Littleneck

We always look forward to eating at Littleneck when we come to New York. Fresh oysters, clam roll, steamed clams (soft clams to us Marylanders) and delicious sides. Great vibe. Wonderful service. Just remember — Cash only.

I want to love this place. There are parts of it that I do really like. It has great atmosphere and the waitstaff are friendly. It’s a local’s hang on a relatively lonely strip of Gowanus. It’s got fresh seafood. Maybe it was just an off night. My friend and I sat at the bar. It was the first nice sunny day in a while, and it was hot as heck in the restaurant. Eh, no big deal. I tried three different wines (thank you for obliging me) and all of them were too warm and not great. We ordered a dozen oysters, which were great. Wanted to get the special octopus but they were all out. The fries were all burnt ends and not really seasoned which was a disappointment. The salad was decent. I’d give it another whirl because I want it to work, and I do remember really enjoying the lobster roll in past visits.

Been here many times over the years, and it’s always great. Lobster rolls are among the best I’ve ever eaten, the salads and veggie sides are always super fresh and inventively flavored, and man, those donuts for dessert! Devilish.
Only issue ever is the steamer clams can be sandy, even with a vigorous wash in the broth. But overall, so consistently good, and we never have to wait for a table.

Dollar oyster special (before 7pm on weeknights) sounds like something that I ought to be wary of. However I am very happy to report that deep, beautifully shucked oysters that seemed to have been plucked out of the ocean moments earlier is what we got.
I then ordered a special; whole fried Porgy for $ 22. It turned out to be the deal of the century when a perfectly cooked fish arrived! I tasted my dining companions dishes too and they were great but I liked mine too much to hand it over for long.
Friendly service and a lovely room round out the experience. Hats off to Littleneck for keeping standards so high over the years!

Lobster chunks in roll were chunky but there was no flavor and the bread was a slice, not a roll. Disappointing for $ 18! Fries were overcooked and the tiny OJ tasted watery. The homefries were decent.

I’ve been here for brunch a couple of times (sis’ family lives in the neighborhood). Their lemon ricotta pancakes are HUGE and nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can easily split an order between 3 people lol. We also tried a squid hash dish, which was interesting (I forgot what it was called on the menu). The bacon egg and cheese sandwich was also good. The best part about this place is that there was no wait on Sunday (mid-​morning). Cash only! I would like to come back and try the lobster roll on my next visit.

Littleneck has some of the best oysters I have experienced. They even had an oyster happy hour when I was there, a buck apiece. For my entrée I had their clam sandwich which was piled high with fried clams that were also very, very good. Great wine recommendation as well. This is not a quick, in and out place, but very enjoyable. I recommend this restaurant and will return!

Super cute seafood place in Gowanus.
Went here for a late brunch. Started with Bloody Marys, which are pretty much the perfect drink when you’re having seafood. We split a half dozen oysters (west coast), the Ipswich clam roll, a poutine with clam gravy, and the New Englander breakfast (salt cod fritter, baked beans, eggs, scallions). Yeah, apparently we must have been starving or something.
The oysters were fresh and tasty. The clam roll was small, but bursting with fried clams and tons of tartar sauce. It was so good, although a little messy to eat. The poutine with clam gravy was not as unique as it sounded, and the cheese was melted rather than curds, but we gobbled it up anyway. The New Englander breakfast was great, and while I enjoyed the salt cod fritter, for some reason the baked beans were the star of the dish for me.
As before, it’s not a cheap place and you will be putting down a good amount of cash, especially if you do it piggie-​style like we did. But the food is great and the servers are friendly, and I do love seafood, sooo…

Love this place. Hate that it’s cash only. Great for a night out with friends or a date night. I’ve never had anything here that wasn’t delicious.
Food:
— I’ve gotten the oysters multiple times and they’re always great
— clam chowder: nice and creamy but it has bacon in it which I’m not a huge fan of
— grilled romaine: amazing dressing, romaine is perfectly wilted
— mussels in Thai basil curry: I ate a loaf of bread to soak up all the sauce. It’s unbelievable
— broccolini: zesty and refreshing, cooked but crunchy still
— fries: really crispy
— doughnuts! So freaking good especially with all those alcohol infused dipping sauces

