Having grown up in the far reaches of one of Brooklyn's Italian neighborhoods, visiting the far reaches of one of Queens' Italian neighborhoods felt like familiar territory. Lenny's has the same old school feel of some of the restaurants I used to frequent growing up in Bensonhurst, and it makes so much sense now that I'm reading in the 1950's the owner of Lenny's Clam Bar took his learnings from a job at my childhood fave, Lenny's Pizza, and opened a string of restaurants with the same name. You really can't miss this spot as you're driving along the huge Crossbay boulevard, with its huge neon sign and balloon shaped blue and white striped awnings above each window. I just watched a commercial they ran for the restaurant in 1981, and from the looks of it the place has not changed since, and I believe that is part of the charm. The staff were very welcoming during our visit and I got the sense that they've also called this place home for years, which I find very endearing. We were seeking out comfort food, so we ordered linguine with clam sauce, penne alla vodka, and baked clams for good measure. The portions were generous, but as I feared the pasta was cooked well done and lacked the al dente bite that makes pasta worth enjoying in my book. We also found a little worm on the lemon that came with our baked clams and we alerted our server to it, but the worm was just taken away without an offer to replace the dish or discount, which I thought would've been a nice gesture. I absolutely understand the appeal of the restaurant as a comfortable place or one that sparks nostalgia, but as a food destination I'm just glad for the one visit. read more

I ordered a combination of scallops,calamari, and shrimp fried with linguini in lennies sweet tomato sauce. They forgot to give me the linguini but gave me the tomato sauce! I had ordered a strawberry daiquiri, which was very good (they didn't stint on the alcohol). I ordered a clams casino appetizer, which was overcooked and rubbery. At dinner the calamari was too rubbery to eat. I complained about the calamari but complimented the fried scallops and shrimp. My dish was taken, and finally the pasta was brought with a few addl shrimp. My son ordered the rack of ribs, which was a large portion and well made. The service was acceptable. My sisters in law My four sister's in laws ordered fish and seafood. One had scallops that were good. Three had fish filets, which were not hot - but tepid supposedly with oreganato but had no flavor. All three had yellow rice, which also had no flavor. The desserts were competent: Better than the cooked food! My wife ordered a cannoli in which the filling was very fresh and good. i had a tartufo of expresso ice cream served with chocolate syrup, which was really meant for two! An oreo sunday was had by my son which was large. A chocolate cake (very good) chocolate and the cheesecake was okay. The restaurant began to fill up and became extremely loud and noisy. Noisey is when everyone has to shout to be understood and near headache levels. It was our 40th wedding anniversary, and we were hoping not to have to return items or be disappointed. Overall, my reaction is that the food was competent aside from rubbery calamari. We dined in. They did have a parking lot, which is a boon. Unfortunately the price paid aside from the desserts was not worth it. Next time I'll get the ribs! Since there is no outside and the place has no sound baffles it gets very noisy when it fills up. I'm very disappointed with the lack of care of the rubbery calamari and no serving of pasta although my wife and I were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. I see the mgr has responded to my review and I do wish them well. But a clam bar restaurant that serves "tepid (cold fish) and rubbery calamari and clams and forgets to give a pasta side that goes with the ordered dish may need a simpler menu.... Possibly start serving pizza again as he family did. read more

A friend of mine goes there often and recommended me the place. Went there today with kids 15 and 11. We were very pleased. I have to say I get sometimes a bit snobby since I work in a high end steak house in the city and I am not easy to impress. We really enjoyed our meal. French onion soup was delicious. Caesar salad was huge, a bit heavy on garlic but we didn't mind. My daughter had cheese ravioli with vodka sauce and shrimp and scallops. Delicious. My son had chicken Parmesan (huge again). Shared tartuffo as a dessert. What made my day was the fact that I ordered a single espresso and it came IN A PREHEATED CUP AND HOT! the way it is supposed to be! Service was attentive and the manager (owner) stopped by as well. I understand that everyone is entitled to an opinion but sometimes people leave a very critical review just because and they don't realize how much damage it does. Be critical but be fair. read more

