Fresh Air

Take dinner outside at these stunning outdoor dining spots on the East End

Summertime, and the living’s easy. It’s time to bring your dinner outside. This year, some old favorites have returned, and some new restaurants are opening their doors for outdoor dining, too. With weather this good, it would be a shame to eat every meal inside. So take our advice, and don’t do it. From Southampton to Montauk — and Montauk is hotter than ever this year — we’ve rounded up some of our favorite dining experiences that celebrate the joy of dining outside. But just like every season, these spots won’t be open forever, so book your tables early and often, and don’t forget to order seconds. 

At the brand-new Southampton hot spot Il Pellicano, a project from New York and Hamptons nightlife restaurateur Kyky Conille, diners can find compelling Italian cuisine at the hands of celebrity chef (and grandfather of reality television) Rocco DiSpirito. A seafood-inspired menu reminds diners where they’re stationed for the summer, and an exterior space, marked by 190 seats, daybeds, cabanas, and plenty of lawn games, is the ideal place to kick back, relax, and take in that last and long breath of summer while it’s still here. If you have the stamina, keep on going until the later hours, when the restaurant turns into Bijoux, a nightclub for the young — and young-at-heart. 

In Montauk, the Montauk Beach House, long a fan favorite, has recently introduced a Greek menu, now the hamlet’s only version of this popular cuisine. With chef Andres Zeron at the helm, visitors to the hotel, pool, and restaurant can indulge in breakfast, lunch, and dinner, tasting through house-pressed juices, a lamb burger topped with goat’s milk feta, and shrimp Santorini in an herbed tomato sauce with sourdough toast. Mixologist and bar manager Nikola Jablanovic serves up delicious, handcrafted cocktails in the gorgeous outdoor space, too, like the Mexican Unicorn (Dos Hombrez Mezcal, pressed ginger juice, cucumber, lime, and agave) and the Love Machine (Casa de Sol Tequila, cilantro-jalapeño juice, fresh lime, and Chinola). 

Solé East is back for another season of outdoor dining, surrounding their delicious pool and garden. The property also offers renovated rooms and St. Tropez-style beds, bamboo walkways, and a beach club feel. At the BackYard, the property’s on-premises restaurant, enjoy seasonal cuisine with an emphasis on fresh, natural, and organically sourced ingredients, as well as locally farmed vegetables and fish caught from Montauk’s own local fishermen. Come for a taste of Southern France, stay for the delicious dining experience. 

The newly opened N’AMO, in Montauk, enjoys a waterview (sit outside, on the deck, and catch the perfect sunset, when the weather is right). Start with the tuna tartare, amplified by Calabrian soy, crispy rice, and chive blossoms, before moving on to scallops in a melon aguachile. Seafood-centric entrees include a squid ink radiator with marinated mussels, clams, calamari, and uni butter; spaghetti with smoked manila and razor clams; and Dungeness crab ravioli with saffron butter. The restaurant also runs whole-fish specials daily, depending on the local catch.