Review: Little Gull Cafe in Speonk

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 Café was.

"Charming" hardly does justice to the setup here. The open kitchen is in full view of a dining room whose décor 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."

Little Gull is open five days a week for all-day breakfast and lunch. As soon as you sit down, 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.

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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