Where to Dine in the Hamptons: A Quick & Easy List
Restaurants come and go on the South Fork, but many of the ones on this list have withstood the test of time. Whatever you fancy—be it sushi, moussaka, oysters on the half shell, or juicy steak—you’ll find it here. Rub shoulders with the locals and have some fun while you dine!
Click restaurant names for linked reviews.
1 North Steakhouse (1northsteakhouse.com, 631-594-3419, Steak & Seafood) of Hampton Bays serves lunch and dinner, with daily specials including the popular Wednesday “Date Night,” which includes two entrées and a bottle of wine. Check out their Nice Buns food truck parked outside the restaurant for lunchtime—with delicious sliders.
230 Elm (230elm.com, 631-377-3900, American & Seafood) is Southampton’s preeminent caterer, but you can also eat and drink on premises at 230 Down. Featuring great food and an impressive lineup of live music and DJs—even karaoke!—you’ll definitely want to check out 230 Elm.
Head out to Montauk to enjoy fresh seafood and a beachy atmosphere at 668 The Gig Shack (668thegigshack.com, 631-668-2727, American), where local specialties include the blackened local fish Montacos (homemade mango salsa and creamy coleslaw in a crunchy corn tortilla). Late night bar.
75 Main (75main.com, 631-283-7575, Italian & American) in Southampton is a popular restaurant and nightclub, giving diners the option of people watching from one of the sidewalk tables or from inside through the floor-to-ceiling windows. With an innovative menu and an ever-rotating list of house specialties.
The iconic Hamptons French bistro Almond (almondrestaurant.com, 631-537-5665, French) in Bridgehampton is committed to fresh, locally sourced products. Serving dinner seven nights a week.
RELATED: Hamptons Restaurants: New, Gone, Moved in Summer 2016
The American Hotel (theamericanhotel.com, 631-725-3535,American/French), which has long been popular with Billy Joel and just about anyone else who graces Sag Harbor’s shores, expertly marries American and French dishes. The luxurious dining room is set inside the charming historic hotel, which was built in 1846.
Restaurateur Tim Burke’s Backbar Grille (backbargrille.com, 631-728-2208, American) in Hampton Bays hosts live music, dance parties and happy hours with a full menu that ranges from fresh seafood to burgers.
The restaurant at Baron’s Cove (baronscove.com, 844-227-6672, American), the Sag Harbor resort, offers classic, all-American dining including surf and turf, burgers and fresh seafood prepared by Matty Boudreau, one of the Hamptons’ most acclaimed chefs.
Bell & Anchor (belleandanchor.com, 631-725-3400, Seafood) in Sag Harbor offers fresh oysters, seafood platters, lobster, surf & turf, and views of the bay.
Bobby Van’s (bobbyvans.com, 631-537-0590, Steak and Seafood) in Bridgehampton has steakhouse classics and fresh fish. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Westhampton Beach’s Boom Burger (boomburgerwhb.com, 631-998-4663, American) serves hot-wings-burgers-and-fries fare, and kicks things up a notch with additions like Thai chili wings and an eclectic lineup of burger toppings, ranging from peanut butter and jelly to truffle oil to chorizo to the most inspired of all: creamy mac ’n’ cheese.
What summer is complete without a clambake? Bostwick’s Clambakes & Catering (bostwicksclambakes.com, 631-324-2700, Seafood) in East Hampton, an arm of Bostwick’s Chowder House, will take care of it for you. Check out the East Hampton location for fresh beachy fare and drinks.
Brewology (brewology295.com, 631-801-6221, Gastropub), in Speonk, is a gastropub with a focus on craft beer. The bar has a dozen taps and flights are available both at the bar itself and for table service. Chef Chris Zullo serves contemporary casual cuisine.
Situated on the Shinnecock Canal with views of the marina, Canal Cafè (thecanallcafe.com, 631-723-2155, Seafood) provides a relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy delicious fish dishes.
With views overlooking the Shinnecock Canal, Hampton Bays’ Cowfish (cowfishrestaurant.com, 631-594-3868, American) offers small plates, brunch, dinner and sushi.
Dockers Waterside (dockerswaterside.com, 631-653-0653, Seafood/Steak) in East Quogue is perfect for sunsets, steak and seafood. Choose to sit in the indoor or outdoor dining spaces.
Edgewater (edgewaterrestaurant.com, 631-723-2323, Italian) in Hampton Bays serves up large portions of unique Italian dishes and spectacular views of Shinnecock Bay.
