A Guide to the North Fork of Long Island

It’s summertime, which means it’s time for New Yorkers to pack their weekend bags and trade the smelly streets, sweaty subway rides, and setting up camp in front of the one AC unit in the apartment for car rides with the top down, Shingle-style homes, and cool salt-air breezes. While the Hamptons has a lot to offer, I personally prefer the peace of the other side of the Peconic.

Jump To: Restaurants, Wineries, Breweries, Coffee Shops, Bakeries, Things to Do

Restaurants

American Beech
American Beech hotel’s signature restaurant in Greenport is open for dinner every night except Tuesdays, and for brunch on the weekends. The watermelon sangria frosé is everything you need for an aesthetic Instagram pic and the Beech Burger is delicious, but the most memorable dish was surprisingly the starter salad; I could slurp their homemade vinaigrette with a spoon.

Barrow Food House
When you don’t feel like getting dressed up for dinner but want extraordinary food, look no further than Barrow Food House. On the Main Road in Aquebogue, they have both indoor and outdoor seating, and you can order either inside at the bar or outside through the service window. Barrow Food House is famous on the Fork for their burgers, but if you’re feeling on the healthier side you can’t go wrong with the bean and mushroom burger. While they may sound weird, the spaghetti squash latkes are surprisingly phenomenal, and come with sour cream and house-made apple sauce for dunking purposes. To drink, their espresso martini is cool and creamy and delicious.

Claudio’s Waterfront
One of the more popular restaurants in Greenport, Claudio’s offers tons of indoor and outdoor seating, both with waterfront views. Whether you’re arriving by car or by boat, get there early because this place fills up quickly. The menu varies widely from salads to wings to seafood. My go-to is the lobster roll, which they serve two ways: hot with butter or cold with mayo.

Good Juju’s
Formerly Little Lucharito’s and owned by the same people, Good Juju’s is a casual seafood and bbq joint in Aquebogue. At the beginning of the summer I was sad that Little Lucha’s was gone, but my mind was quickly changed after eating there. The hot honey chicken and pulled pork sandwiches are simply mouthwatering, and the fries that they come with are seasoned to perfection. Now that I’ve sampled their bbq, the seafood dishes are next up and I’ve got my eyes on the blackened fish sandwich and the lobster roll.

Grana
Grana is a rustic Italian trattoria in Jamesport. Most of the seating is inside, although they do have a few tables on the sidewalk and in the alleyway (it sounds sketchy but it’s actually a cute setup). They serve pasta, seafood, chicken dishes, and wood-fired pizza. Looking at their menu I realized that I must go back and try their lemon pistachio pesto pasta. BRB.

Green Hill Kitchen & Que
A BBQ restaurant in Greenport, Green Hill has everything your carnivorous heart desires. Wings, burgers, brisket, they’ve got it all. They also do platters like the Hungry Man — brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, smoked turkey, cornbread, and two sides — and the BBQ XL — brisket, pulled pork, chicken, smoked turkey, half slab of ribs, cornbread, and four sides — which are really convenient for takeout if you’re feeding a lot of people.

Lenny’s Pizza
Lenny’s is probably the first restaurant I ever went to on the North Fork when we started spending our summers out east back in 2000. However, it has stood the test of time and we still grab a pie — and say hi Lenny, of course — every Friday night. You really can’t go wrong with any of their slices, but the plain cheese and grandma are my usual order. And the garden salad hits the spot every time.

Lucharito’s
Lucharito’s started on the North Fork and is expanding to other parts of Long Island with locations in Greenport, Mattituck, Center Moriches, and Melville. Their tacos and margaritas are phenomenal and while I try to switch up my order every time, the coconut shrimp taco and jalapeño margarita are a staple. Now that they turned the Aquebogue location into Good Juju’s, we get takeout from the Mattituck location, but if you’re looking for a sit-down spot with good vibes, go to Greenport.

Noah’s
A farm-to-table restaurant in Greenport, Noah’s has been a North Fork mainstay since 2010. They serve a wide range of dishes from pastas to duck confit. The gem lettuce salad was outstanding, which is a true testament to sourcing produce locally. But by far the best item on the menu is the cinnamon sugar beignets. Paired with a salty bourbon caramel sauce, they’re HEAVENLY.

Opties and Dinghies
Opties and Dinghies is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall. If you’re not actively searching for it while in Orient, you’ll definitely miss it. But once you do find it, you’ll be greeted by a wide variety of Asian cuisine. My advice: Get the kimchi salad and an order of dumplings. For those who need something sweet after a salty meal, treat yourself to a scoop or two of their gelato. They also sell frozen dumplings if you want to have Opties and Dinghies at home.

Wineries

Bedell Cellars
Come for the wine, stay for the view. Bedell’s tasting room is on a patio overlooking the vineyard and it’s gorgeous. While you’re sitting on the lawn in front of the vines at most wineries, the deck allows you to see the entire expansive property. Bedell’s tasting flight comes with a red, a white, and a rosé. It’s also very budget friendly: A flight of three wines is just $15. However, if you want to stick to just red or just white, you can pick and choose wines off the menu and do tastings of each.

