Daniel S.
Yelp
Claudio's Waterfront has been the dining highlight on our last two visits to Greenport. Being that Greenport is the last major central business district before the end of the North Fork in Orient Point, the village's popular restaurant has been an ideal spot for us to have lunch while driving out east on the North Fork.
From my two visits here, Claudio's Waterfront is an example of the ambiance being great and the food being solid. The restaurant overlooks Greenport Harbor which is picture postcard dining. From the table, I have enjoyed taking in the postcard scenery of Greenport Harbor extending to the northern shoreline of Shelter Island. This includes boats and the Shelter Island ferry floating across the water. What better way to enjoy this picture postcard view than with a Shelter Island 114 I.P.A, named after the roadway that the ferry connects. It is 7% alcohol and costs $8. From my table, I would see boaters dock their boat and hop into Claudio's Waterfront. So it has a boating vibe to it. It also has a New England village seaside vibe because it is incorporated into the Village of Greenport business district.
Where the scenery is awesome, the food is good. And a little pricey in my opinion. On the subject of pricing, during the busy summer season they charge $10 to park here. In the future, we plan to park in a Village of Greenport parking lot to avoid the $10 fee and gain a charming walk in the village. I ordered the Claudio's combo. It costed $35. The fried food featured flounder, clam strips, popcorn shrimp, scallops, fries, and cole slaw. I prefer broiled seafood to fried. When I think of fried seafood, Long John Silvers comes to mind. It is a shame that there were no broiled seafood combos on the menu, like Armando's Seafood Barge offered when it was open in Southold. To be honest, I enjoyed the Red Lobster broiled combos more. I thought that the food was good and plentiful. I made this a two parter that tasted equally as good for dinner. If my Dad was a Yelper, he'd write that he liked the two clams that he ordered as appetizers but they were not filling.
Our Waitress Jess had a personality as pleasant as the Greenport Harbor besides the restaurant and as charming as the townscape in back of it. She recommended the Shelter Island 114 I.P.A., gave me sauces with the to-go bag and gave each of us a Claudio's Waterfront pen.
In conclusion, I am of the impression that the harborfront dining is the main ingredient of the Claudio's Waterfront experience. The ingredients in the food is secondary. It is the ambiance of spending time overlooking the bucolic water of Long Island's East End that would make me want to return. Next time, I will most likely order the fish & chips.