5 Long Island movie theaters that serve alcohol
Sag Harbors Cinema's Green Room bar manager and bartender Deborah Lee describes the bar as "a grown-up space where people feel comfortable." Credit: John Roca
Morgan and Sue Williamson of Patchogue drove to the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville on a recent Tuesday evening for one of their favorite outings: Dinner with cocktails at the lobby bar followed by a movie. One perk: Being able to bring their drinks to their seats.
“It’s helpful,” Sue Williamson, 47, a health care worker, said just before taking her plastic cup of Bacardi and Diet Coke into a screening of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” She added: “You don’t have to rush it. And if you want to get one more, you can.”
Alcohol and cinema may not be a novel pairing — Huntington's Cinema Arts Centre has been serving beer and wine in its cafe for years — but it might become more common on Long Island thanks to a recent change to New York State’s complicated liquor licensing laws. Traditionally, only cinemas with kitchens and tables could serve spirits along with beer and wine; others might sell beer and wine in the lobby, but drinks were prohibited in the auditoriums. In January of last year, however, the National Association of Theatre Owners successfully lobbied the State Liquor Authority to loosen the rules. The requirements for serving spirits, such as gin and whiskey, remain in place, but now any cinema can potentially serve beer and wine that patrons can take to their seats.
“This change is really going to help independent theaters thrive,” said Devin Fickling, property manager of the newly reopened Sayville Theater, formerly known as the Sayville Cinemas. Fickling said he’ll likely sell beer and wine in the near future, but with some restrictions. He's considering limiting sales to evening screenings and possibly limiting the number of drinks an individual can buy per showing.
The lounge at Sag Harbors Cinema's Green Room bar. Credit: John Roca
“It’s a necessary revenue stream in 2023,” Fickling said of alcohol sales. “We have to constantly be enhancing the customers’ experience.” (The New York State office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving did not respond to requests for comment.)
At the Sag Harbor Cinema, the roof deck of the third-floor Green Room bar has even been pulling in non-moviegoers since it opened in July 2021. “We’ve come and watched fireworks, or sunsets,” Julie Hatfield, 56, said while sitting on the deck with friends on a Friday evening. Hatfield, who runs the Bridgehampton construction company Wright & Co., added that the bar has also made her a more frequent moviegoer. “It really adds to the experience of an adult night out,” she said.
Ahead of a big summer movie season packed with potential hits, Newsday scoped out some of Long Island’s best places to catch a flick and have a drink. Here’s what we found:
PLAZA CINEMA & MEDIA ARTS CENTER
20 Terry St., Patchogue
631-438-0083; plazamac.org
Volunteer Gail Mancuso of Sayville serves popcorn at the Blue Velvet Lounge at Patchogue's Plaza Cinema & Media Arts Center. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
This tiny, not-for-profit venue is a throwback to the bohemian art houses of yore: It’s basically one room with 68 seats, a screen and a concession stand off to the side. On the back wall you’ll see a neon sign for the Blue Velvet Lounge, but don’t look for armchairs or tables; it’s mostly a nod to David Lynch’s 1986 film, “Blue Velvet,” starring Isabella Rossellini (she’s the Plaza’s honorary trustee). That said, you can get a pint of draft beer or a glass of wine for $9 and carry your beverage the few feet to your seat.
The whole experience is “gemütlichkeit” — a German word for warmth and congeniality, said Marjorie Britt, 74, a longtime Plaza patron who purchased a glass of rosé before a Tuesday-evening screening of Ray Romano’s “Somewhere in Queens.” She added: “It’s just a nice touch of class and comfort.”
AMC DINE-IN HUNTINGTON SQUARE
4000 Jericho Tpke., East Northport
631-850-4115; amctheatres.com
AMC has two Dine-In locations on Long Island: One in Levittown and this newish spot (it opened in November 2019) in the Huntington Square Mall. In the spacious, modern-looking lobby you’ll find MacGuffins, a modest bar with a lounge area. There’s seating for only about six at the bar itself, but a mix of high and low tables offers seating for another 30 or so.
The atmosphere feels a little corporate, but the prices are reasonable (cocktails run about $15) and the convenience factor is high: You can order burgers, sandwiches, snacks and soft drinks ahead of time online and a staffer will deliver them right to your seat. Alas, the same does not go for adult beverages; you’ll have to order those at the bar and take them with you.
