There are lush green salads with watermelon radishes; cold, crisp ceviches and sky-high raw bar towers with slick red shells peeking out of their icy vessels. Steamers at sunset are accompanied by rum slushies or spiked strawberry lemonades with striped straws. There is a welcome abundance of local fluke and Peconic Bay oysters on menus. And there is ice cream.
We’re talking beachfront dining here, where your toes can wiggle around in the cool, wet sand under shaded tables, conjuring vacations and holidays, time off and lazy days, and family.
Luckily for us, Long Island is full of beautiful outdoor spots where this idyllic vision springs to life. From sophisticated beach clubs to rowdy beach parties, spanning every kind of summer delicacy from clams to claws to coladas to crab cakes, here are five spots where you can perfect your beach dining.
The Sunset Club at Tappan Beach
494 Prospect Ave., Sea Cliff
A bowl of steamers at The Sunset Club at Tappan Beach in Sea Cliff. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
The Sunset Club opened last summer on the pristine, expansive Tappan beachfront that overlooks Hempstead Harbor and, just beyond, Long Island Sound, and it offers diners a slice of sunny happiness. Serving lunch, dinner and everything in between, it calls to mind a simpler time when toes in the sand and sandos and ices in the hand were enough to please. Maybe it’s the yellow-and-white striped umbrellas shading picnic tables and sofas anchored by firepits. Maybe it’s the soft white sand fronting Caribbean-blue water. Maybe it’s the light electronica soundtrack that has your body moving a little to the left, a little to the right, without even realizing it. Or maybe it’s the food — seafood-focused and ranging from steamers to soft-shell crab sandwiches ($26), lobster rolls ($39) and Cajun shrimp po’boys. Families abound, but Sunset Club still feels swanky and grown-up in a whimsical, playful way.
Restaurateur Rustan Lundstrum, who also owns Coopers Bluff and Coach Meeting House, both in Oyster Bay, mixes the Hamptons with retro Miami: Guests use a QR code to order tableside via an online system that goes directly to the kitchen. Drinks can be ordered at the bar. Kids have their own menu here — classic hits include hot dogs, mac-and-cheese, quesadillas and the requisite chicken nuggets. On the main menu, you’ll find a Little Gem wedge ($18), the fresh catch of the day, poke bowls ($32) and blackened fish tacos ($18) with cucumber wasabi crema and guacamole. Beat the heat with one of Sunset’s vodka and pink lemonade slushies or our favorite, The Hot Jeff Spritz, a light, bubbly libation that involves cucumber and jalapeño tequila, fresh lime and club soda. Pro tip: As of this writing, Lundstrum is scheduled to open a similar sort of place at Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay in July with nightly live music and first-come, first-served seating. More info: 516-289-4983, thesunsetclub.fun
Duryea's Orient Point
40200 Main Rd., Orient
Duryea's in Orient Point serves dishes such as whole grilled branzino in a waterfront setting. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
There’s something oh-so-sexy about arriving to lunch on a boat. And at Duryea’s Orient Point, an offshoot of the eponymous Montauk location that opened for their fifth season this summer, a sea arrival feels exactly right. (Dockage is on a first-come, first-served basis.) But even landlubbers can roll into the sandy beach club dotted with loungers and comfy couches that are shielded by undulating canopies in various shades of beige. Sit, relax and take in glorious Gardiners Bay.
There are two options for dining at Duryea’s — on or off the sand. Neutral-colored rope umbrellas dot tables on the dock itself, which also boasts an open-air room that feels more Santorini than North Fork. Which makes sense, since the Orient location of Duryea’s has a Mediterranean-themed, seafood-centric menu, complete with European-style all-day DJ sets. Start with some colorful spreads — a massive platter of hummus, for instance, with herby green tahini and muhammara (roasted red pepper dip) served with Greek olives and grilled flatbread ($39) — or a watermelon, tomato and feta gazpacho.
There are various Peconic Bay oysters, teetering seafood towers, fresh grilled or steamed lobsters, beautifully cooked whole fish such as a two-pound branzino ($115) or three-and-a-half-pound red snapper ($130). There are also lemon-pepper organic chicken ($81) and skirt steak with blue cheese, heirloom tomatoes and Greek chimichurri ($87). All portions are very large and meant to be shared family-style. And it’s not rosé all day this season; this year brings a specialty cocktail menu.
The beach menu, which is served on the sand, focuses on smaller, lighter portions of the large-format menu — skewers of the lemon chicken ($18), Spanish octopus ($24), the skirt steak ($26) — as well as a full raw bar, lobster sliders ($44), crudités and spreads. And Lobster Cobb fans should not fret: The sensational salad that made such a splash in Montauk is also on the menu here. It’s just as expensive ($97), but just as delicious. Pro-tip: It’s probably best to leave the kids at home, as sand toys aren’t allowed on the beach. But the best part of Duryea’s North Fork oasis? It takes reservations. More info: duryeas.com
Salt Shack Seaside Grill
Cedar Beach, Ocean Parkway, Babylon
Baked clams at Salt Shack, located at Cedar Beach in Bablyon. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
The party never ends and the music never stops at this beachy South Shore perch for copious amounts of fried fish, frozen margs, and lime-topped Coronas. Ocean Parkway’s Cedar Beach in Babylon draws crowds all summer long at this mega-complex on the sand that offers plenty of diversions. Whether it’s the miles of beach volleyball nets that call to your sporty side, the live music stage that hosts a variety of local and visiting bands and DJs, the massive bars that excel in draft beer, bottles and a bevy of high-intensity cocktail specials or the summer eats (fried fish to shellfish to tacos), there’s something for everyone, even the little ones.
