Lola’s to open in Eastport, aiming to fill local dining gap

Lola’s was being readied at 13 Eastport Manor Road as Dana McCall and her team tried to answer a problem they said Eastport and Center Moriches diners know well: where to go when they want a better-than-routine night out without getting in the car and heading west or east. The project was built around that gap, with McCall saying her own experience living locally and repeatedly driving to Patchogue or the Hamptons for dinner helped shape the idea.

The restaurant was not a quick conversion. McCall and her team spent more than a year and a half developing the concept and completely renovating the space from the ground up, drawing on experience from Hamptons Catered Affairs, Long Island Lobster Bake and The Kitchen at Sportime in Quogue. That background gave the owners a base in catering, large-format events and casual dining, but Lola’s was designed to be something different: a neighborhood restaurant that could handle date nights, brunch, girls’ nights out and special occasions.

That mix is central to why the opening matters locally. Eastport sits in a stretch of Suffolk County where residents often have to weigh convenience against variety, and McCall’s pitch suggests Lola’s is meant to narrow that tradeoff. Instead of making locals choose between a long drive and settling for fewer options close to home, the restaurant aims to give families, couples and commuters a place to plan around in their own community. The owners said the response from the area had already been strong, a sign they believe the demand they see is shared by others nearby.

The space itself was being shaped to reinforce that role. McCall’s goal was a stylish, welcoming room that felt like a neighborhood anchor rather than a one-time novelty, the kind of place people return to for everyday celebrations as much as special occasions. As the East End dining scene continues to evolve, Lola’s was positioning itself as part of a broader shift: more local restaurants, more reasons to stay close to home, and fewer excuses to make the drive out of town for a nicer dinner.