For all the great write ups, I was expecting great food. My wife ordered a pork chop that was over cooked. My soft shell crabs were cold in the middle. Although the steamers were excellent. So I'm not quite sure what to expect. read more

This is the best steak. I have been going here a long time and make an effort to go to Elbow Room every time I am on Long Island. Get the Porterhouse marinated and Blue cheese salad. I am daydreaming of one right now. If you never had this steak you are missing out! read more

Strange location for a steakhouse. All the steak is a little charred and salty for my taste. Nice environment to have a drink with friends. Is it weird that it kind of seems like a biker hang out? read more

My family has been going here for years upon years! Always good people, good food (especially the baked clams and steak!)

Over priced for what you get. Steak quality varies greatly. Went this week. Ordered two identical T bones steaks. One was decent the other barely edible. Only went because of the coupon . would never pay full price. Careful when they add the tax and tip to your bill then expect more. Read your bill closely. I would pass. read more

Came here for a quick socially distanced lunch because it was empty and they had indoor seating in air conditioning. Service was friendly enough and since no one else was there it was rather quick. The menu didn't excite me but I don't think people come to a place like this for an inspired menu. The New England clam chowder could not have been thicker- too thick for me. Not sure what I was supposed to do with my oyster crackers as it was more of a gluey texture than any broth. It didn't help that my first bite was barely Luke warm. When I stirred the soup the bottom was hotter so that helped. The flavor was decent. The roast beef sandwich came with the roast beef and gravy on top of a soggy piece of untoasted white bread. I guess I should have asked about that first. The saving grace of the meal was the lunch special marinated shell steak. I had a bite of this and it was very good. I did like the French fries, which were served piping hot. As I see mentioned in a previous review, they are still charging the surcharge for using a credit card. I am not sure if this is on the menu but it's not something we realized until after paying the bill. read more

Best steaks around! Total retro experience, very old school feel BUT awesome steaks! Awesome cream spinach and potatoes! Just yum! If you're looking for a "hip and cool" dining experience don't go here, if you're hungry for a good cooked meal and no fuss! Run here! read more

if you sit down to eat, you likely wont come back. We had the fried fish, which was a stale-looking grey. It had a tough texture and was actually separated from the burnt breading. It did not seem to be fresh, and we didnt even want to subject our dog to it, so we left the whole thing there. Another disappointment were the baked clams. They had the consistency of chocolate pudding, except they were greyish. I eat baked clams all over Long Island, and these are the worst, hands down. There were no clams in them, and the creamy texture was just completely unappealing. The fries were pretty good, but they are kind of hard to get wrong. That being said, the only thing great about this place was the bartender, i think his name was Rob. If you are going for drinks, he is the man to see. You can talk to him like an old friend, right off the bat. He is personable and friendly, and makes for a great time sitting at the bar drinking. If you dont want any food, by all means stop in and chat with the cool guy behind the bar. it is almost worth a trip just to shoot the bull with him over a beer, but do yourself a favor and dont get fried fish or baked clams. read more

We were hesitant to go to Cliff's Elbow Room because of the mixed reviews but am I so happy I did. Small and cozy, a small bar and about 10 tables. We had the fried lobster appetizer cooked perfectly in panko and moist and delicious on the inside. We then ordered the T-bone steak with mushrooms/onions in original marinade. Now I've mostly eaten at Peter Lugers steakhouse most of my life and this was a very good well seared/marinated steak. I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased. Service was great and staff was knowledgeable with regards to specials and food. Would go back any time. read more

One of my favorite spots. Tiny little hidden gem. The marinated steak is something that you crave long after you leave.

Good deals for most days of the week. Staff is always friendly and the waits never too long. Steak has been marinated to perfection every time I have it and the atmosphere is A+ read more

Very over priced for what you're getting, went with my family of four and the bill was over 200$, Everything is al a cart and the rolls are straight from a package that you could buy from Wonder Bread, nothing fancy about this place for the price. read more

Never again. Read the mixed reviews but was hopeful we'd have a good experience ordering their infamous porterhouse steak. We had their French onion soup and shrimp cocktail as an app, both were good. Marinade on the steak was delicious, until we realized our steaks were raw in the middle (mind you, we ordered our steaks medium & medium rare and both steaks were completely raw throughout.) After sending the steaks back my boyfriend's steak came back well done (originally ordered medium rare) and my steak was still raw in the middle (originally ordered medium). We dine at an array of restaurants from your local dive bar to fine dining, never in my life have I sent food back to the kitchen to be fixed, never mind having to complain about it to the point where it's removed from the bill. There are far too many good restaurants in the North Fork to waste your time or money here. 2 stars for the apps and the fact that our waitress was very accommodating; she preemptively removed the steaks from our bill without us asking. read more

The table next to us very loud and obnoxious, it took ten minutes to be seated and I waited one and a half hours for my food but when it arrived it was worth the wait. The people there were great, particularly our server who seemed to be a bit nervous but was professional and pleasant. read more

