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Just 50 minutes from Midtown is the Bronx’s City Island, a neighborhood that feels a little more like Cape Cod than the birthplace of the RZA. Drive over the bridge and all the way down to the tip to find Johnny’s Reef Restaurant, a 60-year-old seafood destination with $3 beers and $40 lobster tails overlooking the Long Island Sound.
The vibe: Easy, breezy and charmingly old-fashioned, you might even feel like you’re on vacation. City Island remains a secret to transplants (it is, as of this writing, still influencer-free), so Johnny’s Reef Restaurant still brings the same joy that a red plastic bucket of fried shrimp and fries with a frozen drink always has.
The food: A gigantic menu with “fried,” “steamed” and “clam” sections offers $40 steamed lobster tails, $18 plates of fried shrimp and a half-dozen little necks for $8, among other seaside delicacies. For the less adventurous eaters, there are burgers, hot dogs, Italian sausages and generous servings of crispy French fries.
The drinks: Cool down with a soda, a chocolate or vanilla milkshake or a frozen drink. A Bud or Bud Light is still just $3 (in THIS economy?) and no beer costs more than $5.
Time Out tip: It may come as no surprise that this old-school spot is cash only, so make sure to bring enough bills to pay for all the Buds you plan on pounding.