Buoy One

Sunday evening of July 4th weekend and they did not have their liquor license. BYOB. We didn’t know. Not a huge deal. They were out of the lobster so no seafood boil available from the menu. Waitress only told us after app orders were in and we were ordering main dinner. Couldn’t leave at that point. Wait staff was understaffed for sure. Not a lot of people and wait time was long for food. When food arrived it was tasty so no issues with food quality.

We stumbled upon this seafood spot by chance and decided to give it a try. While the food wasn't terrible, it certainly didn't stand out. Here's what we ordered: - Half a dozen oysters: Fresh, but with a fishy taste that left something to be desired. - Half a bucket of clams: Decent, but nothing remarkable. - Fire-roasted oysters: A total miss. The breadcrumbs were inconsistent--some overly hard, others soggy. Definitely not worth ordering. - Shrimp, scallops, and calamari pasta: Just average. The dish lacked any wow factor and came with a random piece of bread. The prices are reasonable for the area, but unfortunately, the overall experience doesn't merit a return visit or a recommendation.

I hope that this restaurant gets better as they get settled into their new location because I wasn't impressed. First off, the location on my GPS led us to the original location and then we went to the new one. When we got there the restaurant was kinda dark as though they didn't have lighting. I honestly would have thought they had only been in the new location for a week a two, not 3 months. Their menu said they had alcohol but the waitress informed us they were waiting for the license to transfer over. Our food was OK, I've had better. My husband had the fisherman's basket and I had the lobster. I had picked this restaurant because it was advertised as having a kids menu but they didn't. I would say the food all came out hot, but that was the biggest highlight.

Excellent seafood, fresh and tasty, we loved it. Very good service and a very nice place with a beautiful view. The staff was very friendly.

The food was great, but the drinks were bland, there was no carbonation at all. We came here from New York to buy a truck. The food was reasonably priced. The lady tried to help by switching the ginger ale to Coke, but it was still the same.

We had lunch which included delicious and light cod fish sandwich with french fries that were crunchy on the outside and perfect on the inside. Bucket of mussels were very good. Last it not least was the wonderful table service provided by a professional & friendly waitress by the name of Georgia. I definitely recommend Buoy 1.

I entered the restaurant in the early evening. I was picking up dinner. I figured I would try this restaurant since I work in the area. I ordered my food online and waited in the restaurant until they were ready to help me. The girls were friendly and helped me get my food quickly. It was packaged carefully. I really appreciate that since I have to take my food back to my desk at work. When I arrived back at work my food was still hot and tasted fresh. I would definitely recommend this local restaurant if you are looking for seafood in this area.

There was no hostess. We stood a few minutes waiting to be acknowledged. Service was slow. The lobster was gummy and cod undercooked. The seafood platter was good. I wrote the total payment on the bill which did not include a tip because we left a cash tip. When I checked my credit card the charge was higher by almost 15%. They must have automatically added a tip. We left a better cash tip. We won't return anytime soon.

I hope that this restaurant gets better as they get settled into their new location because I wasn't impressed. First off, the location on my GPS led us to the original location and then we went to the new one. When we got there the restaurant was kinda dark as though they didn't have lighting. I honestly would have thought they had only been in the new location for a week a two, not 3 months. Their menu said they had alcohol but the waitress informed us they were waiting for the license to transfer over. Our food was OK, I've had better. My husband had the fisherman's basket and I had the lobster. I had picked this restaurant because it was advertised as having a kods menu but they didn't. I would say the food all came out hot, but that was the biggest highlight.

Here's the Scoop! Went here first and outdoor eating experience and a good plate of food. Yessss! I got both. There's a cute outdoor seating area. The service is friendly and quick. The food plentiful. I ordered the seafood platter with a sweet tea delish! I enjoyed my food, the outdoor seating and my honey. We will definitely return. Nice menu choices, reasonable prices and portions. Filling!! You can also purchase fresh uncooked seafood.

