Long Island restaurants with a water view
Navy Beach in Montauk offers 200 feet of private beach to go with the travelogue sunsets. Credit: Navy Beach/Noah Fecks
On Long Island, there is no shortage of restaurants that take to waterside decks and patios for picturesque summer dining. Any of these may have just the table for you.
Right on the beach
The Boat Yard at Tobay Beach (1 Ocean Pkwy., Massapequa): An outdoor food hall on Tobay’s tranquil bay, The Boat Yard comprises five order-at-the-counter kiosks that cover a few continents' worth of menu items. Hit up the Dockside Grill kiosk for burgers and sandwiches; a few feet to the right, Bonanno’s Gourmet Pizza & Calzones serves personal pies and calzones. There’s Mexican street food at La Playa Taco Bar, seafood at Rudy’s Raw Bar & Chowder, and salads and bowls at Bayside Salad & Bowls. The Boatyard neighbor, Surf Shack, is a slightly more formal restaurant, though flip-flops are always welcome. More info: 516-324-8474, theboatyardny.com
Five Ocean (5 New York Ave., Long Beach): There are restaurants with water views, and then there is Five Ocean Bar & Grill, whose patio is literally built on the sands of Long Beach. Chef-owner Craig Attwood made a name for himself at fine dining establishments such as Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport and East Hampton Point. In Long Beach, he is keeping it casual with local fish tacos, burrata with strawberry-cardamom compote and Thai basil, linguine with steamed littleneck clams and a bang-up buttermilk fried chicken with lime-chili sauce and jicama-cabbage slaw. More info: 516-517-2828, fiveoceanlongbeach.com
Buttermilk fried chicken with lime chili sauce, jicama-cabbage slaw and house-cut fries at Five Ocean in Long Beach. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
La Plage (131 Creek Rd., Wading River): La Plage ("the beach" in French), sits steps away from the town beach, a weathered low-slung structure with canopied tables spilling out from the dining room. Chef Wayne Wadington has owned it since it opened in 1996, and he has settled into a cooking style that blends high and low. One of his most popular items is the rigatoni which, on the one hand, is essentially pasta and tomato sauce but, on the other, involves sun-dried tomatoes, manchego cheese, shrimp and a final flambé. Other can’t-take-off-the-menu items include a green apple salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and mâche, composed with care and dressed with a sherry vinaigrette, as well as house-smoked beef "carpaccio" and duck confit on fresh chive risotto. More info: 631-744-9200, laplagewadingriver.com
Maliblue (1500 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach): The raw bar is an elemental part of this summer spot, but it also serves a lot of steamers, lobster tacos, lobster rolls, baked clams oreganata and pan-seared branzino to balance the burgers, po'boys and chicken-Caesar salad wraps. The umbrellas unfurl in front of the sleek, contemporary restaurant. More info: 516-442-2799, maliblueoysterbar.com
Navy Beach (16 Navy Rd., Montauk): Splashed across a 200-foot stretch of private beach overlooking Fort Pond Bay, the perennial East End favorite offers an eclectic menu that ranges from salmon tartare and shrimp ceviche to crabcakes with Dijon aioli and roasted sea scallops with succotash and chorizo. Don’t miss the fried chicken. Enjoy all of this — plus a huge selection of rosé wines — while seated at a picnic table with your toes in the sand. More info: 631-668-6868, navybeach.com/montauk
Navy Beach in Montauk offers 200 feet of private beach to go with the travelogue sunsets. Credit: Navy Beach/Noah Fecks
Ocean Restaurant at Crescent Beach Club (333 Bayville Ave., Bayville): Aruba has come to Bayville. On select evenings this season, the 200 tons of sand and 50 palm trees trucked in by the Crescent Beach Club and its on-site restaurant Ocean each year are playing host to tables accommodating from two to 10 patrons for dinner. Menu highlights include mahi mahi tacos, lobster rolls and linguine with seafood in lobster cream sauce. More info: 516-628-3330, cometotheocean.com
Tiki Joe's Cedar Beach (223 Harbor Beach Rd., Mount Sinai): Bang on the sand, this lively covered bar and waterside grill (once called Sunsets at Cedar Beach) attracts a rainbow of humanity, from young families and day-trippers to couples on first dates, bikers and seemingly professional beer drinkers. You can belly up to the four-sided bar in a tankini to holler your order across live music or take a table on the relatively placid patio for the usual beachy fare of cheeseburgers, fish and chips, baked clams and poke bowls. More info: 631-743-9410
