I've been going to Nicky's clam bar for at least 30 years now. You must start your journey on the ferry to Fire Island with a homemade cinnamon sugared donut. Delicious, but the two things I crave most is their baked clams and the seafood bisque. Consistently the best around. You feel like you're on your way to the beach when you stop here. My Mom loved the soft shell crabs, nothing against them, just not for me. read more

Nicky's Clam Bar - Bar seating at Nicky's. - Seafood Near Me - Bay Shore, New York

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The place is fairly small by the ferry dock, very family friendly. I came in for a quick drink and satisfy my cravings of oysters. Eventhough we only ordered oyesters it came out fast and server was attentive, constantly checking on us to see if we need anything. I like the service and everything but I thought it was a little pricey. But overall quality was good. read more

Nicky's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bay Shore, New York

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I can't believe people are raving about this place. The atmosphere/location is great; I'll agree. However, I think a lot of people are being mindf#%ed by the beautiful scenery. The menu described the shrimp in the scampi as "enormous". WTF? They came out and they weren't even jumbo shrimp. The prices are terribly high for the quality of the food being served. I wouldn't mind a single bit, if the food was fine quality food. I ordered an unsweetened iced tea. The waitress did not bring sweeteners along with it, and by the time she did the ice had all melted. The owner walked right by me when I was exiting and didn't say, "Goodnight." I thought this was restaurant ownership 101. Very ungrateful and unprofessional. $16.00 at the bar for a Bud Light Lime and a vodka tonic. The hostess station was filled with aloof texters. Bring back the old Seafood Shack that served a mean breakfast on Sundays. The food was mostly fried, but the prices matched the fare. The extra star was for the location. read more

This is our first time here, Rob Perone from Restaurant Hunters (fios1) recommendation. The place is very quaint & tucked away off Maple Ave in Bayshore they have this pink seafood bisque that is absolutely amazing, it tastes like it has raspberries in it, it's a must try. Our waitress Shanna was very friendly and accommodating. read more

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Lunch today- calamari very good. Lobster roll big delicious portion, French fries so good and crispy, you can tell they clean the oil food is cooked in. Mango fish taco's delicious, fish was flaky and white. Sat outside watched all the boats go by. Great time. read more

It's a bit disconcerting to walk into this casual-looking spot near the ferries and then see a menu that has entries beginning with a "3." However, you don't need to spend a zillion dollars. I got the open-faced flounder sandwich, which was massive and including perfectly fried fish with no-nonsense breading. I didn't try any of the soups tonight, but I did enjoy the steamed little neck clams with white wine and garlic sauce. The adjacent table got the steamers; that might be the way to go. read more

We've been coming here for years. The food is fresh and delicious. We love the steamers and clams casino as well as the sautéed spinach. Their seafood bisque is a must have every time. It doesn't look like much from the outside but the service and food never disappoint. read more

very casual oyster spot , a lot of local oyster , the seating and the outside vibe are what we were looking for , will def visit again

Very bad food for a price . The only thing is nice was the location next to the water. The drinks were all $14 like in Manhattan watery and not good. Even an oyster shooter usually 3 per dish was $12 for just one flimsy ouster. The most ridiculous was the seafood bisque big portion but the color of beets. I mean it's a good trick for making seafood color but come on read more

We stopped for a late lunch early dinner and were forced to the sandwich section because of the prices. The food was ok but for the location and atmosphere I could not see myself going there for a dinner at those prices. read more

We're extremely disappointed. Market price for a so-so lobster roll was $29 (not posted) including soggy fries. Also ordered an Impossible Burger for the vegetarian with us, and it was undercooked and mushy. read more

Excellent fresh food, service is great. Inside atmosphere is great and the owner is very friendly and accommodating. Thank you.