It was ok. I was a bit disappointed because I've been at the original place and was so much better. First off, it was so difficult to find and that's with the GPS. The service was awful. The were hardly any patrons and took a bit for someone to get us a table. We were a party of five. After we sat it took time for someone to take our order, then getting our food , and silverware. The food was mediocre at best.

As they say, we had a hankering for a fried fish sandwich, and Buoy 1 looked like the place. Due to the lack of website or online menus, we went in a little blind. You have to know that it started as fish market and then the dining option became the main attraction. My wife and I decided to try the Fisherman's Basket and the Seafood Basket. Both were what we expected, with highs and lows. I did order the Manhattan Clam chowder and was surprised how good and tasty it was. The shrimp, calalmari , and claim strips were excellent. Tasty and the right amount of crispy and light batter. The fried fish, while plenty of it, was a bit to soft and without texture. The bay scallops lacked any real taste, which we interpreted as being imported and not local in any way, But between the 2 baskets, the french fries and onion rings were good, and we had enough left over for another meal at home. Granted it was about 33 degrees outside. Service was very friendly but very slow. We did not appreciate that we ended up paying $16 for our initial 2 sodas and then full charge on the refills. All in all, it balanced out at about a 3 star to 3 1/2. We would go again, hopefully when it's warmer! There was a sign that they will be moving soon,

Had clam bake, 11/4 lobster, shrimp, clams, ear of corn( sweet), a perfect baked potato All seafood delicious. Our server Georgia polite and friendly Thank you, will come again.

I have been eating at Buoy One since before it was Buoy One. It began as Ocean Fancy decades ago. The food was always expertly prepared and the staff was always attentive to our needs. All of that has changed. I had lunch at their new location last week. The new location is far nicer than the former location on West Main Street, and the waitress was helpful and professional, but the food was awful. First, there is an up-charge for broiling rather than frying. And everything was over cooked. The broiled items were rubbery, and the fried food was so dry and hard that you could cut the roof of your mouth on it. Clearly, their chef does not know how to prepare seafood. After decades of enjoying their food, I will not be going back.

My friends all liked this place , I loved fried oysters ,as did one of my friends. I liked the ambience. Service was great

Had family dinner (party of 8) here while on vacation tonight. It was great! Got an assortment of appetizers: Calamari, Stuffed Oysters, and Thai Glazed Chicken. All so delicious! I personally had the Thai Glazed cod for dinner, with a side of spinach...so good! For dinner, our party ordered the Sesame Chicken Fingers, Horseradish Crusted Tuna, Soups, Lobster Meals, Cheeseburger, you name it. All great! And sizable portions. Let's just say nobody left hungry. For drinks, I tried the Nautical cucumber gin drink, which was super refreshing, and for the next round, I had a Blue Hen IPA. The server was great and very attentive. You can't go wrong eating here!

10/4/23 Getting ready to head out of town we decided to have our favorite Thai cod at Buoy One. Tonya met us at the door and knew exactly what we wanted to eat. The fish is always fresh and the Thai glaze is terrific. Thank you Tonya and thank you Buoy One!

0 stars if I could. This place did tip fraud. I received the final receipt, tipped the amount I wanted.. Checked back 2 days later, noticed they added more than what i wrote. Blows my mind they think it's okay to add more tip to what they feel like they deserve. Would not recommend this place since they are okay with this type of behavior.

We love this place. The seafood is very fresh and so good. The staff is super nice. The cherrystone clams are so delicious as are the entrees. Georgia is often our server. She is beautiful and lovely. Everyone there is lovely. It is worth a trip to Riverhead for sure. Prices are reasonable also.

I have to leave this glowing review for the new location on Peconic Avenue. First off, Tara was probably one of the best waitresses of all time!! Incredibly sweet and attentive and went above and beyond. The food was absolutely delicious but, again, Tara made our whole day! She even brought out a slice of key lime pie for my birthday I would highly recommend Buoy One for anyone looking for a yummy meal with excellent service.

