The red farmhouse type building sits on the North side of the highway on a small inlet of the Peconic Bay. Yes, one minute you're on the highway and the next you're dining al fresco. The building has been there for decades, originally as the Lobster Inn and only recently at the Lobster Grille Inn. Why they needed the "e" in "grille" is beyond me. This is not a fancy place.
The space inside is cavernous. Multiple levels of dining rooms, an indoor bar, a screened-in porch and firepit are your choices - all with water views, some better than others. Decor is barebones, not a table cloth in sight and yet it works. This is almost island casual, a mini escape.
We chose to dine on the porch which had the dual benefit of being sun free and overlooked the water.
The crowd at lunch on a sunny and warm Saturday was decidedly old, octogenarian old. I started to have second thoughts.
Turns out there was nothing to worry about regarding freshness, everything was very fresh, caught that day fresh.
We started with a dozen local clams and a dozen hyper-local oysters that had been caught a mere few yards from where we sat.
I tried the special seared tuna sandwich which came more done that I had requested over salad. JB enjoyed a shrimp po boy which was tasty but lacked the appropriate kind of bread to call it a po boy. It was more of a shrimp wrap. I can report that the burgers were a hit with the boys.
Desserts were better than I expected. They nailed the key lime pie and flourless chocolate cake.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. The food is not as good as Rhumba or Canal Cafe (they do take reservations AND credit cards though) but the location is perfect if you are heading West after your meal. Note, if you are heading East after dining you have to take a bit of a detour which could be brutal in summer traffic.
Until our next Burger,
KLB
Lobster Grille Inn
162 West Inlet Road
Southampton, NY
631.283.1525
2 comments:
That place has been there at least sixty years and has not changed a whit. I can't re
member if there is still a huge lobster on the roof.
Passed it hundreds of times, never once stopped. Glad to know what's inside.
We always overlooked it, too, but it's actually a great stopping point from someplace like East Hampton or Montauk. I'll have to check about the lobster on the roof.
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