There is a Mexican saying that captures the soul of what Anthony and Andrew Tartaglia have built on Bay Shore’s Main Street: Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también. For everything bad, there is mezcal — and for everything good, there is mezcal, too. It is a philosophy of resilience and celebration compressed into a single sentence, and it is precisely the ethos that has guided Verde Kitchen & Cocktails from what was supposed to be a modest taco shop into one of Long Island’s most consequential restaurant stories of the last decade. Since October 2014, these two Bayport-Blue Point brothers have been channeling their travels through Mexico City, central Oaxaca, and the southern Pacific coastline into a 3,000-square-foot space where fifty varieties of live herbs grow in a greenhouse dining room and over 150 agave spirits line a thirty-foot bar that never seems to sleep. In an era when chain restaurants proliferate like strip-mall franchises and the American palate has been dulled by factory-farmed uniformity, Verde stands as a quiet, defiant monument to what happens when two brothers refuse to compromise on provenance, freshness, and the unshakeable conviction that a community deserves better than what it has been given.
I understand this impulse intimately. After twenty-five years running The Heritage Diner in Mount Sinai, I have learned that the restaurants that survive — really survive, not just endure — are the ones built on an operator’s obsessive relationship with ingredients, with place, with the people who walk through the door. The Tartaglias have built something at Verde that transcends the typical restaurant lifecycle, and the proof is not just in the accolades or the packed Friday nights. It is in the fact that they are about to do it again, bigger and bolder, right down the block.
The Tartaglia Brothers: From Bayport-Blue Point to Bay Shore’s Main Street
Anthony and Andrew Tartaglia grew up in Bayport-Blue Point, graduates of Bayport-Blue Point High School, and their story is one of those rare Long Island narratives where local roots produce something genuinely world-class. The brothers spent years traveling through southern Mexico — not the resort corridors of Cancún, but the deep interior where Oaxacan mole requires four days of preparation and mezcal is still produced in small batches by families who have been distilling for generations. They brought that education back to Long Island in 2014, opening Verde at 70 East Main Street in Bay Shore with a vision they now describe with characteristic understatement (Greater Long Island, 2023).
Anthony serves as president and co-founder of Costa Verde Hospitality, the restaurant group that has grown from Verde into a formidable Bay Shore portfolio. The brothers have since opened Coastal Kitchen & Daiquiri Bar at 12 East Main Street, the Brightwaters Inn in neighboring Brightwaters, and Sweet Jane — a New York City-style cocktail and wine bar named for the Lou Reed song — at 64 East Main Street. Business partner Joe Mele and key team members James Howell, Nick Ketcham, Ian Soukup, Joe Sileo, and John Dell’orto have been elevated to ownership roles across various ventures, a management philosophy that speaks volumes about how the Tartaglias build loyalty and cultivate talent from within (Greater Long Island, 2020). There is also American Standard Whiskey Bar & Grill, which replaced Corks and Taps at 53 West Main Street, further extending the Costa Verde footprint along Bay Shore’s rapidly evolving downtown corridor (Patch, 2023).
What strikes me about this trajectory — and I say this as someone who has watched hundreds of Long Island restaurants open and close over a quarter century — is the intentionality of it. The Tartaglias did not franchise. They did not chase trends. They built a neighborhood ecosystem, one concept at a time, each venue distinct but connected by a shared commitment to quality and a deep investment in the Bay Shore community.
The Greenhouse: Where Dining Becomes Living Botany
Verde’s most distinctive architectural feature is its main dining room — a live greenhouse that seats approximately forty guests amid over fifty varieties of herbs, peppers, and edible garnishes, all of which are actively used in both the kitchen and bar programs. This is not decorative landscaping. This is a working agricultural installation integrated into a restaurant’s daily operations, and it is something you simply do not see on Long Island with any regularity (I Love NY, 2024).
The 3,000-square-foot space carries what the Tartaglias describe as an urban-rustic aesthetic. During the day, the greenhouse fills with natural light and the fragrance of growing cilantro, Thai basil, various chile peppers, and edible flowers. At night, candlelight flickers throughout the space, transforming it into something intimate and almost theatrical. The effect is not unlike walking into a friend’s home in Mexico City’s Roma Norte neighborhood — there is warmth, there is intention, and there is the unmistakable sense that every element has been considered.
As a craftsman who works with vegetable-tanned leather at Marcellino NY, I am drawn to this kind of material honesty. The greenhouse is not a gimmick. It is a declaration of values. When your garnishes grow three feet from your guests, you cannot hide behind industrial supply chains. You are accountable to the soil in your own dining room.
