There is a particular stretch of Route 25A between the village of Northport and the estates of Fort Salonga where the road rises quietly through old-growth canopy and the Gold Coast of Long Island reveals itself not through gates and guardhouses, but through the subtle elevation of land itself. It is here, set back on a two-acre hilltop property that once housed the Crestwood Manor banquet hall, that Arlo Kitchen & Bar has established itself as one of the North Shore’s most ambitious dining destinations since opening its doors in December 2022. The name itself is drawn from Latin — arlo, meaning “fortified hill” — and the etymology proves prophetic. This is a restaurant built, quite literally, on higher ground.

The Founders and The Standard Hospitality Group

Arlo is the creation of Steve Squitiro and Andrew Affa, co-founders of The Standard Hospitality Group, a Long Island-based restaurant and hospitality company that has quietly assembled one of the most impressive portfolios on the island. The partnership began in 2011 when both men were working at Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage, and the professional chemistry was immediate. Squitiro had started his career as a busboy at John Anthony’s in Babylon — now known as The Piermont — and worked his way through every station before opening restaurants for other owners in Manhattan. Affa, raised in a Sicilian family where the kitchen was the center of gravity, had spent years across multiple Nassau County establishments before the two decided to go out on their own.

They formed The Standard Hospitality Group in 2017, acquiring The Piermont in Babylon as their first property. The portfolio has since expanded to include Mission Taco in Huntington, The Standard at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, The James in the historic Babylon Carriage House, and Arlo — which Squitiro has publicly called, aside from his family, the best thing he has ever created (Northport Journal, 2022). Recent OpenTable reviews from early 2026 hint that a Garden City location may also be in the works, a testament to the momentum this hospitality group continues to build across the region.

From Crestwood Manor to Arlo: A Property Reborn

The two-acre Fort Salonga Road property was acquired by Squitiro and Affa in 2018, though the path to Arlo was anything but direct. The site had operated for decades as the Crestwood Manor, a traditional catering and banquet hall known to generations of North Shore families for weddings, anniversaries, and milestone celebrations. By the time Standard Hospitality took possession, the property had fallen into disrepair — a faded relic of another era’s idea of occasion dining, complete with felt wallpaper, burgundy carpet, and wide-tiled floors.

The partners initially considered several concepts for the space, including a Neapolitan pizza restaurant, a boutique catering hall, and even a beer garden to complement the nearby Del Vino winery. But as Squitiro and Affa walked the interior repeatedly over the course of months, a more singular vision crystallized. They wanted to build something that brought back the gravity of classical dining — the sense that going out to a restaurant was an event in itself — without the pretension that had calcified around the fine dining category for decades. The eighteen-month renovation that followed was a ground-up transformation, with both partners serving as co-general contractors, arriving at 7:00 AM daily alongside key team members Thomas Moran and Jose Estevez, who remain integral to the restaurant’s operations today (Long Island Press, 2022).

Design and Atmosphere: The Roaring Twenties Meet the North Shore

The design vision for Arlo was conceived in collaboration with interior designer Beth Donner, and the result is a space that synthesizes 1920s Jazz Age elegance with the warmth of a California farmhouse aesthetic — a combination that OpenTable’s editorial description aptly captures as blending farmhouse sensibility with a classic LA noir feel. The first floor features a sprawling open kitchen concept where guests can watch Executive Chef Walter Huezo and his team work in real time, surrounded by black-and-white geometric tile floors, warm wood finishes, gold globe-shaped light fixtures, suede tan dining chairs, and leather booths upholstered in what the partners call “British Racing Green” — a deep, rich emerald that anchors the visual palette throughout the space.

The second floor operates as its own distinct experience. A restored baby grand piano sits at the threshold, a nod to the Crestwood Manor’s musical heritage, and live jazz performances are a regular feature on Monday and Thursday evenings. A fifteen-foot fig tree greets guests near the upstairs bar, and the elevated vantage point offers uninterrupted views of the rolling, forested hillside that surrounds the property. Each floor has its own full bar, and the intentional segmentation of the 200-plus-seat interior into intimate sections ensures that even during peak service, every table maintains a sense of privacy. In warmer months, a magnificent outdoor patio carved into the hillside adds another hundred seats beneath the tree canopy. The attention to detail — from the endless wood carpentry to the mirror finishings — reflects the kind of obsessive curation that separates restaurants that serve food from restaurants that create experiences. As someone who has spent twenty-five years at The Heritage Diner understanding exactly how much the “unseen details” determine whether a guest returns, I recognize the philosophy at work here immediately.

The Menu: New American Classicism with Global Reach

Chef Walter Huezo’s story is itself a narrative of perseverance and craft. Arriving in the United States from El Salvador in 2014 with a dream of becoming a professional chef, Huezo worked his way from dishwasher to culinary assistant at Del Frisco’s Grille in Huntington, teaching himself technique through books, videos, and relentless practice. His menu at Arlo reflects both his classical training and the Standard Hospitality Group’s commitment to sourcing the finest available ingredients — a philosophy that resonates deeply with anyone who understands what it means to build a menu around provenance rather than convenience.

