Eric Lemonides

Almond Restaurants
Co-Owner

As a youth, Lemonides would take the subway from his Mom’s house in Brooklyn into lower Manhattan to visit his Dad, who lived on the western edge of SOHO. He was allowed to go to two places without supervision – his Uncle’s restaurant, right downstairs, or La Gamelle, a nearby French Bistro owned by friends of his Dad. At La Gamelle, he would sit at the bar, eat steak-frites, drink Pepsi with a splash of red wine, making small talk with the bartenders and regulars at 13. That period helped him recognize his love for restaurants and decide that the restaurant world was where he would make his mark.

In 1991 Lemonides moved to San Francisco, where he developed his signature, laid-back approach to service before heading out east on a one-way cross-country road trip to the Hamptons. He walked into Della Femina looking for a waiter position and said goodbye to San Francisco. For two years, this unwanted job made him the gatekeeper for one of the most demanding tables in the Hamptons. It would be a stepping stone for his next position as general manager of F.illi Ponte in Tribeca.

F.illi Ponte marked Lemonides’ return to the NYC dining scene, opening Lunch on Hudson Street, which successfully ran from 2000 to 2001. Next, alongside childhood friend Jason Weiner, Lemonides opened Almond in Bridgehampton, NY.

In 2018, Lemonides & Weiner expanded their Bridgehampton operation next door with the opening of L&W Market, offering prepared foods straight from Almond’s kitchen, take-out items, dry goods, and Almond’s product line. In 2020 Almond expanded south with the 3rd location in Palm Beach, FL.