Gilgo Beach Inn (4104 Gilgo Beach): Squint at the Gilgo Beach Inn to obscure the cellphones and you could be looking at a scene from any one of the past eight decades. Gilgo occupies the narrow midpoint of the barrier island that extends from Jones Beach to Captree State Park. The 1,200-square-foot structure, facing the bay but just an underpass away from the ocean, functions as a snack bar, a community center, a relic and, ultimately, a living museum of itself. The menu still fits easily on one of those old-fashioned white boards with black press-on letters: 11 grill items and the same number of frozen sweets, plus beachy cocktails and beers. More info: 631-826-3339, gilgoinn.com
The Gilgo Beach Inn. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Casual waterside eats
Butler's Flat (86 Orchard Beach Blvd., Port Washington): Named after a lighthouse in New Bedford, Massachusetts, this New England-style clam shack in Brewer Capri Marina West has a sweeping view of Manhasset Bay. Highlights include clam chowder, stuffed quahogs, lobster rolls, crab rolls, shrimp rolls and snack bar favorites like hot dogs and grilled cheese. Craft beer and wine too. More info: 516-883-8330, butlersflat.com
Diners at Butler's Flat in Port Washington. Credit: Linda Rosier
Clam Bar at Bridge Marine (40 Ludlam Ave., Bayville): Just across the bridge from Oyster Bay to Bayville, and tucked into a marina on West Harbor, is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gathering of covered tables, plus an outdoor bar and busy kitchen turning out clam chowder, burgers and blushing littleneck clams. Many visitors boat in and tie up to the Clam Bar’s 160-foot-long floating dock for some of the freshest clams around, dug right from the nearby harbor and ordered at the counter. More info: 516-628-8688, bridge-marina.com/the-clam-bar
Claudio’s Waterfront (111 Main St., Greenport): There’s nothing friendlier or more satisfying than an evening spent at this stalwart’s racetrack-sized oblong bar perched on the edge of Greenport harbor, but seats can still be hard to come by. There are tables too, of course, but this branch of the Claudio’s conglomerate is best appreciated while eavesdropping on bar talk and quaffing a dockside lemonade, a cocktail of dependable potency and even a little subtlety despite the unassuming name. (Credit the minty accents — as in Ketel One Cucumber Mint — and elderflower liqueur.) Plates of littleneck clams on the half shell and North Fork oysters have a winning straight-from-the-ocean brine. On chilly evenings, opt for steamed clams, which arrive in a cobalt blue pot, bathed in garlic and white wine. Still, it’s the people — the heady mix of locals, tourists and a seemingly endless string of bachelorette party celebrants that keep this place fun, interesting and full of life. More info: 631-477-0627, claudios.com
JT's On The Bay (1 Curtis Rd., Blue Point): This intensely laid-back venue feels like a combo between a bar in the Florida Keys and someone's private deck. There's an outdoor bar to one side and, on the deck, plenty of distanced outdoor tables overlooking the bay. As befits a place perched over the water, lobster is plentiful, from steamed lobster to a pitch-perfect lobster roll to lobster tacos. Keep the seafood going with a raw bar, chargrilled oysters or beer-battered fish and chips. A bucket of Coronas or a potent Rocket Fuel complete the summer vibe. More info: 631-363-2205, jtsonthebay.com
JT’s On The Bay in Blue Point offers waterside dining. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Kingston’s Clam Bar (130 Atlantic Ave., West Sayville): At this waterside clam shack, which shares a terminus with the West Sayville Boat Basin, a deck runs the length of the dining room and umbrella-topped tables look out over bobbing boats. You can start with a half-dozen littleneck clams on the half shell, then move onto lobster rolls, fish tacos, a broiled seafood platter or the fried-flounder Reuben. More info: 631-589-0888, kingstonsclam.com
Laura's BBQ (76 Shore Rd., Glen Cove): Located in a marina alongside Glen Cove Creek, this waterside barbecue spot turns out a memorable menu of brisket, pulled pork, barbecued chicken, collard greens, mac-and-cheese and more. More info: 516-715-1500, lauras-bbq.com
