COWFISH (Hampton Bays)

Cowfish Hampton Bays Quick Facts

The Hidden Driveway

The first time you visit Cowfish, you’ll think you’re lost.

The driveway winds behind a marina and a seafood shop. Along the way, you pass boats on trailers and stacks of lobster traps. Your GPS insists this is correct while your eyes disagree. Then the parking lot opens up and the water appears, and suddenly you understand what David and Rachel Hersh discovered in 2012.

They found a restaurant that nobody could find unless they were already looking.

A wooden archway greets you with the Cowfish mascot: a fish vertebrae mounted with a bull’s skull. Essentially, this hybrid creature announces what you’re about to eat. Land and sea. Surf and turf. Essentially, it’s the marriage of two worlds on a single plate.

Behind the archway, the Shinnecock Canal stretches toward the Atlantic. Nearby, boats dock at the restaurant’s edge. The sunset will happen whether or not you notice. But inevitably, you’ll notice.

Hampton Bays Is Not the Hamptons

Understanding Cowfish requires understanding where it lives.

Hampton Bays sits at the western edge of what people call “the Hamptons.” Interestingly, the welcome sign used to read “Good Ground” until residents realized that name wouldn’t attract summer renters. In fact, the area comprises eleven smaller hamlets that merged in 1922, borrowing the Hamptons brand while remaining distinctly apart from it.

This is the more affordable Hamptons. More specifically, it’s the more working-class Hamptons. It’s the place where year-round residents outnumber summer people, where Latino families make up a third of the population, where the median home price is merely expensive rather than absurd.

The fishing industry still matters here. Indeed, commercial boats work out of Shinnecock Commercial Fishing Dock. Consequently, striped bass and bluefish and fluke fill the holds. Consequently, the maritime heritage isn’t a museum exhibit but rather an active economy.

Hampton Bays feels like a small town from the 1940s, as one local described it. Here, children ride bikes in the street. Furthermore, everything you need sits within walking distance. Each fall, the community hosts the San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons, filling streets with carnival rides and meatball-eating contests.

This is where David Hersh chose to build his restaurant empire.

The Rooted Hospitality Story

David and Rachel Hersh founded Rooted Hospitality Group in 2009 with a specific dream.

Their vision was clear: gathering places that paired sun, soft sand, and refreshing breezes with good drinks, chef-driven food, and great company. Over the years, they had traveled the Caribbean extensively. St. Martin, Dominica, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Aruba, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Playa del Carmen. Each island taught them something about hospitality.

In 2010, they opened RUMBA in Hampton Bays. This island-inspired restaurant featured rum cocktails and Caribbean flavors. And it worked. Locals discovered it first. Then summer people followed. Ultimately, the combination of casual atmosphere and serious food found an audience.

Two years later, David and Rachel encountered a waterfront property that was beautiful but underperforming. Certainly, the location on the Shinnecock Canal was spectacular. However, the business occupying it was not. They acquired the space, injected their vision, and opened Cowfish in 2012.

The name came from Southern restaurant tradition. Specifically, in the South, “cowfish” restaurants serve both surf and turf. Essentially, the term is funny if you’re not from there and invisible if you are. Naturally, the Hershes embraced the wordplay.

Cowfish became the second anchor of what would grow into a regional hospitality group. Subsequently, RHUM followed in Patchogue in 2016. Flora opened in Westhampton Beach in 2020. Then Fauna arrived in the former Starr Boggs space in 2022. Meanwhile, AVO TACO expanded from New Hyde Park to New Orleans.

Today, the company employs hundreds across multiple locations. They call their approach “Hospitality DNA.” In essence, it means treating service as a calling rather than a job.

The Canal View

Location makes Cowfish special, but not in the way location usually matters in the Hamptons.

Specifically, the restaurant overlooks the southern basin of the Shinnecock Canal. This waterway connects Peconic Bay to the north with Shinnecock Bay to the south, creating a shortcut between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, boats pass constantly during summer months.

