Serving the island for more than 20 years, Vine Street is a laidback bistro and a reliable favorite among locals and visitors, offering a menu that heavily features produce from local farmers and fishermen. Always check for daily specials, like the Monday evening bouillabaisse. They’re open year-round, a rarity on the island, making them a beloved staple. A small market operates around the back, selling provisions like cheese and crackers, as well as proprietary sauces, including their mignonette and tomato sauces.
Hotelier André Balazs’s French Riviera-inspired hot spot offers a menu inspired by coastal French and Italian flavors. Accessible by car and boat, it’s possibly the only spot on the island where people go to see and be seen. Attached to the 20-room hotel, the restaurant is open every day but Tuesday for lunch and dinner, with a DJ spinning among fire pits and a crowded bar into the late hours. Menu highlights include their tuna tartare, whole artichoke, and frozé on a hot day.
This cafe and market is a particular favorite for breakfast and lunch, with an emphasis on grab-and-go items like premade salads and frozen goods. A good option for stocking your weekend fridge, they also have fresh pastries and coffee each morning, as well as lunch sandwich specials, including a lobster roll.
Léon 1909 remains one of the hottest summer reservations for those on and off the island. The French-Italian restaurant is centered around an open hearth, giving the space intimacy and warmth and the food a unique fire finish. With a modern farmhouse aesthetic, the menu includes homemade breads made with local grains, seasonal seafood dishes like Montauk red shrimp crudo, and fire-roasted mainstays like a delicious burger and a slow-fired half chicken. The cocktail menu is precise and inventive, featuring flavor infusions and mixologist twists on classics. (Despite a delicious dessert menu, those in the know go across the street for dessert at the Tuck Shop, for a real taste of summer.)
Opties and Dinghies
Located in the middle of the island, Opties and Dinghies is an unexpected concept, featuring a handwritten chalkboard menu of Chinese and French delights like fresh dumplings, homemade pastries, and crepes from a husband-and-wife duo. With items running from kimchi salad to giant scallion pancakes, as well as savory and sweet crepes, there’s a little something for everyone. Open daily until 9 p.m., they also scoop gelato from Il Laboratorio del Gelato. (Pro tip: They also have a selection of frozen dumplings ready for pick-up.)
New this summer, Blue Han is a Korean kitchen and cafe offering a menu of classics like tteokbokki and seafood and green onion pancakes. There are also signature trays with arrays of banchan, as well as larger dishes like bibimbap and various kimbap varieties. Sure to become a favorite on the island, it offers something different amongst the coastal European fares.
Don’t be intimidated! Preorder and pick up a bag of ready-to-shuck East End oysters from the no-frills Peeko’s stand.