“It’s a great spot to bring the kids,” said Amanda Granite, 35, of Dix Hills, who grew up frequenting Babylon’s beaches. Now, with young children of her own, she brings her family “to enjoy a cocktail and some food while the kids play in the sand and run around the playground,” she continued. “It’s like a mini vacation.”
Your first priority is to choose a seat — inside or outside, upstairs or down, on the sand or on the decks — then order up some seaside grub. Perhaps the tropical coconut shrimp, fried clams and fried calamari, conveniently served as a heaping Seafood Trilogy with fries for $35. Or perhaps you prefer tacos, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, hamburgers and hot dogs, salads, various wraps or the lobster roll. Drinks, which require a separate bar purchase, include that Long Island staple, the Rocket Fuel. The blackberry lemonade, more of a refresher, is made with Absolut Citron vodka. When your buzzer buzzes, go pick up your orders and indulge. Pro tip: Happy hour is daily from 4 to 6 p.m., seven days a week. Drink specials abound. More info: 631-422-7222, saltshackny.com
Navy Beach
16 Navy Rd., Montauk
The beachside restaurant Navy Beach in Montauk serves crispy calamari salad and lobster handrolls. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset. There are arguably few better places to catch a sunset on the South Fork than over dinner at Montauk’s Navy Beach. Sure, it’s a bit of a scene that the locals may veer away from, but it’s a scene with a view. And that we can handle. Local resident Kimberly Moskowitz, 50, who lives along Napeague’s famous stretch explained, “While I much prefer a good old-fashioned barbecue on my deck, for sunset spots out here, Navy Beach rarely disappoints.”
For the uninitiated, Navy Beach has been a steady player on the Montauk dining landscape for 15 seasons. Located on a 200-foot stretch of sand fronting Fort Pond Bay, make your picnic table or couch reservations in the 8 p.m. hour for optimum Instagram-sunset-selfie-taking. Bring the kids to this one; here, they can play in the shallows (sans parental cause for alarm), run around and make a general mess.
That’s the vibe here: nautical-themed good cheer plus family mayhem.
Menu mainstays include fried chicken with Cheddar jalapeño cornbread ($36), a crispy calamari salad (the salad of the summer), soy-glazed halibut in red coconut curry and the Navy burger ($27) topped with Cabot cheddar, bacon-onion marmalade and pickles. Among this season’s new menu items are steak tartare, shrimp ceviche with scallion, lime and soy, lobster handrolls and mussels served with garlic waffle frites. Lighter fare includes a chopped Asian chicken salad and ratatouille pasta as well as the popular Buddha Bowl, served over brown rice and chickpeas and topped with tuna, lobster salad or shrimp.
Enjoying a sunset with a cocktail in hand is practically a summer requirement and Navy Beach’s Sunset Margarita, made with fresh watermelon juice and green chili liqueur, is a sure bet. If you’re with a large party, many of this place’s cocktails are available by the pitcher ($85). DJs on Fridays, live local music on Saturday nights — there’s little not to embrace about Navy Beach. Pro-tip: Boats welcome. Moor farther out in the bay and the restaurant’s Torpedo service will take you to and from the restaurant. More info: 631-668-6868, navybeach.com/montauk
Buoy Bar and Scotty's on the Bay
72 Bayside Dr., Point Lookout
Outdoor dining at sunset at Buoy Bar in Point Lookout. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
A family affair — that’s the long and short of it at Point Lookout’s Buoy Bar and Scotty’s on the Bay. They’ve been a fixture on Reynold’s Channel since 1999, when the Doheny family officially launched the waterside restaurants they are today. Owned by five siblings (including Pete, who rebuilt the dock after Superstorm Sandy; Andrew, who operates Scotty’s on the Bay; and Matthew, who runs the kitchen at Buoy Bar where sister, Jeane, is the general manager) and their parents, these casual, welcoming spots are usually buzzing with regulars who come for the large menu and laid-back (read: shorts and tee shirt) atmosphere at this fishing station that dates back to 1929.
Scotty’s Fishing Station, once a marina that sold bait and tackle, rented boats, and assisted with other maritime ventures, also slung burgers and more for passing journeymen. But by ’99, Scotty’s had evolved into Buoy Bar, with a solid focus on the food rather than the fishing. Here are two spaces in one — the dock-level Buoy Bar, which offers waiter service (as well as nondisposable plates and flatware), plus an indoor-outdoor bar.
The adjacent, sandy-bottomed Scotty’s on the Bay, where counter service and a small beach full of plastic Adirondack chairs await, offers fried clams, chicken fingers, pizza, tacos, burgers and dogs that will delight the smaller members of the family. At Buoy proper, main plates include a more refined ceviche, lobster BLT sliders ($33) and an assortment of tacos, crab cakes, raw bar delicacies and simple dishes such as grilled mahi mahi with coconut rice ($33), seared red snapper ($34) and blackened shrimp served with couscous. if you’re feeling indulgent, the crab cake — bacon — grilled cheese sandwich seasoned with Old Bay is a comfort-food masterpiece, and if you’re not a seafood-lover, go for the honey-drizzled fried chicken. For dessert? Key lime pie. To drink? Beer. Pro-tip: The parking lot is small and seating is first come, first served, so go early to catch the sunset. Boats can dock for free until 6 p.m. More info: 516-432-3975, buoybarli.com
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
