Best restaurants in Bay Shore: Critics' picks
Prince Edward Island mussels swimming in bourbon, burnt orange, cream and scallions at Salt & Barrel in Bay Shore. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Bay Shore is the very model of a revitalized South Shore town, with restaurants, bars and shops lining its Main Street and wide, gracious avenues leading down to the Great South Bay — where you’ll find even more restaurants and, in season, ferries to Fire Island.
This scene, plus the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, has long attracted weekend visitors from nearby towns. Now Bay Shore is catering to even more local weekday customers with the opening of The Shoregate, Eleven Maple and other luxury apartment complexes.
Tula Kitchen
41 E. Main St.
With its antique furniture and crystal chandeliers, Jackie Sharlup’s restaurant has a dainty, ethereal charm. And this is the rare eatery where both meat and plant-based eaters can enjoy themselves in equal measure. Breakfast or lunch, served in the adjacent juice bar, might be baked steel-cut oats, an egg “sammy” with avocado and turkey bacon, or a tempeh Reuben served with hearty slaw. The dinner menu includes rarely seen large-format meals for two to three people, including a full-blown mezze platter featuring labneh, za’atar bread, hummus, spinach pie, vegetarian kibbeh and sumac salad. More info: 631-539-7183, tulakitchen.com
The vegan Reuben sandwich made with marinated and grilled tempeh at Tula Kitchen in Bay Shore. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Bar Lucy
150 E. Main St.
After operating a barbecue joint (Fatwood Southern Kitchen) and cocktail-forward gastropub (The Linwood) at this address, Drew Dvorkin decided to go Italian in 2025 with Bar Lucy. A thorough redesign gave the room a “boutique-y” feel that manages to be both old school (tin ceilings, red banquettes) and new-cool (sleek cafe tables, globe lights, brass fixtures). The menu name checks all the basics, from the traditional — baked clams, fried calamari, meatballs, Caesar salad, linguine vongole, chicken scarpariello, Parms and Milaneses — to the new classics — grilled octopus, burrata Caprese, grilled heritage pork chop, grilled branzino, baked snapper “acqua pazza.” The eight pastas break more molds with preparations such as lemon fettuccine (with shrimp, grape tomatoes and asparagus), spinach rotolo (fresh pasta with stracchino, bechamel and chorizo) and S.G.’s penne pizzaiola (filet mignon tips, mushrooms and tomato sauce). As with all its previous incarnations, the bar delivers on cocktails, now with Italian twists such as Aperol spritz and negronis plus signature concoctions like Roman Holiday (Tequila, Amaretto, lime, blood orange, agave, ginger beer and a tomato-dusted rim. More info: 631-665-1256, bar-lucy-restaurant.com
Roadtrip
3 E. Main St.
Roadtrip takes diners on a culinary journey across the country with a menu comprising the most beloved delicacies in these United States. Owner Phil Krumpter took inspiration from his childhood travels when the family “would go around the country and see different menus. In New York, they all look similar.” For starters, think California with lollipop street corn (which takes inspiration from neighboring Mexico), Vermont maple-peppered bacon or Hawaiian-ish chili-lime Brussels sprouts with grilled pineapple. Sandwiches include spicy Carolina pulled pork on Texas toast and Nashville hot chicken; mains, St. Louis-style barbecue ribs, Cajun seafood tagliatelle and more. More info: 631-876-2530, roadtriprestaurant.com
Coastal Kitchen & Daiquiri Bar
12 E. Main St.
Expertly crafted “travel-inspired cocktails” and Caribbean beers complement a menu that draws principally from warm-weather destinations such as Jamaica (jerk salmon with charred pineapple), Cuba (Cubano sandwich), Colombia (bandeja paisa), the West Indies (seafood in a coconut curry), Hawaii (poke) and Mexico (tacos and quesadillas) — with side trips to Japan (chicken katsu sando) and Korea (kimchi fried rice). More info: 631-665-3030, coastalliny.com
Coastal Kitchen & Daiquiri Bar in Bay Shore. Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon
Verde Kitchen & Cocktails
70 E. Main St.
A contemporary Mexican restaurant whose name not only describes the greenhouse dining room but also the overarching fresh approach to a cuisine that, too often, relies on canned ingredients and clichéd preparations. Start with one of the margaritas, made with fresh citrus and housemade syrups, then head for tacos such as barbacoa, filled with jiggly, chile-rubbed brisket with pickled serranos. Groups of two or more should consider the Oaxaca market platter, a huge ceramic plate piled high with grilled skirt steak, chicken thighs and roast pork shoulder; garnished with charred scallions, halved avocados, radishes and roasted chilies; served with rice and warm tortillas. More info: 631-665-6300, verdekitchen.com