First time at the Elbow Room and it wont be the last. Went there with two other couples. After some wine tasting our last stop was here. WOW! The best steak I have ever had. The marinade was like magic in my mouth. The clams casino was on the money. The waitress was like mom serving me. Forget everything else and stop at the Elbow Room you wont be dissapointed. read more

I am a native Long Islander and for decades this restaurant has been the go to place for steak. This is the first time I went and Oh My it was awful! I consider myself a "foodie" and pretty particular when it comes to steak. My family always says you can tell a restaurant takes pride in their food when the bread served to the table is fresh and delicious. Well I knew we were in trouble when the bread and breadsticks served was terrible (right from a bag). Then we got the famous baked clams, YUCK. If you like baked clams made like a pate then this is for you. I prefer large pieces of clams in mine. I really don't know what this was. Than I got the Manhattan clam chowder. Definitely canned clams and very little of it. What little clams there were was tough. The broth was ok but I would say it came from bottled clam juice. Now for the steak, it was chewy and too fatty to the point of not being edible. My husband sent his back it was so bad (they removed it from the bill without us asking which was good). I ate mine to fill me up. My son liked his dish. He got the filet. I recommend you not go here. Not worth the price and they haven't kept up with the times. Restaurant hasn't been renovated since 1970's. read more

We go the the Elbow Room several times a year for their marinated steaks. They are my wife's favorite and close to #1 with me. We know how crowded this small place can get so we always visit in the late afternoon or early evening and always get a table quickly. Tonight I had the petite filet mignon and my wife had the shell steak, both marinated. I had a baked potato and she had a sweet potato. She ordered a glass of wine and I had a diet coke. Her "black and blue" steak and my medium filet arrived perfectly cooked. The meat was incredibly tender and delicious. Service was great and we enjoyed one of the best steak dinners anywhere. There is one new thing here, though. When we got the bill ($73 before tip) it listed on the bottom the various tip percentages and how much they would be. The problem is that they based their numbers on the entire bill including tax. We always tip on the amount before tax and that's what we did tonight (20%). Many people won't notice that. In any event we certainly will be back. read more

We have eaten here a number of times and I think the meal we had 2 weeks ago may have been the best one yet. Great marinated steaks and good drinks. I love the bloody mary that their bartender makes - Large and Spicy! read more

Went there on our wedding night. My father in law swears by this place but I didn't know what to expect. I just looked like a bar and grill so I assumed gross bar food. I could not have been more wrong. OMG I had the best steak I've even eaten in my life! I was so impressed! Its super far from us but so worth the ride! read more

On July 5, 2017 I walked in with my wife, my daughter and her husband. It was about 2'O'clock when we entered and there was no one there but one man at the bar with a drink. No employees either. We looked at a menu on the wall. After a few minutes a young man came out of a door in the dining room, looked at us and seemingly annoyed he said, how many? We said 4 and then my son and law asked him if the menu on the wall was for now (lunch or dinner)? The man with a nasty attitude said no its from 1958. We left! The employee was a rude disrespectful idiot. read more

It was dark and gloomy inside. I ordered a burger and fries. The burger was soaked in grease and the meat was dry. however the steak was good but chewy. The waitress was nice but she put her hand in my salad as she gave it to me. My brother ordered the chicken wings and they were not even wings they were little pieces of meat that were not filling at all. So my family and I did not have a great experience at this place and we will not be experiencing again. read more

I WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN! The food is decent but the service was the worst I've ever dealt with. I was in the restaurant industry for years, and they broke every rule you should have to give at least decent service. The older women we served us was unprepared and got every single order wrong... We ordered burgers btw. But, the icing on the cake was when I asked for a side of bbq sauce, she said " what do you think this is McDonalds." read more

not sure what everyone else has been eating but the lunch marinated steaks were the worst ever! not even fit for a king, here king

hands down, best porterhouse I've ever eaten! i'm from texas, so i know a great steak...and this is the truth. got it marinated and cooked medium. you won't be sorry... read more

Great dive place. Super great service! Atmosphere with other customers great! Great bar area. The bartender was awesome. The hamburger was exceptional! All good here, will come back when in the area again ! read more

Amazing marinated porterhouse. Just understand going in that the restaurant is tiny and very cramped (apparently that's the joke about its name) but it's not an issue for us because the food is so good! Big waits on weekends. Totally worth it though. read more

Overrated and Overpriced!!! Hostess was rude. Waitresses were pleasant. Not up to the hype. I guess nothing else out there. Not worth a trip or another visit read more

I grew up on eastern Long Island and going to the Elbow Room was always such a treat. However, I live in Florida now and it has been six years since my last visit. Went to the Elbow Room with a few friends and what a disappointment! Aside from the hefty price my steak was so grizzly I could only eat less than half of it. The potato tasted like it was cooked about two days ago. It's too bad Cliff is not around anymore to run the show. read more

The service was very slow but the waitresses were very nice. I would recommend the entrée Cliff's Favorite Pasta as it was very good. The burgers however were not cooked through and the inside was very pink even though it was medium well was ordered. The deserts are amazing, especially the toasted almond cake. Overall it is a decent restaurant. read more

