Chef Laurent Tourondel Taking Over Iconic Sag Harbor Restaurant

Residents and visitors to Sag Harbor will sadly be saying goodbye to the iconic Conca D’Oro Pizza Parlor and Italian Restaurant come January. Owned by Frankie Venesina, along with his parents, Tony and Lina Venesina, the restaurant has been purchased by another local favorite, LT Burger.

A mainstay on Main Street since 1975, when Tony and Lina arrived from their native Sicily, the family are multi-generational restaurateurs, Conca D’Oro (Italian for golden basin) is just one of the restaurants the extended family owns and operates, including Baby Moon in Westhampton Beach and Luigi’s Italian Specialties in East Hampton, along with Montauk’s Primavera Italian Specialties. Lina’s brother, the late Celestino Gambino, founded Southampton Village favorite, La Parmigiana and their eldest son, John Venesina, owns and operates the Edgewater Restaurant in Hampton Bays. Frankie has been in charge of the daily operations at Conca D’Oro for a number of years, while Lina’s presence is always apparent with the warm and welcoming smile she bestows on customers. The family’s commitment to their community is as equally well-known and appreciated as their hot pizza pies.

Offering delicious traditional Italian cuisine, along with affordable prices and an always comfortable, cozy environment “Conc,” as locals refer to it, is where a slice of pizza, garlic knots, chicken parmesan, Fettuccine Alfredo and linguine with clams, among other tasty delights, have kept customers coming back for more than 40 years.

Frankie revealed, “This is the right time to do this for both me and my family. We will miss our daily involvement with customers and the community, but our family is committed to the area my parents have called home for more than four decades. Personally, I am looking forward to the future and continuing to be a part of the restaurant business.”

Conca D’Oro opened in 1975. (Photo: Frankie Venesina)

LT Burger co-owners, Michael Cinque and French Chef Laurent Tourondel, also located on Main Street, too have their well-established roots and highly-regarded reputations in the restaurant business. Opened in 2010, the award-winning Tourondel owns multiple restaurants around the globe, and Cinque also owns Amagansett Wine and Spirits. Commenting on the convenience of those pizzas, Tourondel explained, “This will be a neighborhood family restaurant where we plan to offer a variety of pizzas, which will be fired in a wood burning oven and will change seasonally. We will also offer a selection of house-made gelatos and more! Pizza by the slice will also be available when we plan to open in Spring 2018.”

When speaking with Cinque, he confirmed, “I am happy to let Laurent express our feelings on this, and agree with what he said.”

LT Burger fast became the go to place for a great burger “in the hood” and the staff, ambiance and menu choices make for a delightful dining experience.

As both establishments have garnered and earned consistent praise and loyalty from locals and visitors alike, with lines out the door on many a summer day, the open year-round restaurants will leave many humming that song, “Sometimes you [just] want to go where everybody knows your name.”

To reach LT Burger call 631-899-4646, and for Conca D’Oro call 631-725-3167.