'Barring A Miracle': BBQ Restaurant Closing For Good On LI

ISLIP, NY — A beloved BBQ restaurant on Long Island is closing its doors for good next week after eight years of serving the owner's hometown community.

Dang BBQ, a classic BBQ eatery in Islip owned by Anthony Mastro, announced the closure on Monday saying that "the money just isn’t there to keep it going."

"It’s with a heavy heart that I have to announce we will have to close our doors at our Islip location as of next week, barring a miracle," Mastro wrote on social media.

Until then, Dang's patrons can still enjoy the food.

"Our goal is to stay open as long as we can and continue to serve the community we love," he told Patch on Tuesday. "We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community."

After that, barbecue lovers can still find Mastro's classic BBQ dishes on Long Island. He said he plans to keep Dang Roadhouse in Seaford open, along with his catering company and food trucks.

In the post, Mastro recalled the restaurant's journey after opening in 2017.

"I was really excited to bring BBQ to the place where I was born, grew up and stayed to raise my family," he wrote. "It’s been a wild ride, in the last 8 years we’ve done everything from appearing on TV with Michael Symon to roasting a pig backstage for Toby Keith, but most importantly we’ve made so many great friends along the way."

But it "wasn't easy," he added.

"BBQ isn’t something we eat regularly here on Long Island and I thought I would be able to show my friends how amazing smoked meats like brisket, pulled pork and chicken are," Mastro wrote. "The food that I fell in love with while in college in the 90s just wasn’t around this area. My joke was always when I asked somebody if they enjoyed barbecue, they would say 'Oh sure, I love grilling burgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob.'"

After Mastro established the Islip location and things were "great for three years," he felt inspired to branch out and open the Seaford restaurant.

And it wasn't always smooth sailing for Mastro. When COVID-19 hit, Mastro got creative. "Instead of quitting," he made a television commercial "telling Long Islanders that we were here for them."

Mastro said he plans to sell Dang BBQ's building and "hopes" the Seaford location will be able to stay open.

"It truly breaks my heart that it has come to this, but the money just isn’t there to keep it going," he said. "I love this community and I want you to know we aren’t going away, we just have to close our doors."