It has been a tradition since its founding years for the organization that I work at to have a staff retreat off in Montauk Manor. Last year they dropped by the Gigshack and they've upheld the tradition by going back this year. The hosts/hostesses recognized us and gave us a warm welcome. We had a large party and so they had originally separated us into two tables. We asked if they could fit us on one long table, and they were happy to accommodate us.
Having been working in NYC for the last year, I felt that the restaurant had an oddly Southern-hospitality type feel, perhaps because it's so close to the beach. Our waiter was very peppy and sold the food as though his life depended on it. He did a good job of tracking our orders and making sure that we would get second rounds when we were running low on drinks. On the subject of drinks: I ordered a house margarita (cost $10) and several of my coworkers got the jalapeno version which I believe was $11. I should have gone with the Premium or Signature versions because my drink was pretty "meh." The jalapeno margaritas were... interesting. I had a sip of a friend's. It has an odd kick in the after taste. Not unpleasant, but not good either.
I ordered the ribs with a side of fries because I was hungry. I was pretty disappointed by the size of the dish ($26). The coleslaw and cornbread were great additions to the plate. The coleslaw had a unique pinkish/orange? color to it. Not sure what was in it, but it wasn't too heavy with the mayo and had a great taste. The cornbread was fresh out of the oven, warm, and soft to the point that it crumbled when you held it up. The cornmeal texture was a little to plushy, but the flavors were all there, especially considering that I usually don't eat cornbread. The side of fries was costly ($7) but delicious. They were the thin type that are fried crisp and lightly seasoned.
The ribs, which should have been the main attraction, fell short of my expectations. The smallest rib bones were barely bigger than my pinky while the largest were maybe as thick as my middle finger. The meat itself was a tad dry, though they did fall right off the meat so it was easy to eat it with knife and fork (I never use my hands to eat ribs, wings, etc). The glaze was also average, so all in all not very impressed.
The desserts were slightly above average. The Red Velvet Cake that I ordered was pretty standard, with the icing being better than normal (doesn't taste like pure cream cheese as does some places). The Key Lime Pie was sweet and tangy, but not really my thing so I can't say much more about it. The Chocolate Lava Cake looked phenomenal, but I didn't have a bite because I was already forcing myself to finish the Red Velvet Cake (one of my coworkers just sat there watching me eat it, counting the number of bites it took me to finish it. It took 13 if you care to know).
I don't really come to Montauk very often. Or actually, like ever, so I can't really judge it against the other restaurants in the area. But the high prices and average food docked a few points, but the service pushed it up to a 3 star for me, a solid choice, but not somewhere that I'm completely sold on.
Dropped by here for dinner over the weekend, and although they had limited availability for tables, one of the hostesses was kind enough to seat us at a table in the lounge. One star for the friendly hostess and one star for our server who was way more efficient than the waiter we could had done without. The food was 'OK' but nothing to write home about and the pricing was typical for the area, so I won't complain on that count. The real tick off was the service (if any) from the waiter who basically did no more than take our order, walk off and forgot to bring back lemon for our water as requested, distracted himself to the table next to ours while in the middle of what appeared to be an obligatory attempt to check if there was anything we needed (?), and then literally taking longer than the time it took for us to finish our meal to bring us our check.
This place may be okay for drinks, but I'd say there are other places with better wait staff worth checking out in town if you're looking to have dinner.
So during my trip we ended up going here twice! Â So apparently, its good for a day and night:)
Lunch was delicious... the fish tacos are kind of amazing and I would highly recommend them.
Also, the night life is happening and fun. Â We went for drinks and to enjoy the live music later on a different day during our trip and had a blast just hanging out.
A chill atmosphere to not be bothered with all the hustle and bustle of some of the other places being overrun.
I was not pleased with this place. It was such a let down since it was a really cute open restaurant.
First off, there wasn't a hostess. It's awkward standing there like lost puppies. After a few minutes of looking around, someone from the bar finally sat us. Â It was odd!
I knew I should of just turned away when I saw there was a limited menu. Seriously, there were more appetizers than entrees. There were like 9 appetizers and 6 dinner entrees to choose from.
Menu was pricey. Which was fine since it was montauk and we were in town. Ok, my drink (the pink elephant) was strong and it lacked an ingredient. All I tasted was the tequila.... No sparklin grapefruit or grenadine.