Every day can be a bagel on the beach day! With locations across the East End in Southampton, Westhampton, Montauk, Bridgehampton, Napeague, Mattituck, Riverhead, East Hampton and new spots opening in Wainscott and another in Montauk, Goldberg’s Famous Bagels (goldbergsbagels.org, 631-329-8300, Bagels & Deli) continues to expand its empire. Now East Enders will have delicious bagels wherever they roam.
With locations in Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Southampton, Sag Harbor and at the café inside the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, the Golden Pear Café (goldenpearcafe.com, 631-283-8900, Café) has become a Hamptons classic known for their coffee and artful panini.
Gurney’s Montauk (scarpettarestaurants.com, gurneysmontauk.com, 631-668-2345), the resort and seawater spa, has several dining options. LDV Hospitality and Gurney’s present Scarpetta Beach, a sister restaurant to the Italian eatery in the Meatpacking District. Bartender Julio Cabrera leads The Regent Cocktail Club, with classic cocktails and weekend DJs. Tillie’s, a casual dining spot, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus brunch on Sundays. An Italian-style coffee bar, Corso Coffee, is open in the Gurney’s lobby. The Beach Club at Gurney’s, right on the resort’s private beach, will serve appetizers, sandwiches and salads.
RELATED: Where to Dine in Montauk: A Quick and Easy List
With locations in Southampton, Water Mill, Westhampton and a new location in Aquebogue, Hampton Coffee Company (hamptoncoffeecompany.com, 631-726-2633, Café/Mexican) serves some of the Hamptons the best coffee. The Water Mill location features a full-service restaurant with indoor and outdoor garden seating.
Harbor Market & Grill took over 184 Division Street, Sag Harbor last year. Owners Paul and Susana Del Favero present a European café with farm-to-table ingredients and rustic cuisine.
At Harvest on Fort Pond (harvestfortpond.com, 631-668-5574, Italian/Mediterranean), the Italian fare is served family-style and is inspired by fresh Montauk seafood and homegrown produce. On warmer nights, chose to dine in the vegetable and herb garden as you watch the sunset over Fort Pond.
The Highway Restaurant and Bar (highwayrestaurant.com, 631-527-5372, American) on Montauk Highway in East Hampton offers new American cuisine from Executive Chef Anand Sastry in a redesigned space. The proprietors state, “Our philosophy is simple; we cook the food we’d like to eat and we do it with integrity, honesty and love.” Enjoy brunch on Sundays.
Nestled inside of an early 20th century Victorian beach house, Inn Spot on the Bay (theinnspot.com, 631-728-1200, Eclectic/Seafood) in Hampton Bays is both elegant and cozy, and everything is made from scratch. Perfect for a romantic dinner while overlooking Shinnecock Bay.
Juice Press (juicepress.com, 212-777-0034) a Manhattan-based chain that serves organic cold-pressed juice, smoothies and meals, opened its first Hamptons location in 2013 in Southampton. In 2015, Juice Press introduced a Bridgehampton storefront.
Thierry Gelormini’s French bistro Le Charlot (lecharlot.us, 631-353-3222, French), in Southampton, is the East End outpost of the flagship restaurant on the Upper East Side. Enjoy classics like steak au poivre while people-watching from one of the restaurant’s sidewalk tables.
The Living Room @ c/o The Maidstone (themaidstone.com, 631-324-5006, American & Swedish) consistently offers special dining events, including frequent Yappy Hours, wine pairings and Jazzy Sunday brunches in East Hampton. The New American dishes pay particular homage to the Slow Food movement.
Also identified by its large “Lunch” sign, The Lobster Roll (lobsterroll.com, 631-267-3740, Seafood), on the Napeague Stretch, is a Hamptons’ mainstay. The lobster rolls are iconic, and for a good reason, but don’t shy away from the variety of other seafood platters and homemade desserts.
Lynn’s Hula Hut, a Polynesian tiki bar located in Montauk Marine Basin’s parking lot—yes, you read that correctly—is a funky, fun way to spend an afternoon. Serving a variety of fruity alcoholic beverages made with locally-sourced ingredients, and featuring an intense bloody mary bar on Sundays, the Hula Hut is an experience not to be duplicated anywhere else on the East End.
Matsulin (matsulin.com, 631-728-8838, Asian) in Hampton Bays specializes in Pan Asian cuisine, which includes Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese flavors.
Some of the best Mexican food on the East End (and 75 tequilas) makes Mercado (mercadony.com, 631-237-1334, Mexican) in Bridgehampton a can’t-miss.
Momi Ramen (momihamptons.com, 631-324-1678, Japanese) moved into its Pantigo Road, East Hampton location last year. With a menu that features, yes, ramen, you’ll also find plates like Braised Short Ribs or Ika Geso-age (deep-fried squid legs), for the more adventurous.
