Wall's Wharf in Bayville and more Long Island restaurants to try this weekend
The Beach Ball at Wall's Wharf in Bayville. Credit: Newsday/Scott Vogel
It’s the ultimate in al fresco eating, the most summery thing a food lover can do. I’m talking about dining on the sand, of course, by which I do not mean egg salad sandwiches and Baggied pretzels on a beach blanket. No, we’re talking table service, real cutlery, a frozen libation. Here are a trio of eateries sporting actual — or virtual — beaches just perfect for enjoying summer’s waning days. Don’t let sand season end without your toes paying at least one of these places a visit.
Wall’s Wharf (18 Greenwich Ave., Bayville): The no-reservations policy makes snagging a table hit or miss, but the popularity of this longtime North Shore eatery and watering hole speaks for itself. Among its many umbrellaed outdoor tables are a dozen scattered just steps from the water on Wall’s private beach, where you can choose from a large selection of variously priced tropical concoctions (piña coladas go for $13). Like many seaside haunts, Wall’s kitchen offers several fresh-from-the-fryer seafood items, including a shrimp BLT ($22) but there’s plenty of non-fried fare too, like the Beach Ball ($19), in which a generous mound of spicy tuna is topped by softly ripe avocado, crunchy panko and a sweet teriyaki sauce. Also on offer: a Hawaiian Aloha bowl of brown and black rice, edamame, kani salad, avocado and tuna, all of it bathed in a chili aioli ($24). More info: 516-628-9696, wallswharf.com
Pop’s Seafood Shack & Grill (15 Railroad Pl., Island Park): Where’s the party, you ask? It’s here. At an Island Park marina not far from the Long Beach bridge, this indoor-outdoor entertainment complex features tons of trucked-in sand decorated with tons of colorful Adirondack chairs and picnic tables. There, you can enjoy Pop’s several steam pot specialties, one of which features Cajun broth-soaked shrimp, clams, chorizo and corn cobbettes ($39), fried seafood baskets with jumbo sized shrimp served with malt vinegar ($26), and market-price warm or cold lobster rolls. Among the many cocktail options is the Ice Pop ($14), a highly drinkable pink lemonade spiked with raspberry rum and blue Curacao. While enjoyable at any time of day, evenings at Pop’s mean party time — boaters docking at slips, dramatically lit palm trees swaying in the breeze and crowds converging on the large dance floor in hopes of working off dinner to the accompaniment of classic tunes. More info: 516-432-7677, popsseafoodshack.com
Houser’s (778-781 Bay View Walk, Ocean Beach): Just steps from the ferry landing in Ocean Beach you’ll find one of the best bargains on Fire or any other Island: Houser’s $24 lobster platter, on which sits a 1.5-pound crustacean accompanied by skin-on mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Expect to wait for one of 10 or so tables on the sand-bottomed patio, at which point the restaurant may have sold out of lobster (which often happens), at which point you can pivot to the delicious basket of fried cod ($14), unless that’s sold out too (which also often happens). Oh well, there’s always the half-pound burger and fries ($13). What, that’s gone too? Have a drink, settle in for an evening of live music (most nights) and enjoy what has to be one of the Western Hemisphere’s most beautiful sunsets. More info: 631-583-7805, housershotel.com
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
