Sand Castle

Sandcastle in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, is an absolute must-visit for lunch and drinks! The oceanfront setting is simply breathtaking, offering stunning views that perfectly complement their delicious food. Their menu features a fantastic array of fresh, innovative dishes, and the cocktails are expertly crafted – perfect for sipping while enjoying the vibrant, relaxed atmosphere. The staff is consistently incredibly welcoming every season, making you feel right at home. Whether you're looking for a lazy lunch or a lively spot for drinks, Sandcastle delivers an unforgettable experience!

I ordered a poke bowl for $30 and thought I would get a decent entre. What I got was a half-sized salad decorated with a few pieces of tuna on top. After I paid at the end, I told the waiter the poke bowl is too small, he just shrugged and said “it’s a poke”.

This is the perfect way to start your Sunday. Samuel and bar crew are hilarious and oooh we had the rocket reach and boy did it send us to the moon!!! Loved it Andrew and John in the restaurant were phenomenal. The mezcal paper planes soared to new nights. Not your grandmas paper planes!! The mushroom calamari is to die for and the burgers (vegan and poppers burger) are incredible. We had a beautiful bottle of wine with the best views on fire island, we even spotted a pod of whales in the ocean 10/10

Food was incredible. Maybe the best meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant. I had the sesame crusted salmon. My girlfriend got the octopus and loved it. Atmosphere was great. Waiter and host were very nice. However the two bartenders at the bar were pretty rude to my girlfriend for asking a question and talked about her and laughed while she was right there. Other than that it was great.

The waiter was efficient and friendly. He refilled our beverages promptly. The food was served hot and timely.

The octopus is exquisite. The chicken is good but very small for the price and salad underwhelming. Would have been great overall if the waiter did not demand a bigger tip. Especially after not offering tap water but making us pay a 14$ still water bottle… The host welcoming customers, on the other side, was great. Terrasse is nice. Location is great.

We have been going here for the past few summers, about 4 or 5 times each summer. While we do like it, the current August 2025 menu is a major disappointment. Nothing appealed to us, so we had to go elsewhere. This menu was put together as an afterthought, we felt embarrassed by inviting our friends. Hopefully next year they will have a better chef 👩‍🍳 🙏🏻 😉

Lovely 39th anniversary dinner seated outside near the ocean boardwalk but spoiled by the behavior of a waiter who challenged our tip and requested more money. My husband and I have been fortunate to travel this world extensively and we have dined in many fine restaurants and local bistros which have been fairly rated over the years (I’m a Google Level 7 reviewer). When deciding what to leave for a tip after the meal, we consider our servers’ attitude, attentiveness to requests, assistance choosing menu items and the sort of magic that we sometimes witness where the server anticipates what we might request and follows through in an ingratiating manner. We are aware that tipping behavior varies based on location, whether or not the restaurant has charged a service fee etc. Over the years we have never been challenged about tips left. Not here! We calculated a 15% tip on the food sub total before tax. Having visited the restaurant four days before our dinner, and reading the menu i enquired as to whether the restaurant could place a special order for champagne - this being a celebration of our 39th anniversary. I was told that the restaurant does not place such orders for customers. So we agreed to pay restaurant $25 corkage fee and made a trip to Patchogue to buy a nice bottle. So when we received our check we used the same approach that we’ve applied for years: tip base calculated on the quality of service based on the sub total before tax. For exemplary service we often pay 20% or more, for good service 15% and rarely lower percentages. We initially gave 15% on the subtotal for food, not including the champagne that we brought. We handed the bottle to the welcoming staff when seated and in about 5 min it appeared on the table with no ice. We had to remind the waiter to bring ice and made multiple requests for bread. Pouring was inconsistent during the meal but not a major calamity. So at the meal’s end we calculated and paid 15% on the food order and not on the tax or corkage. Acceptable service we reckoned but not extraordinary. him an additional tip. I excused myself to use the restroom and the waiter came over to discuss his tip. He said that 20% is typical for good New York City restaurant. My husband paid over an extra $10 after the waiter requested 20%. This was truly galling behavior. I’m posting lovely meal photos and the atmosphere was good but if his colleagues behave similarly expect a shakedown after paying the bill!