Now the scallop appetizer was salty. They were on soy sauce and it was just over powering. However, there were also avocados so it wasn't that bad. We also had chicken skewers. They were ok.... Nothing special. The peanut sauce that came with it tasted like it had some curry flavor with it. I was hoping for it to be more of a sweeter sauce, but I guess not.
My boyfriend had fried goat cheese salad as well. It was actually delicious. It had baby greens and beets with this nice balsamic vinaigrette. As much as I liked it, I only had a few bites since he enjoyed it as we'll.
We both had ribeyes for dinner..... They were salty :( they were served on hot skillets so by the time you got to the middle of my steak, it was over done. My steak was over done to begin with, so it was super over done by the time I got to the middle. Yes... I ate half of it because I was hungry from only eating 5 pieces of scallops. After awhile I just couldn't take it anymore so I stopped. The steaks came with fries but they had this garlicky sauce on it which made the fries soggy. Another let down....
So in a nutshell, I didn't enjoy my drink, my appetizer was ok, and I didn't like my steak. I left hungry....
The only thing that was nice was my waitress had noticed my disappointment and comped $11 from my check.
We really like this spot for lunch in the heart of MTK town...I would give it about a 3.5 overall but that's not an option. Â Here's the breakdown:
4 stars for the food...Really fresh and tasty. Â My fave is the fresh fish sandwich...The Pat LaFrieda Burger is excellent too. Â The cocktails are freshly made too but were a bit strong last time we went. (That's usually not a complaint with patrons but it was almost undrinkable and must have been a fluke.)
2 .5 stars on the service...While friendly (some maybe a little smug? Â No...it's like they act overly confident! Â It's not the worst...) they are quite slow. Â You'd have to end up asking for the check when you are still eating so we can get out in a decent timeframe.
Another positive is: Â They're dog friendly so you can sit out front w/ your pooch!
In summation, come for the food! Â It's very good.
Wanted a cheap dinner after Dave'$ Grill &
$outh Edison. Got fish tacos, a burger, 4 drinks for 90 bucks. Lesson learned-you want cheap in mtk, get pizza at one of the 2 pizza joints and a 6 pack at IGA.
Food was good, service fine. Bottom line; off-season, bar menu only, & no live music should cost a hellava lot less.
Nice spot in the middle of the town in Montauk. Good seafood and salads, nice service
Pros:
1) Service - much less snotty than many of the other restaurants in the area. In other words, they don't act like they're doing you a favor when they take your order
2) Great cocktails - Montauk Skyy Sunrise is delicious. Not too unreasonably priced at $10 (vs. $14 for a smaller version of essentially the same thing at the surf lodge)
3) Great seafood. Had the panko fried fluke strips and the lobster sliders as appetizers - both delicious. A little hard to justify $10 on a tiny slider, but it's so good it's worth the price. Blackened fish sandwich (was fluke the day we went) was really good, and the slaw on the side is tasty
4) Did not try the Cuban salad, but I saw it and it looked very fresh. Will try it next time if they allow you to get a dressing other than the cilantro-lime option
5) They allow pets, and my lunch was made even more enjoyable by the adorable puppy sitting to my right.
Suggestions:
1) Fish tacos are really good, but would prefer them on a soft taco vs. hard shell. Perhaps have both as options?
2) A bit on the pricey side, but not out of line versus other restaurants in the area and worth it for the better service and lack of attitude.
A RATING OF 3.5!
this place is the absolute deffinition of relaxed and chilled out! There is seating inside and out, and its very open! You can enjoy a fabulous lobster roll ( which my boyfriend had lobster for the first time and LOVED it)! We had a pulled pork empanada that was a tasty delight! The sweet potatoe tots were like a delish dessert! AMAZEBALLS! We usually never order bluemoon but yet somehow it tasted sooooo refreshing at this place! Deff a good chill place to hang when you are looking for a bite to eat and have a refreshing beverage! Went with 4 people and it came to about 20 dollars a person with tip included! We'll deff be back next time we are here.
Love Gig and keep going back.  This season they really have it together with fresh fish tacos and seared scallop  salad served in a fun upbeat setting with live music some evenings.  Drinks are good and nice wines by the glass are avaiable.  Space is tight so maybe not the best for big groups.  Lunch or dinner Gig is a great Montauk spot.