You can arrive by water, since the restaurant offers complimentary transient docking. Simply call ahead and they’ll have a slip waiting. This transforms Cowfish from a restaurant into a destination.

The two-level building maximizes the view. Downstairs offers the main dining room with walls of windows. Meanwhile, upstairs provides a secondary bar and outdoor patio for summer drinking. Both levels face the water.

Sunset is the main event. Because the canal runs roughly east-west, the sun sets directly over the water during summer months. Not surprisingly, regulars time their reservations accordingly.

The Menu Philosophy

Cowfish serves what its name promises: land and sea.

The “cow” side features Certified Angus Beef steaks with available upgrades like foie gras butter, bordelaise sauce, and sautéed mushrooms. Additionally, the rotisserie chicken has earned devoted fans. Half a free-range bird arrives generously seasoned in a peppery dry rub, then roasted and shingled atop seasonal vegetables, doused with chicken demi-glace.

The “fish” side ranges from diver sea scallops to blackened mahi to a full sushi menu. Notably, the NOLA Shrimp Rumba appears on both Cowfish and RUMBA menus because customers refuse to let it go. Worcestershire reduction, jasmine rice, cornbread. Ultimately, the dish defines the kitchen’s approach: familiar comfort with just enough twist.

Culinary director Steven Tross specializes in riffs on classics. For instance, his deviled eggs are famous. Meanwhile, the wedge salad arrives with Boston bibb lettuce piled six inches high, grape tomatoes, crispy bacon, red onion, and a generous dollop of house-made Danish blue cheese dressing.

The clam chowder deserves special mention. After all, this recipe wins the Hampton Bays Clam Chowder Contest with suspicious regularity. Even reviewers from Boston have declared it legitimate. Notably, the clams arrive tender without overcooking. Moreover, the cream achieves the proper balance.

The Kids’ Playground

Here’s something you won’t find at most Hamptons restaurants: a children’s play area.

Specifically, Cowfish includes an outdoor space where children can burn energy while parents finish their wine. In addition, the “Little Fish” menu offers kid-friendly options at kid-friendly prices. As a result, families with young children don’t need to apologize for bringing them.

This decision reveals something important about the Hershes’ philosophy. They built a restaurant for the actual community of Hampton Bays, not an imagined clientele of childless sophisticates. Year-round residents have children. Likewise, summer visitors bring families. Ultimately, a restaurant that excludes kids excludes much of its potential audience.

Wine Down Wednesday and Happy Hour

The pricing at Cowfish acknowledges where it operates.

Hampton Bays is not Southampton Village. Accordingly, the local population doesn’t expect Manhattan markup. Therefore, the restaurant responds with promotions that would seem aggressive further east.

Wine Down Wednesday offers fifty percent off one bottle with dinner. Similarly, happy hour runs Monday through Friday from three to five at the bar. These deals attract regulars who return weekly rather than annually.

Local wines also appear on the list: Palmer, Paumanok, Mattebella from the North Fork vineyards. This is not performative localism. Instead, Long Island produces legitimate wine and Cowfish sells it.

Year-Round Operation

Most Hamptons restaurants close for winter. Cowfish, however, stays open.

This matters more than tourists realize. Year-round operation means year-round employment for staff. It also means regulars can depend on their restaurant through February. Perhaps most importantly, it means the business becomes part of the community rather than exploiting it.

Hampton Bays has roughly seventeen thousand residents who live here all year. Naturally, they need places to eat in January. They also need date-night options in March. And they need somewhere to host a birthday party in November.

Cowfish provides all of this. Even in winter, the waterfront views work. Inside, the fireplace makes cold nights comfortable. And naturally, the clam chowder tastes even better when snow is falling.

The Boat-In Experience

Pull up to Cowfish by water and you’ll understand the advantage of this location.

The Shinnecock Canal provides access from both Peconic Bay and Shinnecock Bay. Additionally, boats can enter through Shinnecock Inlet from the Atlantic. The restaurant maintains dock space for diners who arrive by hull rather than wheel.