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Outrageously good food. I had the muscles in red sauce. I could not get enough of the sauce and kept dipping my bread into it. I ordered an appetizer portion of the mussels, it was a large generous portion for an appetizer. Service was excellent. Valet parking available on a limited basic dress is casual. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

I love this place! The food is delicious and the sangria is so good. (P.s. get the pitcher! ) read more

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I have seen all the posts the owner Lenny does and shown off all his cooking on Facebook and I just wanted to try it because everything looks delicious But to go to the restaurant the restaurant to eat it I wasn't satisfied at all. It was a table of seven people we all got, and nobody was satisfied whatsoever. And the shame of it is, I really don't know why people go there to eat the food if it wasn't anything crazy or satisfaction read more

My wife and I went to Lenny's for our anniversary. As soon as we sat down our waiter came over with some bread & butter and Bruschetta and took our drink order. We split an appetizer "Stuffed Mushrooms" they were amazing. My wife had the Fried Butterflied Shrimp and I had the Chicken Francese with Rigatoni. Everything was delicious. The service was excellent. We will be back again. read more

Hadn't been to Lennys in years. I was there for a party in a small private room with about 40 people. Service was excellent! The baked clams were the best I ever had. Veal francese, chicken Parm were also excellent. Lenny's is still a great place! read more

Some places are just old, other are beloved institutions that constantly renew and refresh. Lenny's of Howard Beach is my kinda joint... low key, delicious and lacking in all pretension. Their signature linguini and white clam should be outlawed for it's capacity to bring me to my knees. It is always THAT good. Paired with some crusty bread and a nice cool draught, all is right with the world. I don't get here often and that is as wrong as it is inexcusable. Lenny's I'd an an institution that lives up to the hype. A perfect five stars. read more

Yesterday we was at Lenny's historical restaurant. our waiter Dave made our experience beyond wonderful. The food was beyond delicious. The crab was tasteful. Their burger was amazing. The penny vodka with lobster made my heart melt, and it was a great birthday experience with my grandma. Don't forget to get their apple pie and the cherry cheesecake pie, everything was amazing thank you read more

Lenny's is a Continuous Favorite! I've been coming here for 16 years. Everything is always fresh. the beer is always cold and the bread is always warm. The calamari is delicious. The neighborhood always comes here for dinner.. over 40 years and still going strong. There is Always wonderful music playing. Joe is always here and I love how he now has his children helping. read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

After returning from the trip, we went to Lenny's for lunch. January and February are promo months to celebrate their anniversary, so the two months come with specials. The promo includes Baked or Raw Clams for $8 each. Fried Calamari, Fried Shrimp, and Mussels for$9.95 each. Other dishes have reasonable prices also. We had baked clams, raw clams, and calamari for appetizers. After appetizers, I ordered Stuffed Shrimp and Crabmeat, and Hubby had linguini in white clam sauce. I loved the raw clams the best. They picked out the best types of clams. We chose little neck clams. For baked clams, we had the hard clams. My entree was ok. Not too crazy about it because I think there's more flour than meat, so that's out. Hubby's linguini was better than my dish but still not the best of the afternoon. Hubby said we'd go back to try other dishes. I'll order something else next time. One thing worth mentioning is the seafood was fresh! We had 2 plates of raw and baked clams, and we got leftovers. We had a good waiter, Dave. He took good care of our table. The restaurant is huge with many big and small tables. Lunch was a bit quiet here. Nice and peaceful. Thanks! read more

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Had a really lovely family dinner here with my husband and 2 toddlers after a show last weekend. We were seated right away in the perfect spot. Our waiter Raymond was great. The food was phenomenal. I didn't have a complaint about anything. The linguine and white clam sauce was my favorite. My kids loved their food as well. The muscles in white sauce were delicious, so was the calamari and I love that the baked clams appetizer were whole and not chopped up with the breading. Very family friendly and oriented place. Everyone was very attentive. They have dessert as well - the vanilla ice cream with Oreos was enjoyed by my kids especially. The complimentary bruschetta at the beginning was yummy too. Oh and the portions are huge! Wonderful for leftovers even though the food was so good we did our best to finish most of it there lol. Would absolutely return here. read more

