2. The Original Crab Shanty

Original Crab ShantyThe Original Crab Shanty

The Original Crab Shanty is one of City Island’s most famous restaurants, appearing in The New Yorker and on the Food Network. The restaurant opened in 1977 at 361 City Island Avenue, which used to be the home of a silent movie theater in the early 1900s and the City Island Post Office later on. The restaurant actually wanted to be called “The Post Office” but they were turned down by the federal government.
The restaurant prides itself on large portions at rather cheap prices in a cozy setting. The old-fashioned dining room features many velvet and gray-patterned booths and tables with red tablecloths as well as glass mosaics of ocean life. The eatery offers a selection of hot and cold appetizers like a steamerpot with Little Neck and Ipswich clams, clams and oysters casino, and lump crab cakes. Blue fish, striped bass, and swordfish are popular broiled options, while soft shell crabs and clam strips are must-try fried options.
For crab lovers, their Banquet for Crab Lovery comes with crab cakes, garlic crab, stuffed Dungeness crab, softshell crab, and snow crab legs. Crab also features in their Italian options like Pasta del Mar and Pasta Alaska with Alaskan King Crab leg chunks. Lobsters range from 1-1/8 pounds up to five pounds, while lobster tail can be paired with jumbo shrimp or snow crab legs in their “Cool Combos.” Also popular are their pastas like linguine with white or red clam sauce or penne alla vodka with prosciutto, all served with garlic bread.