This place is 1982. The food is excellent and so reasonably priced you'd swear you were in the 80s. There's nothing "hipster" about the Tara Inn and don't let the biker bar appearance scare you away. So if you want to see what the world of Stranger Things looked like, come here. read more

Delicious corned beef sandwich, highly recommend if you want to go beyond the iconic $1 burger. Always a fan of this cozy pub, great vibes especially with friends. Order at the counter and the food gets run to your table (self-seating). The kitchen forgot two of our meals and took a while to verify what we ordered, since there are no receipts given and it is cash-only, but we did eventually get all of our food. No frill, no fuss, just cheap, tasty eats and drinks with good vibes. read more

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Great "Dive bar" at the top of the hill. First off the bartenders at the Tara Inn are great. Fast friendly & funny with great personalities. I had the Buffalo wings which were very good but more of a spicy bbq than traditional Buffalo style. All in all it's a safe bet for some good lunch and a couple beers. read more

Tara Inn - Wings - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

Love this place, no menu, because they are written on paper plates and tapes on the wall! But how do you beat $2 burger, yes $2, every day, all the time! Porter house is only $20! Fresh and perfectly steamed lobster only $23. These are NOT specials, these are regular prices! The french onion soup was great, I believe was only $2! I can eat here everyday and not break the bank! Bartender and server were friendly and amazing! Very nice friendly spot. read more

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Tara's is the best. I took a friend her for lunch yesterday and while the prices have increased because they were 1970s prices for decades the burgers are still a $1. A dollar!!! The $5 lobster is now $17 but I imagine that what they pay for it is fairly close to that. The food is good and the fried scallops were the best I have had in ages at three times the price. I love Tara's. It's a hidden gem a favorite local's spot. read more

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Whether it's your 1st time or hundred time here..warm & welcoming when you come to eat. This community staple has been around for over 40 years, because of its cheap eats & drinks. Cheap doesn't mean poor quality. Meals at Tara's are consistently top notch! Large bar area when you walk in, and dining area around the corner. Can you take the family here? Sure..but it wouldn't be my suggestion. Kids are not turned away, but its more bar than restaurant vibe. Maybe for lunch or early dinner. Its mostly an adult crowd, of all ages. Legendary Tara Burger is STILL $1 Real burger, real good! And there's more legendary choices that are cheaper than anywhere..like whole lobster, crab legs and porterhouse steaks for example. Yes there's regular pub fare as well, burgers, wings, fries, mozzarella sticks, sandwiches and so much more. Order food at the bar, give your table # . Food is delivered to your table. Paper plates have never been so happy to have food like this on them. Feeding generations of locals! Drinks are great here as well. Affordable! Great happy hour with pull tab cards, you can get a round for 50 cents! I've been coming here for over 30 years now. Tara's remains one of my favorite casual neighborhood dining & drinking spots. Find out for yourself! read more

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I've been coming to Tara Inn for years, a great pit stop on the way back to the city from out East. The epitome of a dive bar. Cheap drinks and eats, pool table, dark setting. My friends and I come here for the $13 lobster & $1 cheeseburgers. All the food is good and supper cheap. During happy hour you can get drinks for as low as 10¢. Definitely a spot worth checking out if your near or passing thru Port Jefferson read more

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Yes Its a dive bar but its a good one! The food is cheap and the service is commendable.

We went today with family members who hadn't been back since the 80s, and wow--what an experience. It felt like stepping into a time capsule in the best possible way. Somehow, you've stayed immune to inflation, and that alone left us stunned. The food was incredible, the service was just as amazing, and we spent the rest of the night in absolute awe of what we had just eaten--and what it cost. It brought back a flood of memories for my older brother, who hadn't been there in years, and you could see how much it meant to him. Thank you for staying true to who you are, for not changing, and for continuing to be such a cherished staple in our community. read more

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Still best in town, been visiting for over 20 years and if I am in town, I need to go to Tara's because it's just the best food and drink in Port jefferson. Had my lobster with a pint of Smithwicks, brought me back in time. read more

