Buoy One - Riverhead

Delicious !! Amazing waitress, so sweet and helpful. We stopped in on our way back from montauk, might try to stop by again next time!

This is really painful as, for years, Buoy One was my favorite restaurant on Long Island. We would alternate between the Riverhead and Westhampton locations and the quality was superb regardless of which location. I was saddened to see that the Westhampton location closed as it was the nicer atmosphere of the two. But we went to the Riverhead location the other night and had a dismal experience. First and foremost, there was no AC. So we were seated outside, under umbrellas which kept half of us in the shade and the other half baking in the sun. We went early as advised by the restaurant on the phone and were seated and ordering by 4:30. After two people ordered scallops, we were informed by the server that they had just sold out...at 4:30. To keep cooler and hydrated in the heat, we asked for some ice for the drinks and were told that they were out of ice. When the shrimp arrived, and they consistently had THE BEST shrimp I 've ever had in my life...they not only looked anemic but they hadn 't been cleaned thoroughly so the poorly deveined or smeared veining was visible through the breading on the fried shrimp. Not the most appetizing image. I found myself removing the breading and deveining the shrimp before eating them only to find that they were over cooked and tough. People who know my affection for Buoy One watched me and asked if they 've slipped . Now this could have been an off night. But I 'm not going to be rushing back to find out. And this is a restaurant at which I 've traveled from Pennsylvania to dine...because it was THAT good. The owner is a dynamic and capable woman and I can only assume that this happened outside of her purview. I don 't know if it 's changed hands or what precipitated the closure of the other location but I don 't think it bodes well for the future. So this is a sad review for me. If you don 't have AC, buy some awnings so that none of your guests have to bake in the sun. If your ice machine breaks, send the bus person to 7-11 and buy ten bags of ice. And don 't, under any circumstances, let your amazing menu items drop in prep care or quality.

Solid seafood spot! Tried the oyster basket and the seafood basket. The seafood basket was much more substantial but both were filling and I still had leftovers. Fair prices too. Service was a tad slow but otherwise good and our waitress was nice.

10/4/23 Getting ready to head out of town we decided to have our favorite Thai cod at Buoy One. Tonya met us at the door and knew exactly what we wanted to eat. The fish is always fresh and the Thai glaze is terrific. Thank you Tonya and thank you Buoy One!

Let's be honest, the exterior of this place may not be much to look at in the early spring and end of winter, but once inside, it's actually quite charming. It's a traditional lobster and crab house, but I was disappointed to find they were out of lobster and crab. I ended up ordering the fried basket, which was good. I imagine that the experience will be amazing in the summer when the seafood is in season. The service was excellent, with a very friendly waitress who explained the menu and seasonal availability. The prices were very reasonable, with two people spending less than $60, including tip, for a Saturday night dinner date. There is plenty of parking and lots of outdoor seating for those summer days. We would definitely return here!