Levittown’s Domenico’s Restaurant is closing after 58 years.
Jim Dalto, managing member of Westbury Properties, owner of the facility in which the restaurant is housed, said in a telephone interview Thursday morning that he’s not sure what will happen with the space just yet.
“We may decide to split the place up and maybe rent the back for a different use,” Dalto said. “I’m not sure.”
Domenico’s final day of business will be June 29, according to an announcement on the restaurant’s social media accounts Wednesday.
“We want to thank you all for the last 58 years of unforgettable memories,” the post read. “We are hopeful that this is not our last chapter but as of right now nothing is concrete.”
Dalto added that he knew that the sons were trying to sell the business, but it didn’t work out. “We’re always sorry to see a tenant closing their business, especially when they’ve been in the neighborhood a long time,” he said.
The community has been quick to express its sadness on the social media post.
“My husband and I went there on our first date over 20 years ago and many times since,” Erin Lyons said. “We’ll definitely go back before they close.”
“I’ve been going there and loving their food for almost 30 years,” Bruce Geller said on Facebook while sharing the restaurant’s announcement.
“I’ve been going there since I’m a little kid and I’m 53 now!” Melissa Elsner Fulgieri commented on the restaurant’s announcement.
In a telephone call Wednesday afternoon, an employee who identified himself as a manager declined to provide details about the closure, but said they were “moving in that direction.”
Ads for Domenico’s that appeared in Newsday in 1979, left, and 1988. Credit: Newsday
The owner of the restaurant, Domenico Belcastro, also did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Belcastro opened the restaurant at 3270-A Hempstead Tpke. in 1967. His menu was inspired by his grandmother’s recipes from Calabria, Italy, according to the restaurant’s website.
Menu offerings include gnocchi Bolognese ($23.95), linguini and homemade pesto ($20.95) and chicken scaloppine francaise ($26.95).
Throughout the years, even recovering from a fire in 2023, the restaurant has expanded from a pizzeria with a small dining area to a catering area with four rooms, which has held functions large and small hosting up to 150 people.
Domenico’s Restaurant, 3270-A, Hempstead Tpke., Levittown, 516-735-5535
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday’s FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