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Have been hearing a lot about this place recently and how cheap the food is. Came with my boyfriend for dinner on a Friday night. Cute little bar and interior. It wasn't too crowded either. I got a grilled cheese that came with fries and pickles for $7. Many options on the menu and with it being so affordable, I'll definitely be back soon! read more

Tara Inn - Grilled Cheese - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

I put this review on google and figured I might as well put it here too: I came here with friends around 3 am to order food at the bar. An older gentleman offered to pay for my burger and fries, I said yes. He placed the order directly with the male bartender. After a while, I noticed that other customers were all getting their food while I was still waiting. I politely waved the female server over (brown hair, glasses), saying "excuse me" loud enough so she could hear, and said: "Hey, I ordered food but I haven't gotten it yet, do you know when it's coming?" Her response was that all the orders had already gone out and that nothing was left in the kitchen. When I explained that my order had been placed, she gave me a hostile look and asked if she had personally taken my order. I said no and that the male bartender took it, and she told me, "Then go tell him. Don't tell me to get your food," before walking away. Surprised by her unwarranted attitude, I told her, "You don't have to be rude." At that point, she began complaining to her male coworkers, saying I was "yelling" at her, which was not the case. I then calmly approached the male bartender to ask if he could look into the order. He kindly went to the kitchen to check. During this time, the female server repeatedly said I had "an attitude" and again claimed that I "yelled" at her. The male bartender returned and informed me that my food was in the kitchen and still being prepared, which was not what the server told me at all. As I waited, the female server made additional unprofessional comments toward me. I told her she should learn how to do her job, at which point she escalated further, screaming across the bar in front of everyone: "You should learn how to shut the fuck up!" This was loud, aggressive, humiliating, and above all unnecessary. A simple $1 burger miscommunication resulted in her telling me to shut the fuck up, and at one point she even said "Nobody wants you to be here!" because I sat quietly waiting for my food. The other employees did not intervene to de-escalate the situation. She then placed my food in front of me and told me, "As soon as you're done, you're leaving." I responded that I had just received my burger and intended to eat it. She continued escalating hostility towards me and I stood up for myself because she had no right to speak to me that way. She continued ranting, saying, "I'm a nurse, I'm older than you, you're done, get out." At that point, she called over security to have me escorted out of the bar before I could eat my food. I was sitting down, sober, and not bothering anyone. This older female server verbally harassed and targeted me for no reason other than the fact that I was a young woman wanting to enjoy a free meal. This entire interaction was deeply unprofessional, hostile, and unacceptable for a business. At no point did I raise my voice or use inappropriate language until responding to her repeated hostility. I also have a video recording of part of this incident, which shows the woman's aggressive behavior toward me. read more

Food, service, and atmosphere is outstanding. Prices are amazing. Best value on town.

If you're looking for a friendly bar that has really good burgers for a great price this is your spot. Drink prices are good and if you're lucky you can pick a ticket for a free drink or at least a percentage off. Come in as a customer and leave as a friend. read more

Mikaila is the best bartender at Tara's. Very personable, attentive and makes great drinks. I recommend her.

Tara's is always a good time. Very affordable food and tasty too. It doesn't matter what time I go in, every time I leave, it's like I had forgotten what the outside world looked like. read more

Went to Tara in for my birthday. It was delicious. Had a light beer cause I was not in the mood to drink something heavy. I asked My server what she recommended To came back with a Miller Or something close to that. It was light and refreshing. So I started with the New England clam chowder It was delicious. Then I had the $12. It came with clarified butter and lemons. read more

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The food was absolutely delicious, each dish full of rich flavors and perfectly prepared. They accept only cash, so be sure to come prepared. Everything about the experience was smooth and satisfying, with no complaints at all. read more

