Dave’s Grill

We came here to try cioppino. That’s not an easy dish to find. There were only 2 in the area that I could find on Unilocal or Google and this place seemed to be known for it. I have to say it was weird delicious. We finished the entire bowl and wished we had more. My sword fish came out a little on the dry side but was seasoned well. I actually took some of the sword fish and dipped it into the cioppino sauce. That stuff is good man. This place is a little pricey but that’s what to expect in this area. It is on the water front and we sat outside and could see the boats coming in and leaving the dock. The service was very nice. It’s s good place for a date. I’d really love to recreate their cioppino in my kitchen. Would you send over the recipe chef?

They didn’t want our business when we tried to eat there on ¹⁰⁄₂₄. The hostess asked us if we were «committed» to waiting an hour for dinner. We ended up eating down the street at The Dock instead, which had MUCH friendlier service and a more laid-​back, local atmosphere. We will not try to eat at Dave’s again thanks to the rude, impersonal attitude from the hostess.

A Montauk gem! They do not accept reservations and you must call at 4:30pm for same day reservations and it is well worth it. The food is delicious. The Cioppini and lobster rolls are outstanding and the salads, apps, desserts, drinks are just as good. The décor and ambience is very inviting and the restaurant is on the water. Highly recommend!

Love this place but their reservation system sucks! We used to waste a lot of time calling during their 2 minute window to get reservations and quite honestly lost interest In even bothering with this place as its a royal waste of valuable r&r time attempting to get a call thru. Not worth it.

The striped bass was great and so was the hot lobster roll. The stuffed lobster was delicious. The lobster bolognese was a little bit fishy. The service was ok. Reservations are very hard to get.

I sent back an overcooked piece of cod and the hostess (Julie, I think they said her name is) was really unprofessional. She told me she wouldn’t take it off my ticket because «Dave poked it» and said it was completely fine. I said I wasn’t interested in anything else so she told me I should «bring it home to my cat.» I’m not sure if she’s just socially inept or what, but I found that to be such a strange thing to say! Overpriced, underwhelming — don’t recommend.

My girlfriend raved about her experience here dining at the bar a few years ago, so when we got through after 43 busy signals I was excited to go. Hostess (owner I believe) super friendly and sat us right away. Took a while for waitress to show but place of course was busy. The food was very good (clams casino excellent, bass special real good, crusted flounder… Ok but waitress should have talked me out of it… don’t know if that’s fair to say but I wish she had) but after drinks arrived our waitress disappeared for long lengths including a long wait for our entrée. Just didn’t feel her engagement was up to the reputation and price of our meal. $ 200 for two and I felt unwowed. Maybe I’ll dine at the bar next time where service is almost always better in any establishment. At Daves, getting a seat at the bar in season is a long shot however.

I wish I could give Dave’s Grill 10 stars. It’s truly one of the best restaurants in the Hamptons.
Despite a hard reservation to get (you have to start calling day of at 4:30, and it opens at 5:30)The owner /​hostess is divine, accommodating and attitude free.
The food is inventive, delicious and never disappointing and the view spectacular.

I was told to call at 4:15 for a reservation.
I called and the line was continuously busy.
I decided to drive to the Restaurant.
The door was locked and the wait staff told me to call the number in the card at the podium.
I went back to my car, my sister and I were both calling and the line was constantly busy.
I finally got through.
I asked for an 8:00 reservation and Julie told me she only had an 8:30.
I took the reservation.
We arrived at 8:30 and we were seated at 9:00 with much much resistance.
We were looking forward to a lobster dinner.
When we were seated we were told by Julie the host that they were out of lobster.
REALLY???
What a disappointment, we struggled to get a reservation. Waited patiently for our reserved time and then out of what we came here for?
NOT GOOD
Shame on Daves GRill…
Two thumbs down.

