Fire That Destroyed Farmingdale's Cafe La Bella Notte 'Suspicious': PD

SOUTH FARMINGDALE, NY — A fire Tuesday night badly damaged Cafe La Bella Notte of South Farmingdale. The fire is "suspicious in nature," the Nassau County Police Department Arson Bomb Squad said.

Firefighters rushed to 180 Merritts Road around 9:30 p.m. for flames in a mini shopping center. Flames already engulfed the cafe when officers got there, police said.

Approximately 50 firefighters from South Farmingdale, Bethpage, Farmingdale Village, East Farmingdale and Massapequa extinguished the blaze.

The cafe sustained "moderate damage" because of the fire, police said. The cafe will not reopen for the foreseeable future.

"I'm sad to share the news that our beautiful cafe will be closed for days to come," the cafe owner wrote in a Facebook post. "I was unfortunately notified last night that the cafe was destroyed by a bad fire. Luckily nobody was injured. I would like to thank each and every one of you that have supported me throughout the last two years. With a little prayer and lots of hard work, I'm hoping to be back better than before. Thank you all and have an incredible holiday."

The shopping center also houses Irving's Pastrami, the permanently-closed Nail Glo, and another vacant storefront up for lease.

The three storefronts sustained smoke and water damage, police said.

Pastrami shop Irving's said on social media it too would temporarily close "until further notice," and reopen after Christmas. The shop said it's doing "everything in their power" to open before the holiday, News 12 reported.

Cafe La Bella Notte opened in March 2021. It serves hot and iced coffee, espresso, cappuccino, fresh baked goods from Brooklyn, cannolis made in the back of the store, gelato, and homemade rice balls.

Irving's opened in Farmingdale in October 2021. Owner Andrew Fenton relocated the shop from Woodbury after he founded the eatery in March 2018.