“It seems like Roslyn is becoming the cool place,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran proclaimed at the newly renovated Roslyn Hotel last week.
With the addition of both a supper club and restaurant and now the finishing touches of a redone lobby and new front patio, The Roslyn Hotel has undergone major changes in the last year.
To top it all off, the Roslyn Chamber of Commerce held a customary ribbon cutting last Thursday evening, with a guest appearance from the county executive.
“It gives a sense of finality for the renovation and the vision we had about a year ago,” co-owner Sudhir Kakar said. “It’s finally done, open to the public, and we’re happy with how it turned out.”
My Father’s Place, a popular club from the 1970s that hosted acts including Madonna and Bo Diddley, reopened in the hotel last summer with a more upscale, relaxed feel. Restaurant 1221 at MFP neighbors the venue, serving modern American cuisine.
Now with a spacious patio, the hotel will offer drinks and food outdoors starting this summer, said co-owner Liz Kakar.
It also has DJ nights in the restaurant on Saturdays, she said.
The Kakars purchased the hotel almost two years ago for more than $14 million.
“We really had this idea for something more than just a place to stay,” Liz Kakar said.
The space feels historic, she said, and has sweeping views of Roslyn Harbor.
With its new entertainment offerings, it is more than ever a part of the community, Liz Kakar said.
And both Sudhir Kakar and Roslyn Chamber of Commerce Vice President Lou Federico agreed with Curran: Roslyn is hip.
“I feel like it’s the hippest place in Nassau County,” Sudhir Kakar said. “The restaurants, the scene, the places to go out, the music venue that’s here now.”
Federico grew up in the area and when he went to Adelphi University, Roslyn was a cool place to hang out.
“I think it’s getting its cool back,” he said.
The Roslyn Hotel is located at 1221 Old Northern Blvd.
