MAIN STREET · BABYLON VILLAGE

Every village has a few places where people mark their lives without meaning to. Birthdays, first jobs, a Friday after a game. In Babylon Village, for 29 years, one of those places has been Tricia’s American Cafe at 26 E. Main St.

Early on Wednesday, Oct. 28, a fire broke out at the restaurant. That same day the family said on social media that Tricia’s would close indefinitely, Patch reported. The cause, the extent of the damage and whether anyone was hurt have not been made public. As of Tuesday morning, there is no reopening date, and we found no fundraiser or update from the family. The restaurant has said it will share news as it learns more.

What there is to tell is the story of the place itself.

Tricia’s opened in 1997. According to its own website, it is family owned and operated: Tricia, Dave and their sons, who “make everyone feel at home.” The couple brought more than 40 years of restaurant experience with them, from family eateries that ran from Jesse’s in Huntington to the Flyin’ Fish Saloon in Ocean City, Maryland.

The idea was a trip back in time. The cafe built its room around 1950s music and decor, and its own photos show red booths, wood-paneled walls, an Ebbets Field street sign and old Brooklyn baseball posters. The website makes a point of welcoming everyone “from family and friends to children,” and calls it a kid-friendly cafe. For a lot of Babylon kids, it was the room where they grew up.

The food was the kind you order without the menu: hand-shaped Black Angus burgers, jumbo wraps, wings, blackened steaks with fresh blue cheese, homemade crab cakes and seafood, all made fresh and to order, the restaurant says. Its motto sits right on the home page: “Friends Gather Here!”

When the news broke, the response came fast. Patch described an “outpouring of support” from customers and the community. That tells you what the place is. A 29-year-old family restaurant on Main Street is part of how the village works, not just somewhere to eat.

So what can you do right now? Very little, and that is fine. Give the family room. Watch the restaurant’s own pages for word. If they ask for help, or announce a way to give, we will print it here. And on the day the doors open again, be there.

Sources: Patch, “Longtime Babylon Restaurant Closes Indefinitely After Fire,” Oct. 30, 2026 · Tricia’s American Cafe

Tricia's American Cafe dining room, before the fire. Tricia's American Cafe.