On March 9, 2025, Brownstones Coffee closed its doors at 306 Union Boulevard. The next morning it reopened down the street at 425A Union Blvd., in a larger space next to the 7-Eleven, run by the father-and-son team of Emmanuel and Chris Kourounis, as Greater Long Island reported that month. Usually that is the end of the story for the old space. A lease ends, a sign comes down, and a different business moves in.
The family held on to 306 instead. About a year later it reopened as Prospect on Union, a New American dinner room. By October 2026 its listed hours had moved forward to noon. One family now covers both ends of the same stretch of Union Boulevard, from the first coffee order to the last call for cocktails.
Why the Old Space Didn't Go Dark
"We just felt like the original Brownstones location was too good of a spot to just give up," Chris Kourounis told Newsday when Prospect opened. "We decided that we wanted to do something with it and we pulled from the theme, from Brownstones, to make them like sister restaurants." Carol D'Angelo, the director of operations, called the menu "our spin on dinner with the Brownstones vibe at nighttime."
The renovation took time. Kourounis told Newsday it took about eight months to build the room's 1920s look. The design draws on the silent film era and on Prospect Hall, a historic Brooklyn jazz club and silent movie house. The room seats about 90, including 12 at the bar. Greater Long Island's preview on April 2 mentioned a soft opening that weekend. The Messenger later confirmed the doors opened at the beginning of April. The official ribbon-cutting came weeks after that, with Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter and Councilman Mike McElwee attending.
"Prospect on Union brings a fresh new energy to Union Boulevard, and it's always great to see small businesses continue to invest and grow right here in West Islip." Councilman Mike McElwee, speaking to The Messenger
Brownstones' own website calls itself a breakfast experience and points visitors to Prospect on Union at 306 Union Blvd. as its new dinner restaurant. The business tells customers where to go in the morning and where to go in the evening, and both addresses are on the same road.
The Clock Moved Up Over the Summer
When Newsday covered the opening in April, Prospect opened at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and split Sundays into a morning seating and an evening seating. As of October 12, 2026, its OpenTable listing shows noon openings every day of the week.
| Day | Hours reported by Newsday, April 2026 | Hours listed on OpenTable, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 4 to 9 p.m. | Noon to 9 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 4 to 10 p.m. | Noon to 10 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then 4 to 8 p.m. | Noon to 8 p.m. |
The two sources don't match, and the restaurant hasn't posted anything that settles it. The safest approach is to call ahead at 631-587-2078, especially on Sundays. The April schedule had a 10 a.m. Sunday seating, and the current listing doesn't show one, so a Sunday morning visit shouldn't be assumed.
If the October listing is accurate, the boulevard's day now overlaps. Brownstones' online ordering page lists ordering from 7:30 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. at 425 Union Blvd. Prospect's listed noon opening means the two sister restaurants are both serving for a couple of hours in the early afternoon. Under the April schedule, Monday through Saturday, the café's day ended well before the dinner room opened at 4 p.m.
What a Noon Opening Does to the Bar Menu
OpenTable lists Prospect's bar and high-top happy hour as Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and all day on Sundays. The posted prices are $5 draft beer, $7 wine, $10 Silent Era cocktails, $12 specialty cocktails and $12 appetizers.
Compare that with the April menu. Newsday reported house cocktails at $15 when the restaurant opened. A six-hour weekday window with a $10 cocktail tier makes 306 Union Blvd. an afternoon stop as well as a dinner reservation. A separate late-night happy hour runs Friday and Saturday from 9 to 10 p.m., with $6 draft beer, $8 wine, $12 specialty cocktails and $12 select appetizers.
Reading the Menu Like a Film Program
The film-era theme carries over to the menu. The Messenger described it as organized like a movie production.
- Opening Credits: shareable starters such as Garlic and Herb Monkey Bread, Sticky Ribs, Crispy Calamari and Buffalo Cauliflower
- Green Room: salads, including a classic Caesar, a Golden Beet Salad and a Farro Grain Bowl
- Main Event: Braised Short Rib, Heritage Pork Chop, Wagyu Bolognese, Pan-Seared Salmon and Steak Frites
Newsday's April coverage listed opening-menu prices. Sticky ribs were $16, rice croquettes $14 and short rib mac-and-cheese $16. The pan-seared salmon and the heritage pork chop were $29 each. The pork chop is the dish that links the two restaurants most directly. It's made with Brownstones' coffee rub and brown butter and served with mashed yams, asparagus and honey sage au jus. The Hollywood Smash Burger was $22, made with two 4-ounce patties, cheese bread, sautéed onions, pickles and house sauce. The golden beet salad, at $15, came with arugula, goat cheese and candied pecans. These are April prices, and menus often change in a restaurant's first six months, so treat them as a starting point.
Kourounis explained the design to Newsday in terms of the daytime customers: "We're trying to create a casual environment so we can appeal to the same clientele that we have during the day." The noon hours suggest that's the plan in practice.
The Fall Version of 306 Union
The restaurant's Instagram feed, embedded on Greater Long Island's preview page, shows the seasonal lineup: fall comfort-food favorites, an Apple Cider Margarita, a Caramel Apple Martini, and an espresso-martini flight in S'mores, Pumpkin and Biscoff flavors. The same feed promotes a Thursday Espresso Martini Night and a $20 smash-burger-and-draft-beer special. The embedded posts don't show dates, so confirm the specials before planning a night around them.
An espresso-martini flight at a restaurant whose sister café sells coffee down the street is about as close as the two businesses get on a single menu.
Recent diners have been positive so far. As of October 12, Prospect's OpenTable page shows a 4.5 out of 5 rating across 32 reviews. One reviewer on that page who ate there on October 2, 2026 praised a steak special, an apple and brie flatbread, the drinks and the service.
A Union Boulevard Day, Start to Finish
Put the two addresses together and an ordinary fall day on this stretch of Union Boulevard looks like this, using the hours each business currently lists:
- Morning at 425A Union Blvd. Brownstones is serving breakfast, with online ordering open from 7:30 a.m.
- Noon. Prospect's listed opening time, when the weekday happy hour starts at 306 Union Blvd.
- Early afternoon. Both sister restaurants are serving until Brownstones' online ordering closes at 2:25 p.m.
- Until 6 p.m. on weekdays. Happy hour pricing continues at Prospect's bar and high tops.
- Evening. Dinner service runs until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the late-night happy hour in that last weekend hour.
Brownstones has four other Long Island locations, in Amityville, East Northport, Centereach and Sayville. West Islip is the location where the company has paired its café with a dinner room under a different name.
Dates to Pair With a Table This Season
A few fall and holiday evenings and weekends at the West Islip Public Library are already on its events calendar. Each one leaves time for a meal before or after:
- October 22 and 23: Friends of the library National Friends Week BOGO Sale, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday
- October 29: Halloween Family Bingo, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- November 10: Holiday Kissing Ball, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- November 24: Thanksgiving Cookie Decorating, 6 to 7 p.m.
- December 11 and 12: Friends of WIPL Holiday Sale, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
- December 12: Gingerbread Houses, 10 to 11 a.m.
- December 13: "Sounds of the Season: A Piano & Cello Duo," 2 to 3 p.m.
The Gingerbread Houses morning on December 12 ends at 11 a.m., an hour before Prospect's listed noon opening. That leaves time for coffee at 425A first.
Irene Siconolfi has followed West Islip's main streets for more than 25 years, including storefronts like 306 Union Boulevard that change hands, change owners and sometimes stay in the family. If you'd like to talk through how a block like this fits the way you live, or how to present your own home on one of these streets, Irene Siconolfi is glad to have that conversation. Work With Irene.