The only reason I’m giving it 3 stars is because I want to believe I still love it there
My husband and I had a weekend getawAy late June and my experience left a bad taste in my mouth. (Literally).
We had to wait a long time for our food (though it was relatively empty when we arrived). The waitress did come over and apologize. We had to ask for bread,& my tiny $ 19 (yes nineteen DOLLAR) pear martini was empty and I couldn’t bring myself to order another (not that I was asked if I’d like another anyway)
I would be able to deal with all the above if my $ 48 stuffed lobster wasn’t the fishiest fish I EVER consumed. The presentation was perfect, the broccoli side was delicious — but the main course was a huge disappointment in comparison to my previous dining experiences. I had to drown myself in some fudge (from town) in attempts to get the taste out–
I hope I can erase this last experience from my memory, as Dave’s «had» always been my #1 restaurant in Montauk.

Small bar inside that would be fun to eat at if you can pull it off — some outdoor seating. Had a lot to munch on here.
Tile fish special vs swordfish — Tile wins — luscious buttery and moist — sword seemed on a tad on the dry side
Corn meal calamari vs. tuna spread. It’s a draw. Tuna was smokey and unique tasting but small. Calamari was fresh and tasty — corn meal was a great add
Lobster pasta was a big serving– very good. Heavy meal. Plan on only eating that
Banana bread pudding wins for dessert
Tuna tartar sweet tasting.
Clams casino real real good was and kinda wish I got this as my second appetizer but calamari was more than acceptable
Great service but requires determination to call 50 times at 415 to get a reservation. And it’s very pricey but it’s worthy of it.
Bramfy out

For years, Dave’s Grill has been wowing us with their Cioppino and stuffed half lobster. Two of the best 10 dishes on the east end. We also share their smoke tunas read as an apt. The are pricey but give you lotsa great food. It is one of the musts in Montauk and have the Cioppino or stuffed lobster!

Executive Chef Michael Bingham has done the impossible – he made the best better. For as long as I can remember, Dave’s Grill has set the standard for Montauk dining. With the highest quality food and service, it is no wonder that obtaining a reservation is tough. Last night, I won the lottery. My friend got a reservation for 6 guests at 8pm. Ordering with a group can be challenging; however, at Dave’s, it is a pleasure. Our menus had two appetizer specials pinned to the top. We read the descriptions to each other with our mouths watering — a homemade whipped ricotta with the last of fall’s fig preserves and a market salad. The market salad was decadent and light at the same time. It included roasted chickpeas, cashews, sugar snap peas, and various other treats over baby kale tossed in a fire cider vinaigrette. The familiar flavoring from the cashews went miraculously well with the fire cider. I never would have thought to pair the two. I doubt that I can replicate it but I am inspired to try. The whipped ricotta came with a generous portion of thinly sliced and perfectly toasted baguette. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t write about a restaurant’s bread but this baguette is worth mentioning, which is indicative of the overall experience at Dave’s. Everything is delicious. Always. We also got the «PLT» salad – shredded iceberg, cherry tomatoes, crispy house-​prepared pancetta, and crumbled blue cheese in a creamy maytag blue dressing. I’ve had this salad before without the pancetta and thought that it was delicious. Holy smokes. The pancetta was unbelievably yummy. 5 out of the 6 of the dinner party ordered the filet mignon. Mine was cooked to perfection and served at the perfect temperature. I rarely order steaks at restaurants because no one will ever live up to the filet mignon at Dave’s. Last night’s was better than I remember. I hardly needed my steak knife – it was like cutting into warm butter. Perfection. I tried one of the specialty cocktails — I went with their «strawberry blonde.» It was a crisp mojito with muddled strawberries. Mixologist Kyle Dillingham made the drink to my liking – not too sweet. It was refreshing and tasty. Our server, Kiah, was welcoming, professional, and fun. The courses were timed wonderfully. For such a busy place, I did not feel rushed or crowded. I look forward to going back to Dave’s throughout the season to try more of Chef Bingham’s creative specials. There aren’t enough stars on Unilocal to properly rate this place. I highly recommend it.