Corey Creek Tap Room
Located in Southold, Corey Creek is absolutely stunning. You can sit on a picnic table and look out over the vineyards while sampling a wide range of wines. Here I got a flight of sauvignon blanc, rosé and merlot (the tap for the merlot was really fast and I basically got a full glass, which I was not mad about). During the summer, they have live music from 5-9 p.m. on Thursdays.

Ev&Em Vineyards
Ev&Em has a stunning tasting room in Laurel. You can sit on their gorgeous covered patio overlooking the property or at a picnic table on the lawn to be one with the vines. I’m not usually a pinot grigio fan, but their pinot gris is my favorite of their wines.

Jamesport Vineyards
One of the oldest vineyards on the North Fork, Jamesport Vineyards is pretty massive. There’s seating inside, on the shaded patio and outside on the lawn. Inside of the wine house is Little Oak Wood-Fired Kitchen where you can order small bites and handcrafted pizzas. You can even buy their wine online and have it delivered right to your house on Long Island and in NYC.

Kontokosta Winery
Come for the wine, stay for the views. Kontokosta is one of the only spots on the wine trail on the water. Right outside of downtown Greenport, this is usually my last stop on the wine trail before heading into town for dinner. They close at 6 p.m. and stop serving flights somewhere between 5 and 5:30, so I recommend getting a bottle (or two) and making the trek across the lawn to the picnic tables near the bluffs that overlook the Long Island Sound. Plus they don’t kick you out of this part of the winery until around 6:30 p.m.

Lieb Cellars Tasting Room
Lieb Cellars is definitely one of my favorite vineyards on the trail. They’re located off the main street on Oregon Road in Cutchogue, giving it a quaint and cozy vibe. Lieb has a white wine tasting, which comes with four wines and an estate tasting, which comes with six wines – both red and white. Soak up all of that vino with “That Good Good” – a plate with warm bread, crackers, cheese spread, spicy prosciutto spread and hummus.

Lenz Winery
Open since 1978, Lenz Winery is one of the oldest vineyards on the North Fork. The massive estate spans 70 acres, including its adorable outdoor tasting room of about a dozen picnic tables. They’re equipped with umbrellas to keep you cool in the summer, as well as heat lamps to keep you warm in the late spring/early fall. Lenz has four different wine flights to choose from, but the best, in my opinion, is the chocolate pairing. It comes with five wines and four chocolates: one sparkling wine which stands alone, and two whites and two reds paired with various sweets from the North Fork Chocolate Company. While wine and cheese pairings are fairly common, this is the first time I’ve seen a chocolate pairing offered and it was absolutely fantastic.

Macari Vineyards
There are two Macari locations: The Cutchogue tasting room is temporarily closed, but the one in Mattituck is open. They offer wine tastings with cheese pairings for just $35. Right now you need a reservation to do a tasting on the deck, but even if you don’t have one you can still order a glass or a bottle and drink it at the tables on the lawn. If you are just doing a glass or a bottle, the “Lifeforce” Sauvignon Blanc is excellent.

Mattebella Vineyards
Mattebella Vineyards in Southold prides itself on its sustainable winemaking practices. They use organic fertilizers, organically-approved or “low impact” fungicides, native plants as a cover crop and don’t use herbicides. On the 15-acre vineyard, Chardonnay is the most predominant grape. At the Mattebella Tasting Cottage, they offer sit-down service, wine and food pairings, wine flight tastings, interactive vineyard experiences and VIP barrel tastings.

McCall Wines
Located in Cutchogue, McCall Wines is on the smaller side and has a more relaxed atmosphere. There are some high tops near the bar and picnic tables on the lawn for sampling wine. They have three different flights, or you can opt for the grand tasting flight, which is hosted by their sommelier and comes with a selection of reserve wines, cheeses, charcuterie, a baguette, olives, etc. What sets McCall apart from the slew of wineries on the Main Road is they offer a walking tour of the vineyard followed by a private tasting. 

Paumanok Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards has been in Aquebogue since 1983 and was named Winery of the Year at the 2021 New York Wine Classic. The Riesling came highly recommended, and while I’m usually not a fan of it, theirs is surprisingly good. You can enjoy the wine on their deck, at a picnic table on the lawn, or in a giant Adirondack chair facing the vineyard.

Suhru Wines
Suhru Wines is a tiny little tasting “house” in Cutchogue. The winery is family-run and “Suhru” is a combination of the owner’s names: Susan and Russell. There are picnic tables outside, but because they’re not on a vineyard and the view is of the parking lot, the spacious indoor tasting room is a great way to beat the heat.

Breweries

Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.
Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. has two tasting rooms: on the main road in Peconic and, naturally, in Greenport. I’m an IPA gal so I love their Otherside IPA, but they also brew lagers, pale ales, and seasonal beers like summer ales. There’s live music at the Peconic location on Saturdays and Sundays.

Woodside Orchards
While summer is without a doubt the busiest season on the North Fork, fall out here is also magical. Woodside Orchards in Aquebogue is open year-round (although with a limited schedule in the off-season), but nothing cures your end-of-summer sadness like spending a warm October day picking apples, drinking cider flights, and eating freshly made apple cider doughnuts.