Came here for the first time with friends on Friday and have to say, food was awful specially for the price! I ordered a salad and for $12 I added grilled chicken, they had literally 3 small strips. For that price there should be more. The lettuce on the place was a handful enough for 4 bites. Friends ordered fried fish which tasted sour and the fish wasn't even cooked all the way. Burger was ordered and it was almost raw inside. Not sure if they don't care or if they don't know how to cook. Others I mentioned this too said that this is why they no longer eat here as well. The only thing positive about this place was the servers. They were. Friendly and very sweet. Other than that, this place was awful and will not be back. McDonald's has better food. That's sad!

Solid seafood spot! Tried the oyster basket and the seafood basket. The seafood basket was much more substantial but both were filling and I still had leftovers. Fair prices too. Service was a tad slow but otherwise good and our waitress was nice.

Had a lovely experience enjoying an early dinner at Buoy One. Our server, Clare, was really considerate in seating us outside & out of the sun's glare. After a quick review of the specials & menu...we settled on a 1/2 pitcher of Blueberry Margaritas & another of Peach Sangria. Both arrived with 7-8 minutes or so & were made fresh. They were both refreshing & not too sweet (my concern always) at all! We ordered the lobster bake (whole steamed 1 1/4lb lobster, shrimp, clams & mussels) and the Cod & Shrimp burger. We were served within 20 minutes by Clare. The lobster was slightly overdone but delicious nonetheless, the accompanying shellfish were very tasty too. We both substituted our potatoes for freshly made onion rings which turned out to be a great choice! We'll be returning & highly recommend you visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Excellent seafood restaurant . Had fried oysters very fresh taste locally caught . Fried steamers well prepared fried fish was very good . Seafood bisque was disappointment Just Fish no shellfish should be called fish bisque and not very creamy more oily . Prices were very reasonable and a nice River Walk is very close by

The food was pretty bad. I had the crispy pork which was a frozen cutlet cut into 4 strips with bottled hoisin sauce poured on top. Yuck. My husband had a flounder basket with fries. He said it was tasteless. We should have just taken a ride to southold fish market where the food is fresh and hot and always good. And for the price of 60.00 the quality was bad enough but the quantity was lacking as well. The ambiance was non existent and as well as our waitress. Bad all around.

Had lunch at the new location, food is good and consistent. We have been going here for decades! Good luck on the new location

This place is not what I expected to be! Over the last few years that I've been going there it's been a very disappointing experience in my opinion! The food is so bland it has no seasonings as much as you pay for Seafood. You think they would do something creative but it's just not there. ! New locations lesser results ! If you got money to throw away, go here ! There's no flavor in the atmosphere or the food ! And I live a block away!

The food was very good we had a party of 10 everyone had something different no complaints at with the food or the service we also had several apps which were great baked clams octopus clams with white wine and garlic There fish was fresh and plenty of it. The restaurant is right on the water with a great view if you are in the area it's a must we will be going back

Had another nice meal at the Buoy while out visiting family in the burbs. Sat on the outside patio on a perfect summer weekend. Cooler weather with lower humidity was terrific to enjoy a cold local brew and cheat meal of fried fish goodness. As always, very nice service and worth the cost. Snowflake ice cream across the street is the best for a cold creamy dessert!

Ok let's be honest in the beginning of spring end of winter the outside of this place is nothing to look at , however once you go inside it's actually very cute and is definitely a tradition lobster / crab house however I was a little disappointed because I wanted lobster they didn't have any , I wanted crab they didn't have any so I ended up going with the fried basket and it was good , I'm sure in the summer when the stuff I want is in season it will be amazing . The service was great , the waitress was so nice and friendly and explained the menu to us and what's in or out of season . The price was fantastic so 2 people spending less than $60 with tip is very cheap to us for a Saturday night dinner date . They have plenty of parking and lots and lots of outside seating for those summer days we all long for . We would 100% return here !

Good seafood just disappointed with service Servers Seem chaotic and messy And not dressed appropriately or clean Have to constantly ask for things ... didn't see a manager or anyone who controls the floor ... I hope it gets better It's a nice place to go ...

Delicious !! Amazing waitress, so sweet and helpful. We stopped in on our way back from montauk, might try to stop by again next time!

