Nice little gem off the beaten path and while close to Montauk highway, you feel like you are miles away. No fuss and no frills dining with great service and views. The restaurant is situated within a marina and right next to the locks. If you are a boat enthusiast, this is a great place to walk up and down the docks after a meal and check them out. Seating is a bit limited and the majority of the time we have gone, we had to wait for a table (during peak season). The food is quite tasty and they are rotating specials daily. My group fell in love with the steak sandwich and has a hard time getting anything else whenever we stop in. read more

Great Covid operation here. They are serving a good quality sandwich ( I had the tuna) and everything is outside. Have no fear ordering here read more

Have been going here since the restaurant first opened. Food, service and atmosphere just keeps getting better and better! Well done guys! Can't wait to come back! Lobster roll and tuna sandwich Ahhh-mazing!!!! read more

The lobster rolls remain consistently good but after dining at Canal Cafe over 50 times over the years and having the Mahi at least 50% of the time, I was there a few days ago and it was inedible. It was just old fish. And Mahi old is really disgusting. Considering that the restaurant is a few miles from the best fish mongers, they have never had our local fish on the menu - flounder and fluke. The white fish in the fish & chips doesn't count, not sure what fish is within that (very tasty) breading but it doesn't taste great outside of the breading. It's sad when one of your favorite little spots to which you have been so faithful disappoints, they need to go to local fish mongers for some real fish. read more

Best lobster roll out East. We always stop on the way out to the Hamptons and on the way home bcs the lobster and fries beat all other spots on the south fork. Beautiful setting as well! read more

Great food, amazing view! The prices are fair. The staff is attentive and kind. Beautiful hidden gem in Hampton Bays! Worth finding and eating at. Bring sunglasses as you can sit outside. Lots of room. Can get busy but is worth the wait. If you're not from around the area, bring a camera and take some beautiful pictures on the canal with all the boats in the background. read more

Best lobster roll in the hamptons!!! Great service and great atmosphere. Highly recommended!!

We've been going to Canal Cafe for 3 years now. Sometimes with large groups and other times just me and the hubs. This year we have noticed a real slip in not only the food, but service. It has gotten extremely popular (good for them). Of course this means longer wait times. That's ok. The last 2 times we've come, in the last 3 weeks, we were greatly disappointed. The first time, the waitress got one of our appetizer orders wrong. That was ok, we didn't ask for her to correct the error. Instead, we enjoyed Thai mussels in place of White Wine ones. No big deal. This last time, our very pleasant waitress only can by our table to 1. Take and deliver drinks 2. Take and deliver food. 3. Drop check. She never stopped by to see how the food was. Both mine and my husband's food was over cooked. He had tuna (he specified RARE) It came out Medium. My Tuna ponzu was brown. One of us in our party asked to have something from her meal boxed up when the table was being cleaned. The waitress left that plate on the table and threw a box on the table. Really? For the prices you charge you can box it up in the kitchen. Also, how about some real utensils instead of the plastic? Don't think we'll be back for a while. read more

I was here for lunch on a weekend. We had the clam chowder, crab cakes and mussels. Everything was very good. If I'm in the area again, would definitely come here again. read more

Came on a rec from a friend to try the lobster roll. Now, I'm not a snob. But I do spend a lot of time in Maine haha. That said: this is the place in the Hamptons to get it. It was a hidden gem on the water, great service. The lobster roll was $30: I got TWO meals out of. Def the most lobster for the buck I've gotten in NY. It was with mayo on chibatta, so def not traditional, but very good. The clam fritters and fish and chips were also good. We got here at 12:15 on a WEDNESDAY in the off season and by 1:00 it was packed. Def a good stop. read more

Went here for lunch this past weekend and was blown away by their Lobster Roll. Having been to the top Lobster restaurants in the Manhattan (Mary's, Pearl, The Lobster Place, Centro Vasco, etc), I can say with 100% certainty Canal Cafe is among the best of the best. The ciabatta bread was fresh and filled with big chunks of tail and claw meat. Absolutely delicious - will definitely be going back soon! read more