Muse in the Harbor (museintheharbor.com, 631-899-4810, New American) has become a staple of Sag Harbor’s Main Street with an expanded New American menu from chef-owner Matthew Guiffrida. A second eatery, Muse at The End (631-238-5937) is located at 41 South Euclid Avenue in Montauk.
Montauk’s Navy Beach (navybeach.com, 631-668-6868, French/Seafood) serves elegant seafood in a casual-chic dining room with breathtaking sunset views. Bring your drink outside to the lounge/beach area and take in the ocean air.
East Hampton’s Nick & Toni’s (nickandtonis.com, 631-324-3550, Italian/Mediterranean) serves stylish plates which rotate seasonally. The centerpiece of the Tuscan-style room is a wood-burning oven covered in mosaics.
Sagaponack’s Old Stove Pub (631-537-3300, Steak & Greek) offers traditional Greek dishes alongside dry aged, Black Angus steaks.
Osteria Salina (osteriasalina.net, 631-527-5396, Italian), a Sicilian restaurant, is located at 108 Wainscott Stone Road, in the space that previously housed Georgica Restaurant.
Steak and lobster are the signature dishes at The Palm (thepalm.com, 631-324-0411, Seafood & Steak) in East Hampton, where patrons also rave about the service and cocktails.
Dine in at Pellegrino’s Pizza Bar (pellegrinospizzabar.com, 631-283-9742, Pizza & Italian) in Southampton for delicious Italian fare and wood fire pizzas, or choose any one of their menu items for takeout.
If French food is more your style, head to Pierre’s in Bridgehampton (pierresbridgehampton.com, 631-537-5110, French), where chef Pierre Weber creates French dishes specializing in local seafood. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Pierre’s also has a gourmet patisserie in the front with such delectable treats as brioches, croissants and homemade ice cream.
On the list of Southampton’s Italian favorites is Ristorante Sant Ambroeus (santambroeus.com, 631-283-1233, Italian), which opened its original location in Milan, Italy. The front area showcases mouthwatering pastries, gelato and an espresso bar. An elegant breakfast, lunch and dinner menu is offered in the back dining room.
Rumba (rumbarumbar.com, 631-594-3544, Seafood/Caribbean) in Hampton Bays serves eclectic inspired island cuisine, as it harnesses the casual fun of the Caribbean. Come for the food, stay for the rum bar.
Shippy’s (shippyspumpernickles.com, 631-283-0007, Steak & Seafood) features the best sizzling steaks in the Hamptons, king crab legs, authentic wiener schnitzel, fresh fish, and surf and turf.
On your way back from the beach, stop by Shucker’s Lobster and Clam Bar (shuckerslobsterbar.com, 631-905-8292, Seafood) in Hampton Bays for their famous $19.95 lobster special and the fully stocked raw bar. The restaurant is family-friendly and offers casual dining.
Back for another season (perhaps a not-as-rowdy one), The Sloppy Tuna (631-647-8000, American) in Montauk serves staples (burgers, grilled cheese) and offers a raw bar. But the real draw is the after-hours music and bar scene.
For authentic southwest cooking, barbecue and comfort foods, check out Smokin’ Wolf BBQ and More (smokinwolfbbq.com, 631-604-6470, Barbeque) in East Hampton. Open for lunch and dinner.
Southampton Social Club (southamptonsocialclub.com, 631-287-1400, American) has a wide appeal, serving innovative cuisine in style, featuring late-night DJs and bottle service. A short walk from Southampton’s train station.
Tutto Il Giorno (tuttoilgiorno.com, 631-725-7009, Italian) in Sag Harbor is known for its innovative Italian dishes, and patrons love sitting on the inviting outdoor terrace during warmer nights. If you’re staying a little farther west, be sure to check out their Southampton Village location (631-377-3611), which boasts a cozy interior space.
Enjoy a waterfront breakfast, lunch or dinner at Westlake Fish House (westlakefishhouse.com, 631-668-3474, Seafood) in Montauk, serving local seafood, sushi and traditional American dishes.
Take your Sunday brunch at Wölffer Estate Vineyard, 139 Sagg Road, Sagaponack. “Sundays on the Terrace,” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., feature Blue Duck Bakery pastries, rosé mimosas, rosé cider cocktails, French-press coffee and more local fare. wolffer.com, 631-537-5106.
Visit DansBOTB.com for Dan’s Best of the Best restaurants on the Twin Forks, and look out for our comprehensive East End Dining Guide, coming soon to a newsstand near you!