The dinner offerings span a full raw bar featuring East Coast and West Coast oysters, littleneck clams, and shrimp cocktail by the piece, along with a seafood plateau that ascends to a $145 colossal presentation of lobster, crab, and shellfish. Land-based appetizers include a crab cake that has become something of a signature, alongside dishes like beef bourguignon pot pie and tableside chicken parmesan prepared with old-school theatrical flourish. The pasta program — highlighted by the now-legendary Lobster Pappardelle with wide ribbon pasta, whole Maine lobster, blistered cherry tomatoes, anchovy breadcrumbs, and fresh basil — has earned nearly universal praise across review platforms (OpenTable, 2026). The butcher board features USDA Prime and dry-aged cuts sourced from Midwestern farms, including a 60-day dry-aged porterhouse for two, a 24-ounce bone-in ribeye, and Wagyu selections that place Arlo firmly in the upper echelon of Long Island steakhouse culture.

The wine program is equally formidable, with over 250 selections by the bottle and dozens available by the glass, curated for pairing with the menu’s range of proteins and preparations. The cocktail program, developed by some of Long Island’s top mixologists, rounds out a beverage operation that the restaurant promotes through recurring specials like Wine Down Wednesday, which offers discounts on bottles when paired with signature steaks. Sunday brunch, served from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM with live music, has become another anchor of the weekly programming.

Private Events, Community, and the Parking Solution

Arlo’s multi-level layout makes it a natural venue for private events, and the restaurant accommodates everything from weddings and engagement parties to corporate gatherings, awards banquets, and milestone birthday celebrations. The segmented design allows multiple events to operate simultaneously without bleeding into one another — a structural advantage inherited, in part, from the Crestwood Manor’s original two-floor architecture.

The restaurant’s rapid success did bring one early growing pain that the ownership addressed with characteristic transparency. In early 2024, a petition from neighboring residents raised concerns about parking overflow onto Route 25A, particularly near the Makamah Nature Preserve. Squitiro and Affa responded by securing three additional off-site parking lots totaling 70 spaces to supplement the 58-spot main lot, implementing valet service to manage the flow, and committing to a Huntington Town Zoning Board proposal to expand their on-property parking at their own expense. The resolution demonstrated the kind of community accountability that sustains a restaurant’s reputation long after the opening-night excitement fades — a principle I have lived by at The Heritage Diner for a quarter century. As Affa told Patch at the time, the goal was never to create friction with the neighborhood, but to build something the community could be proud of for years to come (Patch, 2024).

Reviews, Recognition, and the Road Ahead

The numbers tell a compelling story. Arlo currently holds a 4.7 rating on OpenTable across over 1,750 reviews, with consistent praise for the food quality, service caliber, and atmospheric design. Yelp shows 257 reviews with 543 photos uploaded by diners — a visual testament to the Instagram-worthy interiors and plating. TripAdvisor ranks the restaurant among Northport’s top dining establishments with a 4.3 rating. The Going Local Long Island “Glutton’s Guide” review captured the consensus elegantly, describing Arlo as a place where the beauty of the setting is matched by the quality of what comes out of the kitchen — from the 60-day dry-aged porterhouse to the transcendent “kitchen sink” baked potato that has developed its own cult following (Going Local LI, 2025).

The dress code is business casual, though guests frequently elevate their attire for special occasions — a sign that Arlo has successfully recaptured that increasingly rare quality in American dining: the sense that the evening itself is worth dressing for. For those of us on the North Shore who understand how a single exceptional restaurant can reshape the cultural and economic identity of a community — the way it anchors real estate value, draws visitors, and creates a sense of civic pride — Arlo represents exactly the kind of investment in quality that this corridor between Northport and Fort Salonga deserves.

Essential Information

Address: 1036 Fort Salonga Road, Northport, NY 11768

Telephone: (631) 491-2756

Email: info@arlokitchenandbar.com

Website: arlokitchenandbar.com

Reservations: OpenTable or by phone

Online Ordering: Toast

Instagram: @arlokitchenandbar

Price Range: $$$ ($31–$50 average entrée)

Cuisine: New American, Seafood, Steakhouse

Parking: Valet available; main lot plus three additional secured lots

Dress Code: Business Casual

Private Events: Weddings, corporate events, celebrations — call (631) 491-2756

Gift Cards: Available at arlokitchenandbar.com/gift-cards

Established: December 2022

Ownership: Steve Squitiro & Andrew Affa, The Standard Hospitality Group

From the blog of The Heritage Diner, 275 Route 25A, Mount Sinai, NY — where twenty-five years of North Shore hospitality meets the conviction that every neighborhood deserves to know its neighbors’ best tables.