OLCOTT —
If you’re heading to Luna’s Bistro, 1577 Lockport-Olcott Road, you better bring your appetite.
The newly opened bistro serves a three-culture cuisine of Italian, Mexican and American entrees, including customer favorites lasagna, chimichanga and stuffed haddock.
The restaurant welcomes you with an All-American bar area and goodies section with model cars and motorcycles plastered to the wall, before you can make your way back to the Italian- and Mexican-influenced dining rooms, followed by an outside seating area for sunny summer days by Olcott Beach and harbor.
But the food and casual atmosphere is just a sliver of what the restaurant is all about, owner Jim Galeas said.
“My El Salvadorian blood runs deep in me and my mother was my inspiration for the bistro,” Galeas said. “My mother’s maiden name is Luna, so I named it in her honor.”
When Galeas was 19, he moved to Long Island from El Salvador, where Spanish-style food was traditional for his family. And by 1991, Galeas and his wife, Jacki, made their way upstate and settled in Barker, where they opened Pizza Wings & Things, and Time Out Sports Bar & Grill in 1994. Four years later, Galeas brought his Barker restaurants to Olcott, where Pizza Wings & Things was opened in 1998, and Time Out Sport Bar & Grill opened in 2001.
“I’ve been in the restaurant business for 20 years and I can’t sit still,” Galeas said. “It becomes an instant hit when you open up a sports bar or nice restaurant in a really small town where there is not usually a lot to do.”
Galeas said his secret to success is to “treat others how you want to be treated.”
“Me and my employees are very personable. We try to interact with our guests and give them the best service we can,” Galeas said as he mingled with a “regular” — a Wilson woman — and her sons— who said she gets her morning coffee at the bistro everyday while enjoying a slice of cherry pie.
And the small-town atmosphere is just what Galeas likes.
“I love it here. It’s small, the people are nice, and Olcott is such a beautiful place,” Galeas said.
Galeas said summer is booming in business for him as locals, boaters off Lake Ontario and visitors patronize his restaurant.
“It’s the kind of place you came to after being by the beach all day and eat a hearty meal,” Cindy Nicastro of Albion said while she and her husband took a day trip to Olcott Beach. “I know I can come here, have a good time and know there’s a good place to eat without feeling out of place.”
And that kind of feeling is exactly what Galeas had hoped for.
“When people come here, I want them to feel comfortable in a friendly atmosphere,” he said. “If I’ve done that and serve good food, then I’m a successful man.”
In addition to owning and operating Luna’s Bistro, Galeas also helps cook meals with head chef Mike Henderson and his wife.
Luna’s Bistro is open Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The bar area is open every day until 2 a.m. For more information, call Luna’s Bistro at 638-4164.
Contact reporter Britney Milazzo at 439-9222 ext. 6251.
Local News
Related Photos
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Jim Galeas, owner of Olcott's newest restaurant Luna's Bistro displays his signature lasagna and a liquid libation. The restaurant features a open air patio and an extensive American, Mexican and Italian cuisine. Joe Eberle/US&J
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Two signature dishes include a chicken Chimichanga and a home made lasagna. Joe Eberle/US&J
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