Lazy Lobster (10 Front St., East Rockaway): It’s a rollicking scene at this self-described "lobster beer garden" along the East Rockaway waterfront. Wash down the excellent lobster rolls (and tacos, nachos and sandwiches) with spirit cocktails such as the Maui Wowie or Rum Punch Therapy, or a milder Lazy Lobster Frose or Grandpa Marco’s secret family recipe for sangria. More info: 516-837-8484, lazylobsterny.com
The warm Connecticut lobster roll with tarragon citrus butter, coleslaw and shoestring fries at Lazy Lobster in East Rockaway. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Nicky's on the Bay (150 S. Clinton Ave., Bay Shore): Serving up salt air, sea vistas and sunsets is Nicky's on the Bay, a picture postcard of a seafood restaurant. In temperate weather, you'll want to sit on the outdoor deck, equipped with a canopied area at center. And before or after dinner, head up the stairs for drinks on the second level, where there's often live music. If you time it right, gorgeous sunsets, too. More info: 631-206-3311, nickysonthebay.com
Peter's Clam Bar (600 Long Beach Rd., Island Park): Almost every table has a view and a breeze at Peter’s, from the roadside high-tops to the seats on the expansive patio along Barnum Inlet. Peter’s has been serving seafood, raw and cooked, since 1939 — as its look suggests — and the requisite fresh littlenecks, cherrystones and oysters all populate the raw bar. For a more substantial summertime snack, choose from king crab legs, lobster tacos, lobster rolls, steamed lobster, or a haul of fried seafood, from flounder (served as fish and chips) to fried smelts, shrimp and scallops. More info: 516-432-0505, petersclamhouse.com
Toomey's Tavern (251 S. Ketcham Ave., Amityville): There are few written roadside signs to direct you from Merrick Road to Toomey’s Tavern — you just sort of need to know about the place. By day, old-timers cluster along its relic-strewn bar, bottles of Bud in hand, swapping stories or drinking in silence before the younger crowd arrives. Outside, on the canal, rows of picnic tables and an open-air gazebo with fishing nets strung underneath its eaves lend an uber-chill ambience. Tropical-hued libations — a rum punch or a Toomey’s Explosion, which is turquoise in color — pack a wallop. Boaters drift up to the dock and tie onto the pastel pylons outside, ready for wings and sliders and fried clams. There’s spotty cell service, ice-cold beer and a buttery, satisfying clam chowder. More info: 631-264-0564, toomeystavern.com
The outdoor bar at Toomey's Tavern in Amityville. Credit: Randee Daddona
Point Lookout Clam Bar (99 Bayside Dr., Point Lookout): A left turn at the end of the Loop Parkway delivers you into sleepy Point Lookout, and a few more turns to this mellow spot along Reynold’s Channel whose catchphrase is "from our ships to your lips." True to the motto, you can sometimes watch boats tie up to the dock to unload a fresh haul. Clams on the half shell, steamed littlenecks, crisp clam strips, shrimp cocktail, chowders, salad and lobsters — they’re all here, served at umbrella-covered tables with relaxation-inducing water views. Take some to go from the fish market, too. More info: 516-897-4024, pointlookoutclambar.com
Turkuaz Grill (40 McDermott Ave., Riverhead): A skipping-stone’s throw from the boardwalk of Peconic Riverfront Park, this Turkish restaurant offers great food, views and even bird-watching. Nibble on a vibrant shepherd's salad, an assortment of meze, or small plates, of housemade gyro and juicy kebabs. Creamy sutlac (rice pudding) makes for an optimal conclusion. More info: 631-591-1757, turkuazgrillriverhead.com
Whale's Tale (81 Fort Salonga Rd., Northport): Eat on the deck within view of both yacht club pool and boatyard at tables shaded by umbrellas and awnings. Raw-bar items, wings, tacos, burgers, salads and the like comprise the menu. More info: 631-651-8844, thewhalestalenorthport.com
Waterside fine dining
A Lure (62300 Main Rd., Southold): A self-described "chowder house and oyster-ia," A Lure boasts an immense deck overlooking Port of Egypt Marina and Peconic Bay. Executive chef Tom Schaudel tours the world of seafood with crabcakes with tomato rémoulade, Baja-style fish tacos, macadamia-coconut-crusted flounder, grilled Scottish salmon, plenty of classic steamed and raw dishes, too, plus an extensive wine list with many North Fork selections. More info: 631-876-5300, alurenorthfork.com
Diners sit on the outdoor deck at A Lure in Southold. Credit: Randee Daddona