I LOVE this restaurant. The steaks are the BEST I've ever had. It's where I like to go for my birthday every year!!!

have been eating here since the 70's the marinated steak is great. and don't forget the baked clams. i now live in florida but get up their every couple years. will be their in oct.2013 can't wait.. chef robert mcgraw read more

Long story short: lousy food and (equally if not) lousier service. Took way too long to get noticed/seated and even longer for drinks and service. Burnt steak and fries from the freezer. Might be a decent place to grab a drink but the restaurant section is quite pathetic. Nice people, but it's a shame that whoever's slacking in the managerial department doesn't seem to notice or care about the quality, or lack thereof. No plans of going back there any time soon. read more

I am writing about my most recent visit, not prior ones, which were better. I had the fried fish, which somehow managed to be raw, and burned on the same piece. the breading pulled away and separated from the leather-like fillet, which was clearly dried up and stale and had a hard, translucent grey texture. The baked clams were the worst i have ever been served, and i have been eating these things for over 40 years, all over the country. they had a strange, creamy texture with the consistency of chocolate pudding. All you could taste was pepper, and there was absolutely no clam meat anywhere to be found. the mixture seemed like a cross between chocolate pudding and glue, just horrible. The lobster corn chowder was passable, but not nearly as good as their excellent lobster bisque. another reason i gave it two stars instead of one was the extremely personable bartender, i think his name is Rob or Robert, or something. he is a real nice regular guy, who seems as comfortable behind the bar as he would be sitting in front of it. he has an enjoyable understated dry wit, that made us not feel as bad about getting horrible food. the drinks are great, and the water tastes great, and is ice cold, it must be filtered or something, it just tasted so good. Also the skinny french fries are excellent, fried just right, and salted perfectly. to recap, do NOT ever order the fried fish or baked clams under any circumstances, and grab a drink at the bar from whats his name. read more

A North Fork staple for its famous marinated steaks, the atmosphere is rustic and authentic. On Sundays they serve $5 marinated burgers and on Tuesdays in the off season a $20 full steak meal. The experience is both unique and worth the stop. read more

My friend and I arrived at 6:30pm on a Saturday, not sure what we were thinking, there was a wait but not too bad, I think we were seated by 7:00pm at the latest. The place is cramped, hence the name "Cliff's Elbow Room" you really are on top of each other. We were lucky and got a 4 top at the bar, the only downside to that was you had everyone at the bar and the door staring at you while you ate. Okay, onto the good stuff, we didn't order appetizers and went right for the porterhouse steaks, both came out perfectly and super fast, the steaks were huge and delicious, we both got them marinated, that's why they come out so dark but they were not burnt at all. I had a sweet potato side and my friend had the garlic mashed. It also comes with a salad that we upgraded to a wedge for $1.99. Our waitress Carol was super sweet, attentive and funny. I'm not sure if she has any ownership there but she told us she's working there for 46 years! The BEST service I've had in a very long time. Keep it up Carol! We ordered the carrot cake for dessert but were given the Almond cake (the hostess made a mistake), Carol gave it to us comped and we enjoyed both. That is what a good server does! I would definitely return. I had a great experience here. read more

Cliff's, how can I explain this place? I have been going to cliff's for 30 years. There are people who do not like the marinate. I feel sorry for them. The marinate on the meat is extraordinary. I have been to every steak house, used to be rich, but I always truly enjoy Cliff's. The wait staff is usually older and they sometimes have moods but where can you eat with 2 persons steak dinners with potato and vegetable with drinks and an appetizer for around $75. Try another real steak house and good luck for double that price. Cliff's also has a very unique baked clam. The clam base is made using mushroom and is very creamy not bread crumbs. You either love it or dislike it. I eat baked clams, large porter house, medium rare, baked potato and veggies, and sometime a piece of cheese cake. My dinner averages today around $40-$45. No other place like it. I think one of the top 10 in Suffolk county. BTW he has more than one place in Suffolk but I always like the ambiance in Jamesport. PS: I used to live in Nassau and would drive out to Cliff's for a steak. All others who do not like this place have to be out of thier mind. read more

Although we were pleased with our visit, there were issues. The shrimp cocktail and mussels were great but the baked clams were pasty. Salad dressings were excellent but a tomato would have been nice. I had surf and turf. Lobster and filet both cooked perfect. But I had to track down the waitress for the drawn butter. The porterhouse steak was inedible and removed from the bill. It was all grizzle. If the waitress had come back to the table we would have asked for another but we didn't get the chance. The filet mignon did have a chunk of grizzle on it which for the price should have been fat free. Coffee was great and the staff was pleasant. Our waitress was just missing most of the time. She was talking to patrons in the bar while we were trying to get her attention. It doesn't help that they have no bus staff. The younger of the two, who was not our waitress, helped us several times. All that said, I still enjoyed dinner..but then I'm not the one who got the bad steak! read more