Essentially, this transforms a meal into an experience. You anchor, tie up, walk straight into the restaurant, eat overlooking your own boat, then cruise home at sunset. Meanwhile, the children who accompanied you can play on the playground while you finish dessert.

In truth, few restaurants in the Hamptons offer this combination. Even fewer welcome it. Instead, Cowfish makes boat-in dining a feature rather than a logistical problem.

What to Order

Start with the skillet cornbread. It arrives golden brown outside, warm and crumbly inside, with a whisper of jalapeño and a scoop of honey butter melting into every cranny.

The deviled eggs have earned their reputation. Likewise, the Brussels sprouts surprise skeptics. Meanwhile, the jumbo Buffalo shrimp with Danish blue cheese balances heat and richness.

For mains, the rotisserie chicken delivers. Expect crispy skin, juicy interior, peppery seasoning, chicken demi-glace. Additionally, the steaks are Certified Angus Beef with proper options. The fish, of course, changes with availability and season.

The NOLA Shrimp Rumba crosses over from the sister restaurant for good reason. Simply order it once and you’ll understand why they couldn’t remove it from the menu.

Be sure to save room for dessert. Truly, the portions are described as “ginormous” by people who don’t use that word casually.

The Point

Cowfish exists because David and Rachel Hersh understood something about Hampton Bays.

This community wanted a waterfront restaurant that belonged to them. Specifically, they wanted serious food without serious pretension. They also wanted a place that stayed open after Labor Day. Above all, they wanted somewhere their children were welcome and their boats could dock.

The Hershes built exactly that. Indeed, they took an underperforming property with spectacular bones and gave it a soul. In doing so, they created something that serves the actual population rather than an imagined one.

Thirteen years later, Cowfish anchors a hospitality group that employs hundreds across multiple restaurants. Remarkably, the original dream of pairing sun and sand with good drinks and great company has scaled beyond Hampton Bays to Patchogue and Westhampton Beach and beyond.

But this is where it started. Here, a winding driveway leads to a bull skull mounted on fish bones and a canal view that makes sense of everything.

The Hamptons has plenty of restaurants designed for people who don’t live here.

Cowfish was designed for people who do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Cowfish restaurant in Hampton Bays?

Cowfish is located at 258 East Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, NY 11946, on the southern basin of the Shinnecock Canal. The restaurant offers complimentary transient docking for guests arriving by boat. Phone: (631) 594-3868.

What kind of food does Cowfish serve?

Cowfish serves a surf-and-turf menu combining Certified Angus Beef steaks, rotisserie chicken, diver sea scallops, blackened mahi, and a full sushi menu. Signature dishes include the award-winning clam chowder, NOLA Shrimp Rumba, skillet cornbread with jalapeño honey butter, and famous deviled eggs.

Is Cowfish open year-round?

Yes. Unlike most Hamptons restaurants that close for winter, Cowfish operates year-round, serving the local Hampton Bays community through all seasons. The fireplace makes the dining room comfortable in winter, and the clam chowder is at its best when snow is falling.

Can you dock your boat at Cowfish?

Yes. Cowfish offers complimentary transient docking on the Shinnecock Canal. Guests arriving by boat from Peconic Bay, Shinnecock Bay, or through Shinnecock Inlet from the Atlantic should call ahead to reserve a slip. Boat-in dining is one of the restaurant’s signature experiences.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 258 East Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, NY 11946
Phone: (631) 594-3868
Hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 12pm-9pm
• Friday: 12pm-10pm (bar closes 11pm)
• Saturday: 11am-10pm (bar closes 11pm)
• Sunday: 11am-9pm
• Weekend Brunch: 11am-3pm
• Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 3pm-5pm (bar only)

Reservations: Recommended, especially for sunset; available via Resy
Parking: Complimentary valet available
Boat Docking: Complimentary transient docking; call ahead
Kids: Playground on premises; Little Fish menu available
Part of: Rooted Hospitality Group (also: RUMBA, Flora, Fauna, RHUM)

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