The wait for a table was relatively short on a Friday night and the benches outside provided pretty good people watching.
Ordered an app (littleneck clams), 2 drinks, lobster roll, and crab roll. The staff was very friendly and helped recommend a good wine and also got the kitchen to cut our 2 rolls in half for sharing. Everything was going well and I thought «Nice pick, Hilary!» to myself. I foolishly had not checked the Unilocal app prior to see if this place was cash only, so I was very horrified to get the check and see the handwritten «Cash Only!» note on the check. (I had planned to throw down my card at the end of the date in an act of both magnanimity and reciprocity for a prior triple-​digit meal bill.) Embarrassment ensued.
They deliver to me via Caviar, but I’m more likely to stroll over for brunch in the future with a small wad of cash in my hand.

Littleneck is a casual spot known for good lobster & belly clam rolls. The Lobster Roll was perfectly cooked. The meat was tender & lightly dressed with mayo. The Whole Belly Clam Roll was also tender & crispy & topped with tarter sauce. Both rolls were served on a savory warm buttered bun & a side of homemade sliced pickles.
Raw oysters are also available from the East & West Coast ranging from $ 2 to $ 3. Both were good so if you want to save a few bucks, stick to the less expensive ones.
I am not a fan of tequila but I wanted to try one of their signature cocktails — Carmelita Cocktail. What drew me in were the interesting ingredients it contained: Cherry tomatoes, tarragon, lemon, & hot sauce mixed with tequila agave. It was refreshing & had a nice blend of herbs, sweetness, & spice.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of Littleneck. The servers were friendly & the New-​England themed shack was cozy but I wouldn’t suggest it for big groups to attend since the place is sort of small & the groups that had 4 or more looked cramped. And even though the rolls were delicious, they were a tad overpriced based on the size of the rolls.

Came for gowanus immersion. Totally feels brooklynesque. Food ridiculous! The New England clam chowder is to die for. The crab roll was finger licking good! Wow! Who would have known this place existed here in gowanus! Will absolutely be coming back! This is a must.

BRUNCH REVIEW:
Kinda divey ambiance… feels very clam shack. But the brunch is GOOD… and the cocktails are GREAT. Would definitely go again.

Ambience ok. Ordered lobster rolls and fries, they weren’t DELICIOUS, just «alright».
A bit pricey if you ask me and if you’re going to spend $ 100, at least accept credit cards! the so-​called waitress was HORRIBLE and didn’t deserve a tip because SHE DIDNT DO ANYTHING!!! Never came to check to see if we needed water, extra drinks, napkins, to see if we were choking… nothing! Nowhere to be found, and it’s not like it was crowded or busy…
Never coming back here nor would I recommend friends

Being a fisherman, I have a high standard for seafood; but really just want fresh fish. That said…
Love the space but terrible service, worse food. There is a zero chance I’m coming back. Hopefully it was an off night, for their sake.

I came in on a snowy Sunday at 3:10pm with a friend for brunch. At 3pm they stop serving most of their menu until 5pm (they still serve oysters, fries, and chowda). There were two other tables occupied during that time, and we would have gladly bought more food but even at just 10 minutes past they told us they couldn’t serve us the brunch menu. We had really been craving oysters anyway, so we ordered that with some fries.
The oysters were delicious. It was my first time having the Umami oysters and I really enjoyed them. We also have some Blue Points, Kumamotos, and a few others I can’t remember. Fries were also good, service friendly.
The place itself is quaint, quiet, and sort of feels like it’s been picked up and dropped here from a small town in New England. It was a really nice way to spend a snowy Sunday. I’d love to come back and try more of their menu.
I do wish they weren’t cash only, as others have said it doesn’t really make sense when a check for two can easily go past $ 100. They do have an ATM in the back at least.

Came here for a Sunday Brunch. I had the bacon, eggs, and cheese sandwich with home fries while my friend had an item that I can’t remember the name of… they enjoyed it though, whatever the first item on the brunch menu is. Anyways, the fries were not «home fries» but regular french fries. I don’t think they were cooked on a skillet – nothing special. However, the bacon, eggs, and cheese sandwich with aioli was really good. Without the spicy aioli sauce, I think the sandwich would’ve been ordinary, but not bad for a $ 10 brunch dish. Towards the end, my friend loves pancakes so we decided to share the huge lemon ricotta pancake dish. I really liked it but would’ve enjoyed the taste of lemon a bit more.
I don’t understand why they don’t take credit cards if one dish is nearly $ 20. Downside? Cash only. Upside? The place is not busy compare to other restaurants for brunch. I’m not sure how I feel about that but you can make your own decision.

