King Umberto

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Long Island Institution, Four Decades in the Making

King Umberto opened in 1976 on the corner of Meacham Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, New York — small kitchen, bar squeezed between the pizzeria and dining room, and word of mouth that kept it packed from the start. A decade later, in February 1987, the doors reopened on an expanded footprint that tripled the original capacity. The old pizzeria became a private dining room that now accommodates parties of up to 70 guests. What hasn't changed is the restaurant's own description of itself: your other home in Elmont.

That sense of belonging has translated into something measurable. Wine Spectator awarded King Umberto its Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 — recognition that reflects a wine program assembled with the same seriousness applied to the kitchen.

The Food

The Italian menu at King Umberto is broad and unapologetically traditional, with enough daily specials to reward regulars who come back week after week. Pasta is a cornerstone: fresh rigatoni tossed with slow-braised beef cheek ragù finished with Parmigiano; linguini Vesuvius loaded with shrimp, sea scallops, wild mussels, and vongole in a white wine and garlic sauce; wide ribbons of pappardelle in a cream sauce touched with peach brandy. The kitchen makes its own pasta and takes the time to slow-cook proteins — the braised short rib pizzaiola, served with homemade cavatelli, is a clear example of that patience.

Appetizers show similar range. The D.O.P. Pizza — a 14-inch Margherita built on San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, Fior di Latte mozzarella, and a properly charred crust — sits alongside Sicilian caponata-stuffed portobello caps, a Tuscan grilled calamari over frisée, and fresh Raspberry Point oysters on the half-shell. From the main menu, the veal preparations alone run nearly a dozen variations, and the seafood section covers everything from whole clams posillipo to a broiled filet of sole oreganata.

The pizzeria operates next door as a separate space, and a patio extends the dining options outdoors when the season allows.

More Than a Neighborhood Restaurant

King Umberto handles catering and private events in-house, offers delivery and takeaway, and recently launched a sister concept — Serata by King Umberto — for those looking for a different format under the same family. The Birthday Club, gift cards, and a recipe section on the website all speak to a place that thinks of its guests as long-term relationships rather than single transactions. After nearly fifty years on Hempstead Turnpike, that instinct seems well-founded.