Coffee Shops

Goldberg’s Famous Bagels 
Yes, this is primarily a bagel shop, but like most bagel shops in New York, their coffee does not disappoint. Two of the reasons I love their coffee is that they brew a separate hazelnut iced coffee (my favorite coffee flavor), so you don’t have to add any syrup to it. They also put coffee cubes in it so it doesn’t get watered down. Don’t forget an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese. 

Goodfood
Right around the corner from Love Lane, Goodfood is a cafe and market in Mattituck. Their coffee is excellent and they have plenty of picnic tables outside where you an enjoy it. Living up to their name, the food is also great and they serve breakfast dishes, smoothies, sandwiches, and more. The owner is a native of Uruguay, which explains the list of nearly a dozen varieties of empanadas.

Hampton Coffee Company
A local chain on the North and South Fork, Hampton Coffee Company has locations in Riverhead, Westhampton Beach, Water Mill, Southampton, and Montauk. Their flagship is the Water Mill location, which opened over 20 years ago. Pick up an iced coffee and hit the beach!

Love Lane Kitchen
If you have time, I highly recommend staying here for a sit-down breakfast. If not, they have a self-serve coffee station right when you walk in and they can also make lattes behind the bar. After getting your caffeine fix, go explore the rest of quaint Love Lane. There are so many cute stores including a cheese shop, boutique, florist and candy store.

Main Road Biscuit Co.
Located on, you guessed it, Main Road in Jamesport, Main Road Biscuit Co. is a breakfast hotspot. You’ll definitely want to get here early for a sit-down meal, especially on weekends. But if you’re just getting a coffee to-go, you can walk right up to the counter and order. 

Scoops & Grinds
Scoops & Grinds is a cute little coffee and ice cream shop in Cutchogue. The staff is friendly and the customers are locals stopping in for breakfast or lunch. If you don’t feel like eating ice cream with your morning coffee, they also have sandwiches and pastries. 

Bakeries/Dessert Spots

Junda’s Pastry
Junda’s in Jamesport has forever been our go-to pastries and desserts. Some of our staples include their classic crumb cake, blueberry crumb cake, scones, and old fashioned doughnuts. For special occasions, they make really good cakes like a German chocolate cake or strawberry shortcake.

Greenport Creamery
Greenport Creamery takes me back to summer nights as a kid, getting a cone of soft serve vanilla with rainbow sprinkles after riding the carousel and running around by the waterfront. They have over 34 seasonal flavors and the entire shop smells amazing from the waffle cones that are made in-house. Grabbing a cone and sitting by the water is the perfect way to end a night in Greenport.

Magic Fountain
Sometimes it feels like there aren’t that many people on the North Fork until you go to Magic Fountain in Mattituck on a summer weekend night, where there will always be a line out the door, sometimes even around the corner. All their ice cream is made in-house and they have some pretty interesting flavors like goat cheese, which I haven’t been brave enough to try yet but apparently it’s really good.

North Fork Doughnut Co.
North Fork Doughnut Company recently from the Main Road in Mattituck to around the corner on Love Lane, where there is more foot traffic. My personal favorites include the caramel coffee cake, cereal killer, and black raspberry jelly. They also sell flavors like churro, samoa, cookies, and cream, as well as weekly specials.

The Treatery
New to the North Fork scene, The Treatery opened in Jamesport in November 2022. The pastel pink exterior will draw you in, while the goodies will give you a reason to stay. They make everything a sweet tooth could crave from cupcakes to cookies to macarons to cakesicles to pies. After you’ve drooled all over the pastry window, walk around the rest of the shop, where they sell cute knick-knacks like heart-shaped mugs, stickers, jewelry and keychains.

Things to Do

Bike Ride
There are really no bad routes when it comes to biking on the North Fork, whether you’re cycling down Peconic Bay Boulevard or cruising past the vineyards on the Main Road. However, some of my favorite places to ride are through the quiet neighborhoods of New Suffolk, or starting in Greenport and heading east, stopping at Opties and Dinghies in Orient for a bite, then going all the way to the end and turning around at the Orient Point Ferry.

Drossos Snack Bar & Mini Golf
When the weather isn’t nice enough for a beach day but not pouring rain, mini golf is a great way to kill a few hours. Drossos has been around for as long as I can remember and has a really fun 18-hole putting course — even for adults.

Greenport
Spending at least one afternoon or evening in Greenport is on my summer to-do list every year. Patron the local boutiques, sip craft beer at the brewery, grab a bite at any of the amazing restaurants, and stroll down the docks to check out the yachts. It’s also a very family-friendly downtown and some of my fondest childhood memories are from riding the carousel around and around until one of us grabbed the gold ring and got a free ride.

Tanger Outlets
On a rainy day, heading to the outlets is a no-brainer. The Tanger Outlets have just about every store imaginable from clothing shops like Abercrombie, Aerie, and PacSun, designer brands like Kate Spade and Coach, and home furnishing stores like Crate & Barrel, West Elm, and Pottery Barn. And with so many holidays in the summer — Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day — there’s bound to be a great sale somewhere.