Just lunched at Buoy One's new location on Peconic Ave. in downtown Riverhead. More seats, more outside seating ( not on Route 25), plenty of parking. But the food seemed even better than before! Can't wait to go back.

Delicious food, friendly people and a huge new location with water view and massive patio. One of our favorite places to eat!!

Service was terrible TIP is not mandatory to be going after someone when it's not enough for you. food was great sucks to see how greedy people are these tips should be going to the Spanish cooks who most likely don't get a % of the tip the servers make when they're the ones suffering in the back with all the heat.

Food was okay, yet the server had her thong pulled up out her leggings and shirt pulled up so we had a full view of her g-string as she was serving us. Took our food home and left. Absolutely distasteful! You think the owner would have them dress a bit more and hide there panties or is this the service he is trying to provide

Another great nite with family last nite at buoy one ,we had a mussels in white , and shrimp and raw clams ! Best part I have to say was also our waitress!!!Tahje what great service she gave us !! very lucky to have her !! Place is comfortable and easy going , will definitely be returning and recommending hopefully will be Tahje again to take care of us !

Sesame crusted tuna was like sawdust crusted....devoid of flavor, overcooked. Super friendly waitress couldn't save this experience. Blech.

The food was AMAZING. My husband and I came upon this restaurant last minute while encountering a belligerent guest at a different restaurant - we are glad he was! I had the clambake and my husband had the fisherman's basket, and both were fresh and tasty! Our server, Tanya, was on top of everything. She made sure she we had everything we needed and didn't make us wait for anything! My husband had an Irish Mule and it was the best one he has ever had. I had a Lavender Martini and it was perfect. The decor is perfect for the area. It is not a fine dining ambience at all. Certainly more down to earth and welcoming. Will definitely stop by here again!

We have been here several times in the last few years - pre and during COVID. We definitely enjoyed the patio and the outdoor dining. The staff is always friendly and accommodating. No onto the food - we love it! We enjoyed the oysters (super fresh), fried seafood baskets (yummy and perfectly fried) and the salads (healthy and yummy). The fried scallops were so juicy and tender. The fries ate always crispy. The portions are large and made for sharing. I love that they have local beers and wines and different t drinks to choose from. We have been there for a fun lunch and for a romantic dinner. This is one of our go to seafood places when we are on the north shore.

This is really painful as, for years, Buoy One was my favorite restaurant on Long Island. We would alternate between the Riverhead and Westhampton locations and the quality was superb regardless of which location. I was saddened to see that the Westhampton location closed as it was the nicer atmosphere of the two. But we went to the Riverhead location the other night and had a dismal experience. First and foremost, there was no AC. So we were seated outside, under umbrellas which kept half of us in the shade and the other half baking in the sun. We went early as advised by the restaurant on the phone and were seated and ordering by 4:30. After two people ordered scallops, we were informed by the server that they had just sold out...at 4:30. To keep cooler and hydrated in the heat, we asked for some ice for the drinks and were told that they were out of ice. When the shrimp arrived, and they consistently had THE BEST shrimp I've ever had in my life...they not only looked anemic but they hadn't been cleaned thoroughly so the poorly deveined or smeared "veining" was visible through the breading on the fried shrimp. Not the most appetizing image. I found myself removing the breading and deveining the shrimp before eating them only to find that they were over cooked and tough. People who know my affection for Buoy One watched me and asked if they've "slipped". Now this could have been an off night. But I'm not going to be rushing back to find out. And this is a restaurant at which I've traveled from Pennsylvania to dine...because it was THAT good. The owner is a dynamic and capable woman and I can only assume that this happened outside of her purview. I don't know if it's changed hands or what precipitated the closure of the other location but I don't think it bodes well for the future. So this is a sad review for me. If you don't have AC, buy some awnings so that none of your guests have to bake in the sun. If your ice machine breaks, send the bus person to 7-11 and buy ten bags of ice. And don't, under any circumstances, let your amazing menu items drop in prep care or quality.

