These Interiors Shine

Four Design-Forward Restaurants In The Hamptons

Eat, drink, and soak up the beauty at some of the most design-savvy restaurants on the East End. Although it’s all about the food, what the dining room looks like matters, too. We’ve rounded up some of our recent favorites. Stop in for a bite and for a chance to soak in the artistry of great design. 

After a multi-year vacancy, something new has arrived at the corner of Jobs and Windmill Lanes in Southampton, where Julian Medina, best known for the city’s critically acclaimed restaurant Toloache, has recently opened El Verano (Spanish for “summer.”). And although food is memorable — diners would be hard-pressed to forget dishes like the tacos de langosta, or lobster tacos, made with togarashi mayo, lobster, avocado, and peanut salsa macha; ostiones a las brasas, or roast oysters with chipotle-tomato chutney, brown butter, and yuzu; and elote, or local and Peruvian corn esquite with a black truffle aioli and cotija — the dining room is also a star here. Pink-hued paint, floral wallpaper, and dark wood accents make this room a place to remember, even after the dishes are cleared. 

It may be subtle, but East Hampton’s new Sant Ambroeus, which opened this year, is full of smart and sophisticated design touches, like lighting behind the gray banquettes; cream and gray striped wallpaper; intimate sconce lighting throughout; and accent mirrors and portraits. Executive chef Miguel Gutierrez serves compelling food from this design-forward venue, including Hamachi crudo, with avocado, kiwi, Castelvetrano olives, and chervil; paccheri all’astice, with lobster, cherry tomato sauce, garlic confit, pepperoncino, and parsley; and cotoletta alla Milanese, a breaded veal chop served over arugula and tomatoes. 

Moby’s, a seasonal spot that pops up each summer — the restaurant has switched venues over the course of its years in business — is back on Pantigo Road in 2023, in a restored home from the 1880s. The Aperitivo Room offers a bar with a slick green and white striped awning, as well as retro chairs, sleek pendant lighting, and an airy, summer feel. In the rustic main dining room, the design concept tends toward deeper colors. Wood beams, saturated tones, and minimalist furniture evoke the space’s original use as a private home. As ever, the restaurant’s wood-fired pizzas are the star of the show (margherita, funghi, cacio e pepe, soppressata, summer squash), as are pasta dishes; the signature spaghetti dish has been on the menu since the restaurant opened 11 seasons ago. 

At Showfish, at the Montauk Yacht Club, Matt Murphy has recently signed on as Executive Chef, arriving by way of Shelter Island’s Ram’s Head Inn. Murphy’s dedication to locally sourced seafood and farm-to-table vegetables are the ideal match for this waterfront Montauk restaurant, which includes the sea in everything from the menu to the décor. Speaking of décor, herringbone flooring, curved and sea-like booths, and macramé installations that evoke fishing nets help to draw the ocean into the dining room at Showfish. Watch the boats bob in the marina over a plate of saffron curry mussels with white wine and Sriracha, or butter-poached lobster with candied ginger, farro, and a fennel dressing. It’s a bit of the sea brought to life in the dining room.