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Summer travel season is coming to an end (sniff), but if you’ve got a case of wanderlust, the Island has the cure.
From southern barbecue to traditional Italian cannolis to authentic dumplings, it is possible to eat your way around the world without leaving Long Island.
All you need to pack is an adventurous appetite.
CALISSA
Travel to Mykonos by way of Water Mill. The Greek isle is the inspiration for both the cuisine and atmosphere at Calissa. When you’re sitting in the open-air bar, trying to decide between the grilled oyster or watermelon salad (go ahead and order both) and browsing the extensive wine list, you’ll feel as though you’ve hopped a plane to Greece.
1020 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill; calissahamptons.com
TOWNLINE BBQ
First things first, barbeque does not refer to just anything thrown on the grill. Real Southern barbeque means high quality meat slow cooked and smoked using wood. You should be able to taste the flavor in the air. It’s hard to find that kind of cuisine north of the Mason-Dixon line, but it can be done in Sagaponack at Townline BBQ.
3593 Montauk Hwy, Sagaponack; townlinebbq.com
LILY FLANAGAN’S PUB
If you’ve never spent a week traveling around the Irish countryside popping in and out of pubs, add it to your bucket list. In the meantime, stop into Lily Flanagan’s for a taste of the atmosphere. There you’ll find traditional Irish pub fare like an Irish breakfast, fish and chips and bangers and mash.
2360, 345 Deer Park Ave., Babylon; lilyflanaganspub.com
BABALU
Sipping sangria and biting into pasteles, it’s possible to pretend you’re sitting at a restaurant on Cuba’s southern coast overlooking a white-sand beach instead of in Huntington. Retired professional boxer Alan Gotay opened the vibrant Babalu, a little more than a year ago and has been serving up playful takes on Cuban dishes (including some family recipes) ever since.
86 New York Ave, Huntington; babaluny.com
RED TIGER DUMPLING HOUSE
The menu at this Stony Brook restaurant is so expansive it’s almost overwhelming. Set it aside — you want the Shanghai-style soup dumplings. Delicate but stuffed to the brim with your choice of ground pork or pork and crab, the meal is the ultimate comfort food for those chilly days we know are coming.
1320 Stony Brook Rd, Stony Brook; redtigerdumplinghouse.net
ALPINE PASTRY SHOPPE
Think Italian dessert, and gelato may come first to mind, but there is nothing like an espresso and classic cannoli to make me feel like I’m back living in Italy during college. In Smithtown, Alpine Pastry Shoppe makes a cannoli that has the perfect ratio of crispy shell to creamy filling. Order at least two because there is no way you’ll be able to make it out of the store without taking a bite.
59 NY-111, Smithtown; alpinepastryshoppe.com
BISTRO ETE
Gather your friends and head to Bistro Ete for wine and small plates. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into a chic, yet unfussy Parisian cafe. The restaurant encourages patrons to linger (much like you would if you were eating in France) so go ahead and order that second glass of wine.
760 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill; bistroete.com
NOAMAR MARKETS
With shelves full of olives and piquillo peppers, Spanish tiles lining the counter and smalls plates that include Calamares Fritos and pickled mussels, this newly opened Babylon market is a must-visit for anyone wanting a taste of Spain.
238 Deer Park Ave, Babylon; noamarmarkets.com
AHUVA’S GRILL
Dining at Ahuva’s Grill is a bit like being invited to dinner at your favorite aunt’s home. If that aunt was a Yemenite Israeli who could whip up crispy whole wheat Kubaneh bread, kebabs and more. If you only order one thing, you want it to be owner Ahuva Tsadok’s Yemenite soup.
1326 Peninsula Blvd, Hewlett; ahuvasgrill.com
ISTANBUL CAFÉ
Don’t blink or you could miss this Mediterranean café tucked into a strip mall in Centereach. For the past six years, the Istanbul Café has served up Turkish delicacies such as sucuk pide (dough topped with Turkish sausage and cheese, baked in a clay oven) lahamcun (crispy dough topped with ground meat and vegetables) and juicy kebabs.
2139 Middle Country Rd, Centereach; istanbulcafelongisland.com