It opened its doors as Leja Beach Casino in 1945, just as World War II was drawing to a close.

Legend has it that the unusual name came from the first initial of the four original owners: Lee Coffin, Edward Sembler, Joseph Gerard and Albert Brown.

Its original building was washed out to sea in a January 1996 nor’easter and a new building was constructed.

But after eight decades in business, Casino Café and Casino Bar in Davis Park on Fire Island are still going strong, offering great food, a friendly, relaxed vibe and unparalleled views of the Atlantic Ocean.

To mark its 80th birthday, Casino Café and Casino Bar will hold a celebration on Friday, June 6 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Over the years, this beachfront oasis has won over many loyal customers, some who live in Davis Park and others who come for the day by ferry or who dock their boats in the 250-slip marina on the bay side. Many are the children and grandchildren of the original customers.

“For a lot of us, it’s like home,” said Brookhaven Town councilman Neil Foley, a frequent visitor. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful place.”

Foley, whose district includes Fire Island, draws a parallel to a famous TV sitcom.

“It’s like walking into the show ‘Cheers,’” he said. “Everybody knows everybody.”

Jayne Robinson, president of the Davis Park Association, said Casino Café and Casino Bar are anchors of the hamlet’s tiny downtown. They are the community gathering spot for Davis Park residents, a community of between 250 and 260 homes, the first of which were built in the 1940s.

“When you come across from the mainland, it’s the first thing you see,” Robinson said. “It’s a symbol of the community.”

Casino Café serves almost as the town hall for Davis Park, which doesn’t have a municipal building, Robinson said.

“It’s a very local, community place,” said Kristin Tully-Downs, the restaurant and bar’s general manager and the daughter of the late Jim Tully, who was one of its owners.

Casino Café has long been important to longtime customer Charlene Lehman.

As a kid, she and her family attended church services that were held there before the Church of the Most Precious Blood was built.

It’s also where Lehman met her husband, Bill, and where they celebrated their children’s and grandchildren’s christenings.

“We’re sort of part of their family,” Lehman said.

Casino Café has a storied history.

It opened to much fanfare in June 1945, including front page stories in the Patchogue Advance that eagerly tracked Leja Beach Casino’s progress.

When Brown, Coffin, Gerard and Sembler bought the land for the casino, it was front-page news in the newspaper’s Oct. 5, 1944 edition.

An advertisement in the Patchogue Advance noted that “the large porches and 80 feet of sun deck offer ample space to relax out of doors under the finest conditions, while inside the plate glass windows give an atmosphere of space and a feeling of out of doors.”

Another advertisement pictured the circular bar with views of the Great South Bay and Atlantic Ocean and noted that “Plans are Nearing Completion For Opening Of Regular Ferry Service” with three daily round trips from the new dock at Sandspit.

Casino Café celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1995.

In January 1996, the building was hurled into the sea by a winter storm. The barstools were found five miles away and “every piece of lumber was in the ocean,” Tully-Downs remembered.

Jim Tully was a man not to be deterred by the ravages of Mother Nature, however.

Tully had a new building built on the mainland and shipped by barge to Davis Park. The restaurant reopened in time for Memorial Day in 1996.

The new building was an improvement on the original, which was a collection of buildings cobbled together. Patrons had to walk through the bar to get to the restaurant.

“It really wasn’t that great a building,” Tully-Downs said.

In the new building, the restaurant and bar each has a separate entrance.

Patrons came up with a nickname for each side of the building—the restaurant side became known as “Manhattan” and the bar side was called “The Bronx.” Some older patrons still refer to it that way.

On the restaurant side, fresh seafood and fresh local oysters are among the menu’s big draws, Tully-Downs said.

Ken Stein is president of Sayville Ferry Service, which operates the town-owned marina.

“Our customers are ecstatic the restaurant is right there for them,” Stein said. “They know how lucky they are to have one of the best restaurants on Fire Island right in their backyard.”

Meanwhile, the casino’s fans are looking forward to it continuing its long run.

“It gets better every year,” Foley, the Brookhaven Town councilman said. “I wish them another 80 years.”