Bayman's Clam Bar opening in Patchogue at former Harbor Crab Co.

Move over, Crab. Clam has entered the chat. The rambling structure at 116 Division St. overlooking the Patchogue River that, since 2001, has housed Harbor Crab Co., is being transformed into Bayman’s Clam Bar. Partners Jay Varney and Will Strano got the keys on Friday and immediately set about "de-tiki-ing" the palapa walls and bamboo bar.

"Our plan is to be open by Memorial Day," Varney said.

Harbor Crab Co. was, initially, inspired by the crab houses of Ocean City, Maryland, but over the years its kitchen leaned more into drinks-friendly pub food with a tropical seafood bent. The new owners want to bring the focus back to the food and, especially, to one signature dish: fried whole belly (aka Ipswich) clams. It’s a dish that Jay Varney knows well since it’s a mainstay at Varney’s, the Brookhaven restaurant (and lobster-roll specialist) co-founded by his father, Will, and Bill Lengyel.

Other than the fried clams, the menu is still a work in progress but, Jay Varney said, it will be mostly simple seafood (clams and oysters on the half shell, fried flounder, lobster rolls) with burgers and more casual fare.

The partners’ first order of business is to renovate the main dining room. Strano, who is also the owner of Dunton Inn in East Patchogue, said the adjacent indoor/outdoor bar would retain its tiki decor at least this year, ditto the upstairs dining room with its magnificent view of the Watch Hill Ferry terminal and the river and bay beyond.

This corner of Patchogue is in the midst of renewal. Across the river from Bayman’s, the old Bowl Long Island at Patchogue alley was demolished in the fall, making way for Tempo by Hilton, a five-story hotel with a rooftop restaurant. Ground has yet to be broken, but patrons in the upstairs dining room of Bayman’s Clam Bar will be able to follow its progress.