Greenport, New York

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Founded in 1682, this seaport town was once a hub of whaling, oyster processing and shipbuilding and has now become a great foodie destination with a unique maritime flair.

EAT

Little Creek Oyster Farm & Market

Crazy Beans

Diner with breakfast options, excellent salads and gigantic sandwiches. I recommend their Cuban sandwich. Good coffee, too.

Greenport Creamery

There’s finally homemade ice cream in Greenport, as of Summer 2019! This is HUGE. Before they opened there was only Ralph’s ices and awful Hershey’s ice cream. Game changer.

Ralph’s Italian Ice & Ice Cream

Have you tried NJ’s Rita’s? It’s almost exactly like that. Excellent custardy soft serve plus cream ices and Italian ices in a terrifying array of flavors. They have a thing where you can layer custard and ice and it’s too much and fantastic all at once.

◐ North Fork Smoked Fish

A small market that just sells their smoked fish dip. It is so incredibly good, just go and get a tub and you won’t regret it.

Goldberg’s Famous Bagels

A local LI chain just opened on 3rd St., much to my joy and relief. There really wasn’t anything like this here before, and it’s made getting a quick bite before the Jitney or LIRR trip home so much easier. Plus, it’s a pretty decent bagel.

◐ Ellen’s on Front Street

Wonderful lunch and dinner spot, try the fried chicken or green goddess salad. Great beer and cocktail options, too.

◐ 1943 Pizza Bar

Incredible pizzas, salads and daily specials. Wine and 6 local beers on tap. Connected with our favorite downstairs bar, Brix & Rye. This place gets packed on the weekends. They offer take-out, too.

◐ Little Creek Oyster Company

Shuck your own oysters and clams! The staff will give you a little lesson, plus knives and gloves for shucking. Already shucked oysters and clams are also available. They have local Greenport Harbor beer on tap, and they’ll make you a Bloody Mary with it, plus an oyster on top.

◐ Alice’s Fish Market

Only fish market in town, a short drive from the downtown Greenport area.

Lucharito’s

Fun, margarita-fueled Mexican. Great for lunch but be warned, it can get packed.

Olive Branch Restaurant and Cafe

SO GOOD. Turkish/Mediterranean food. Get the appetizer combo platter and grilled chicken kebab. Also the bread is amazing. Eat outside in the pretty courtyard — the inside is a little odd? Go and you’ll see what I mean.

First & South

Excellent spot for lunch or dinner off the main drag. Highly recommend the fish sandwich and the bean burger. Only annoying thing is that the mains don’t come with sides, you have to order a separate side of fries, if you want them. (I know, a small thing, but c’mon.)

Port

Fun bar and restaurant by the people who run Salt on Shelter Island. Elevated comfort food — like lobster mac & cheese and mussels. They have a great outdoor deck overlooking the harbor. Good for dinner before getting on the ferry, or returning home via the Jitney or LIRR.

American Beech

New American, with a lovely outside bar around a tree. A little Hamptons-y and often filled with Bachelorettes.

Noah’s

Pricey, grown-up, elegant dinner. Very good fish.

Green Hill Kitchen

Recently opened farm-to-table restaurant by Austrian-born chef, Wolfgang Ban. During Covid they pivoted to excellent BBQ.

ANKER

Just opened Summer 2019 and we still need to go, but the reviews say “elevated seafood.” The space is beautiful, all light and airy. Pricey, with mains around $30. Same executive chef as Green Hill Kitchen across the street.

Frisky Oyster

I’m torn on this place as it’s fine, but it’s also expensive and trying a little too hard. Very “Sex and the City” / 90’s dance music vibe.

AVOID: Claudio’s and Claudio’s Clam Bar. You can’t miss this Greenport staple — it’s made up of three restaurants encompassing two docks. It’s very historic, but sadly in no way is the food worth the crazy prices. That said, definitely check out the Clam Bar to watch grown adults in white pants get trashed listening to live band Jimmy Buffett covers, and nearly bite it getting back into their boats. Or, ideally, get a drink and clam strips at the snack bar on the next-door pier — Crabby Jerry’s — and watch the show unfold across the water, without having to be a part of it. (Update Summer 2018: Now under new management, who’ve freshened it up with a new paint job, awning and chairs. The view is excellent but the food is still pricey and not great.)

DRINK

◐ Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.

Fantastic local beer, with $8 tasting or drinks by the pint in an old fire house. You can also buy growlers, or fill up your own. Their larger tasting room is in Cutchogue and is also worth a visit. Tip: They also sell their bottled beer at the grocery store across the street for $2 cheaper.

Crabby Jerry’s

Share a pitcher of beer and some clam strips on a dock overlooking Dering Harbor. The food is not great. Very divey, but good for a drink with a view. Plus, you can people-watch the drunken mess that is Claudio’s, one dock over.

◐ Brix & Rye

The absolute best place in Greenport. Classic cocktails, local beer, and you can order pizza from upstairs 1943 Pizza Bar. Live music on Thursday nights. Opens at 5:30pm.

Stirling Sake

Sake tasting, with Japanese snacks.

One Woman Wines

One Woman Wines opened a tasting room, a few doors down from Greenport Harbor Brewery. Excellent wines and spirits, all handcrafted on their farm and vineyard in Southold.

Billy’s By The Bay

Fun, divey bar/restaurant in the middle of a marina, a little ways out from the main stretch of Greenport. Beers, cornhole, fried food, with a view of boats. We loved the steamer bucket. Not walk-able from downtown Greenport but still technically “in” Greenport.

SHOP

Local Knit

Fun T-shirt shop featuring the vintage logos of local mainstays. A great place to find a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

The Times Vintage

Vintage clothing, furniture and housewares. And yes, they know that the set of 1964 World’s Fair souvenir glasses you’re ogling is $95, so no bother haggling.

Beall & Bell

Absolutely gorgeous vintage furniture store in an equally gorgeous former Masonic temple. No deals to be found but pretend you’re in a museum and enjoy!

PLAY

The Tall Ships Festival — Greenport Harbor

East End Seaport Museum

Tiny, very cute maritime and local history museum in the old Greenport train station. They arrange cruises around Bug Lighthouse throughout the summer. Great for kids.

Village Cinema

Classic movie theater. Open only in summer.

Dan’s Bike Rental

Bikes can be delivered anywhere — the ferry, your hotel, the LIRR station — for easy pick up.

AND BEYOND!

Shelter Island Ferry

Catch the ferry to Shelter Island for beaches and restaurants.