BELLMORE PLAYHOUSE
525 Bedford Ave., Bellmore
516-783-5440; bellmoreplayhouse.com
This long-running independent theater opened its upstairs bar, The Loft, about three years ago, according to owner Jay Levinson. The Loft functions as a preshow hang-out spot but also an event space — so, depending on the night, you might encounter a live band or even a comedy show. Other nights, you might just find a sports game showing on the drop-down projection screen.
The bar has been a modest success, Levinson said, and he’s taking advantage of the newly changed liquor law to introduce a small bar cart that will sell canned beverages at the downstairs concession stand. Levinson said his South Bay Cinemas location in West Babylon, which is currently under renovation, will likely feature a bar and lounge area as well.
Any potential downsides of selling liquor are outweighed by the potential revenue, Levinson said. “It does hurt sometimes when they spill the drink,” he acknowledged, “but what can you do? The profit in liquor is enormous. You buy a $10 drink, we’re making $8 if not more.”
ISLAND 16 CINEMA DE LUX
185 Morris Ave., Holtsville
800-315-4000; showcasecinemas.com
The Island 16 was billed as Long Island’s first “luxury” cinema when it opened in October 2002 — a time when reclining seats, food and alcohol were somewhat novel additions to the cinema experience. These days the venue is still bustling; there was plenty of foot traffic and a few patrons grabbing preshow drinks at Chatters Bar & Grill when we dropped by on a recent Tuesday night.
The Island 16’s biggest advantage over competitors might be its extensive food menu, which features nearly a dozen appetizers (sliders, battered shrimp, Thai-chili chicken bites), a wide range of burgers and sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, even steak tips. Prices are in the $11 to $17 range — about what you might pay at an Applebee’s or a Chili’s. Cocktails run $12-$14.
According to frequent visitors the Williamsons, two movie tickets plus food and drinks typically add up to somewhere between $90 and $120.
SAG HARBOR CINEMA
90 Main St., Sag Harbor
631-725-0010; sagharborcinema.org
Debrah Lee works the bar at Sag Harbor Cinema's Green Room. Credit: John Roca
Since opening during the pandemic, the cinema’s upstairs Green Room bar has become a popular spot thanks to its sunny windows, lovely views and pleasant roof deck (dubbed the Francois Truffaut Terrace, after the iconic French director). The weekly entertainment schedule includes trivia nights, live bands and even magic shows. Cocktails cost an average of $15 (note the movie-themed names, such as No Time to Rye and G&T Phone Home) while snacks such as chicken wings and cauliflower tempura start around $10.
Yes, you can take your drink downstairs to the auditoriums (just ask for one of the bar’s to-go cups), but bartender Deborah Lee, 43, said she runs a civilized drinking establishment where over-imbibing is discouraged.
“It’s not a let’s-get-wasted bar,” she said. “It’s a grown-up space where people feel comfortable, where they can come alone or with friends or family, and just enjoy the experience.”
THEATRE THREE, ENGEMAN SERVE WINE, BEER AND EVEN SONG
Selling alcohol in movie theaters may be a new phenomenon, but beer and wine have long been available in lobby bars at Long Island's mainstage theaters, including Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, Northport's John W. Engeman Theater, The Argyle Theatre in Babylon and The Gateway in Bellport.
"It is a public service," said Theatre Three's artistic associate Douglas Quattrock. "Our focus is what goes on onstage, but obviously, going to the theatre is a social event and sometimes people like to gather before the show and have a drink, maybe with friends they haven't seen in a while."
Quattrock added that the theater has a tavern license to sell liquor, as well as coffee, soft drinks and snacks. If guests want to bring their drinks inside the theater, they need to purchase a lidded plastic cup.
The piano lounge at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport has also been a popular watering hole for visitors, who might arrive an hour early to listen to standards or chat with friends while sipping on a Chablis.
"The lounge used to be an old concession stand, so when we renovated the theater, we thought having the lounge would be a nice way to ease into coming into the show," Engeman co-owner Kevin O'Neill told Newsday in 2011.
Quattrock says that in the 50-plus years that the theater has been open, no one has ever created a disturbance from imbibing too much. "We’re open so briefly that it doesn’t happen," Quattrock said.
— DANIEL BUBBEO