Anchor Down Dockside (2479 Adler Ct., Seaford): Stephen Rosenbluth’s laid-back canal-side restaurant takes over the old Cardoon space and retains a few Mediterranean traces such as the falafel. Otherwise the fish-centric menu blends New American and global influences with classics such as baked/fried/raw clams, fish and chips, grilled swordfish (albeit with Thai green papaya salad), sesame-crusted tuna and lobster rolls — plus a few steaks, chops and burgers. The menu is very similar to Rosenbluth’s original Anchor Down, still trucking on the water in Merrick. More info: 516-785-2390, anchordowndockside.com
Louie's Grill & Liquors (395 Main St., Port Washington): The name changes slightly, chefs come and go, now steering Louie’s in a slightly Asian direction, now toward New American. What doesn’t change is a lineup of seafood classics — chowder, raw bar, fried calamari, baked clams, crabcakes, steamed mussels, fish and chips, lobsters and lobster rolls. You’ll also find pasta, steaks and unparalleled views of Manhasset Bay, especially at sunset. More info: 516-883-4242, louiessince1905.com
The LakeHouse (135 Maple Ave., Bay Shore): A well-appointed deck at the water's edge offers a view of the Fire Island ferries chugging across the Great South Bay. Order from the regular menu of innovative New American dishes, or a bar menu composed of simple crowd-pleasers like lobster rolls, burgers and steamed mussels. More info: 631-666-0995, thelakehouserest.com
The LakeHouse in Bay Shore has a waterfront deck and tented patio that's open for diners. Credit: Randee Daddona
Nikkei of Peru (55 Shore Rd., Port Washington): Sushi bars with outdoor seating are a rarity on Long Island. Nikkei of Peru goes above and beyond with Peruvian-influenced Japanese cuisine and a stunning view of Manhasset Bay. (Try to snag a seat facing the bay to witness one of the Island's loveliest sunsets.) Chef-partner Hermanto Jong sharpened his knives and skills during a decade at Nobu 57 in Manhattan, so consider forgoing the typical California roll for the chef's signature creations. More info: 516-439-4201, nikkeiofperu.com
Prime: An American Kitchen and Bar (117 New York Ave., Huntington): Huntington’s waterfront is largely inaccessible; Prime is the luxurious exception. Come by car or by boat (slips available) for some of Long Island’s most acclaimed cooking, with steaks, sushi, raw bar and New American dishes. More info: 631-385-1515, restaurantprime.com
Trumpets on the Bay (58 S. Bay Ave., Eastport): Diners at the two-dozen tables on the porch enjoy one of the most dramatic views on Long Island. Bordered by marsh, the restaurant is at the tip of one of the fingers of Moriches Bay. The restaurant offers everything from jumbo shrimp cocktail and tuna tartare to teriyaki salmon and grilled steaks. More info: 631-325-2900, trumpetsonthebay.com
Diners on the side outdoor dining deck at Trumpets on the Bay in Eastport. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
View (3 Consuelo Pl., Oakdale): In fine weather, the capacious dining room spills out onto an equally ample waterfront patio at the mouth of the Connetquot River, with a panoramic view of the Great South Bay beyond. The restaurant could not be more aptly named, and Bill Muzio’s kitchen looks out to the sea as well with a globe-trotting menu featuring a raw bar, crispy Thai calamari, crabcakes with shishito succotash, togarashi-dusted tuna, espelette-dusted pan-seared scallops, poached cod with cabernet foam and saffron-orange seafood stew. Manager Joe Scalice’s extensive wine list is full of treasures, many of which can be ordered by the glass. More info: 631-589-2694, viewoakdale.com
Nino’s Beach (43 Orchard Beach Blvd., Port Washington): Safe Harbor Capri East, the marina overlooking Manhasset Bay has hosted a series of outdoor restaurants over the last half century, none of them lasting more than a few summers, but the latest incarnation, Nino’s Beach, looks to have staying power. Owners (and brothers) Franco and Michael Vendome gutted the facility and installed a sparkling venue — in tones of stone, alabaster, marble and brass — that boasts two dining rooms, a bar, an oyster bar and, of course, a deck overlooking the water. The Mediterranean menu is serious too, featuring homemade pastas; artisanal pizzas; starters such as hamachi crudo with pickled rhubarb, crispy shallots and basil oil or grilled Portuguese octopus with squash puree and green mango. Mains include a 14-ounce New York strip, double-cut pork chops, whole roast chicken and seared yellowfin tuna. More info: 516-502-0441, ninosbeach.com
Tables overlook the Safe Harbor Capri marina at Nino's Beach in Port Washington. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
