Restaurants Near UBS Arena
Belmont Hall, Belmont Park Village, and the nearby picks that actually work before an event at UBS. A practical guide for drivers and LIRR riders.
Quick Answer: Where to Eat Before an Event at UBS Arena
The Right Way to Think About Eating Near UBS Arena
UBS Arena is not surrounded by a dense restaurant district the way MSG sits inside Midtown Manhattan or Barclays Center sits at the edge of Downtown Brooklyn. Elmont is suburban Long Island. There is no block of restaurants you can casually wander into on your way from the train. The parking lots are large. The surrounding roads are fast. If you show up without a plan, your options narrow quickly.
That is not a knock on the area — it is just the reality of a destination venue, and it shapes the dining decision completely. The smartest UBS Arena dinner plans do not start with “what restaurants are nearby?” They start with: what kind of night do I want, and what timing actually works for my arrival?
There are three real tiers of pre-event dining at UBS Arena, and choosing between them is simpler than it sounds:
Belmont Hall
The arena’s own sports bar and restaurant, adjacent to the main entrance. No ticket required. No reservations accepted. Opens before event time. The no-friction option — works best when you want total ease and you are already at the venue.
Belmont Park Village
Open-air luxury outlet with genuine dining options — Hundredfold (American brasserie), Le Botaniste (plant-based), Pret A Manger and others. A 5–10 minute walk from the arena, or a free shuttle from the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station. Better food and atmosphere than Belmont Hall, slightly more planning required.
Elmont & Floral Park
The area’s best-regarded restaurants — King Umberto, The Harrison — require a short drive (5–10 minutes) and a plan. Best for groups, occasion dinners, or anyone who wants a proper meal and is comfortable arriving to the venue separately after dinner.
Most UBS visitors fall into one of two camps: they arrive by LIRR or they drive in. The dinner plan that works well for one group can be awkward for the other. That distinction matters more here than it does at a Manhattan venue, and it should drive the choice.
UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, a strong lead image for planning where to eat before a concert or event.
On-Site Dining: Belmont Hall
Belmont Hall at UBS Arena
Belmont Hall is UBS Arena’s own casual sports restaurant, located right next to the main entrance. It is accessible directly from outside the venue — you do not need an event ticket to walk in — and it opens well before event time. For night games, it opens at 4:00 PM; for day events, at 11:30 AM.
The menu draws from The Harrison, a well-regarded gastropub in nearby Floral Park, which gives the food a step up from typical arena bar fare. Beer hall classics, a solid selection from New York State brewers, and a lineup of arena-friendly dishes. The space is large, with long tables and an enclosed outdoor picnic area.
The tradeoff is honest: Belmont Hall is built for convenience, not for a dinner that stands as its own event. The atmosphere is lively and fan-forward. It handles pre-event crowds well. If you want a sit-down meal with some room to breathe and a more considered menu, you will be better served at Belmont Park Village or one of the nearby off-campus options.
Planning note: No reservations accepted. Walk-in only. On sold-out event nights, arrive with enough lead time — the space fills up in the 60–90 minutes before event time. Guests with tickets can move freely between Belmont Hall and the arena interior after scanning in.
Belmont Park Village Dining
Belmont Park Village — the open-air luxury outlet center directly across Hempstead Turnpike from UBS Arena — has developed into a genuine pre-event dining destination. It is the first North American location in The Bicester Collection (the same group behind Bicester Village in England), and its dining lineup has grown significantly since opening. For UBS eventgoers who want something more considered than Belmont Hall but do not want to drive somewhere and come back, the Village is the right answer.
For LIRR riders: Belmont Park Village runs a free shuttle continuously between the Village’s South Entrance and the Elmont-UBS Arena train station. The Village also offers complimentary parking in the Belmont Park Garage at the north entrance, shared with UBS Arena — so drivers can park once and walk to both.
