Take advantage of waterfront living with these bespoke experiences
One perk of water-adjacent living: the pleasure derived from a meal eaten overlooking the water. But, the truth is, even when you live near the water, it can sometimes be a challenge to find the perfect waterfront restaurant. But the North Fork is full of incredible dining experiences that allow you to enjoy incomparable food just steps from the water. From the newly opened to the seasonally available to the year-round favorites, we’re digging into the best of the bunch.
Perched right on the water in Greenport, PORT Waterfront Bar & Grill offers the ultimate in North Fork waterfront dining. The restaurant, which faces Greenport Harbor, serves up a globally influenced menu, with items like crispy calamari with a yuzu dipping sauce, sweet potato tacos with a black bean and corn salsa and avocado crema, and two different styles of lobster rolls (pick your poison, depending on whether you prefer yours Connecticut-style, with drawn butter, or Maine-style, with a citrus aioli). Sip your al fresco cocktails by the pitcher. The waterfront spot is known for their Rum Punch in the Face and for their jalapeño-inflected spicy margaritas.
New Suffolk’s Legends Restaurant, which is, as the name implies, a legendary waterfront spot for North Forkers to get together, provides sunsets, views for days, and an estimable raw bar. Cooked seafood is also at the center of the menu here: order the oysters Miguel, Peconic Gold beauties topped with spinach, chipotle, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and tequila; the steamed hard clams, which come in a broth of either garlic and wine or marinara; the Tuscan seafood stew, a mélange of salmon, tuna, shrimp, clams, and mussels in broth and served with crostini; or the seafood vol-au-vent, shrimp, scallops, rock shrimp, tuna, and green beans bathed in a Sherry cream sauce and topped with puff pastry triangles.
Brand-new North Fork addition Little Fish, at Kenney’s Beach, is now open seven days, meaning North Forkers can enjoy a waterfront view any day of the week at lunch or dinnertime. Start with an appetizer of Smokey the Eggplant, a mezze-style dip made with the roasted veggie, smoked paprika, garlic oil, and popped sorghum. A charred lemon Caesar salad with a house-made dressing, fresh dill, and croissant croutons is a menu standout, as is the swordfish Milanese, which comes topped with a roasted seaweed butter, fresh bitter greens, and grilled lemon. And the local monk fish, served tikka masala style, alongside a mint raita and rice pilaf, is an unforgettable menu addition.
In the enclave of Port of Egypt, in Southold, A Lure Chowder House & “Oysteria” enjoys one of the best — and most understated —waterfront views on the North Fork. From Thursday through Sunday, diners can sit right on the water for dinner (and for lunch, too, on weekends), watching the boats bob in the marina. On Fridays, select appetizers are half-price, corkage fees are waived on Sundays, and the restaurant holds a daily happy hour beginning at 4:30 p.m. and ending between 6 and 7, depending on the day.