Canal Cafe - Lobster Roll and Fries at Canal Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Hampton Bays, New York

One of our favorite places to go. Small, unassuming place, amazing location tucked away behind Hampton watercraft. Food is top notch. View is gorgeous. Music outside in the summer. If you are looking for a great place to eat in a waterfront location, don't hesitate to try canal cafe. read more

Canal Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Hampton Bays, New York

Views were beautiful and the food was good but I have one major complaint and will never go back. My family and I finished our meals, paid the $250 bill, and we're finishing our drinks when a rude staff member came over to tell us we have to go because people were waiting for our table. I understand that people are waiting but we just paid $250 for lunch and didn't even finish our drinks yet... If we pulled up in a million dollar boat instead of a Chevy would he have still made us leave before finishing??? read more

Figure that the lobster roll cost $32 per, and the view another $3 per; excellent margaritas, slightly diluted sangria. No need to say more.

Beautiful location directly on the canal, amazing view of the water and docked boats. Food was great, service was stellar, waitress attentive and fast. read more

Solid place off the beaten path but not too far ... little bar but good drinks. good seafood. Not cheap but not crazy expensive. Great views and fun people. Would recommend and comeback often! read more

We went here for a quick lunch and it was one of the best I haver ever had! Great atmosphere and the staff was super nice. My wife and I had a few apps which were delicious. I ordered the strip steak and she had a grilled chicken salad which I ended up finishing because she was full. I have to tell you the strip steak was the best I have had in many years. So much that I went to the kitchen to compliment the chef. The salad was great as well. Who would of thought for a place that serves everything on paper plates! Excellent, Excellent Excellent! read more

I'd like to give it 4.5 stars. Half a star off for staff with attitude and the paper plates. The food here for the most part is on point and 5 stars for being pet friendly. read more

This is a great spot, beautiful location overlooking the shinnecock canal. Food was great, one of the best Lobster Rolls I've had. Would highly recommend it! read more

havent had a bad experience yet. the fish seems to be consistently fresh. not too many restaurants out east dabble in slightly more exotic dishes such as fluke ceviche. they have interesting grilled fish dishes and try to shake up the usual ingredients used in preparation. im not saying that anything here is cutting edge but the food is cooked well and makes the fare at tide runners taste like captain gordons fish sticks... although that isnt extremely hard to do, i think the food at tide runners might actually come from the freezers at stop'n'shop. best maxta p read more

Best lobster roll anywhere! Enough for two people. Nice setting along the canal. Views of the marinas and Peconic.

I am not a professional food critic. Our party of four loved the wonderful evening can side comfortable and friendly slightly off the beaten track where all appetizers and meals were delicious and fairly priced. Outdoor get together will be long remembered. Outdoor dining with very entertaining guitarist. The fresh tuna was perfect. read more

Ambiance - fantastic. Can't help but be immersed in the scenery. Sitting on the deck and facing the bay. Wait: About 1-1.5 hours. We went around 7 and did not mind the wait because we had a Sunday drive back home on a holiday weekend. Food: seared tuna special was really good. clam chowder left much to be desired. Fried oysters OK, lobster roll OK. Service: Very poor. After such a long wait, we waited about an hour for our 2 appetizers. We inquired a few times to no avail. The apps ended up coming out about 5 minutes before our main entrees. Unacceptable. read more

I love this place. It's an out of the way, quiet spot. They have indoor and outdoor seating. It's not huge so on the weekends there is a wait for a table but so what? They have a full bar and you can wait on chairs and benches out on the water. The food is good. Good variety and a lot of specials. Plus, Pacifico. Not always easy to find. read more

Stopped here for lunch. Great Mediterranean calamari salad special. Nice setting by docks on the Shinnecock canal

I absolutely love the view. Get there early to avoid waiting for a table. The lobster roll in my opinion is perfect. Toasted Ciabatta bread with a good portion of lobster, and not much mayo. read more

