Johnny's Reef
Seafood restaurant · City Island
2 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464
Highlights
Basic, long-running venue with outdoor seating serving fried & steamed seafood offerings. Cash only.
Basic, long-running venue with outdoor seating serving fried & steamed seafood offerings. Cash only.
"Johnny’s Reef has been open in the Bronx for six decades, the local’s pick among a handful of City Island seafood restaurants. It offers great waterfront views at the tip of the island and a no-frills set-up, with unfussy plates of steamed clams, fried calamari, lobster rolls, and even soft-shell crabs. There’s a standard beer selection but consider a frozen drink when seasonally appropriate. It’s cash only, though there is an ATM on site." - Robert Sietsema
"Johnny’s Reef Restaurant offers a variety of fried or steamed seafood. Highlights include a basket of fried shrimp and french fries ($18) and a lobster roll (two for $28)." - Eater Staff
"What’s the temperature outside? If it’s above 59 degrees, you should know that’s technically referred to as “Johnny's Reef weather.” Get in a car (or hop on a bus) and make your way to this City Island institution, where you can dive into a pile of fried shrimp on a sprawling concrete patio near the water. Order in the indoor area that’s set up like a food hall with counters offering steamed and fried clams, scallops, lobster tails and more, and pair everything with a Henny Colada in a little plastic cup." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja
"Let everyone else fly south to white sand beaches with crystal clear water. You do not need such things, because you have Johnny’s Reef. This City Island institution may not be Turks and Caicos, but it does have a massive concrete patio where you can suck down a frozen cocktail a few feet from the water. Order your food inside from one of the cash-only counters selling everything from fried scallops to steamed lobster tails, then claim a picnic table in the sun. Your battered shrimp will not be the best (or second best) you’ve ever had, but you aren’t really here for the food. You come for the breeze, the view, and the Henny Coladas. photo credit: Noah Devereaux photo credit: Noah Devereaux photo credit: Noah Devereaux" - Bryan Kim
"Hard to do better in the summertime than their heaping plate of fried calamari ($15) and a pina colada." - Eater Staff