Hundredfold
The standout dining option at Belmont Park Village. Hundredfold is an American brasserie developed in partnership with Chef Tim Hollingsworth — a James Beard Award winner best known for his time at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry. The concept blends French technique with American comfort food: steak au poivre, rigatoni pesto, an American wagyu cheeseburger, lobster roll bites. The room is polished and spacious, the atmosphere elevated without being stiff.
OpenTable reviews from event nights note that the kitchen can get stretched on packed concert nights, but when staffed for it, the food and service deliver well. It is the kind of pre-event dinner that feels like its own occasion rather than just a meal you ate before something else. On big UBS event nights, book ahead.
Planning note: Reservations available on OpenTable. Book ahead for major concerts and Islanders playoff games. Factor in enough time — Belmont Park Village to UBS Arena is a 5–10 minute walk, so a 6:00 PM reservation for a 7:30 PM event is workable; a 7:00 PM reservation is tight.
Le Botaniste
Le Botaniste, the Belgian-founded plant-based organic restaurant, opened at Belmont Park Village in early 2025 — its first location outside Manhattan, and the first on Long Island. The format is elevated counter service: organic wines, plant-based sushi, hummus, crudités platters, and a rotating selection of organic ingredients prepared with real care. It is not a heavy pre-event meal — it is a lighter, cleaner option for anyone who wants something that does not weigh them down going into a show.
Planning note: Works well as a lighter pre-event option. No full table service, so timing is more flexible than Hundredfold.
Pret A Manger
For visitors who want something fast, practical, and reliable, Pret A Manger is the Village’s quick-service option. Sandwiches, salads, soups, and coffee — nothing revelatory, but consistent and efficient when the goal is fueling up before a show rather than making a meal of it.
Planning note: Best when time is tight or when the group is splitting between quick food and browsing the Village before the show.
Best Nearby Off-Campus Restaurants
The restaurants in this section require a short drive — typically 5 to 10 minutes from UBS Arena. They are best suited to guests arriving by car, or to LIRR riders willing to take a cab or rideshare for dinner before heading back to the venue. The tradeoff is real: you are eating elsewhere and then coming back, which means coordinating parking and arrival timing. But for groups, date nights, or anyone who wants the kind of dinner that stands on its own, these options are meaningfully better than anything you will find on the venue campus.
King Umberto
King Umberto is the most established restaurant in the immediate UBS Arena orbit — an Elmont institution since 1976, located at 1343 Hempstead Turnpike roughly five minutes from the arena. The restaurant is large, accommodating for groups, and serves reliable Italian classics: baked clams, chicken marsala, an extensive wine list, and the house-signature fried capellini. It is the kind of old-school Long Island Italian that locals trust for special occasions and pre-game dinners alike.
As of 2025, King Umberto also launched Serata by King Umberto — a separate fine dining tasting menu concept attached to the original restaurant. If you want the full-occasion pre-event dinner, Serata is rated 5 stars on OpenTable across early reviews, featuring elevated Italian with wine pairings. The main restaurant and Serata serve different needs: the main restaurant for lively group dinners, Serata for a serious sit-down meal that is the event itself.
Planning note: Open daily from 11 AM. Reservations available on OpenTable for both King Umberto and Serata. Locals who go to Islanders games regularly list this as their go-to. On major event nights, book ahead.
The Harrison
The Harrison in Floral Park is the restaurant that supplies Belmont Hall’s menu — which tells you something about its quality relative to the on-site option. The original restaurant at 86 S. Tyson Avenue is a chef-driven gastropub focused on American classics made from scratch: fall-off-the-bone ribs, a double-cut pork chop, a strong raw bar, and a long bar with craft beer on draft, single malt whiskies, and handcrafted cocktails. The atmosphere is warm and lively without being loud.
At about 9 minutes from UBS Arena, The Harrison works well for drivers who want a proper meal before the show. It is the right pick when you want something a step above sports-bar food but not as formal as a reservation-required tasting menu.
Planning note: Open daily from 11:30 AM. Reservations available. Yelp reviews from UBS eventgoers note it handles large post-event parties well too — worth keeping in mind for after the show.
