New York has lost another multigenerational favorite after a year filled with painful local restaurant goodbyes. Metros on Main in Sayville, known for most of its life as Sayville Pizza, closed on September 13 after 65 years of serving slices, Italian dinners and familiar hospitality on Main Street.
The restaurant opened in 1957 and remained part of downtown Sayville through decades of changing tastes and ownership. Its own history remembered a simple founding goal: serving New York-style pizza and traditional Italian food with quality ingredients and a welcoming atmosphere. The owners announced the closing only shortly before the final weekend, thanked Sayville for its support and invited customers in for one last meal. They did not give a reason for closing.
From Sayville Pizza to Metros on Main
For most of its run, the business was the kind of neighborhood pizzeria where customers could grab a quick cheese slice, order a Sicilian pie for the family or carry home calzones, garlic knots and heroes. It occupied 60 Main Street long enough to become part of the village’s everyday geography.
In May 2023, owner Daniel Gambino gave the restaurant a major makeover and introduced the Metros on Main name. The renovated concept kept pizza at its center while adding a full-service dining room, cocktails, sports, live entertainment and karaoke. It was an attempt to carry a long-established local business into a different era without discarding its roots. Even the new description—an Italian kitchen and pie bar—kept the original specialty in view.
More than a slice counter
The final menu showed how broad the operation had become. Diners could order Margherita and specialty bar pies, but also baked clams, calamari, rice balls, chicken Francese, rigatoni Bolognese, seafood platters and veal saltimbocca. Desserts ranged from cannoli treats to New York cheesecake.
That variety let the restaurant serve several roles at once. It could handle lunch at the counter, dinner with family, drinks during a game or a celebration in the private dining space. Catering carried the same familiar Italian dishes to parties and community gatherings beyond Main Street.
Why Sayville will miss it
Sixty-five years gave customers time to build their own traditions around the restaurant. Children who once visited for pizza could return as adults with families of their own. Regulars remembered friendly employees, generous portions and the comfort of knowing where to find a dependable meal in the center of town.
The rebrand made the dining room newer, but the closing still ended the much older Sayville Pizza story. The brief farewell gave regulars little time to absorb the news before the last service on September 13. What disappeared was more than a recently renovated Italian restaurant; it was a Main Street habit that had survived for well over half a century.
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