Within six weeks this summer, Garden City lost two Italian dining rooms that had been part of the local routine for years. La Nonna Bella stopped serving on Franklin Avenue in mid-July, and Maggiano's Little Italy closed near Roosevelt Field in late August. Lease negotiations ended both. Over the same stretch, two newer restaurants on Franklin Avenue settled in, and each has started opening at midday.
So the turnover has more to do with timing than with which cuisines the town gained or lost. The rooms that closed were mostly dinner rooms. The ones that took over the corridor are building around lunch and weekend brunch, and as of this week that changes where you can sit down at noon on any given day.
Two leases, two endings
La Nonna Bella had been at 660 Franklin Ave. for 18 years. Chef Lino, who was born and raised in Conversano, Italy, took over the restaurant in November 2010 with Erica and a close friend. The menu was cooked to order with a Puglia slant. Electrical and air-conditioning problems closed it on July 14. On July 31 the owners posted that the closure was permanent. They said that despite "extensive efforts and sincere attempts," they couldn't reach an agreement on the lease, as Patch reported on Aug. 3, 2026.
The owners' farewell post drew almost 100 comments. One line from it:
"This closure comes unexpectedly."
Maggiano's was a different kind of operation, but it ended the same way. The family-style restaurant at 600 Garden City Plaza opened in late 2015. It seated 280 and had a banquet room for events. Its owner, Brinker International, also owns Chili's. Newsday reported in July that the company had filed a state WARN notice to lay off 57 workers. The notice gave a Sept. 28 closing date and cited the expiring lease. Local management said the restaurant would close in late August, and Newsday's report put the last day of service at Aug. 26.
One was a chef-owned Franklin Avenue room and the other a national chain's only Long Island location. Neither closed for lack of business that the owners mentioned publicly. Both reached the end of a lease without a renewal.
What settled in at 910 and 815
A few blocks up Franklin Avenue, the two restaurants that now set the corridor's tone both took over existing restaurant spaces.
The James, 910 Franklin Ave. Andrew Affa and Steve Squitiro took over the Primehouse space in late 2025. They brought in The James, their modern American brasserie from Babylon, instead of copying Arlo Kitchen & Bar, their Northport restaurant. The Garden City room seats about 130 and has the same menu and look as the Babylon original, built around fresh pastas, seafood, a raw bar and prime dry-aged steaks. It opened in July, and Greater Long Island toured it soon after.
Meli, 815 Franklin Ave. Owner Jimmy Tsoumas brought his Forest Hills Greek restaurant to Garden City this year. In January he held an invitation-only preview before the public opening. It benefited Life's WORC, a nonprofit headquartered at 1501 Franklin Ave., within walking distance of the restaurant, and raised more than $25,000. Guests had Greek-style seafood from the raw bar, caviar, lamb chops and Greek wines, according to the Long Island Press.
Both are full-service dinner restaurants with raw bars. Both now also open before the dinner rush on at least some days.
Why noon is where the corridor is growing
As of Greater Long Island's Oct. 5, 2026 report, The James is now serving lunch four days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Lunch includes the full à la carte menu plus a new $39 two-course "Executive Lunch." Lunch had been part of the owners' plan since before opening.
The location explains a lot. Greater Long Island points out that 910 Franklin sits just south of Mineola and its large employers. Those include NYU Langone's Long Island hospital, Nassau County government offices, the county courthouse complex and Nassau County Police Department headquarters. The $39 two-course format suits a lunch hour with a firm end time.
Meli's daytime hours are aimed at the weekend. Its events page lists brunch Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and happy hour Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. The contact page lists Friday and Saturday hours from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday run from 4 to 10 p.m., Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m., and the restaurant is closed Mondays. A promotion elsewhere on Meli's site mentions lunch Wednesday through Friday, which the posted hours don't match. If you're planning a midweek lunch there, call first.
The two schedules barely overlap. The James covers weekday lunch, and Meli covers weekend brunch and the after-work hours. Together they keep that stretch of Franklin Avenue busy at hours the old lineup didn't emphasize.
The corridor's week, by the hour that changed
Based on what each restaurant has published as of early October 2026, here is the midday and early-evening picture for these two addresses:
- Monday: Lunch at The James. Meli is closed.
- Tuesday: Neither one has posted noon service. Meli's happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
- Wednesday: Lunch at The James. Meli opens at 4 p.m. with happy hour until 7.
- Thursday: Lunch at The James. Meli opens at 4 p.m. with happy hour until 7 and stays open until 11.
- Friday: Both open at midday. The James has lunch and the $39 Executive Lunch, and Meli opens at noon with happy hour from 4 to 7.
- Saturday and Sunday: Meli's brunch runs from noon to 4 p.m. The James hasn't announced weekend lunch hours in the coverage so far.
Friday is the only day both open at noon, and Tuesday is the only weekday when neither does. The James added its lunch service about three months after opening, so this schedule may well change again.
Over by the mall, the waiting continues
The other half of the summer's change sits near Roosevelt Field at 630 Old Country Road, and that side has had more announcements than openings. When Maggiano's closed at Garden City Plaza, the area lost a 280-seat room with banquet space. No replacement tenant for that address has appeared in local coverage.
Inside the mall, Jollibee is still listed as "Coming Soon" in the upper-level Dining District, between Bloomingdale's and Dick's Sporting Goods, with no opening date. In December 2025, Patch reported an expected opening in early 2026, and that window has passed. Muji announced a Roosevelt Field store in August 2026 but hasn't given a date for it either.
So for now, the noon-hour changes are on Franklin Avenue. The mall side has signs and announcements, and the corridor already has a $39 lunch on four weekdays and a weekend brunch.
What's still unsettled at 660 Franklin
La Nonna Bella's lease ended without a deal, and no new tenant has turned up in local coverage. Of the corridor addresses that changed hands this year, 660 Franklin is the one where nothing new has come in. The James at 910 and Meli at 815 both moved into spaces built for restaurants, and both are open and adding hours.
Restaurant turnover along Franklin Avenue affects how the street feels from one weekday to the next, and it also affects how buyers see the homes nearby. If you'd like to understand what this year's changes mean for a Garden City home's value, The Connelly Team can put together a current, local read for you. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
