The Hamptons Restaurants

In a shingled cottage on a leafy street in Sag Harbor directly facing the water, this little gem is one of our go-to Italian restaurants in the Hamptons. Sure, the setting is almost perfect (we love the tucked-away patio for alfresco dinner on warm evenings, and walks along the marina afterwards), but it’s really the food that keeps us coming back over and over again. The pasta dishes are almost without equal on the East End, and our favorites include the tagliolini (squid ink pasta with bay scallops, shrimp, calamari, chili, and tomatoes) and the ravioli with wild mushrooms and ricotta. It also happens to be our neighbor—the goop pop-up is right next door, for some pre- or post-lunch browsing.

Although it’s been a Montauk staple for decades, the buzz around Duryea’s has grown lately, thanks to a sleek makeover two years ago. Instead of rustic picnic tables and a BYOB policy, there are now bottles of Provençal rosé, white banquettes, and clean-lined, bleached wood tables and chairs that create a setting that wouldn’t look out of place on Mykonos—especially with its waterside view of Fort Pond Bay. The steamed lobster and lobster rolls are a no-brainer, but also consider the perfectly grilled skirt steak, the small plates (baked cherrystone clams and steamers), the lobster club salad, and oysters from Orient Point, just across Gardiner’s Bay.

Like the name suggests, this quirky, divey restaurant sits a few steps away from one of the main fishing docks in Montauk and serves hearty, straightforward dishes of the kind you’d want after a day on the open water (many of the regulars are fishermen). There’s clam chowder, soft shell crab sandwiches, grilled tuna steaks with coleslaw and fries, and a peanut butter and chocolate pie that’s probably the most decadent dessert in Montauk. The decor, meanwhile, is an eclectic mix of taxidermied geese and deer heads, Halloween-worthy masks, and vintage model sailing ships.

At the entrance of Montauk Harbor, Gosman’s (which opened in 1943) epitomizes a kind of classic, unfussy seafood restaurant visitors have come to associate with the town. A bright, airy dining room looks out over passing fishing boats, and the menu is dominated by regional comfort food like Atlantic cod fish and chips, baked stuffed clams, steamed lobster, and Maryland-style crab cakes with a corn and jicama slaw. There’s also a walk-up window for those who don’t want a full sit-down meal, where you can order huge lobster rolls and plates of crisp, fried calamari to take to the water for an impromptu picnic.

The beauty of Sam's is its simplicity (not a word that’s often associated with the Hamptons). It’s an old school pizzeria in the best way, with a pine-paneled dining room and vinyl-covered booths where families cozy up to share classic thin crust pies. We love the Sam’s Special (sausage, onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms), though the pastas are worth a look, too, especially the rigatoni broccoli rabe in garlic and olive oil and the linguini with fresh, local clams. It’s right in the center of East Hampton, which means you can walk across the street to Scoop du Jour for ice cream after.

This Union Square Japanese sushi spot (unofficially dubbed “Shuko Beach”) pops up in East Hampton’s Highway Restaurant & Bar this summer, taking over the New American restaurant’s space on Friday and Saturday nights (and adding Thursday nights in August). Chefs and Masa alums Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau are offering special chef’s counter dinners, where the omakase menu consists of a sixteen-piece sushi progression (using locally caught Long Island fish) and comes with a front row look at its preparation. With only three seatings a night, at 6, 8, and 10 p.m., reservations are essential.

Making a comeback this summer is Moby’s, one of the centers of East Hampton’s social scene in 2016, though it skipped last year when the space was scooped up by the Eleven Madison Park pop-up. Its new spot is at East Hampton Point, a harborside resort compound right on the water and an ideal place for a cocktail before grabbing a table on the expansive outdoor deck or in the large dining room (an almost-life-size replica of a sailboat sets the nautical mood). The food is typical of what you’ll find at many high-end restaurants on the East End, which is to say, coastal Italian, but it’s executed almost flawlessly, especially the wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizzas and Montauk swordfish with Cerignola olives, tomatoes, and capers.

Il Mulino has grown over the years from its original Greenwich Village location (which opened in 1981) to a mini culinary empire, with outposts in Miami and Las Vegas, five New York City spots, and, as of this summer, Wainscott. Regulars will recognize the menu’s familiar favorites—cacio e pepe risotto, garlicky linguine di mare, reliably great chicken parmigiano, and grilled branzino. The building—which has seen a few restaurants come and go—has been totally renovated, and the dining room now has a fresh whitewashed look a stone’s throw from Georgica Pond. Come hungry.

This popular French bistro brings its classics to Sag Wharf this summer.

As part of the Maidstone's new revamp this summer, the hotel brought in Chef David Strandridge (of Cafe Clover) to redo the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Like at Standridge's West Village eatery, the menus are somehow both beautifully simple and very sophisticated. For breakfast, you'll find a balance of old-school comfort (whole grain avocado toast that can be ordered with lobster salad, egg in a hole, and a selection of smoothies) alongside more creative options, like the "nova," a smoked salmon dish with Greek yogurt, and an orange blossom pain perdue that's stewed in blackberries. Dinner, entirely worth booking even for non-hotel guests, is seafood-centric: lump crab cake, a local catch simply grilled, and black linguini with peekytoe crab, all with a side of old bay fries. Photos: Melissa Horn & Fran Parente