Buoy One was very good for dinner. The problem was that there was only one employee to be hostess, waitress, bartender and bus person plus answer the phone. This woman is amazing and remains professional, welcoming and client oriented. Another customer noted to us that this is typical for the restaurant rather than an evening where help didn't show up. She noted that the wait time for service will be a problem for the restaurant because people expect service. I felt badly for the young woman and didn't mind the wait. I chose not to order a second drink because my meal was completed. The cod was excellent as well as the Crispy Pork Dinner. If you have time and patience it is a very good restaurant. Unfortunately in today's economy and it being off season, many establishments must make cutbacks to stay in the black. There were 6 sets of diners for this young woman to manage in addition to the phone. I hope the owner recognizes what a diamond they have with this employee and hope another restaurant doesn't snatch her up. Besides her winning personality, she was excellent as a bartender. Best margarita I've had in a restaurant in a long time. Be certain to give this restaurant a chance. Downtown Main Street Riverhead has a rotation of restaurants and with its move from further West on Main Street, it would be nice to see this new location be a success! read more

A Diamond in the Slightly Rough: A Saturday Evening Visit There is a certain comfort in a "sure thing," and this spot certainly delivers a decent--at times, even very good--meal. The potential here is as clear as a calm coastal morning, but to truly reach those heights, it feels like the management might need to roll up their sleeves and fine-tune the choreography. The Arrival We arrived at 6:30 PM on a Saturday to find a sizable, airy space with the unique quirk of two entrances. We stood at the threshold for a full minute--a lifetime in "hungry person years"--feeling a bit like sore thumbs despite only two other tables being occupied. A simple "welcome" or a designated greeting point would do wonders for the initial "lost at sea" feeling. The Service Our multi-talented host (who appeared to be the greeter, server, bartender, runner, and busser all in one) was perfectly pleasant and quick to take a drink order. However, the transition from order to delivery took a scenic route. It's clear the staff is hardworking; they might just need a little more backup to keep the pace brisk. The Food & Table-Side Manners The kitchen clearly knows its way around a stove--the food was well-prepared and exactly as ordered. To take it from "good" to "memorable," a bit more confidence with seasoning and perhaps a house-made tartar sauce (ditching the bottle) would make the flavors pop. A few logistical "wobbles" to note: * The Table: Our table had a bit of a rhythmic rock to it, which made for a lively, if unintentional, workout while eating. * The Plateware: The food was served in metal, "canteen-style" dishes. While durable, the "dinged-up" nature of the metal meant the dish spent most of the night spinning in circles on the table. * The Vibe: For a seafood establishment, the "backyard barbecue" aesthetic of the metalware feels a bit like wearing hiking boots to a ballroom dance. Switching to ceramic or weighted stoneware would instantly elevate the dining experience to match the quality of the cooking. There's a great restaurant under the surface here waiting to break through. With a little more attention to the "theatre" of dining and a sturdy table or two, this could easily become a local favorite. read more

Food was delicious Service was excellent And the views were excellent Of the river in riverhead read more

What an amazing local spot that is serving the best Fried Stuffed Oystersin Suffolk County. Amazing Pepper Seared Tuna was another appetizer that i had but forgot to take a picture of. Staff is so wonderful. Come in and say hi to the bartender " T ", Georgia, the server. The dining atmosphere is warm and comfortable. They have a wonderful happy hour special from 3-7. read more

See all

Was there today for lunch , patio was open Tahje was handling everything . Excellent customer service ! Food was excellent the prices very reasonable ! We will be back !!! read more

See all

Worst baked clams ever, clams are cheap especially when bought in bulk, no excuses for being clam less and flavorless

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. read more

Buoy One - Riverhead - Lobster Dinner - Seafood Near Me - Riverhead, New York

See all

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. read more

See all

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, read more

See all

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. read more

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! read more

See all

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! read more

See all

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. read more

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

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

See all

Great fish dinners and is especially nice when we can eat outside. The staff is wonderful!

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. read more

Buoy One - Riverhead - Buoy One Seafood Basket - Seafood Near Me - Riverhead, New York

See all

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. read more

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 read more

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

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! read more

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! read more

Buoy One - Riverhead - Seafood Near Me - Riverhead, New York

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. read more

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 ! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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

See all

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 read more

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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 ! read more

Buoy One - Riverhead - Lobster Dinner - Seafood Near Me - Riverhead, New York

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. read more

Buoy One - Riverhead - Bay Scallops Basket - Seafood Near Me - Riverhead, New York

See all

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! read more

See all

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

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 . read more

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. read more

See all