We stopped at Tara's Inn for lunch today. Menu items were quite reasonable. A few of us had the steak and shrimp for $15.99 which was very good. We ordered and paid for our meals at the bar and the waitress delivered our food. The place was hopping and obviously a popular spot giving a rustic vibe. read more

What to say???...??? Service - staff here. Superb! Food - we had the steak and lobster. Perfectly executed! Steak we can taste the beef flavor. Lobster was perfectly steamed that it kept all the flavor. Why the missing star? It's a bar! We came looking for a restaurant with expected restaurant service. But we were told that we had to order all food from the bar. We went at a busy time. Wait time was a bit long. Overall It's a fantastic experience with GREAT food and FANTASTIC prices!! Just don't mind the wait. read more

The food was terrible, got crab cakes, chicken tenders and fries. The crab cakes were actually ok but the fries were old with no salt and the chicken was dry and unseasoned, I called and asked if I could pay extra to get my food to go, and the girl on the phone said yes. Then when I got there, instead of calling me back and saying she was mistaken before I left, some older guy said I can't take my food to go and gave me a hard time about getting ketchup, and too much attitude for some trash food, after I had already driven over. Next time just say you can't to go. At least all that was only $20 bucks though, I guess you get what you pay for at a trashy late night bar. read more

Great,one of a kind, a pure joy serving some great lobster at the best price on the east coast.

Great hamburger. Fun friendly service. Good place to make new friends playing pool. Fresh beers on tap. Cheap happy hour

It's an establishment of good, well priced food with crowds of all types. Kitchen opened late too

Amazing place. Friendly and cheapest food around, great for happy hour, very cozy. Food is delicious!

Alright! Made it here after months and months of saying I'd stop by. Perhaps I'm bias, as I personally know the chef, but I had a delicious lunch here twice within a week. My first time here I had the lobster. A whole lobster for $11. It was cooked nicely and had decent flavor. Second time, I got the mussel special! You were able to get either pesto cream or a scampi sauce with your mussels and linguini. I went with the pesto cream sauce. SO DELICIOUS! I was given a beyond generous portion of mussels and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them were open, which rarely happens when I order mussels out. Garlic bread accompanied the mussels, which was super tasty, even more tasty when dipped in the pesto cream sauce. So filling! Shrimp chowder was delicious as well. Nice flavor and generous portion of shrimp! Beer? Perfect pours all the time. So why 4 stars and not 5? Simple. I had asked for water and was given a water bottle when tap would have been fine. I wasn't given the option of bottled or tap. Bottled cost $2. Other than the water bottle mishap I received perfect service both times I was here. Attentive waitress and bartender. read more

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This was amazing, cant beat the prices or the food, delish and the owner Tara came over to welcome us. Awesome five

3rd visit to TaraInn this summer- 8 people in party. Half ordered lobster- about one & quarter lb @ 13$ each. Rave reviews. The rest of us, cheeseburgers, fries. Some got soup- corn chowder I believe they have the best burger in PJ regardless of the price. Tara herself came around to say hello. Plenty of parking in the back. All around - a great day. The price was so insignificant, I picked up the bill. A great spot. Check it out. read more

I wanted to go to Tara's inn for a while due to hearing a lot of positive reviews about it. Cheap drinks, dollar burgers, tasty food...etc I finally got a chance to try it and I bought a dollar burger and fries. I was very impressed. It tasted pretty fresh and was a considerable amount too for just a dollar. read more

Tara Inn - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

Fun local low key place. Don't expect any fancy ambiance. It is basic, good food, good drinks, cheap prices ... TVs and a pool table.

