NOVEMBER 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 81
MYKONOS RESTAURANT
GREAT GREEK CUISINE
BY ALAN KRAWITZ
The story of Mykonos Restaurant
in Smithtown is not simply about
standout Greek cuisine. It's also a
quintessential tale of an immigrant
coming to the U.S. in search of a better
life.
Nick Neophytou, the owner and
head chef of Mykonos, didn't have
cooking in mind as a career when he
first came to the U.S. from Cyprus in
1985. He had hoped to study at Hofstra
University, but that plan would not
come to fruition because he didn't
have the tuition money.
"When I first came here to the U.S.,
I didn't know about cooking," Neophytou
says. "In Greece, I was an
electrician and I also worked with a
shipping company. But the shipping
company job was very hard."
In need of work, Neophytou, who
came to America with little more than
$30 in his pocket, says he sought out
Greek-owned businesses, and Long
Island diners were a logical choice.
He began his restaurant career at the
Peter Pan Diner in Bay Shore as a busboy.
And, after only about six months,
the owner saw his strong work ethic
and asked him to get some experience
in the kitchen.
"I began slowly making diner staples
like burgers and wraps," he recalls.
It turned out the kitchen was Neophytou’s
forte and he would become the
Peter Pan’s head cook for
the next nine years.
From there, he
went to the
Ca l i for n i a
Diner in Patchogue,
also as
a cook. He would
also cook in two
more now-defunct
diners — the Empress
Diner in East Meadow and The
Syosset Diner — before realizing his
American dream of opening his own
business.
Mykonos Restaurant opened In
Smithtown in 1993 after Neophytou
purchased the small but struggling
eatery from another Greek
immigrant.
“One of my meat suppliers had
told me of this place that wasn’t
doing well and I decided to go
see it,” he recalls. “I ended up
borrowing money from relatives
and bought the place for $60,000.”
Neophytou recalls that the early
days of his restaurant were tough
times.
“I had just bought a house in East
Islip and my wife was pregnant,” he
says. “Seven days per week, I was
doing everything…from cooking to
waiting on and clearing tables. It
wasn’t easy.”
However, following several years
of struggles and numerous
renovations, the restaurant
has been slowly and steadily
increasing its business and
building a loyal customer
base.
He now employs six
people working in the
kitchen as well as a
hostess and waitresses.
“My customers really
enjoy my homemade food that is all
made from scratch daily,” he says,
adding that he sources his ingredients
from various suppliers from
across Long Island.
Some of the restaurant’s most popular
dishes include gyros, souvlaki,
spinach pie, Greek chicken, fresh
octopus, and lamb chops, as well as
homemade desserts including baklava
and rice pudding.
Reflecting on his journey from Cyprus
to the U.S., Neophytou, now 56,
stresses the importance of having the
support of his wife, Linda, whom he
met early on while working at Peter
Pan Diner.
“I couldn’t have gotten to where I am
today without my wife,” he says. “She
kept me going even when I felt like
giving up.”
Mykonos Restaurant is located
at 45 Route 111 in Smithtown. It
can be reached at 631-979-2000 or
mykonossmithtown.com
MAIN DISH
Chef Nick Neophytou preps falafel for
his hungry customers at Mykonos Restaurant
in Smithtown. (Photo by Matthew Kropp)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/mykonossmithtown.com