The clam bar is different then the restaurant. Clam bar is located in the same parking lot as the fire island ferry. Great lunch place, cold bear "land shark" and half order of steamers is by far my favorite lunch. Killer mussels marinara, better then mine, and mine are good. This is a clam bar not a restaurant. If your looking for a good sea food dinner there is Nickys on the bay located down the street at the bay shore docks. Enjoy. read more

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Bartender was great as a Chef we have to make every guest happy no matter how many modifications are on the order I simply asked to switch fried shrimp for the Mahi on there tacos bartender went to kitchen asked Chef came back looked at me and said no lol shame on u Chef shrimp is cheaper and I would have paid full price if you can't handle modifications on your tickets your NO chef back to Arby's kid read more

After a lovely relaxing afternoon of sunning out on the beaches of Fire Island, we were ready for a seafood feast. I love coming out to the seashore because nothing beats really fresh seafood being eaten right off the pier. Yelp led us to Nicky's Clam Bar. It's a small place -- a large shack really. You have your choice of all different kinds of seafood (scallops, clams, shrimp, lobster, crab, etc), but we elected for clams. We got an order of fried clams and a full order of steamers. The steamers were a real treat. I've never had soft shelled clams before. A full order is a huge platter of steamed clams. This type of clam has a long siphon (or neck as they call it) dangling out and frankly it looks like a dark phallus. You pull the body out of its shell. Then you grab the skin at the base of the siphon and pull it off (I remarked to my bf that this looks like a circumcision and you're pulling off the foreskin) and you're left with a naked pale meat with a black tip. Next you dip in the clam broth and then in the melted golden pool of butter. Pop it into your mouth and enjoy the sweet meat with its briny taste. Both of us recommend the steamers over the fried clams. The clams can vary in size and some are quite big. If you want to know if size matters in this case . . . well, all I can say is that your miles may vary. I preferred the small clams as I thought the meat was sweeter. My bf was happy with the large clams. Rarely we get dessert, but homemade pies are hard to pass up. We got a slice of strawberry rhubarb with chocolate ice cream. I love that they warmed the pie without us telling them to do so. This is a place that knows what they're doing. The pie was delicious. Sweet, but not overly so. Nicky's, you can bet that we'll be back before the summer is over. read more

This place is one of the rare hidden (not really) gems on LI. It quite possibly might have the best seafood on the island, and their steak is pretty amazing too. The decor sucks but that is actually part of the charm. Come off season when the ferry crowd thins out. And, always order the special!!! read more

Went for beers at Great South Bay and needed a nice small lunch for Valentine's Day after. Pulled up to Nicky's and my bf thought it was a dive grocery or something. We walked in and almost all of the tables were taken, good sign. Took a look at the menu, a little higher priced than originally expected-but the food smelled amazing and everyone looked happy eating it. So we decided to go for a bunch of appetizers, do a little sampling. Soup-Pink Cream Bisque and Clam Chowder-both of us licked our bowls, Oysters-delicious, Calamari-OMG so buttery and perfectly cooked, Crab Cakes-a lot of meat and great tasting, Mussels- very large portion and big bites-sauce was so/so but good nonetheless. Very quick and attentive waitstaff. I'm not in this area often, but I would def come back. read more

Hungry and in a rush for the ferry? This is the place for you. You can either run up to the window for a quick order. Or you can go inside and sit down for a meal and a brew. They are pretty fast service. Their New England clam chowder is honestly the best. All their soups are a must try! Their wraps and sandwiches are delicious. Their coffee is really good as well. Have some clams and enjoy a little while here before your adventure. read more

After a nice day in Fire Island decided to get a bite to eat. Ended up at Captain Bills but we were a little early so we drove to Nicky's. BIG mistake. The plate of fried calamari was so small (and way overpriced) and greasy that we left most of it on the plate. I ordered the seafood bisque which was the frightening color of pepto bismal. I kid you not. It was bright gross pink! Wife had the scallop barge....again WAY over priced for a bunch of tiny greasy fried scallops that were sitting in a puddle of oil on the plate. Absolutely gross. Son had 1/2 order of steamers. They looked like they were a month old. Dry, gross. Again only ate 1 -2 and left the rest. Daughter was lucky enough to get the fried flounder kids meal. Thought that was supposed to include the soda and ice cream???? On top of the food being unedible....the service was a disaster. Why couldn't I get a refill on my soda!!!!!! Holy cow. The place was empty!!! Overall I would give this place zero stars if I could. Overpriced, fould food and bad service. Enough said. Good luck. read more

