Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth at Spartan Diner

For 27 years, Peter Athanasatos has played a vital role in Farmingdale’s food and dining scene. Not only is he is the co-owner and host at the , situated in 1580 Broadhollow Road in Farmingdale, but Athanasatos also does all of the baking for the diner customers, one of the few restaurant owners to do so on Long Island.

"I took over the baking about eight years ago, since I take great care and pride in serving my selection of homemade delicacies to my patrons," Athanasatos said.

He says traffic at the diner is good, with the two movie theaters and .

"Farmingdale is a very exciting town," he said. "It is very vibrant, full of young people and many of the Airport Plaza’s theatergoers stop by our diner after the movies."

Athanasatos says he only uses fresh ingredients. When he first built the diner, he installed a professional bakery in the basement and maximized its use by making all of the desserts from scratch.

"My most popular desserts are the strawberry shortcake, the carrot-cake, the tiramisu and the baklava, and my specialty is the cheesecake, which is known throughout Farmingdale and Long Island," he said.

The diner serves four different varieties of cheesecake: strawberry, chocolate, plain and sugar-free cheesecake. The diner's version of the sugar-free cheesecake is unique and many patrons order these cakes and other pastries for special occasions.

Athanasatos is Greek and the diner offers an authentic array of traditional Greek pastries such as galactobureko, which is a custard pie made of milk and baklava and kourampiedes, which are sugar-powdered cookies.

"I make the baklava with filo dough, fresh ground walnuts, and I drizzle it with honey," he said." 

The diner also has continental desserts such as Tiramisu, Napoleons, éclairs, muffins, apple strudels, apple turnovers, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered brownies.

 "It takes a high level of devotion and a great deal of hard work in order to become a true professional in baking and cooking, and for success to be achieved, it is important to use top quality baking ingredients," Athanasatos said. "The best way to learn the art is to enroll in a culinary institute and to get hands-on experience in any way possible, whether it is working in your home kitchen or by helping out at a local restaurant," he advised all those aspiring Farmingdale hopefuls who wish to become bakers or restaurant owners.

 "I am constantly re-inventing myself with my desserts. My latest offering is an orange sponge cake with diced oranges included in its cream," he said.

Athanasatos shows his appreciation for his Farmingdale neighbors, as well as to Farmingdale’s business owners and college students, by offering them a 10 percent discount on their meals.

"Peter Athanasatos is a genuine and very hard working person. He is a true renaissance man, who can do it all: bake, cook, host, as well as handle the diner's maintenance," said Beth Mcnerlin, a waitress who has worked at the Spartan Diner for the past four years.

"I have known Peter for many years now, as well as his ability to bake," said Emilios Christodoulou, a Farmingdale resident who is a frequent patron at the diner. "When it comes to food, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing the plate in front of you was baked by his hands. I don't know how to explain the emotional taste of his food, but I can sum it up into these three words: delicious, heavenly, and savory."