Popular North Fork Eatery Moving To New Location

SOUTHOLD, NY — A popular Main Street eatery in Southold will be moving to a new home soon.

Jennifer Raymond, owner of Jeni's Main Street Grill, announced that in the next few weeks, the eatery, well-loved by scores for a menu that includes mouthwatering pancakes, omelettes, sandwiches and more, will be moving east — to the site of the former Six Three One diner, and the longtime locale of the Sea Shell restaurant.

Raymond, who lives in Southold and has had the restaurant on Main Street for 12 years, said her landlord has a Northport eatery and is thinking of heading east. At first, the idea was to share the space where Jeni's is now located, but then, the opportunity arose to move Jeni's to the former Six Three One site, located at 62375 Main Road in Southold, she said.

The new space has about 30 additional seats and a bar; Raymond said she'll apply for her liquor license and eventually offer dinner. To start, she said, she believes she'll begin with breakfast and lunch, "and then, go from there. We'll going to have to feel it out as we go."

While Raymond isn't sure of the eatery's new name yet, she's sure "Jeni's" will always be included in the moniker. And the new space will afford approximately 30 additional seats beyond what she currently has, Raymond said.

The goal, she said, is to move within the next two weeks, with only a few days closed at most. "We're hoping to move and go," she said.

Of Jeni's iconic decor, including a huge collection of wooden roosters, chickens and farm memorabilia, she said she plans to bring some to the new digs.

For Raymond, her culinary journey has been fueled by her passion for preparing food to share. "I love to feed people, I do," she said. "My creative outlet is in the kitchen."

Her dream was born when she was just 12; her stepfather Dean Eichorn was a former owner of the Chowder Pot Pub in Greenport — she later attended the Culinary Institute of America. "That's how it all started," she said. "I have to feed people."

The new location will also see new a rebirth under Raymond's helm.

Almost four years after opening the doors of the Six Three One Diner on Route 25 in Southold, owner Pat Dellaportas confirmed last year that the eatery would not be back; Puerto Verde opened at the location and closed after the 2017 season. The former restaurant at the site, JD Steakhouse, closed in 2012. The site was the longtime home of the Sea Shell before JD Steakhouse opened in 2010.

The building measures 2,200 square feet and holds outdoor seating space, too. Cimino's Restaurant, an Italian eatery, also operated in the space between its incarnations as steakhouse and seafood restaurants.

"I'm looking forward to this next great adventure," Raymond said.

Patch photos by Lisa Finn.