ABOUT US

A little about what you can expect

if you're visiting to us for the first time:

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​Fresh food, made to order, with as much personal service as we can muster on any particular day.  We’re not fine dining.  But we are really good dining.  And we have to hope that most of the people who find us for the first time will be looking for just that.  And be happy they found us.

We've recently had a huge, bright, public light trained on our little, family business.  And while it’s exciting and we’re confident that we will navigate the attention with as much grace as possible, we've been thinking a bit about the other side of the coin.  Hmmmm.  Not every person who walks in the door is going to fall in love.  (Ooooo, yeah, well, we knew that, I guess).  We’re going to get some bad reviews, most likely, not just lukewarm.  (Who said that?  What’s his damage?)   Some people will judge us by standards that don’t really apply to a 14 table ice cream parlor / luncheonette / confectionery.  (It was too noisy? Really?)  And, some people just won’t like us. (Per Mrs. Seinfeld: Who doesn’t like you?!  Don’t even think it!?!)   So our challenge is not to take it all too personally.  It’s not show-friends, right?, it's show-business.  While most of this will be wonderful and fun, (for all of us, we hope), we imagine there will be some stumbles.   Regardless, as usual, we promise to do our best and we truly hope you like what we have to offer. 

In any case, please feel free to speak with Bryan while you're at the store, give us a call at 516-741-0608, drop us an email at info@hildebrandtsrestaurant.com, or contact us through our Facebook page, if you prefer.  We do want to know what you think.

All the best,
The Hildebrandt's Crew

Hildebrandt's History

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Over the years, we've often been asked about the history of Hildebrandt's, and surprisingly, we don't know all details.  We know that Henry Hildebrandt opened the store in 1927 or 1929, research has supported both dates, and that the business model has stayed nearly unchanged for the last 83 years.  We know that only four families have owned the place in all that time: Henry sold to Alma Steffens in the '50s; Alma sold to Helen Baum in 1974; and Mrs. Baum sold it to my parents, Alfred and Joanne Strano in 1975.  Henry Schriever, the original candy maker, trained by Henry, trained my dad, Alfred, and the recipes have continued to be handed down and closely guarded.  Alfred and Joanne's daughters: Joanne, Anne and Susan all worked at Hildebrandt's through high school and beyond.  Susan and her husband, Bryan Acosta, bought the store in 2007, and ran it together until Susan's passing in June 2015. Since then, Bryan has kept the tradition going. Their children Dakota and Hunter Acosta, both worked here during their high school years, and Hunter is currently working with her father, still family owned and operated.  The more some things change, the more they stay the same.

We are looking to fill in the details.  We have so many wonderful and loyal customers that have been coming to Hildebrandt's since the early days, we'd like to hear your stories.  If you have any photos, old menus, etc, we'd be especially grateful to get copies.  In the meantime, we're working with the Nassau County Museum to see what we may find in the archives.

Thanks for your interest in Hildebrandt's.  We wouldn't be here without you.

All the best,
The Hildebrandt's Crew