Which Option Works for Your Kind of Night
| Your Situation | Best Choice | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| You want zero friction — eat, then walk into the show | Belmont Hall | On-site, no ticket required, no reservation needed, open before events |
| You want a proper sit-down dinner without driving | Hundredfold, Belmont Park Village | Best food on the campus; 5–10 min walk to arena; book ahead on major nights |
| You are taking the LIRR and want dinner before the show | Belmont Park Village (free shuttle from station) | Free shuttle runs from Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station to Village South Entrance |
| You are driving and want a real meal before parking | King Umberto or The Harrison | 5–9 min drive; eat a full dinner, then drive to UBS and park |
| You want a date night or occasion dinner | Hundredfold or Serata by King Umberto | Hundredfold is polished and walkable; Serata is a proper tasting menu experience |
| Large group, needs space and flexibility | King Umberto | Long-established, accommodates parties, large Italian menu, open all day |
| Eating light before the show | Le Botaniste or Pret A Manger at the Village | Lighter options, counter service, flexible timing, on the Village campus |
| Quick food, no interest in planning a meal | Belmont Hall or Pret A Manger | Walk-in, low effort, handles pre-event crowds efficiently |
A Note on Timing
UBS Arena events are not all the same from a timing standpoint. Islanders games typically start at 7:00 or 7:30 PM — tight for a sit-down dinner that begins at 6:30. Concerts generally have an opening act and a later headliner, giving you more breathing room on arrival than a hard tip-off time. Know your event start time before deciding how ambitious your dinner plan is. The dinner that works easily before a 9 PM concert headliner can be a sprint before a 7:00 PM puck drop.
The Key Difference: UBS Is a Destination Venue
At MSG, you can walk out of Penn Station and find 50 restaurants within a few blocks. At Barclays, you are in the middle of Brooklyn with neighborhoods in every direction. UBS Arena is different — it sits at the edge of Elmont, next to a racetrack, bordered by a parkway, and connected to the city by a dedicated LIRR branch. The restaurants worth eating at require a decision. That is not a weakness — it just means the planning matters more.
The visitors who have the best pre-event dining experiences at UBS are the ones who decided before they left the house: on-site and easy, village and polished, or off-campus and proper. Any of those works. Walking out of the arena an hour before the show and hoping to find something good rarely does.
Planning Tips for a Smoother UBS Arena Dinner
- 1 Decide your tier before you book the tickets. If you are going to do Hundredfold or King Umberto on a sold-out Islanders night, make the restaurant reservation the same day you buy the event tickets. The restaurants near UBS Arena are not enormous — they fill up on big nights.
- 2 LIRR riders: use the Belmont Park Village shuttle. The Village runs a free continuous shuttle between the South Entrance and the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station. This means you can arrive by train, eat at the Village, and walk to the arena — without needing a car at any point. Check the Village’s visitor page for current shuttle timing.
- 3 Drivers eating off-campus: build in parking time. If you eat at King Umberto or The Harrison and then drive to UBS, you are arriving at the same time as the car-based crowd. Pre-paid parking at UBS Arena is recommended on major event nights — do not assume walk-up parking will be simple at 7:15 PM before an 8:00 PM show.
- 4 Concert nights give you more time than sports nights. A hockey game has a hard start time and a full arena arriving in the same window. Concerts have opening acts that create flexibility. On a sports night, add 20 extra minutes to whatever timeline you think you need.
- 5 Belmont Hall: arrive early or expect to wait. No reservations, walk-in only, and it is the obvious fallback for everyone who did not plan ahead. On a sold-out night, it will be full by 90 minutes before showtime. It handles the crowd well — but early is easier than late.