Great location and great food. Usually a little bit of a wait and a little pricey but definitely worth it. If you want to splurge go for the lobster roll, it is probably the best one I've ever had. The Bloody Mary was also pretty good, balanced and not too spicy. I plan to come back anytime I'm in the area. read more

Stopped for a late lunch. setting in the harbor is lovely and the food is delicious. We had the oyster po' boy and lobster roll (on ciabatta bread - great). We did not love the lobster roll price and were a bit shocked that it was $33. It says MP on the menu so I guess we should have asked so as not to have sticker shock. Sweet potato fries also good. the peach Sangria was perfect for a very warm afternoon. Service was excellent. read more

Went for dinner last night with another couple and the place was surprisingly sparce given its popularity. Once we got our food we understood why. The Mahi was overcooked and dry and the clam strips rubbery. All the food served was mediocre at best, which is a great disappointment to us since for the last few years it has been consistently superior and we went often. Too bad. read more

I've only been once, and my mine issue is the insanely over priced lobster roll which I found to be mediocre to my taste/standards. The menu lists the lobster roll as Market Price, but at quick glance its easy mis read the menu and think its actually $22 (the price of the dish below). In my experience $22 is an expensive lobster roll (too much in fact) but not that out of the norm. In fact, when I got the bill I learned we being charged $32!!!! for a lobster roll (that was mediocre at best) AND despite having a special board (which we looked at) they don't list the Lobster Roll price on that board. In other words my sense is this place is deliberately misleading about the cost of the lobster roll and in any case I find it offensive to overcharge so extensively. I also found the atmosphere to be bland. Basically there was nothing especially good about this spot, and then to add the offensive pricing - I'll never go back. And suggest you skip it too. (the only reason for 2 stars is that the waitresses seemed friendly enough, although they also didn't mention the price of a lobster roll when we ordered which I think is curious too) read more

First and foremost, the food was good. Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich was nicely made with a touch of spice (though I could have used a little more "heat"). Sweet Potato fries were ok, not the greatest. My fiancee also loved her Mussels in garlic and wine sauce. The service however, left much to be desired. It was busy and the staff was clearly working hard to keep up. Not much of a problem with the servers. The problem came before we were seated. The host gave us a 35-40 minute wait time, with about 7 people ahead of us. So we sat at the bar and had a drink. About 30 minutes later I checked again with the waitress who was subbing now for the host, there was now a 40 minute wait with 15 people ahead of us! We ended up eating at the bar since we were already seated there. The option to sit inside at one of the mostly empty tables or the bar was not offered. Disappointing not to be able to sit dockside, but at least there was a view from the bar. Be prepared to wait (and wait) on a busy night, unless you are dressed for the Hamptons or have a boat in the marina. read more

Pulled up with my boat and feasted on lobster roll, red mussel curry, great fries and beers. Very reasonable prices and friendly wait staff. BUT,,,you will have to wait as it is a popular spot. read more

Would have given 2-3 stars but all of the employees went to a side table and we're talking so loud and cursing up a storm. Talking about people and being rude. I got the salmon burger and I'm a salmon eater and it was horrible in my opinion. The salmon was dry and just had no flavor. My friend got the wings and she said they could have been better. So not impressed. Didn't say anything because I know they would have just been like we will make you something different and I didn't want to wait for that. I just wanted to get the heck out. read more

