Villa Roma opens in Bay Shore, sets grand opening for July 10

Villa Roma has been serving Bay Shore from 73 Howells Road since April 20, and owner John Parini is now setting July 10 for a formal grand opening. Parini held back advertising and a splashy launch so the staff could get comfortable with the pace of service first, a slower rollout that appears to have given the Italian restaurant and pizzeria time to build a following before the celebration.

That approach matters in a building with memory attached. The address was home to Joe’s Pizza & Pasta for about 40 years before it closed four years ago and later became Marcony Pasta & Pizza, which gives Villa Roma an immediate link to the corner’s past. Parini’s pitch has been to bring back some of that familiar feeling while making the room work as a new business on its own terms.

The location also puts Villa Roma in one of Suffolk County’s most closely watched dining stretches. Discover Long Island describes Bay Shore as the gateway to Fire Island and a South Shore downtown with a lively food-and-drink scene, while the Bay Shore Historical Society says the hamlet became known in the late 19th century for its shopping district and resorts. That mix of foot traffic, summer visitors and long-term residents has made Bay Shore a place where restaurants have to win over both repeat customers and first-timers.

Parini said the community has already shown strong support even without heavy promotion, a sign that the quiet opening helped rather than hurt. In a corridor where dining choices are plentiful and attention can shift quickly, Villa Roma is trying to turn nostalgia into regular business by letting the neighborhood come in gradually instead of trying to stage a big reveal on day one.

Villa Roma’s website lists dine-in hours of Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant is at 73 Howells Road in Bay Shore, and the phone number is 631-606-2524. The question now is whether the corner’s old familiarity can carry into steady traffic, or whether the restaurant can convert a familiar address into a lasting Bay Shore fixture.