Stood at takeout window for five minutes and watched seven separate employees ignore me. Zero crowd - it was 3:00 pm. Rather than engaging with me and saying it'll be a moment, they've mastered that special skill of not making eye contact. read more

I absolutely love this place.. Came here when it was just a little store for candy and Gas before it became Nicky's on the bay.. To the NEW and improved Nicky's on the bay.. screaming Great food!! Great atmosphere!! They need to bring back the $20 huge platter of shrimp cocktail! It was amazing!! Bartenders are awesome!! Manager meets and greets. Makes you feel at home. Great spot! Right by the water! In the Bayshore Marina, parking. Can get windy at times but food is good! I've heard menu is pricey! When I went it was good, I hope it's not pricey now!! Go see for yourself! Cheers! read more

We missed our ferry, and so we decided to pop into Nicky's Clam Bar for a quick drink before heading to Fire Island. This place was pretty cute! A decent amount of seating options for food, and then a small bar area. We all opted for the frozen margaritas-- there were 3 flavors to choose from (I think Mango, Watermelon and Strawberry). They were made well but had a little too much ice in my opinion. Prices are a little expensive, but I guess that was to be expected with a location like this one (right by the ferries, tourist-heavy). Overall, a nice place to check out if you have some extra time before your Ferry ride and you want a quick drink or bite to eat. read more

Stopped for lunch yesterday, first time here. Cold seafood combo was really good, clams, oysters and shrimp. Fried clams and fried oysters were both very good, and plentiful. Walked out happy and full, we'll be back! Not sure what other reviewers are talking about with expensive? Normal Long Island seafood prices, maybe a bit cheaper than most. read more

Fresh, delicious, great place!! Don't miss the lobster roll or the bisque.

If you're looking for fine dining, well, you've missed the boat, so to speak. BUT, if you want an AMAZING place on the water, which has an OMG smell of seafood an chowder when you walk through the door, then this is the place. I had "Nicky's Cold Combo", consisting of littleneck clams, oysters, and jumbo shrimp. The clams and shrimp were *delicious* and fresh. I'm not sure if the shrimp were really shrimp or lobster in disguise, as they were so huge. But, they were cooked to perfection, absolutely delicious. (Tip: try EVERYTHING without any sauces or lemon juice first, you will be amazed at the taste.) Great thumbs up (from friends; I didn't sample) on the garlic mussels, which were huge and juicy. Last but not least: we had an order of fries, which were PERFECT!!! Crispy, hot, and, most unusual, tasted like....potatoes! Thank you, Nicky's for a great night out! (I very rarely, if ever, give a rating of five stars.) read more

When your in the mood for lobster rolls and rocketfuels you go here! Seriously the most delicious lobster roll I've ever eaten . Highly recommend for quick bite nothing fancy whatsoever but place was exceptionally clean and servers friendly . The smell of salt in the air is relaxing and memorable read more

Very high prices for what it is. Food was so so. Beer for small draft was $6.25???? Seriously for that price should have come with better food and bar tenders with personality. I would skip this place for sure. read more

Pros: location Cons: food, employes, and the price I came here with a group of eight people. The staff is somewhat friendly, but they're all high school students who look like try hate their jobs. The food was one of the worst foods I have ever eaten. The price is of a five star restaurant while the food is of a one star restaurant. The food taste like they stole it from Denny's. The pasta is so cheap and taste horrible. 2 stars it is... Only because of the location read more

Location, location, location. That's about all Nicky's has going for it. Right on the Great South Bay. Poor, inattentive service. Food quality is very mediocre. "Buckets" of beer are actually mini 7 oz. beers. Prices of food increased across the board after Hurricane Sandy. Best to come here for a drink and then walk around the boardwalk/beach area, or hop on a ferry to Fire Island. read more

I have eaten here at least a dozen times with my BFF of 56 years. Today I took my hubby on the way to Fire Island. He ordered fried belly clams and I ordered the steamers which are exceptional here! We enjoyed our lunch and service was great as usual. The total bill was $50 plus tip. Not cheap but well worth it on a day off mid week! I will be back with my BFF before the end of the summer... read more