Review Source:I stopped in here for a couple drinks and some good tunes. Â It is a great spot right on main street with an outdoor seating area. Â The live music was awesome and they had decent beer choices. Â The staff was very friendly and helpful. Â We didn't have any food so I cannot comment on that, but if you are looking to enjoy good music and drinks this is a great spot.
Review Source:Stopped in onand it was great! Â Started off with the Absolute Montauk Sunrise and Guac n' Chips. Â I chose the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Fries for lunch. Â Everything was delicious and the service was great. Â Our waiter was friendly and did a great job answering all of our questions for recommendations. Â I loved the decor inside and I'm sure eating outside would have been nice had it not been raining! Â If I'm ever in Montauk again, I'll be back.
Review Source:Great fish taco! Â
The blackened fish taco with mango salsa was delicious, I would have given it 5 stars but I thought it was pretty expensive; $24 for three medium tacos and no side ($18 for 2 tacos). Â Side dishes and guac were good too but another $5-$10 each. Â The bill racks up pretty quick.
Good service and cool vibe. Â Its a great place to hit up after a day on the water or the beach.
Beers were reasonably priced; $4-$6
I will definitely go back!
Excellent food. Â Great customer service. Â The fish tacos were amazing! Â It's a delicious light coleslaw at the bottom, topped with blackened fish, and a mango salsa on top. Â Service with a side salad and pineapple. Â Our server was great- she gave us a whole new gelato when one of us accidentally dropped it on the floor. Â Plus 668 plays a great variety of music and they also have live bands. Â We weren't able to stay longer, but it looked like a fun bar to hang out at night.
Fun place!
The place is really cute, and the drinks are pretty good. (nice drink menu)
The food was just ok, I felt like we needed to add salt to everything, and I'm not a saltaholic. I ordered the lobster slider (pretty good), guac and chips (needed alot more flavor) tuna tartar tacos (also kind of bland). Everything tasted super fresh, but lacked seasoning. i really liked the live band, nice touch!
Came here on Saturday night with a group of 11. The staff was very nice and accommodating but the service was a tad lacking. Several of our orders were forgotten or brought out after everyone had eaten. Â The waitress was very nice, but seemed extremely overwhelmed.
Steak: Was wayyyyyy to salty!! Gross
Ribs: looked fantastic, but they ran out so we didn't get to try
Lobster roll: was very tasty
Tacos: were good, but not fantastic, a bit fishy tasting
Great wine and beer selection
A-ok place. I wouldn't recommend coming with a large group
We came here every night we were in Montauk last year and though it was really great, better than average food in a very bare-bones, easy going environment reminiscent of the beach-front fish shacks in the Carribbean. Just walked away about $100 poorer for three drinks and three appetizer sized plates labeled as an appetizer and two entrees. If you want a good laugh, see what you get for $10 in the lobster slider. BARELY one bite. It's comedy. Insultingly small. Utter rip-off. I've seen waiters at banquets walking around with trays of hors d'oeuvres bigger than this thing. 15 bucks gets you a 3.5 ounce blackened fish filet on brioche. Across the street at MTK you get a whole hot lobster roll for 6 more. You can get better for your money literally anywhere else than this place. It's just not the quality of food that merits the prices they are asking this summer, and I know their rent didn't triple since last year. Greed will get you nowhere guys.
Review Source:Went here for drinks in the day to get out of the rain.
Their specialty drinks are pretty amazing, but pricey (as all the restaurants/bars in Montauk are).
I had the Cabo Wabo Margarita, and it was completely delicious. $12 wasn't too bad though, knowing that you're paying for top shelf, refreshing and great!
The food looked so good we decided to come back for dinner and sit outside.
They are famous for their fish tacos, so I had to try it.
Blackened fluke tacos with a mango salsa and coleslaw.
The fish tasted fresh and the seasoning was perfect.
It came with a baby arugula side salad. The perfect meal for a weekend on the beach.
The food is a little pricey, but no pricier than the other restaurants around.
There is always live music, and a great beachy atmosphere.
I would definitely eat here again.
Totally dead on a Thursday night right after Memorial Day weekend, except for some guido-esque dudes & the girls they were hoping to get with.
The 3 stars are almost entirely for the way that it looks. The bar space is a little on the small side, but there's seating for about 10-12 people. There's also a ton of outdoor seating, seating along the wall inside (with tables), & an attached outdoor (but covered) bar space with an additional bar & patio furniture. There's a lot of corrugated metal & wood, accented by splatter-painted canvases on the ceiling - a really clever idea! There's a big screen projection on one of the walls as well, & play really good music.