Pecado
49 W Main St.
By all accounts, Pecado looks and sounds like an average taco and margarita joint. The volume cranks up to an 11 on the weekends when partyers pack into the cramped dining room adorned with Dia de Muertos skeleton ladies. But then the dishes come out. And they're not only beautiful, but muy rico tambien! The menu may be dominated by approachable Long Island standards like fajitas and burrito bowls, but you can tell chef Catalina Criollo is running a tight kitchen. The fish ceviche ($20.95) is certifiably limey and tart, with a catch of the day that does service to Long Island's seafood clout. An oven roasted mahi mahi ($30.95) rubbed in adobo was spectacular atop sweet potatoes and pickled red onions. Did we mention the cocktails? They're fire. The Baja fish tacos ($23.95) are as good as we've had outside Mexico, with a beautifully bulbous fried nugget of mahi mahi. Make sure to ask for some salsa on the side, because they can use some spice. More info: 631-992-7717, pecadomexican.com
Sweet Jane
64 E. Main St.
The jewel box of a cocktail bar's seafood game is strong with local oysters, octopus salad, plateaux of shellfish and seared scallops with sunchokes, leeks and tender turnips. There are also cheese and charcuterie boards and hearty dishes from seared foie gras to pork ramen. To drink: well-chosen wines by glass or bottle and a list of spirits that runs to nine pages and includes absinthe fountain service. More info: sweetjanebayshore.com
Scallops at Sweet Jane in Bay Shore. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Salt & Barrel Oyster & Craft Cocktail Bar
61 W. Main St.
Raw seafood is the highlight here, where a wide selection of East and West Coast oysters is expertly shucked and served at one of the town’s loveliest bars. The dinner menu skews less piscatory and more New American. But the best move here is to focus on the sophisticated cocktails and raw local shellfish. More info: 631-647-8818, saltandbarrel.com
Toast Coffeehouse
9 S. Park Ave.
The all-day-breakfast chainlet Toast has booths that resemble carnival rides and a Coney Island mural covering one wall. Breakfasters, lunchers and their spawn, the brunch set, descend here for Toast stalwarts such as scrambles, Nutella-drizzled French toast and sandwiches. Ornate bloody Mary's, and sometimes long waits, round out the weekend brunch experience. More info: toastcoffeehouse.com
JBBQ & Shabu Shabu
11 E. Main St.
You have 90 minutes to eat as much as you can of food you cook yourself. Each table is equipped with a grill (for BBQ) and a hot pot (for shabu shabu). Prepared meats, seafood and vegetables are delivered to your table and you have the option to either grill or simmer them in a seasoned broth. Can’t decide? You can opt for both methods. More info: 631-647-7777, jbbqrestaurant.com
Kismet Coffee Co.
45 W. Main St.
This jewel box of a coffee shop is the village's chic-est java joint. Owner Jackson Davis and his crew (who operate locations in Kismet and Ocean Beach, Fire Island) offer coffee by day and lounge-like vibes at night. Beans here are custom roasted by Farmingdale’s Flux Coffee and barista Owen Eubanks (AKA The Groovy Cookie) supplies his own cookies and cakes. More info: kismetcoffeecompany.com
Cinnamon coffee cake and a cortado at Kismet Coffee Co. in Bay Shore. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Stroll south from Main Street on Ocean, Maple, Cottage Avenues or Shore Lane and you’ll discover Bay Shore’s other center of culinary gravity: the restaurants that line the banks and inlets of the Great South Bay.
The LakeHouse
135 Maple Ave.
The 300-seat restaurant manages to combine three elements that aren't always found together: superb food, accomplished service and a spectacular view. Start with whichever local oysters are being shucked or the exceptional clam chowder, and segue (depending on the season) to Long Island duck breast and crisped leg confit, herb-marinated steamed halibut or double-cut Berkshire pork chops with warm root-vegetable salad. More info: 631-666-0995, thelakehouserest.com
Grilled skirt steak with roasted garlic potatoes at the Lake House in Bay Shore. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Chowder Bar
123 Maple Ave.
Built as a yacht brokerage office in 1946, the shipshape structure became a restaurant in 1975 and it feels like very little has changed since then. Pull up a stool at the U-shaped counter or in the sunny dining room and start with Manhattan, New England or Long Island chowder, a combination of the two. The menu ranges from clams on the halfshell and coconut shrimp to burgers, grilled cheese, fish tacos, shrimp scampi and linguine with clams. Exemplary fried whole clams are dredged in seasoned bread crumbs rather than batter. Like the sign says, “Once you’ve nibbled, we’ll have you hooked!” More info: 631-665-9859
