The Best Dining in the Hamptons

It’s prime time to visit the Hamptons, and finding the right restaurants is as much of an East End sport as surfing in Montauk or biking in Sag Harbor. Fortunately, we’ve spent months scanning the dining scene, and picked ten spots for you to try. Check out our East End recommendations below, and stay tuned for a look at restaurants that will stay open into the fall.

Part of the massive renovation of the grand old oceanfront property Gurney’s is the addition of this outpost of LDV’s popular Italian restaurant. At Scarpetta Beach, you’ll find sophisticated fare such as cavatelli with guanciale, and striped bass with squash and salmoriglio, along with LDV’s highly professional service and a wine program led by sommelier Corwin Kilvert formerly of Eleven Madison.

Eat poolside or in the nautically-inspired dining room at this gem within Montauk’s Sole East hotel. Simply grilled local fish is expertly prepared and salads are enormous.

Creative Mexican fare here includes deconstructed enchiladas with striped bass, skirt steak, spicy shrimp, chicken or vegetables; a pizza with heirloom tomatoes and guacamole; and wonderful salads such as tomatillo watermelon with a charred poblano vinaigrette, or avocado with hearts of palm, sweet corn, grape tomatoes, and oregano-lime vinaigrette. And don’t miss the tacos filled with pork belly or brimming with lobster.

Billionaire Marc Rowan has upgraded this famed restaurant on an especially picturesque part of the waterfront. Food is ordered at a counter and platters are served family style, but you won’t find better lobster anywhere.

Even celebrities from Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber to Bobby Flay and Michael Symon wait for tables at this uber popular roadside restaurant on Route 27, where food is served on paper plates. The menu has raw bar items, starters such as fried clam bellies and the freshest tuna poke around, and daily entree specials that are made with fish straight from the docks.

Arguably East Hampton’s biggest success story of the last couple years, Eric Miller’s waterfront restaurant on Three Mile Harbor serves generous portions of local-sourced seafood, including grilled whole fish and perfectly seared coriander-crusted scallops.

Chef Marco Barilla opened this refined Italian Water Mill spot with a piazza setting on the bones of old favorite, Mirkos. Consider ordering the black kale salad with roasted pears, the lobster lotus rolls, or the short rib papardelle. Manna also features live music on weekend nights.

Chef/owner Damien O’Donnell has a knack for preparing local seafood at this resatruant on the water. Striped bass is enlivened with a sauté of black-eyed peas, bacon, sofrito, tomatillo relish, and a chili lime yogurt sauce, while fluke is tandoori-spiced and plated with red quinoa couscous, toasted pine nuts, raisin raita, micro arugula, and lemon-beet dressing.

Leyla Marchetto, daughter of famed New York restaurateur Silvano Marchetto, helped establish the trendy Montauk dining scene with the opening of this nautically themed spot, located on its own beach. The crudo is made from local catch that was swimming hours earlier.

Laurent Tourondel’s Sag Harbor place may be known for its family-friendly fare including turkey burgers, kobe hot dogs, and a variety of shakes, but there is plenty for non-carnivores to enjoy, including a kale and wheatberry salad that can be topped with grilled salmon, and catch of the day on a bun.