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Stella Ristorante – located in Floral Park at 152 Jericho Turnpike – will hold its final dinner service on Tuesday, Dec. 31, co-owner Enza Tomaselli confirmed to Daily Voice.
“We had an amazing run all these years and are grateful to everyone along the way,” she said, adding that it’s “time for retirement.”
Opened in October 1960 by Italian immigrants and husband and wife Gina and Giuseppe Cerrone, Stella Ristorante first came onto the scene as a pizzeria. Six decades later, it will go out as “one of the best Italian restaurants in New York,” according to one Yelp user.
Devoted diners have returned again and again for hearty portions of lasagna, sausage rolls, and chicken romano. The veal sorrentino, shrimp fra diavolo with clams, and chicken parmesan are also listed as customer faves on Yelp.
Its menu also features appetizers like fried zucchini and stuffed mushrooms, along with salads, soups, and entrees like veal cutlet parmigiana and chicken rollatini.
Among those mourning the impending closure is Josephine Harkin, of Lake Ronkonkoma. She and her husband Ken had their first date at Stella’s in 1965.
“So sad to read!,” she wrote on Facebook. “He and his NewHydsPark friends frequented Stella’s for many ‘after hour’ family sit-downs.”
The restaurant also left an impression on Dom Leo, of New York City, more than a decade after he first stopped in for a veal ragu.
“That was knock your socks off,” he wrote on Facebook. “That was 12 years ago and I can still taste it.”
Stella Ristorante is open Wednesday through Sunday. Find out more on its website.
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