It's a very nice place if you accept it for what it is and are prepared for what you get. The lines are long and they don't take reservations, but you can have a cocktail while you wait and they often have someone playing guitar. Often their estimate of how long the wait is is way off. But I don't think they are lying to us just to get our business, they don't have to, there are plenty of people willing to wait. Once you get seated the service is fine, even though others have found it lacking, and I thought the staff was friendly, but obviously rushed at times. There were a fair number people that had to be regulars there eating and drinking at the bar and having a good time, so that says something about the place - if the locals enjoy it........ The view of the marina is nice and the place has a laid back vibe to it. Yes, they have plastic utensils and paper plates, but I think they have to by law because of the location being on the water (no dish washing machines allowed?). Some of the prices are good for what you get, others are fair, and some are not even close to worth it. Some of the food is obviously frozen from a distributor and priced somewhat accordingly (there is a bit of a mark up because of the Hamptons and the location). The lobster roll used to be better, bigger and cheaper. $32 is off the charts for what you get, and now that we are in summer the price of lobster has been going down, so no matter what the sign says, it's not "market rate." Still, drink prices are more than fair and I'll go back, but I just won't expect anything out of this world. read more

I have been stopping here on our yearly run to the hamptons last 3 years. Awesome service, outdoor seating , good food, great prices. See you next year.. read more

Difficult to find, way off beaten path but they are always busy. Crab cakes are awesome. Outdoor seating wonderful. Service is great, Find it, you will go back! read more

This place has apparently been in HB for several years, and this Labor Day wknd I finally had a chance to check it out for myself. My parents had been raving about the lobster roll sandwich for a while, and I was excited to see the view since it's located inside a marina right on the water. The view definitely didn't disappoint -- and we were lucky to score a table quickly (for 8...no easy feat since it's definitely a small venue. We had to wait a mere 20 minutes or so on LD Sunday, but there were open seats at the bar until the table was ready, so it was perfect timing as far as I'm concerned). I had a rum punch while waiting, Daron definitely knows how to make 'em right! It was deeelicious. They also have a nice selection of wine and beer (including the local Blue Point, a nice rich amber). Our table ordered a great smorgasborg of items. We started off with the calamari (decent), mussels (amahhhzing!), clam fritters (interesting, I'm def a fan), the spring rolls (chili sauce makes 'em) and a special app of homemade guac with chips. We devoured everything before making our way to entrees... All of us had lobster rolls with the exception of one who had a special pan seared tuna -- I had the pleasure of trying a slice and it was absolute perfection. Kinda made me wish I'd tried a special, too... The food was very good and the atmosphere was even better; it was a beautiful night on the water. Live music made the night -- the singer sounded very close to Dave Matthews in a good way, and while we were seated directly in front of the musical duo, they were playing softly enough as to not overpower our dinner conversation (and they even offered to take group photos for us from the stage, bonus). The staff is all very friendly and takes great care of you. It's a new favorite spot of mine! As other reviewers suggest, it gets busy and they don't take advanced reservations so arrive early or just be patient and enjoy the scenery. We arrived around 6 p.m. and it stayed packed the whole time we were there (nearly 3 hours?). They offer a great experience at a stellar Hamptons value. Tip: There is parking right near the restaurant, but during prime time it can get very busy so you can just park anywhere in the marina area before you get down to the restaurant. read more

lobster roll on ciabatta you say? after initial hesitation, i went for it and ordered such a roll and was in LOVE. said ciabatta was stuffed full of lobster salad...so much that i was only able to eat half - although that could have been due to the crispy fries that I couldn't stop eating! not to worry, less than 24 hours later my roll was still just as perfect as the day before. the crab cakes came 3 to an order and although they were crisp on the outside, the inside was soft and flavorful- celery and peppers gave them some bite and some texture. another winner, and really one not to be missed if you have the good fortune of dining here, are the mussels. you can get them with a tomato base or a white wine base. we went white wine and they were simmered with cherry tomatoes and more garlic than you can imagine. more ciabatta served on the side - warm and fresh. the beer is COLD. it's so cold. it's perfectly refreshing. get one. do it. sip it and take in the view. if you live here, are passing through or like us, on vacation in the hampton bays - this is a spot that is not to be missed. read more

Great view! I love the outdoor seating and watching all the beautiful boats that passes by. We ordered bbq ribs, salmon and tuna sandwich. All were great. Super casual and fun to hang out. read more

The food is delicious....be prepared to wait during season. Please bring back the vegetable spring rolls to your menu,it's a great choice for many vegetarians. read more