The Menu: Mexico City and Oaxacan Traditions, Long Island Execution
Verde specializes in what the restaurant describes as authentic new-age Mexico City and Oaxacan-style food. The menu features seven varieties of tacos, three distinct guacamoles — including the signature Guacamole Trio, the Guacamole Pescado with smoked fluke and shrimp, and the Guacamole Rajas with pomegranate seeds, almonds, pepitas, and roasted poblanos — as well as ceviche trios and a rotating roster of entrees that reflect the brothers’ ongoing travels through southern Mexico (OpenTable, 2025).
The focus on sourcing is rigorous. Verde uses local produce, humanely raised and hormone-free proteins, locally caught seafood, and additive-free agave spirits. This is not marketing language printed on a tent card — it is an operational philosophy that drives purchasing decisions every week. The kitchen’s commitment to freshness is reinforced by the greenhouse itself, where herbs and garnishes move from soil to plate within hours rather than days (Verde Kitchen, 2025).
Signature dishes rotate with the seasons, and the restaurant has built a particular reputation for its Wednesday Taco Tastings, which feature five creative new tacos served with traditional guacamole. Sunday brunch runs from 11 AM to 4 PM with live music from local artists, five-dollar Bloody Marys, Bloody Marias, Micheladas, and fresh fruit mimosas — a weekend ritual that has become a Bay Shore institution.
The restaurant also hosts a robust catering operation, handling events from ten to 125 guests with customizable food and drink packages for weddings, rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, corporate events, and private celebrations.
The Bar Program: 150 Agave Spirits and the Art of the Handcrafted Cocktail
If the greenhouse is Verde’s architectural soul, the thirty-foot bar is its beating heart. The Tartaglias have spent over a decade assembling what is now one of Long Island’s most comprehensive and carefully curated tequila and mezcal collections — more than 150 agave spirits, including rare Bacanoras and Raicillas when available. Their approach has evolved from quantity and eye-catching labels to a singular focus on provenance: what is inside each bottle, how it was made, and where it comes from (Verde Kitchen, 2025).
Every cocktail at Verde is handcrafted using freshly squeezed juices, house-made simple syrups, and ingredients grown in the greenhouse. The lavender simple syrup used in the Lavender Mint Mojito has become something of a cult favorite. Signature drinks include the Verde all-natural Margarita and the Sandia — fresh watermelon puree muddled with Serrano peppers, Espolón Blanco Tequila, and Combier Orange Liqueur. There are no generic drinks here, no pre-mixed sours poured from plastic containers. The bar program reflects the same philosophy that governs the kitchen: if it is not made fresh, it does not belong at Verde (Yelp, 2024).
Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 7 PM, featuring five-dollar margaritas and mixed drinks, four-dollar beers, two dollars off all wine, and half-price tacos and quesadillas. Taco Tuesday extends these specials all day. The bar stays open later than the kitchen — a recognition that Verde functions as both restaurant and gathering place, a distinction that matters enormously in a downtown that has worked hard to establish itself as a legitimate nightlife destination.
The Big Move: Verde’s Next Chapter at 55 West Main Street
Perhaps the most significant development in Verde’s eleven-year history is its imminent relocation to 55 West Main Street — the former Peninsula Asian fusion restaurant — a move that will nearly triple the restaurant’s footprint to approximately 9,000 square feet. The Tartaglias took possession of the space and began demolition, with a planned grand opening targeted for early 2026. The new location, designed by Bush Associates Architects of Bay Shore, will feature a rooftop bar with a retractable cover, a twelve-foot customized wood-fired grill, private dining and catering spaces, and a hidden mezcal tasting room with seating for sixteen (Greater Long Island, 2025).
The wood-fired grill represents a major culinary expansion, with plans to offer wood-fired steaks, chicken, oysters, and vegetables alongside Verde’s established Mexican repertoire. A glass-enclosed area visible from Main Street will serve as an homage to the original greenhouse concept. The restaurant initially considered rebranding as Para Todo Bien — drawn from that mezcal proverb — but ultimately decided to keep the Verde name to maintain continuity with their loyal customer base, with a slight rebranding that emphasizes the wood-fired kitchen element (Long Island Restaurants, 2023).
The original Verde space at 70 East Main Street is now on the market, with the Tartaglias seeking a tenant to continue the commercial energy on that stretch of the block (Greater Long Island, 2025).