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Never disappointed at Lenny's. As usual the food was fantastic and we were a party of eight. Everything was delicious. The calamari, the shrimp, and the lobster, the pasta, the bruschetta, the dessert etc. etc. etc. ... Joe is very gracious and friendly and accommodating always. Our waiter, Dave, was just fantastic. I highly recommend Lennys. I travel a great distance to come here and it's well worth it all the time. From John, The Wrestling Guy. Thanks for your hospitality. read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

Good good food. Great service. Went in for a quick lunch early dinner and was in neighborhood coming from long island. A great meal read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Veal parm w spaghetti. Famous baked clams. Both very good - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

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Very friendly, reasonable price. Kind service. Family oriented. Loved the food. Especially love the "Penne Al Vodka "

Was craving some pasta so it was time to stop by Lenny's for a dinner date. When my date and I got there, the service was friendly and we were immediately sat at our table. To start, we enjoyed the complimentary bread, breadsticks & bruschetta. I also ordered a Caesar salad and it was delicious. The salad was a huge portion, perfect to share with others, and had the perfect amount of creamy dressing & crunchy homemade croutons. For the main meals, I decided to go with Linguine with Oil, Garlic & Broccoli while my boyfriend ordered the Chicken Cutlet Parm with a side of pasta and sauce. Everything came out the kitchen fast and hot and we enjoyed our meals. Although my pasta was good, I'd personally recommend ordering the Alfredo! Overall, I would definitely come back- especially with a party. read more

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Amazing customer service, clean and great good! Employee where extremely professional and had great customer service

Food was alright but.they seated people based on who they know. I had to personally wait about 20 minutes or longer.was going to leave then we were seated.you can see that they seat people and give other people more attention based on who they know more.like I said food was good I've came here before,many times but this is definitely my last time coming here!! read more

Yum! Great menu great service grade history I've been going there since I was a kid and the food is just delicious the way it is a very courteous and on top of things, highly recommend !! read more

Local historic Italian Seafood joint. Stopped in on Father's Day and had a pleasant, enjoyable time. Portions are large and reasonably priced. Spent approximately $60pp including wine & dessert. The raw clams/oysters always taste fresh and the fried calamari and sauce are great. Don't expect 5 star service or atmosphere and go in understanding you're at a neighborhood restaurant. You'll leave here with a full belly if nothing else. read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Clams & Oysters on the half shell - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

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It's not my first time at Lennys however my First review to them... long over due! The wait was about 25mins which was more than fair for a Saturday night! I tried the captains platter for the first time and enjoyed how light and savory the dish was, I'd definitely order it again! read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Captain's Platter - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

We've only ever ordered food to go but it was tasty, and worth the money. The food was ready when we got there. Obviously the seafood was fresh tasting so we'll be back again. read more

Yep! New York review coming with pics! Hard to explain, don't know if it's the water or the muck or the macheesemo or what but fat fried and baked food is BETTER in New York! Better! Period! Lobster and crab yum!!!! The drawn butter is even better in New York! All the amenities and side dishes true Italian style And oh yeah! The little trimmings like Fresh Parmesan and garlic! Not that I had those on my lobster but they were definitely here and in the air! Service Friendly conscientious and good! Medium pricing , food fabulous! Akin to Alliottos or DiMaggios in San Francisco! New York has way better bread as well just about anywhere than California! read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

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A gem in the proud NYC tradition of great Italian Food! Try any pasta but my favorite in the Lasagna.