From someone who grew up in New England… More hipster Fake Fakety Fake. No credit cards? 8 bucks for what they call «New England» clam chowder? Here’s a clue… no self respecting New Englander EVER puts bacon in clam chowder (that includes the Rhode Island version). Also, I dont know anyplace on the Connecticut shore that charges 18 bucks for a lobster roll (even in Stonington…). Speaking of which… a real lobster roll doesn’t have that much mayo on it (and where I come from it’s butter. only butter). Also. get a merchant terminal and stop the douchey cash only.
More reason why I get this stuff back in New England or do it myself…
This place wouldn’t last long in CT… evidently the Brooklyn hipsters arent very bright or are just fools.

Okay, so living only 2 blocks away we have no excuse for not coming here sooner. Regardless, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to do so. Maybe it was being burned 10 too many times by new places (not that Littleneck is that new, but for us it was) and maybe it was just too easy to go to Petite Crevette where the seafood was guaranteed to be fresh (not one bad experience in over a decade) and all importantly it is BYOB or maybe it was the Yoyo Unilocal reviews which seem to hover at the questionable 3 level. Anyway last night proved to be the perfect storm where after a boozy brunch at Blueprint followed by happy hour at Fonda and a really relaxing time at Lavender Lake (before the weekend douchebag quotient got too high) we suddenly realized we needed lobster rolls. Now lobster rolls are not something we take lightly as my wife is from the coast of Maine and her father literally lives on an island that is known for the best lobsters of all of Maine (and where Red Hook Lobster Pound gets theirs). We were there over Labor Day and nothing compares in NYC. Nonetheless we decided it was time to try them at Littleneck.
I have to admit I went in expecting to be disappointed and hate the place. Well the minute we walked in there was a fantastic table in the back waiting for us (no wait at 9pm on a Saturday) and the entire staff was incredible nice and welcoming.
While I was tempted by several things all 3 of us decided to go for broke and get the lobster rolls. I also ordered the clam chowder after seeing the Unilocal reviews raving about it (even though lately I prefer Manhattan chowder as is less heavy than the cream most people use for NE chowder).
Well the clam chowder came out and instead of heavy cream it had this really nice consistency with great bacon undertones.
Then came the Lobster rolls. At $ 18 I had low expectations… not that that is cheap but relative to most places in NYC it is… so I figured there wouldn’t be much meat. Instead it came out heaping with meat. The bun is slightly smaller than most places but the amount of meat is definitely much greater (including Red Hook and Luke’s).
Overall it was just a great experience. Best of all was that the vibe was so relaxed and there was absolutely no pressure to order more.
Only sour point is the ridiculous cash only policy. It is 2014 and not 1998 and just plain unacceptable. I am sure after their inevitable audit they will wise up (look at Frankies).
Anyway, despite the cash only will definitely be back.

As others have pointed out, it’s cash only. Hate to be an old grumpy man about this, but c’mon! I carry so little cash with me these days. They do have an ATM on premise though.
For a place that is in a pretty cheap area (relatively) and that is cash only, once again my spidey sense for value went off when our bill arrived. Oysters are always pricey it seems, but a dozen oysters, a fish cake, a lobster roll, and a single glass of wine + tip was $ 95.
Apparently my review is all money based.
The oysters were oyster-​y and good. The fish cake we had (bluefin I believe) was smoky and interesting although not something I’d probably order again. The lobster roll was good — toasted buttered roll and fine lobster meat. Wine list was small but complete.
Staff was super friendly and helpful. It’ a handsome enough space — kind of what you’d expect for this block of dowdy 3^rd ave.
Would I come back? Honestly, it’s the whole cash-​only thing. I like to eat and drink without having to keep track of how much money I have in my wallet («yes, but we have an ATM!»). I spend stupid amounts on food and drink, but I do this on a credit card like a modern person.