I love the prices for the food! It was pretty decent food and the service was quick! I loved the variety of the menu

Our car broker down a few blocks away and we spent a few hours here waiting for the tow truck. Cool neighborhood bar that has been there since 70s. Places like these are getting harder to find. Everyone was great. Prices were very reasonable. Like the good old times. It was nice to see regulars come in and everyone knowing each other. Big thanks to Joseph !! read more

Tara Inn - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

Great neighborhood bar just outside of downtown Port Jefferson. Affordable food options. Great drink prices. Ask to pull a token from the bag to see if you got a special discount on your round of drinks! read more

Tara Inn - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

What can I say?! We were regulars for 20 years when we lived on Long Island. Now, seven (7) years living in Florida, got a chance to bring my son-in-law couple weeks ago while visiting. A Long Island landmark, run by the nicest family around! Still seeing regulars & staff we met back in 1998! read more

Tara Inn - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

I'm giving this place another star just because I read more reviews about it and apparently Tara's makes people happy because it's cheap food that's good. We all need more of that. There's enough $12 frou-frou burger places around here to choke a whale, God knows. read more

I was in town visiting a friend who I'm pretty sure would consider himself a regular at the Tara Inn. Overall, it had a good vibe! They had a decent sized menu and every thing was reasonably priced! I'm sad to say I missed happy hour but their happy hour ticket/tabs are such a good idea! As for food, I ordered potatoe pancakes which were ok. I was also intrigued by the $12 Buffalo Chicken Stuffed pretzel that they had, which the bartender said was new. My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to give the pretzel a try. It was huge and I'm glad that I had help eating it! It was ok, not something I am dying to have again. The bartender was good. read more

Tara Inn - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

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Inexpensive food and drinks! Great local hometown bar! Don't expect fancy because you're eating on paper plates but always fresh good food. read more

We've been going here for over 30 years off and on. Had dinner tonight, it was perfect for what we needed. My husband had two lobsters at $10 each. He said they were perfect; they came with homemade chicken tortilla soup. I couldn't of made the soup any better myself. So good. I had the Chicken cordon bleu sandwich which came with fries. It was perfect!! Grilled, not fried on a really nice potato bun with sesame seeds. Can't forget our nice, ice cold beers on tap with the happy hour prices to go with them. Tara's has always been our go-to place. Always a friendly staff and perfect food. It's not a foodies place but the perfect go-to place with basic, fresh food. read more

Tara Inn - Two lobsters!! $10 each can't beat it!! - Pubs Near Me - Port Jefferson, New York

The fryer was on!! A friend's sister suggested I check this spot out, hearing that Im on the hunt for great dive bars. After exploring the port area of Port Jefferson, the three of us stopped in for a late lunch. It was packed. We did find a table right under the huge flat screen tv in the room opposite the bar. Families and groups were around us while individuals and couples were hanging out at the bar. A pool table and juke box separated the two spaces. I thought it was funny that opera was the genre of choice by the current crowd. Or at least that of the bearded man camped out by the music box. The menu is on the wall in both rooms. Cheap $2 burgers, $2 fries, $4 onion rings, $3 grilled chicken sandwich. We did go for the calamari and wings, which went for $9 a piece, but they were great. Perfectly fried. Everything fried was done right. Not greasy at all, but crisp and exactly what you expect pub food to be. I had the $8 Chicken Cordon bleu which was good, but I wouldve been just as happy with a basic version for $5 less. They do have happy hour from 3-8 with a handful of half priced apps. Check the signage before ordering at the bar because we missed the fact that the apps we ordered werent on it. There are also paper plates with extra meal options dangling from the bottom of the menu like $15 lobster and $3 Split pea with ham. Crazy cheap! We placed our order with a friendly bar tender who asked me to open a tab on a card. It said $.10 drinks. No matter what we ordered, it was only a dime per. Lucky me I had a draft beer, while the friends both had water. So $.30 for all 3!!! Over all we had a fried feast with drinks for the killer price of $45, in a clean dive bar, with cool people. An excellent experience and just the kind of spot Im craving lately. Id definitely go back! read more

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The definition of No Frills . Wonderfully priced fun place to eat tavern style. $12 lobsters with soup and crackers. Suggest going before happy hour especially with family to avoid the rough and ready crowd . But hostess was tough and friendly and amazingly attentive. This place has characters and is filled with characters . Just avoid the characters later in the evening when they've had too much. read more