Food was expensive 30+ dollars for coconut shrimp Parking was crazy Bar crowd was rude hanging over half wall while my family was trying to eat cursing and drunk. When asked to be moved was told no open spots and that happens all the time. Only saving grace was our waiter was wonderful. I don't believe will ever want to return. read more

I've decided a 5 star review scale doesn't allow for much differentiation. I've decided I'm going to rate restaurants on a scale of 1-10 for each of the following categories: atmosphere, service, food quality, price and likelihood to go out of my way to eat here again. Max score is 50 which will translate to the number of stars nicely: 46 and above 5 stars, 36 and above 4 stars and so on. I have been going to Nickys since the mid 80s. I absolutely love their seafood bisque and their steamers. I'm not a fan of the celery and caraway seeds but they will make the steamers without these items on request. When I used to eat fried food I also really enjoyed the fried clam boat. Atmosphere: 6 they recently did a nice remodeling job but the atmosphere is not the reason you go here. Service: 8 I sat at the bar and I was well taken care of. Food quality: 7 as I mentioned the steamers and seafood bisque are fantastic. On this visit I also ordered the lobster roll. For the price, the portion was a bit small and they do not give you fries. Price: 5 I thought the price was on the high side. I had the half potion of steamers, a soda and the lobster roll and the bill was above $60.00! Returning 8: this place holds lots of memories and the food is really quite good and consistent, I will definitely say I'm good for 1-2 visits a year. Total score: 34=3 stars. read more

Nicky's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bay Shore, New York

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Wow $28 for a lobster roll that comes with nothing is ridiculous. The lobster bisque is not lobster bisque but crab, shrimp and some lobsterI has a very reddish color that seems a little suspect. It's just OK not great! I think over $100 meal should be in a little bit of a better place. People shouting and screaming to each other in this dive is not acceptable. This owner has upped his prices so much from last year that we will not return. Last year the lobster roll was $22. Nice increase!! read more

I've been coming here for 10 years for their steamers, beer, and seafood bisque. I take the train from Manhattan just to eat here in the summertime. read more

I would recommend this place for breakfast, lunch, or a snack. The prices are reasonable and the food and coffe are really good and fresh. Nicky's is the perfect place to pick up a bite to take with you on the boat. The soup (especially in the cooler months like now) is the perfect snack to bring with you across the bay. Also, their french fries are out of this world! read more

after you have osofied burnt your brain and liver at Ocean Beach you end your journey getting off the ferry and heading across the parking lot to Nicky's. Plop ur arse down and order some littlenecks RAW if you order them cooked we know you are a tourist! and get a side of bloodymarys. once done then go home and say what a fin good weekend on Fire Island!!! read more

stopped by Nickys ... mostly because it was a monday and the other place around the corner was closed. Ill start by saying the service was just fine... nice polite helpful waitress... but the food was completely devoid of any flavor.. so much so i cant imagine how one can make food so tasteless. their Manhattan clam chowder is red like tomato soup and doesnt taste like clams... or anything else for that matter.. I orderd a cheeseburger.. and really how can you make a cheeseburger tasteless? well they found a way... my wife ordered the same and took one bite and looked right at me... and asked... " is yours tasteless "? wont be seeing me again... read more

The food is always great and the staff could not be more pleasant. This place punches above its weight. Very unassuming on first take but consistently good food. I have been coming here since they opened and have never been disappointed. read more

Being the only restaurant in sight of the Bay Shore ferry to fire island the prices were outrageous, as expected, but the low quality of the fish served was truly disappointing. The asparagus soup was actually quite good, but I cannot get over being served small flavorless pieces of frozen flounder for just under $20. A clam/ fish shack in Long Island should be serving fresh fish on a Friday night, no excuses. read more

Adding a star for their heavenly sugar donuts that you have to line up for, and that usually sell out. And for the fast and tasty egg sandwiches they serve up from the window counter -- very necessary for those early morning ferries out to the island. read more