The dude & I stopped in for some cocktails - I got their rum punch special ($8) & he got a gin & tonic ($4). He's PBR's most loyal fan, so he was a little disappointed with what they had on tap inside (two drafts - there were more at the outside bar, but it wasn't open yet), but it was a pretty decent G&T! We sat in the covered outdoor space so we could slouch all over the place.
Once the town picks up a bit, I'd imagine it might get crowded, but I can't really identify what the clientele would be. If it isn't packed, stop in!
We went to this place based on the recommendation of our sailing captain earlier in the day. It's in town and a very cute, hip place. There is outdoor and indoor seating. Once we came in, there weren't enough tables for nine girls. Some guy generously asked one of the couples to move so all of us could sit together. It was really kind of him, and of the couple.
We ordered teeter tots, guac and chips and empanads for our appetizers. The guac and chips were good. Empanadas were solid. I ordered the Fish Tacos. The mango sauce and the fish were good but the tacos were too crisp and it was hard to eat the taco b/c it kept crumbling apart. I think it was just me - I don't like to eat messy. It's my own particulars, I guess. The taco shell was a bit too oily/or greasy. The fish and mango sauce were excellent. The food was solid.
Also, they have live music outside which is really cool. I think it adds to the atmosphere of the place.
The reason why I gave the gigshack an average rating was b/c we went there for my sister's bachelorette dinner - somewhere casual and chill. We ordered three rounds of shots - our second round was of tequila - these cups were the size of a "communion" cup from church. It was so teeny tiny and the fact that they charged $7 for this shot was ridiculous. It was a huge ripoff. The other shots were $4 (should have only cost $2-$3) but they were mixed in - but seriously, these shots were soooooooooooo tiny. They need to get bigger glasses. It's surprising that they have a bar there with such tiny cups.
Overall, I liked the place a lot. It has good atmosphere, solid food. I think I'm just upset at the amount of money we had to pay for the teeny, tiny shots. But, I would go again.
We spend time in Montauk every summer and this is a great place to just relax and chill out. Â Usually come here for lunch, sit outside close to the bar, and enjoy the cool breeze. Â Everything on the menu is good - fish tacos, lobster roll, bison burger - I've pretty much enjoyed everything I've ordered. Â Sit back, have a few cocktails, listen to some music, take your sweet time, and relax.
Review Source:What a rip off... $120 for a place with guac & chips and picnic tables. Had 3 entrees (burger, fish & chips and shrimp tacos) a few non-alcoholic drinks and an appetizer. WTF?!?!
Chips were a little stale - oil tasted old. Fish from fish & chips were soggy. Strawberry smoothie for youngin' tasted like guava - (guess how much he drank?)
Plus the initial maitre d' kinda guy was waaaay too dude-like-umm-howya-doin' for those prices.
We came here on a Saturday afternoon after our cab driver suggested this place to us for lunch. He said his buddy owned it and it was "Argentinian", though after my experience here, I'm not too sure what made it Argentinian...
My experience was pretty mediocre. The service was pretty slow but we weren't too concerned about it. The atmosphere is very chill, laid-back and beachy, and I believe they were setting up a singer/band in the bar area during midday. They seemed to be a little understaffed and we did have to wait a while to get refills for our water, on a pretty hot day, so that was frustrating at times.
The food was pretty good - I really loved the Blackened Fish Sandwich, great flavor and cooked to perfection. The bun was buttery and delicious, and it was served with some kind of slaw that I think was made with ranch instead of mayo - it was red cabbage and carrots and spices, really great texture and very tasty. We also had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich which was oddly served on a croissant which was hard to eat, b/c they also packed a lot of cheese on it. Not sure what they were thinking with that, but that tasted ok - served with fries.
What we should've got was what everyone else got - the Fish tacos, which is made with the same blackened fish I ordered and it looks absolutely delicious. If I go back, I'm definitely going to try that! Overall, a nice, average beachy lunch spot, nothing entirely special about it.
I should have realized trouble was brewing when shortly after we sat down, i heard one of the waitresses say to the cooks "I'm getting dirty looks" from one of her tables because the food was slow.