Good menu & service. Ordered the Lobster Roll which was chopped up in tiny pieces and couldn't even taste the lobster...it should be big chunks like everywhere else I've had it. Very disappointed . Wouldn't order it again... Otherwise, the pepper fries & coleslaw were excellent...

Rarely do I give a really bad review however Buoy One in Riverhead, earned it. The only good thing was the ambiance outside. Pleasant. I had eaten at Buoy One, on a visit, a few years ago and was very eager to return. Rather than harp on the poor service (for which I only tipped 10%, another rarity) I will focus on the quality of the food. The cole slaw was delicious. I ordered a fisherman's platter. I might as well have been at Long John Silvers, a fast food fish place. The baked potato came out on a silver plate with no butter or sour cream. Upon asking the waitress brought out a small plastic container of about 1 teaspoon of sour cream. My sister's cod and salmon burger was good. And for almost $60 for 2 of us I wish I had gone to Long John Silvers! I will never return .

We wanted to have fresh oysters, found this place by great reviews. This place is fish market/restaurant. Only one server with more than 10 tables, needs to be patient. 7 of us order 3 dozens of Oysters and other stuffs (steamed clams, linguine, stuffed clams etc). Very fresh oysters but lack of flavor with other kitchen foods.

Food was great, service was great, ambiance was cute and quaint. However bathrooms are nasty. I am still tempted to come back

This was the freshest seafood dinner I have had in ages! I highly recommend the stuffed flounder!! The wait was extremely long, an hour for dinner, but the taste and flavor made it worth the wait!

Great food the oyster appatizer is to die for. The down side is building. The only bath room is discusting, sink over flowing on to floor, and filthy.

It's 86 degrees outside on a Saturday afternoon, and the ceiling fan in the dining area is off. It was unbearably hot. We were sweating and uncomfortable. I saw other tables had the same problem. Just an awful awful experience. The food did not make up for the hot sauna dining room. My white sauce clam linguine was sour and the sauce was quite heavy similar to an alfredo sauce. I'm used to a lighter butter sauce for white sauce linguine.

The servers was warm and super friendly. All the food was delicious but the fire roasted oysters were the best oysters I have ever had! Highly recommend.

Been coming here over 20 years. Food is amazing, reasonable prices & a family owned business started by a talented chef & business entrepreneur who are brothers.

First of all, the service is AMAZING! T and Stephanie are not only personable and enjoy serving their customers they are hard working. They're attentive and extremely sweet and knowledgeable about the menu. The food is amazing little find! I totally recommend it.

I'm not a huge seafood eater. But when I am craving any fish this is my spot. One of my favorites is the fish sandwich. It's amazing and simple and so delicious. It's very messy so eat it quick :P their blackened salmon on Caesar salad is also incredible and fresh and perfect. Full bar with delicious margaritas!

I just don't want to give this one star as it is not even worth it! I literally cried at the table because the food was so horrible and I had to pay for it. I ordered the 1/2 pound order of crab legs with butter. I got the saddest, coldest blandest cluster of snow crab legs. They were just a waste of money and time, if you are reading this please don't go here. The outdoor presentation is terrible and this place needs Gordon Ramsay to come and revamp it all

Went here with my wife for a quiet lunch. We had the place pretty much to ourselves. The fish was fresh and the drinks were cold. Our waitress was top notch and friendly. I had the blackened salmon and my wife had the flounder with sesame seeds. Both dishes were good. If you want simple down home Long Island seafood, this is the spot.

Food is pretty good. Sometimes it hit or miss. Always enjoy the clams though. Service is pretty good. Outside area is nice.

Seafood basket was slammin, SLAMMIN.. The waitress was really nice too. Nice vibe, ppl there were enjoying themselves w their families. Very family-friendly

People have found out if you want fresh seafood in Riverhead, Buoy One has it. Saturday, for dinner I ordered the clam bake with lobster, wife had mussels marinara, pepper tuna to go.. They were very busy but worth the wait. I watched how hard they work keeping things moving, and our food did not suffer.