have right now,” Tartaglia said. “There’s multiple rooms, catering rooms, there’s a hidden mezcal bar in the back, there’s the rooftop bar, there’s the private driving room.”

A 12-foot wood-fired grill the owners say will be “the backbone of the food program” at the new location recently arrived, with kitchen and bar equipment set to be installed.

“Now it looks like a restaurant,” Tartaglia said. “So the end is near.”

Then there is the recreation of the signature glass greenhouse at Verde Kitchen & Cocktails. Made overseas, it is front and center on West Main Street, rather than in the rear of the property and Tartaglia said its arrival has “kind of gotten the town reinvigorated on what we’re doing.”

“For the last couple of years, there’s only privacy fences and cardboard and construction materials and scaffolding,” he said. “So, the community is now, I think, more excited than we are just to see what’s going on and the building taking shape.”

Tartaglia said he, brother Andy and their business partner, Joe Mele, have yet to lock in an opening date, but added that the goal of a 2026 opening remains in place.

“That’s what the sign on the front of the building says,” he said. “That sign’s been up for like two or three years.”

After the opening, Tartaglia is hopeful that more fun stuff awaits for Verde’s new and long-time customers.

Those include a rare-for-Long Island rooftop bar and drinks that are more in line with what patrons are served at other Costa Verde Hospitality properties, including the cocktail bar Sweet Jane and Coastal Kitchen + Daiquiri Bar.

“Verde has always been like a margarita bar for the last 12 years and it’s never really gotten to the point where we do cocktails like at Coastal and Sweet Jane,” Tartaglia said. “Margaritas and tequila, it’s still the base of the program, but we’re taking it up like three or four notches.

“We just want to finish this and run a great restaurant, show Bay Shore what we’re doing,” he added. “We’re excited.”

08/24/2026

$650M NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk expansion in the works in East Patchogue

Brian Harmon • August 20, 2026

A $650 million expansion of NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in East Patchogue is headed to a public hearing next week before the Brookhaven Town Board.

Town Supervisor Dan Panico announced the hearing in a Facebook post Wednesday night, sharing an architectural rendering submitted as part of the hospital’s application. The hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Aug. 27 at Town Hall.

“Even more access to medical care is coming to Brookhaven,” Panico wrote, calling the plan “a tremendous $650 million investment in the hospital, representing a major commitment to expanding and improving healthcare services for our community.”

Panico noted that application includes a 270,000-square-foot expansion. Town documents reviewed by Greater Long Island shows the new construction would include a five-story, 322,000-square-foot inpatient pavilion with 144 beds.

It would be built on 13.7 acres of the hospital’s nearly 36-acre campus at 101 Hospital Road — next to the existing 370,550-square-foot building. The health system’s application with the town notes that construction would take just over three years and cost about $400 million.

The remainder of the $650 million would go toward renovating and modernizing the existing hospital.

The East Patchogue hospital opened in 1956 as Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. It was later renamed Long Island Community Hospital before merging with NYU Langone Health in early 2025.

The expansion comes amid a broader Long Island buildout for NYU Langone. In June, the health system announced plans for a new academic medical center after closing on a $135.5 million purchase of a 45-acre site in Melville.

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