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Customers have been impressed by all Sarikopa has to offer. (Credit: Lauren Lustgarten)

Food and wine is why most visitors come to the North Fork. As 2016 draws to a close, we would like to look back at some of this year’s new food and drink spots.

From Southold’s North Fork Shack to Jamesport’s Main Road Biscuit Co., the year was full of entrepreneurial moves.

Here are 15 foodie businesses that opened on the North Fork in 2016.

Hampton Coffee Company
272 Main Road, Aquebogue (631) 779-2862

Hampton Coffee Co. owner Jason Belkin (center) surrounded by Riverhead Town officials cut the ribbon on the new Aquebogue coffee shop.
Hampton Coffee Co. owner Jason Belkin (center) surrounded by Riverhead Town officials as they cut the ribbon on the new Aquebogue coffee shop. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

The new year started off with a bang when this South Fork institution finally made the move to the North Fork in January, establishing an outpost in Aquebogue. Housed in a former 1940’s era garage/service station right on Main Road, this community-focused coffee shop was an instant hit. The café has an espresso bar, bakery and juice bar, serving breakfast and lunch all day.

Waters Crest Winery
28735 Main Road, Cutchogue (631) 734-5065

Jim Waters behind the bar at the . (Credit: Vera Chinese)
Jim Waters behind the bar at his new Cutchogue tasting room. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

After its owner spent several years searching for a more centrally located tasting room space, Waters Crest Winery opened the doors to its new Cutchogue space in February. The 1,350-square-foot facility can accommodate many more customers than the previous tasting room on Route 48, which owner Jim Waters will retain to produce his portfolio of about 10 wines and host private events.

Sarikopa Organic Coffee and Tea House
226 Riverleigh Avenue, Riverhead (631) 591-3444

Customers have been impressed by all Sarikopa has to offer. (Credit: Lauren Lustgarten)
Customers have been impressed by all that Sarikopa has to offer. (Credit: Lauren Lustgarten)

Steps away from the busy Riverside traffic circle, Sarikopa Organic Coffee and Tea House quietly opened its doors on Valentine’s Day. The small, European-style coffee shop serves 53 varieties of hot and iced teas, organic coffee, juices, and smoothies. Their breakfast and lunch menu includes omelets, salads and sandwiches. Despite their unlikely location, Sarikopa has survived.

Twin Stills Moonshine
5506 Sound Avenue, Riverhead (631) 779-3199

The moonshine is served in special clay cups, imported from Portugal (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
The moonshine is served in special clay cups imported from Portugal. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

Moonshine came to Riverhead in March with the opening of Twin Stills Moonshine on Sound Avenue. Offering premium homemade whiskey, owners Joe and Patricia Cunha put their own spin on the traditional North Fork tasting room by offering their ‘shine in a variety of flavors. Soon they were creating and serving their own mixed drinks and now their moonshine is sold in area liquor stores.

North Fork Shack
41150 County Road 48, Southold (631) 876-5566

lamb pita north fork shack
A pulled lamb pita from The North Fork Shack. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Offering locally sourced food with a Mediterranean flare, North Fork Shack opened in late April. The eatery, which grew out of owners Ryan Flatley and Sammy Sabil’s catering business Creative Courses, offers dishes like ceviche, a blackened fish sandwich and a pulled lamb pita.

Pulaski Street Grill
424 Pulaski Street, Riverhead (631) 722-4220

Tom Drake behind the bar at Pulaski Street Grille. (Credit: Monique Singh-Ruy)
Tom Drake behind the bar at Pulaski Street Grille. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

After 26 years in Aquebogue, Tom Drake, owner of the former Meeting House Creek Inn, moved his business to Polish Town. Pulaski Street Grill, located at the site of the former Doc’s Tavern, opened in late May. Customers followed and Drake quickly re-established his eatery as a lunch and dinner favorite, serving popular Meeting House dishes like chicken saltimbocca, seafood casino and fish tacos. It also offers pub-style dishes like custom burgers and sandwiches.

Hudson Market
6 Sound Road, Wading River (631) 886-2227

Wading River's Hudson Market is under new ownership (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
Wading River’s Hudson Market is under new ownership. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

Quietly and with little fanfare, Hudson Market coffee shop opened on Sound Road in Wading River in late May. Customers immediately embraced the café, owned by Riverhead politician Tony Coates. Six months later it changed hands when Coates sold the place. Thankfully new owners Martin and Karen Accardi of Ridge immediately picked up where Coates left off. Coffee for everyone!

