Domenico’s Italian Restaurant of Levittown Shutting Down After Nearly Six Decades
Nestled into the corner of a busy shopping centering off of Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown for nearly 60 years, highly-regarded Domenico’s Italian Restaurant will sadly be closing their doors for good this upcoming summer.
According to a post by owner Domenico Belcastro on Instagram, Domenico’s last day serving authentic Italian favorites to their many satisfied customers will be on Sunday, June 29, marking the end of an era for the family-run eatery.
“To all of our customers and friends, we are incredibly sad to announce that our last day of business will be June 29th. We want to thank you all for the last 58 years of unforgettable memories. We will forever be grateful to for this community,” Belcastro wrote. “We are hopeful that this is not our last chapter but as of right now nothing is concrete. Please come in these last few weeks and see us, we would love to see as many of you as we can! Thank you, The Domenico’s Family.”
Users responding to the post did so with equal levels of surprise and sadness at the news of the restaurant’s impending closure.
“I’ve been coming here my whole life with my family, I even moved 5 mins away! This is devastating news,” said one.
“This cannot be! This restaurant was a staple for me growing up in Levittown! Just ate there with my mom last month,” another user chimed in.
Domenico’s was originally founded in 1967, starting out as a pizzeria but morphing over time into a full restaurant, including spaces for hosting events.
No specific reason was given for the closure, although the restaurant scene on Long Island has grown especially competitive over the years, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From my earliest celebrations, filled with laughter and wishes, to the joy of celebrating my girls’ first milestones—their 1st birthdays, their tiny hands reaching for their first bites of Nonno’s favorite, pasta pomodoro smeared across their delighted faces—this place has been witness to so much love,” the Instagram post added. “The long tables where we gathered for their communions, surrounded by family, sharing plates of fried calamari, baked clams and prosciutto/parmigiano passing around endless baskets of warm, crusty bread.”
“To the hands that crafted each dish with care, to the voices that welcomed us, to the walls that have absorbed decades of our joy—thank you,” the post concluded. “Though we say goodbye to these doors, the spirit of this place will forever live on in the memories we hold close.”
