10 Best Restaurants in Montauk on the Water
Montauk has no shortage of restaurants from open from May to September. It can actually get a bit overwhelming choosing where to go. One question I get asked a lot is which restaurants in Montauk have water views?
And that is a great question! There are a lot of restaurants in Montauk on the water and I am here to tell you the best ones for lunch and dinner! Keep in mind most restaurants do close in Montauk in the off season so always call ahead (September-May) before you get your hopes up!
Pro Tip: very few restaurants in Montauk take reservations. Expect to wait 30 minutes to an hour+ in July and August during prime dinner time.
10 Montauk Restaurants on the Water
1. Inlet Seafood Restaurant
Inlet is one of my favorite restaurants and is owned by a handful of local families who also own the commercial fishing boats catching the fresh fish being served up on your plate in the restaurant.
You may have to drive 10 minutes from Montauk town but it is worth the drive out to the end of East Lake Drive! Inlet’s restaurant in on the second floor and positioned with the best view of the inlet. You can watch the boats come and go all day or wait for sunset hour!
Pro Tip: Inlet also has really good sushi!
Menu
Location: 541 East Lake Drive
2. Scarpetta Beach
Located at Gurney’s Montauk, Scarpetta is one of the very few restaurants in Montauk with an ocean view! Not to mention the food is very good.
Scarpetta is an upscale Italian restaurant, inside Montauk’s only luxury resort, serving a range of dishes and courses. There is a large outdoor seating area in the summer and warmer months but don’t worry if it is fall or winter in Montauk! Scarpetta’s main dining room inside is surrounded by large glass windows with amazing ocean views.
Menu
Location: 290 Old Montauk Hwy
3. The Harvest on Fort Pond
The harvest is a Montauk staple! There is good reason this family style restaurant has a line out the door at 5pm every night in July and August.
Their best seating is outside in the garden next to Fort Pond. They don’t take reservations for garden seating (hence the line at 5pm everyday) but don’t worry you can grab a drink from the bar while you wait and walk out onto their dock and spot the fish below in the pond.
Some of my favorite dishes here are the bacon jalepeno pizza, oysters rockafeller, the skirt steak and seafood bruschetta! Keep in mind the harvest is family style so portions are large and meant to share between multiple people!
Pro Tip: The Harvest is one of the only restaurants in Montauk that takes reservations – for their indoor dining are only. Click here to reserve!
Menu
Location: 11 S. Emery St
4. The Crow’s Nest
One of my favorite restaurants in Montauk! The Crow’s Nest has a unique location on Lake Montauk in a residential area.
The restaurant has a beach bar down by the lake where guests dressed to impress can hang out and have drinks while they watch the sunset over the lake in the summer. Walk back up the hill when your table is ready and enjoy a seriously fabulous meal! I especially love the lobster pasta and whipped ricotta appetizer!
Pro Tip: this is a great date night spot or girls night!
Menu
Location: 4 Old West Lake
5. Duryea’s Lobster Deck
Ok this is seriously dining on the water! Duryea’s is a really old and historic restaurant in Montauk and has been around for over 100 years as a fish market!
This Montauk restaurant was bought and completely renovated from its modest lobster deck roots into a swanky, hip restaurant on the docks in 2016.
They are famous for their lobster cobb salad that is $98!! But Duryea’s is a family style restaurant so this salad is meant to be share and honestly, its great. I especially love coming here for lunch but around sunset time for dinner is magical as well!
Menu
Location: 65 Tuthill Rd
6. Navy Beach
Navy Beach is located right on the beach in Fort Pond Bay and has a spectacular view of the sunset (one of my favorites places to watch the sunset in Montauk) in July and August. Large Yachts will anchor up in fort pond bay and take dinhy’s to shore for lunch or dinner.
Navy Beach is great if you really want to feel like you’re on vacation dining in the sand next to the sound of gentle waves hitting the shore while watching the sunset on a great summer day.
Book a Reservation here!
Menu
Location: 16 Navy Road
7. Gosman’s
Gosman’s is a historic Montauk restaurants and has been around for over 100 years. The restaurant has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years. There are actually 4 different restaurants on the property as well as multiple shops and ice cream which make it a fun thing to do in Montauk with the family!
Gosman’s (the main restaurant), Clam Bar, Inlet Cafe and Topside are all right on the dock with a great view of the inlet to Montauk Harbor. Watch the boats come and go while you have lunch or dinner at one of Gosman’s four restaurants.
- Clam Bar is the most casual dining with a window where you order and picnic tables to enjoy your lobster roll, clam chowder or hot dog.
- Gosman’s main restaurant is the biggest of the four and the finest dining experience. The large open air restaurant is right on the water!
- Inlet Cafe is a casual cafe next to the Clam Bar. They also serve sushi!
- Topside, which is my favorite next to the clam bar, is on the second floor above Inlet Cafe and is adults only. I love coming here just to get drinks! You feel tucked away and like its a little secret spot but they also serve food for lunch and diner as well.
Menu
Location: 500 West Lake Drive
8. Ocean Club at Montauk Yacht Club
I love coming to the Montauk Yacht Club to get away from the normal buzz of Montauk! Located on Lake Montauk, the Montauk Yacht Club is tucked away on Star Island and is one of my favorite hotels in Montauk.
Their new restaurant, Ocean Club, is from Chef Jarad McCarrol’s famous St. Barths restaurant with the same name. Ocean Club has an amazing menu of seafood, local produce, a raw menu and dishes from a wood fired grill.
I also love to sit outside at the bar next to the pool! You will seriously feel like you are on vacation here with the beach club music and overall vibes.
Pro Tip: they have incredible wood fired pizza here and yummy cocktails at their outside bar!
Menu
Location: 32 Star Island Rd
9. Maverick’s Montauk
Maverick’s was completely rennovated in 2023 and is a new upscale steak house restaurant in Montauk. The restaurant has a large indoor dining room which includes a beautiful bar overlooking the tables and Fort Pond.
Come to Maverick’s around sunset time in the summer and enjoy a selection fine cuts of meats and selections of prime wines and crafted cocktails.
Menu
Location: 51 S Edgemere St
10. BONUS: Other Restaurants worth Mentioning…
There are also a handful of restaurants in the dock area around Montauk Harbor that are on the docks near the water worth mentioning!
- Salivar’s – family friendly restaurant with live music on Sunday’s all summer long
- Westlake Fish House – family friendly restaurant that also has sushi and live music some nights!
- Hideaway – located in Diamond Cove Marina, Hideaway is one of the only places to get Mexican food in Montauk.
Looking for Breakfast recommendations? Read my guide to the best places to have breakfast in Montauk
A Note:
I also want to mention Bounce Beach and Surfside Restaurant since these are the other two restaurants besides Scarpetta Beach that are on the ocean side of Montauk.
I haven’t been to Bounce Beach since… well, it became Bounce Beach (A Montauk version of Bounce in Manhattan) but there is a lovely top deck over looking the beach that serves food. Bounce is known as a fratty and bougie bar that has table service and gets rowdy so although it is ocean front I would personally choose to skip unless that is what you are after!
As for Surfside Restaurant, it has been in the same location for years and years but I haven’t been in a very long time – and is on my list of places to visit this summer when they open up 🙂
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