Phil’s
177 Meeting House Creek Road, Aquebogue (631) 886-1160

Phil's Waterfront Aquebogue
Phil’s Waterfront Bar and Grill opened in Aquebogue in June 2016. (Credit: Lauren Lustgarden)

Located at the former Meeting House Creek Inn location in Aquebogue, Phil’s Waterfront Bar and Grill opened in June. Anyone who knows the eatery’s sister location, Phil’s Restaurant and Sports Bar in Wading River, knows it is truly one of the best neighborhood bars on Long Island. Now customers can get the Phil’s experience — and its signature wings —on the opposite end of Riverhead Town.

Case’s Place
650 1st Street, New Suffolk (631) 734-8686

The softshell crab sandwich served at Case's Place (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
The softshell crab sandwich served at Case’s Place. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

With perfect timing, Case’s Place in New Suffolk opened in early June just as the busy summer season kicked into high gear. Operated by Ken and Maryann Birmingham of Mattituck, the eatery is located on the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund property and offers a variety of seafood and an assortment of steaks, burgers and sausage.

Spirited Wine & Liquor
219 Main Street, Greenport (631) 333-2380

Rob & Jen Place of Greenport's Spirited Wine & Liquor (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
Rob and Jen Place of Greenport’s Spirited Wine & Liquor. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

It’s a liquor store that showcases small batch distilleries and wineries from the North Fork and around the world. Robert and Jennifer Place brought this idea to life when Spirited Wine & Liquor opened in Greenport in June. The couple turned the former Claudio’s Wines & Spirits location into a destination for tastings and demonstrations, giving lesser known brands and products equal time on the liquor store shelf.

Bay Breeze Bistro
46 Front Street, South Jamesport (631) 779-3454

Chef Kristi Macdonald in the kitchen at Bay Breeze Inn (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
Chef Kristi Macdonald in the kitchen at Bay Breeze Inn & Bistro. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

South Jamesport’s Bayview Inn and Restaurant was reincarnated as Bay Breeze Inn & Bistro, after being bought by partners David and Donna Perrin and Frank and Donna Scarola. The latter also own Mattituck’s Cedar House Bed & Breakfast. The historic inn underwent renovations, opening in the spring. Then in August, Bay Breeze Bistro opened focusing on all-day breakfast, as well as lunch, desserts, evening bites and take-out service for both guests and the local community.

8 Hands Farm Butcher Shop
4735 Cox Lane, Cutchogue (631) 533-2768

Julien Shapiro 8 Hands
Chef Julien Shapiro laddles ham into an antique French mold to make jambonneau at the new restaurant kitchen at 8 Hands Farm. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

In September, 8 Hands Farm unveiled its new butcher shop. The Cutchogue 28-acre sustainable livestock and produce operation raises heritage Tamworth pigs, Icelandic lambs and pasture-raised chickens. The animals are first slaughtered at a USDA meat processing facility upstate, then butchered in the farm’s new restaurant kitchen. Previously, the farm only sold its meat vacuum-packed from its freezer. Now it offers fresh meats, like bacon and sausage, along with prepared meals like chicken coq au vin and ratatouille.

Crazy Beans
2 Front Street, Greenport (631) 333-2436

Crazy Beans Greenport
Pumpkin pancakes from Crazy Beans in Greenport. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

It replaced an institution when it moved into the space left by the former Coronet Diner in Greenport in late September, but Crazy Beans already had the name recognition. This is the third Crazy Beans restaurant opened by owner Callie Martino and it specializes in breakfast, lunch and coffee. Known for its long list of latté flavors and specials, the eatery may also soon serve cocktails using spirits from other area businesses.

Espresso North Fork
13500 Main Road, Mattituck (631) 298-8910

focaccia bread Mattituck
Espresso North Fork owner Corrado Paini with a tray full of fresh baked focaccia bread. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

His focaccia sandwiches are legendary, so much so that customers from his previous location in Sag Harbor are actively seeking out Corrado Paini at Espresso North Fork in Mattituck. After spending two years searching for a spot on the North Fork, Paini found the space on Main Road recently vacated by Uncle Joe’s pizzeria.  After opening in mid October, Paini offers pizzzas and sandwiches served on his homemade focaccia bread.

Main Road Biscuit Co.
1601 Main Road, Jamesport (631) 779-3463

The Fried Chicken Biscuit is served with honey butter and house-brined local cucumbers (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)
The Fried Chicken Biscuit is served with honey butter and house-brined local cucumbers. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

Biscuits, muffins and scones — Oh My!  The anticipation for Main Road Biscuit Co. was fierce after it was announced last spring that it would replace the beloved Jamesport Country Kitchen. Owners Marissa and Bryan Drago drew on their backgrounds, hers in catering, and he from his grandmother’s recipes, to create scrumptious comfort food like homemade biscuits, macaroni and cheese and pancakes. Opened in late October, the place has been busy ever since.

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