How sad this place has become, what a shell of its former reputation it is to date. Poor mgmt,, the food at a diner is 10x better than this place. Waitress was really nice, manager on the other hand was completely negligent and unprofessional. We were served stale hard as a rock bread while we waited for food to arrive, The fra diavolo was watery and tasted like it was spaghettios or chef boy ardee, the clams were like eating rubber, the lobster tail was like eating cardboard dipped in water (no exaggeration) -- school cafeteria pasta was better than this mess. The angel hair bolognese was gross, the stuffed mushrooms were watery and lacked any flavor. The blue point oysters were not fresh and you could tell it wasn't properly stored. We left the plates full and uneaten, the manager didn't even have the professional decency to even speak to us and remedy the situation. They said we picked at the seafood otherwise they would have taken the plates off the bill lol, it's not even about money, we paid the bill, tipped the waitress her due and left the place like our lives depended on it. What horrible dining experience. If you're starving and dying of food, this place should still not be on your list to visit. Don't just walk away, run! ollive garden or diner food is way better than this place, and that's saying a lot. read more

Food was great, service was awesome, and the place was affordable. There ambiance is Definitely an ode to the past. I'd recommend it, looking forward to going back, the baked clams were amazing! read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Dozen Baked Clams - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

Had a delivery the Food was Great. The Delivery was Prompt and Everything was Perfect.Will try some other Sea Food selections next Time. So much to choose from. read more

All I can say is wow. Just had a feast from Lenny's. The food was amazing. The customer service was great. The prices are reasonable. I can't say anything negative. If you are in the Howard Beach area & love seafood go to Lenny's. If you love seafood & are not in the area ... TRAVEL. It's worth it. This wasn't our first time having Lenny's. We've dined there & done take out quite a few times. All have been great experiences and I regret not writing a review sooner! I highly recommend the crab legs & ribs. Keep up the good work! read more

Not planing to come back. Yesterday I had very weird experience. Food was good, pasta lobster tail crab díscolo was very nice even though I felt a bit of sand from clams. Not a big deal. My son had chicken teriyaki over rice which came with side small dish of vegetables. All seemed to be fine until I looked at those veggies they give us. They first of all looked too saggy and to be honest it didn't give me the best impression. Anyhow, we didn't touch the veggie and my son ate only half of his meal so I wanted to take with me the rest for him to finish at home. When I started to put the veggies in the container they give it to me, I saw there was some pasta!! Veggies were very oily and as i mansion saggy. I looked better and there were more pasta in the veggie side dish! I called a girl who served us and she said it is probably from my pasta. I said it's not possible coz we haven't touched yet and top of all my pasta is fettuccini with the lobster and this one mixed with veggies as a side dish was angel hair pasta! Anyhow she apologized and give us desert on the house and offered to bring new side veggies which of course after what I saw which looked like it was given from other plate to our table ,I didn't feel I wanted another vegetables. Lol This very disturbing feeling it just put me X for this restaurant. I have been there previos and haven't experienced anything like this! As a previos owner of restaurant this shouldn't happen, Specially when it's COVID-19 out there! I left very disappointed even stuff were very friendly and servis was good! Not planing coming back again !!! read more

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I just left this establishment with 2 of my friends and was highly disappointed! There was a roach in our utensils! Stupidly we proceeded to stay because we took an Uber there but we should have left! When we ordered appetizers first.They were dry and burnt. The dry $12 Shrimp Cocktail comes with only 3 Shrimp, I can get 6 bigger Jumbo $12 Shrimp Cocktail @ Ben's Crab in Oceanside. My friend ordered the Fried Shrimp & Scallops Combination, it looked like frozen meatballs. They were burnt and dry!! The presentation was awful as well. My other friend ordered Baked Clams and they were burnt and tasted like a frozen dinner. We are just turned off at this point and want to speak to the manager/owner. We wanted to complain about the roach as well as the food. When he approached us he did first say sorry, oh no, he had the nerve to ask us "You saw it? What color was it? Black or Brown? I'm only asking because there was one here last week and on Tuesday." What!? He didn't even comp the check! He said "The best I can do is charge you half." I will NEVER EVER go Lenny's Clam Bar again!! I suggest you don't either if you don't want a roach in your foot or even bag!! It was so close to going into my friends bag! read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Why are the Scallops darker than the Fried Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

