Review: Little Gull Cafe in Speonk
Sourdough pancakes with bacon at Little Gull Cafe in Speonk. Credit: Linda Rosier
Chef Will Pendergast conceived his eatery in a fashion that some restaurateurs might consider backward: If he wanted to make virtually everything himself, and if he wanted to buy produce mostly from local farmers, and if he wanted to be able to spend time with his three young children, what kind of restaurant could he open? The answer: A compact cafe close to home that specializes in breakfast and lunch. When he and his wife, Johanna, opened in Speonk’s decommissioned LIRR station in 2021, that’s exactly what Little Gull Cafe was.
Little Gull Cafe
Range of entrees: $12-$21
Handicapped accessible: No steps
Attributes: Vegetarian, Outdoor seating, Family-friendly
Reservations: Necessary for dinner
54 N. Phillips Ave., Speonk
"Charming" hardly does justice to the setup here. The open kitchen is in full view of a dining room whose decor is a mix of vintage furniture and tableware, old railroad paraphernalia and an oil painting of a Las Vegas-era Elvis Presley. There are also weathered wood tables outside on the old station’s "concourse."
Chocolate-pistachio-olive oil cake at Little Gull Cafe in Speonk.
Little Gull is open five days a week for all-day breakfast and lunch. Dinner service varies throughout the calendar year — up to three nights a week during the summer, perhaps only on Saturday during the winter. Follow @little_gull_cafe on Instagram for updates and to make reservations.
If you're dining during the day, your first move is to order the tender, golden bruiser of a buttermilk (and butter-rich) biscuit served with jam and, yes, more butter — they sell out early. The pancakes manage to be light, tender, rich and substantial at the same time.
Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Notable dishes
Buttermilk biscuit, pancakes, smoked salmon with johnnycakes, grains ’n’ greens, pistachio-olive oil cake
Tip:
Many of the sandwiches here come on extremely thick, Texas-style toast.
Less traditional but no less delicious is a platter of smoked salmon with corn-grit johnnycakes, served with crème fraîche and greens. Nowhere is the chef’s locavore bona fides more evident than in the "grains ’n’ greens bowl," a towering, ever-changing pileup of fresh leaves with toasted grains and, if you like, a slab of goat cheese and/or fried egg. The classic "Remsenburger" and fried chicken sandwich are both served on homemade buns. If you see a lobster roll special, grab it. Pendergast’s signature cake is a pistachio-olive oil Bundt with a tunnel of chocolate.
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