- 6 Post-show: your options are different from pre-show. After a sold-out show, the crowd disperses quickly via LIRR and car. Belmont Hall stays open. Belmont Park Village closes in the evening. For a late-night meal, King Umberto is open until 11:00 PM (midnight on weekends), The Harrison until 10:00–11:00 PM. Plan post-show dining before the show, not after.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on what kind of night you are having. For on-site convenience, Belmont Hall requires no ticket and no reservation and is directly adjacent to the main entrance. For a proper sit-down dinner within walking distance, Hundredfold at Belmont Park Village is the strongest option — a James Beard-connected American brasserie with reservations available on OpenTable. For groups or a longer Italian dinner, King Umberto in Elmont (5 minutes by car) has been the local standard for decades and now includes Serata, a fine dining tasting menu concept. For LIRR riders, Belmont Park Village is the most practical choice, with a free shuttle from the Elmont-UBS Arena station.
No. Belmont Hall is accessible directly from outside UBS Arena, and no event ticket is required for entry. It is open on event days — 4:00 PM for night events, 11:30 AM for day events. Note that Belmont Hall does not accept reservations. Guests with tickets can move freely between Belmont Hall and the arena after scanning in.
Belmont Park Village runs a free shuttle continuously between its South Entrance and the Elmont-UBS Arena LIRR station. This makes the Village dining options directly accessible for train riders without needing a car. Check the Village’s visitor page for current shuttle hours and frequency, as timing may vary by event. After dinner, the arena is a 5–10 minute walk from the Village.
Hundredfold is an American brasserie at Belmont Park Village developed with Chef Tim Hollingsworth, a James Beard Award winner with roots at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in Napa. The menu blends French technique with American comfort cooking — steak au poivre, wagyu burgers, rigatoni pesto, lobster roll bites. It is the strongest sit-down dining option in the UBS Arena campus area and is reservable on OpenTable. It opened in July 2025 and has been well-received by eventgoers heading to UBS Arena.
If you want flexibility, ease, and no reservations, Belmont Hall works well and there is no need to eat before you arrive. If you want a more considered meal — a proper sit-down dinner, better food, a quieter atmosphere before the show — eat at Belmont Park Village or at one of the nearby off-campus restaurants before heading to the arena. Belmont Hall is excellent for what it is, but it is a sports bar environment that gets busy on event nights, not a relaxed pre-show dinner. The right choice depends on what kind of evening you want the dinner portion to feel like.
Yes, for the right kind of night. King Umberto at 1343 Hempstead Turnpike is about 5 minutes by car from UBS Arena and has been a local institution since 1976. It is well-suited to groups, family dinners, and anyone who wants old-school Italian with a long menu and a lively room. Islanders fans with cars routinely list it as their pre-game choice. As of 2025 it also has Serata by King Umberto — a separate tasting menu concept for occasion dinners — rated 5 stars in early OpenTable reviews. The main restaurant is the right pick for group dinners; Serata is for when the dinner is the event.
After a UBS event, Belmont Hall stays open on event nights until midnight. King Umberto is open until 11:00 PM on weekdays, midnight on weekends. The Harrison in Floral Park is open until 10:00–11:00 PM. Belmont Park Village restaurants close in the evening and are not the right answer for post-show dining. For post-show plans, your best approach is to wait 10–15 minutes after the show ends to let the initial crowd thin out, then head to King Umberto or The Harrison if you have a car. For additional post-concert dining guidance, the restaurants near NYC concert venues guide covers a broader range of options.
The UBS Arena Dinner Plan That Actually Works
The formula is simple: pick your tier, match it to your timing and your arrival method, and make the reservation when you buy the tickets. On-site convenience at Belmont Hall, a proper dinner at Belmont Park Village, or a longer meal at King Umberto or The Harrison before driving in — all three work. What does not work is arriving at an arena in suburban Long Island without a plan and expecting the neighborhood to offer easy options.
UBS Arena is one of the better-designed destination venues in the New York area. The Belmont Park Village campus has added a real dining ecosystem that did not exist when the arena opened. The nearby off-campus options in Elmont and Floral Park are stronger than the venue’s suburban location would suggest. The visitors who have the best nights are the ones who decided, in advance, which kind of dinner matched the kind of show they were seeing.
Plan the dinner when you plan the tickets. The show starts before you walk through the door.