I loved this place good quality food decent price, now terrible. I ordered takes lobster fried Diablo, fillet of soul, oreganoto calamari dozen clams on half shell. I asked if there was salad included in the entrées, the person on the phone told me no. OK I'll order a large Caesar salad. When I get to this place, I looked at the takeout menu and lo and behold salad part of the entrée. I asked the lady why am I supposed to pay for a salad but it's included on the menu she told me the menus weren't updated. I said well you can do that when you update the menus so this lady got me some salads let me be honest it look like garbage complete garbage, withered green's black. The calamari tasted like rubber. The fillet of soul oregano looked like I don't know not palatable. Let me just put it this way if I lived in the neighborhood, I would've went back and threw it in their face. But I live in Long Island and I used to always go there as a child and I still went there even up until last year I won't be going anymore. You know what you're celebrating the anniversary you got that out of the way, but I think you should really look at your people who are working for you and the people who are cooking for you because you won't be around much longer if they keep doing what they're doing. Good luck won't be coming back sorry and your waitress was trying to chisel me down for more money up charge she said for the salads goodbye. PS they contacted me on google asked for my email to contact me lol they haven't contacted or anything. read more

Plain mash, needed a bit more salt. The lobster tail was delicious, and shrimp was good. read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Fried Shrimp, Lobster Tail - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

Came for the clams and weren't disappointed! Also got the fried sole and the veal, both were great. Classic and old school feel to this place, and they were very friendly and accommodating towards our little toddler. Servers were super nice, lots of extras like bruschetta and bread served as soon as we sat down, excellent wine by the glass (good size pours and only $7 for table wine!), and generous portions. What's not to like?? read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

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I have been going to Lenny's for decades and have enjoyed the food. I'm sorry to say things have been getting progressively poor. This was my last Christmas at Lenny's considering stuffed clams were slimey and taste terrible.....there were no salads with the meals which have been every year included. No bread..cheese. we were very disappointed. Sorry Joe read more

Excellent. The baked clams the calamari and they always give a great portion of scallops

Long over do for my favorite place on the boulevard !!!!! Been a loyal customer since 1989; we ate here last night & I realized that I never gave Lenny's ( Joe ) a review; sometimes we take for granted the restaurants that we frequently eat at because their food n service is always on the money .... We started off with Baked Clams which by the way Joe gives you your choice of cherry stones or little necks for the same price; an order of Fried Calamari ( Crispy & Tender ) with sweet sauce ..... we were three last night so theses two app's hit the spot !!! Then we all ordered Surf & Turf x 3; FYI, a lot of customers don't know that Joe makes a dam good steak !!! There's just something good about a steak n Lobsters tails n a baked potato loaded with butter n sour cream .... mannnnn, just hits the spot !!! The wife always goes with the linguine with garlic n oil we all love this dish..... Joe makes one of the best garlic n oil pasta dishes around; the garlic is roasted like candy gum balls which I did take about four gloves from my wife's pasta n smash them into my baked potato !!! Off the freaking chain !! ( Joe, serve that roasted garlic with your baked potatoes..... unbelievable off the chain !! ) Another great dinner as always; our server was nice n gave us great service & another host came over to ask us how our meal was ..... Joe we didn't see ya last night we came in early !!! Lol See ya soon !!! I gotta come back n have another favorite of mine Clams Casino !!! read more

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My partner introduced this place to me about 10 years ago. Not sure why I never left a review until now :( No in-door dining yet but they have tables in front of the restaurant so you can sit and eat if you like. Food is always good here and service is attentive but not intrusive. Perfect if you just want to grab something before heading to the beach or even a good oyster snack after a beach day read more

Lenny's Clam Bar - Outdoor dining - Seafood Near Me - Howard Beach, New York

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Always an amazing experience! Their staff is so friendly and the food is always delicious. The restaurant is incredibly charming, love the old school vibes. Make sure to try their garlic bread! read more

Loved everything about the place clams both baked and raw was outstanding. We both had linguini and clam sauce, she had white I had read loved it. The service from the waitress was outstanding. She gave us her opinions on dishes and was always there when we needed her. I forget her name, she was a short older spanish lady. Will return on my birthday in april. I want to try the veal my wife wants to try the crab legs. See you soon. read more