This expansion resonates with something I think about constantly as Paola and I prepare to launch Maison Pawli, our boutique real estate venture on the North Shore, in 2026. The Tartaglias are doing what the best operators do: they are betting on their community. Bay Shore’s downtown revitalization — anchored by developments like the 418-unit Shoregate complex and the Eleven Maple luxury apartments near the LIRR station — has created a density of foot traffic and residential energy that rewards restaurants willing to invest in permanence rather than novelty (Tritec Real Estate, 2024). Verde’s expansion is not just a bigger restaurant. It is a vote of confidence in Bay Shore’s future.
Bay Shore’s Main Street Renaissance and Verde’s Role In It
Bay Shore’s transformation from a struggling downtown into one of Long Island’s most vibrant Main Street corridors is one of the great suburban revitalization stories of the last fifteen years. The combination of transit-oriented development, a diversifying restaurant and bar scene, waterfront access to the Great South Bay and Fire Island ferries, and a community that has actively fought for its commercial district’s identity has produced a downtown that now rivals anything on Long Island’s more celebrated North Shore.
Verde has been a central player in this renaissance since 2014. The restaurant is consistently cited alongside institutions like Salt & Barrel and Toast Coffeehouse as one of the anchor businesses that define the current Main Street experience (Homes.com, 2025). The Costa Verde Hospitality group’s multi-venue presence along Main Street — Verde, Coastal, Sweet Jane, American Standard — has created a hospitality ecosystem that draws visitors for an entire evening rather than a single meal.
The restaurant also contributes to Bay Shore’s community fabric through event hosting and partnerships with local organizations. Verde has hosted Memory Café events in partnership with Willing Hearts, Helpful Hands, providing music and dining experiences for individuals living with dementia — a quietly powerful example of how a restaurant can serve its community beyond the transactional exchange of food for money (Dementia Friendly America, 2024).
Live music every Sunday during brunch has become a platform for local musicians, and the restaurant’s participation in events like Long Island Restaurant Week extends its reach beyond the immediate Bay Shore community. Musician Rosario Cassata has performed at Verde, and the restaurant has become a regular stop for artists and performers drawn to Bay Shore’s increasingly creative energy.
What You Need to Know Before You Go
Address: 70 East Main Street, Bay Shore, NY 11706 (current location; new location at 55 West Main Street expected early 2026)
Phone: (631) 665-6300
Website: verdekitchen.com
Reservations: Available via Tock at exploretock.com/verde-kitchen-cocktails-bayshore
Hours (Last Seating Times): Sunday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Monday: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Tuesday–Thursday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Friday–Saturday: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Bar Hours: Sunday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM | Tuesday: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM | Friday–Saturday: 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Delivery: Available via DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Postmates
Price Range: $11–$30 per person
Ratings: 4.6 stars on OpenTable (730+ reviews) | 4.0 on TripAdvisor (#12 of 99 Bay Shore restaurants) | 4.4 on Restaurant Guru (3,900+ reviews)
Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM ($5 Margaritas & mixed drinks, $4 beers, $2 off wine, half-price tacos & quesadillas)
Taco Tuesday: All day, 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM (kitchen), 11:00 PM (bar)
Sunday Brunch: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM with live music and $5 Bloody Marys, Micheladas, and Mimosas
Wednesday Taco Tastings: Five creative new tacos with traditional guacamole
Private Events & Catering: On-premise and off-premise; contact Anthony or Andrew Tartaglia directly
Parking: Metered and unmetered municipal parking available; expect a short walk
Public Transit: Long Island Rail Road, Bay Shore station
Social Media: @verdekitchenandcocktails on Instagram | @verdebayshore on X
Parent Company: Costa Verde Hospitality (costaverdelongisland.com)
There is a moment in every great restaurant’s life when it outgrows its original skin — when the vision that launched it in a 2,800-square-foot space demands a canvas three times as large, with a rooftop open to the sky and a wood-fired grill that can handle whole fish and twenty-ounce ribeyes with equal authority. For Anthony and Andrew Tartaglia, that moment is arriving in 2026, and Bay Shore is the better for it. What began as a little taco shop has become a hospitality empire built on the radical premise that Long Island deserves world-class Mexican cuisine rooted in genuine cultural knowledge, served in a space where the garnish on your plate was growing in the dining room that morning.
From my vantage point at The Heritage Diner — twenty-five years into my own relationship with a community that has shaped everything I understand about food, hospitality, and the meaning of place — I recognize in the Tartaglias something that cannot be taught in culinary school or replicated by consultants. It is the particular stubbornness of operators who would rather do one thing extraordinarily well than ten things competently. It is the same instinct that drives me to hand-stitch every briefcase at Marcellino NY rather than outsource to a factory, and it is the same philosophy Paola and I will bring to Maison Pawli when we open our doors. Quality, as the mezcaleros of Oaxaca have always known, is not a marketing strategy. It is a way of life.
