[title]
Summer officially starts on Friday, May 23 (or let’s be real, Thursday, May 22), with Memorial Day Weekend hitting early this year, giving us a whole extra weekend to relish our escape from the city. We’ll need it because there are plenty of new restaurants and hotels to explore out east this summer.
As you return to old favorites, you may notice a few tweaks and improvements: Montauk Brewing Company now has two outdoor TVs so you don’t have to miss the big game while sipping a Wavechaser IPA; Amber Waves Farm added long tables and Wi-Fi for WFH vibes with a wake-up wrap and coffee; John Cameron Mitchell is grand marshal at this year’s Pride Parade; and there are plenty of new additions from Southampton to Springs to keep you intrigued.
RECOMMENDED: A guide to The Hamptons
From Manhattan-based favorites making their seasonal Long Island extension to renovated and brand-new spaces, here’s everything new in The Hamptons that you’ll want to check out this summer.
Dining
Following an untimely closing in 2020 (ugh), this beloved general store and market is finally back in business! The building dating back to 1878 has been renovated and reenvisioned, so you can grab your lattes, specialty groceries, fresh flowers, sandwiches (ham and cheese!) and rotisserie chickens by chef Daniel Eddy (of Winner Cafe in Park Slope) and more all in one historic—and photogenic—spot in Sagaponack.
Formerly known as Bird on the Roof, this Montauk favorite—owned by chic motel Albatross Inn across the street—has gotten a glow-up. Now run by executive chef Jake Pinkston, The Bird serves its beloved brunch and dinner with elevated shareables like local fluke tartare and a Wagyu sando. This summer, The Bird will host live music every Thursday through Sunday, plus Trivia Night every Thursday at 7pm. Every Saturday night from 9pm to midnight, The Bird transforms into The Birdhouse, a swanky speakeasy featuring live music and specialty cocktails.
Kicking off in time for Memorial Day weekend and running through mid-September, Manhattan’s Rubirosa is bringing its signature thin-crust tie-dye pizza, house-made pastas, and locally sourced seafood to East Hampton. Popping up at 31 Race Lane, the summer camp-inspired setting will offer nostalgia and plenty of outdoor space.
Following its Soho debut in fall 2024, Crazy Pizza is opening in East Hampton at 47 Montauk Highway (formerly Kizzy T’s and, before that, O by Kissaki), bringing with it super-thin pies made with imported Italian ingredients. To add to the craziness, a party featuring Crazy Pizza’s signature Spinning Chefs, live DJ sets, and more will make the space a scene.
One of the first plant-based eateries out east, this new 1950s-inspired diner in Sag Harbor will offer hot dogs, burgers, chili, milkshakes and more. The entire menu is vegan, and much of it imitates meat, to entice all types of eaters.
Following last summer’s Southampton debut, El Verano—a Mexican restaurant by Manhattan chef Julian Medina—will debut the El Verano Taco Lot this Memorial Day Weekend. El Verano Taco Lot is a casual, outdoor Mexico City-style taqueria next door to El Verano serving queso fundido, birria tacos, lobster rolls, and cocktails. El Farm Market will also open this season with prepared foods like guacamole, roasted tomato salsa, dips, and sandwiches (including a Lobster BLT, French Dip, and Mexican Tortas), plus rotating seasonal veggies.
Solé East Resort is replacing The Backyard Restaurant with a new project by chef Melissa O’Donnell (formerly of Duryea’s): Sea Salt. The Montauk resort’s new menu focuses on Mediterranean cuisine with dishes like octopus confit, dips including labneh and red pepper feta, and local fish served in a bouillabaisse.
Open for its 44th season, The Clam Bar at Napeague is now also available on the go for private events. Often seen parked outside the seafood shack, the retro refurbished 1966 Citroen H Van is now a traveling, bookable seafood bar.
The popular Manhattan restaurants by Cedric and Ochi Vongerichten will bring their Indonesian-French fare to EHP Resort and Marina from May 22 through August 31.
East Hampton gets yet another gourmet shop with the arrival of Southampton’s Farm and Forage at 58B Park Place, near Smokey Buns. The store offers locally sourced goods, plus imported specialty ingredients and ready-to-eat prepared foods and baked goods, like seasonal pies.
Ocean Club at Montauk Yacht Club
The largest luxury resort and hotel in the Hamptons—which spans 16 acres with over 100 guest rooms and 232 boat slips—is back this year with its recently unveiled restaurant, Ocean Club. The gorgeous, 4,500-square-foot seaside spot, with the largest open kitchen in the Hamptons and a chef’s table experience, has a new menu led by chef Jarad McCarroll. Standout seafood dishes include a lobster Caesar salad, a lobster pasta in an aromatic broth, halibut with a yogurt emulsion, salmon finished with elderflower beurre blanc, and scallops served over a corn medley with onion, bacon, and jalapeño. Land-wise, look for the grilled chicken breast paired with raviolo, sunchoke, and pepitas; and a curated selection of premium steaks; as well as favorite dishes from last summer, including the margherita and cacio e pepe pizzas, the signature "OC" bread served with dipping oil and a selection of raw-bar offerings.
Hospitality
A new 43-room oceanfront hotel is slated to open in June. Located at 71 South Emerson Avenue, Offshore Montauk promises a “sanctuary of wellness, creativity, and connection,” just steps from the beach.
The hotel formerly known as the Wainscott Inn has undergone a $4 million renovation. All 30 guest rooms, the lobby, and outdoor spaces have been updated, with resort-style amenities added to the seven-acre property along the Montauk Highway. Midweek summer 2025 rates start at $599 per night.
Between East Hampton Main Beach and Main Street, The Hedges Inn enters a new era under Andrew and Sarah Wetenhall (owners of The Colony Hotel Palm Beach), with bookings opening this May. The soon-to-open Swifty’s at The Hedges will be a full-service restaurant open to the public for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
Naturopathica at Topping Rose House
Holistic wellness brand Naturopathica is bringing its signature botanical treatments to Topping Rose House, the 19th-century mansion house-turned luxury hotel in Bridgehampton. Open to both hotel guests and the public, the four-bed, 400–square-foot spa will offer Naturopathica’s full menu of services, including their signature Defy Facial and Chill Massage. Topping Rose will offer spa patrons access to their guest-exclusive wellness amenities, including the pool, sauna and lounge facilities.
