Thursday, October 15, 2026
For nearly 30 years, Elisa’s Restaurant, in North Bellmore, has served as more than a place to enjoy Italian food. For brothers Rocky and Paolo Telese, the family-owned restaurant has become a gathering place where longtime customers return year after year, families celebrate milestones and neighbors are welcomed like old friends.
As the restaurant approaches its 30th anniversary later this month, Elisa’s is beginning a new chapter, with recent renovations to its entrance, dining area and bar, bringing a refreshed look to a neighborhood fixture.
But while the space has changed, the brothers said the qualities that have kept customers coming back remain the same: a welcoming atmosphere, personal service and a commitment to making every guest feel at home.
“We’re all over the community,” Rocky Telese said. “We live here. We work here. It’s important to us that our local customers are treated like gold, because they’re also our neighbors.”
The Teleses grew up working in the restaurant business alongside their parents, Antonio and Elisabetta, who immigrated from Italy. Antonio helped them open Elisa’s, on Jerusalem Road, after the brothers returned from college, building on their family’s experience in the restaurant industry.
Paolo, 50, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York, is the restaurant’s head chef. He developed his culinary skills through years of experience in the kitchen, including work and training in Switzerland, Rome and Paris.
The brothers have been working together for most of their lives, but their different backgrounds have helped shape Elisa’s’ identity. Although it maintains a traditional Italian menu, the restaurant regularly features themed weeks and specialty events that reflect Paolo’s culinary interests. October brings Oktoberfest and exotic food offerings, while November showcases an avian-themed menu, with dishes featuring a variety of game birds. Other events throughout the year have included pasta week, with handmade pastas inspired by different regions of Italy, as well as Mardi Gras-influenced dishes and specialty food and wine pairings.
For Paolo, the freedom to experiment is part of what makes operating Elisa’s rewarding. He enjoys introducing customers to unfamiliar flavors while maintaining the approachable atmosphere of a neighborhood restaurant.
That balance between creativity and comfort is also reflected in the restaurant’s recent renovations. The updated bar, entrance and dining area offer customers a setting in which to enjoy a meal or gather for a drink, while the restaurant continues to offer outdoor seating, which was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, along with space for private celebrations.
Rocky, 57, said that the decision to renovate came after years of success in the same location. He felt it was time to give the space a new look, particularly with the addition of a new bar.
For the brothers, however, the restaurant’s atmosphere extends beyond its appearance. Their presence there and the relationships they have developed with customers over the years remain central to its identity.
Some customers, Rocky said, have been regulars since the restaurant opened in October 1997. He has seen families return for celebrations across generations, from bridal and baby showers to christenings, communions and weddings. In some cases, families that celebrated milestones decades ago now returns to mark a similar occasion for the next generation.
“I have a lot of regulars that are more like family now,” Paolo said.
That familiarity is part of what makes Elisa’s feel different from a restaurant where customers simply come and go. Rob Kaufman, who has worked there for about 14 years and grew up in Merrick, said that sense of care is a defining part of the brothers’ approach to hospitality.
Kaufman said he has seen the owners accommodate customers with specific dietary needs, and help people who might otherwise struggle to afford a meal. He described the restaurant as a place where guests are treated with equal respect, regardless of who they are. “You see the heart and the intention of doing right and fulfilling our little community around here,” he said.
As Elisa’s approaches three decades in North Bellmore, the renovations represent an investment in the restaurant’s future without losing sight of the relationships that helped it grow. For the Telese brothers, the milestone is one worth celebrating, but the goal remains much the same as it was when they first opened their doors: serve good food, create a comfortable place for people to gather and keep welcoming members the community they call home.