Preface: This review does not reflect the food as the inhospitableness by the owner led us to leave before ordering.
After 15-​minutes of attempts on the infamous «Dave’s Grill same day phone-​only» reservation system, we were excited to get in.
Upon arrival and first glance at my 2-​year old son, the owner’s wife acerbically hushed to the hostess to put us in the back corner. We sat down, excited for the folkloric dining experience that Dave’s Grill has earned and before opening a menu were paid a visit from owner Julie. Julie proceeded into an unprompted bend over the table toward my two year old to tell him that quote «there are patrons who pay a lot of money… you have to behave.» Floored, my wife and I looked up waiting for a chuckle to indicate she was just kidding but she continued to stare. Embarrassed, we decided to walk out. I came back in for an apology, to which Julie said «maybe he’s not ready for Dave’s Grill.»
Now — first let’s out this «reservation» sham. Dave (who owns the restaurant as seen by the apostrophe in the name) and his wife walk around kissing their friends hello. Very obvious that all of these «patrons» are not calling at 4:30PM, redialing to get through busy signals for a same-​day reservation.
Lastly, we are in Montauk every weekend as a family at much more inviting, welcoming restaurants of the same mystique. In fact, we went to one of them after leaving Dave’s and were welcomed with great service and food.
Julie, I’m sorry that my son doesn’t know what the word «patrons» means at 2, but don’t flatter yourself — your dishes come with french fries piled on them just like any other every-man’s restaurant.

The best restaurant in MTK for something a bit more civilized than the usual trendy overpriced BS seasonal operator.
The food is always creative and very high quality, the staff is very well trained; attentive, sophisticated, and knowledgeable on the product they are selling.
I never make a res here, and Julie always manages to squeeze my group in on the patio. We are a bit younger than their target demographic, however she is super hospitable and consistently checks our status with a warm genuine smile and invitation to come back soon.
Dave’s Grill gets it.

As a local resident for over 20 years now, Dave’s Grill has withstood the hands of time really well. Fresh seafood very single day, prime meats and poultry, plus the freshest vegetables always make a great meal here for 20 years in a row. Way to go Dave’s Grill… Keep on cooking the best food for the money in the Hampton’s. All said and done, Dave’s Grill is # 1.

Avoid Dave’s Grill, unless you enjoy calling 65 times at 4:15pm on the day you want to go. If you do get through, it is highly unlikely that you will get the time you want.
The food is overpriced and not all that great. If you want to share, they have a greedy sharing charge, which isn’t typically done in Montauk.
Montauk has many restaurants with far better food. None of them have the bizarre reservation system that Julie (Dave’s wife) has invented. Julie is actually hurting other local restaurants and their hardworking staff. I say this because if you want to go to Dave’s Grill it is unlikely that you’ll get in (the restaurant is small). So people are forced to make multiple reservations at other restaurants as a back up.

Great food, was impressed for my first visit. Can be difficult to call at 4:15 that day for a reservation, but worth the effort. Little pricy, but the food was worth it. I will go back, and next time I will have the Chocolate Bag!

A fine dining experience. Dave and his wife Julie (hostess) were super friendly and accommodating my family for dinner. The service was outstanding. Our server was so nice and gave us great recommendations because everything sounds and looks good. Everything on the menu is awesome you can’t go wrong. It’s a fine dining experience that is not to be missed. The desserts are even better, of course «the chocolate purse is the way to go!
If your in montauk or just want to travel for an amazing meal then go to «Dave’s Grill»

Dave’s should be a pilgrimage stop that everyone makes when they’re in MTK. It’s an institution and it’s that good. Like many fine and popular restaurants, it’s tough to get a reservation. You have to call at 4:15 the day of and hope to get through. It’s a little crazy, but kind of fun. Try for a midweek night (except Wednesdays, when they’re closed) for better chances. It’s well worth the effort.
Everything is delicious, but the clams casino are in a category of their own. Go.