Lion's Nook Bar Opens at Rowdy Hall's East Hampton Space

Alex Rossi, the founder of the Springs Tavern and Grill, is opening Lion's Nook Bar and Grill at 10 Main Street in East Hampton Village this June, stepping into the space that Rowdy Hall occupied for years before that restaurant closed and the address sat dark.

Rossi is partnering with Gary Fuhrman, an entrepreneur and East Hampton Village resident active in the local business community. The two describe the concept as an American bar and grill built on local ingredients: fish from nearby waters, meats and produce from East End farms, alongside the tavern standards that made Springs Tavern a year-round neighborhood fixture rather than a purely seasonal operation.

The name has specific local resonance. Lion's Nook honors Lion Gardiner, the English settler who in the early 17th century established a claim on what is now Gardiners Island and is one of the foundational figures in the recorded history of eastern Long Island. The homage is not incidental: Rossi has spoken about wanting the restaurant to feel genuinely rooted in East Hampton's history rather than trading on the village's current summer cachet.

The 10 Main Street address has a long continuous history as a restaurant space. O'Malley's occupied the spot for years before Rowdy Hall took over and ran there for more than two decades, building a loyal following for its reliable kitchen and pub atmosphere. Rowdy Hall's closure left a gap on a Main Street where the summer crowd expects certain constants to remain in place.

Lion's Nook will open seven days a week starting at 4 p.m. for dinner. Brunch and lunch service are planned for a later phase once the kitchen and front-of-house staff are running smoothly. Rossi's stated intention is to operate year-round, which would make Lion's Nook one of the relatively few year-round dinner options in a village whose commercial landscape contracts sharply after Labor Day.

That year-round commitment is worth noting. East Hampton's Main Street sees meaningful turnover each season, with operators who build their model around the compressed summer rush and then discover the economics do not extend through October. Rossi's track record at Springs Tavern, which has maintained a neighborhood following outside the summer period, is his case that Lion's Nook can follow the same pattern at a more prominent address.

Dan's Papers reported in May that the Hamptons' summer 2026 opening season includes four new restaurants across the East End. Among those, Lion's Nook stands out for the combination of local ownership, an address with existing name recognition, and a concept aimed at year-round viability rather than a seasonal sprint. That combination is rarer than it should be on the East End, and it is the version of restaurant opening that a village benefits from most.

Miracle, opening at 29 Main Street in Sag Harbor at the former Vin Sur Vingt space, is among the other East End debuts this season, with chef Jesus Gonzales of Fresno Restaurant behind the kitchen. The two openings reflect a pattern of storied addresses changing hands while the region's restaurant culture refreshes itself. Lion's Nook is aiming for the space between accessible and polished: easy enough to fill seats on a Tuesday in November, compelling enough to compete with the summer crowd's expectations in August.

Specific opening dates had not been publicly announced as of mid-May, with Rossi indicating an early-to-mid-June target. East Hampton Village's permit and licensing process sets the practical boundary. Reservation systems and menu details are expected to appear at lionsnook.com as the opening date firms up.