We went on a Sunday for lunch, the place was maybe half full. On the menu was a broiled fish sandwich. This being Montauk, I asked what kind of fish it was an how they prepared it. Basic broiled, she said, and its whatever they've just pulled out of the water such as striped bass, talapia, flounder - I stopped her and said - Tilapia? isn't that farmed? Oh, she said,.I mean, it's not tilapia. Hmmm.
A good twenty -five minutes later there was no sign of our appetizer (after the waitress confused my drink.) When I asked a woman who appeared to be a manager/owner she checked and said it was coming right out. (She had been busy sitting down chatting with one of her friends.) After another wait (clearly the food wasn't really ready yet) we get the appetizers and entrees at the same time. Restaurant 101, people!
The empanadas were deep fried to the point of being almost burnt on the outside and the fish - a teeny weeny portion on a dry bun for something like $14 - was definitely not plain broiled fish, it appeared fried as well. Upon asking it turns out they don't actually broil the fish as both the menu and the waitress said, they "blacken" it, apparently in a lot of oil. Worse it was flavorless (blackened fish is supposed to have some spice to it, no?) bone dry, way over cooked, an insult to the idea of fish. My girlfriend asked for tomato on her burger,no such luck. (To be fair, she did like her burger tho.) During this time, the waitress had pretty much vanished, btw.
Bottom line: Â awful food, overpriced and terrible service. Skip it. In Montauk there's no excuse for bad fish.
Oh and the live music was a guy attempting to play violin along with his ipod - at top volume. Painful.
It may look busy, but skip it.
The service was terrible. Our entire table ordered the clam chowder, which we all know is simmering in a pot waiting to be ladled. Clearing dishes was apparently more pressing than bringing us food, or water for that matter. I watched as tables that arrived after us enjoyed their appetizers 5-10 minutes before we received our soup.
I also hate to be in the middle of my first course when the second course arrives. A good server knows how to pace these things.
Once the soup did arrive, it was weak. A few measly pieces of potato and clam in a watered down, yet oily base. And the lamb sliders arrived too pink and cold. Fail.
Thumbs up. Came here on a Saturday with friends.
What we had:
Guacamole. The guac was good but the chips were a little stale.
Shrimp Tacos: As Rachel Ray would say "YUM-O!"
Lobster Slider: Tiny goodness. Coleslaw that came with it was purrrfect. Best coleslaw I've ever had!
Clam Chowder: Really good!
Fries: Crunchy and tasty! Perfect combo.
The Gig Shack is SO cute. I loved the atmosphere, the openness, the painted canvas on the ceiling. Picnic tables outside. FREE WIFI! Loved the service, our waitress was very friendly and was always smiling (and she was pretty too!). Overall, I really liked this place. Highly recommended!
Came here on my first visit to Montauk. Â Saw some positive reviews about this place on Yelp and thought I'd give it a try.
Food: Â Ordered the mini-lobster roll on a croissant. Â Though it was small, it was really quite delicious. Â For our meal we tried the fish tacos and the shrimp tacos. Â The fish tacos tasted very good, and was really quite tasty. Â I'd definitely get this again. Â The shrimp tacos were good as well, but definitely didn't compare to the fish tacos. Â If anything, I thought the shrimp tacos were a bit heavy on the seasonings. Â It overpowered the flavor of the shrimp in my opinion.
Price: Â For tacos, it was really quite pricey. Â The cost at the time was around $16 or so for the two tacos. Â I definitely left still kind of hungry. Â But my taste buds were overall pretty happy.
Overall: Â I thought the place was very really quite good. Â I would definitely go there again because they were so good, but be prepared to spend a little $.
the fresh guacamole and made-to-order fresh tortilla chips are fabulous.  that's all we had here, and beers, and we were there for probably a solid hour and a half.  the service is soooooooo slow.  but what do you expect when you hire a group of teenage boys to run the show in their surfer shorts.  =p  of course you don't  mind because there's live entertainment, people walking by on the street, and you're in montauk, i mean, do you really have to be somewhere in a jiffy?  so for typical lazy dining montauk-style, this is a great spot, but if you're looking for a quick bite, go to the cafe around the corner.
Review Source:The Gig Shack offered nice outdoor street side dining along with tables indoors.
My wife ordered the mix salad greens w/asparagus and grilled Gouda. Nice grilled asparagus, but the grilled Gouda was very rich. Way too much dressing for her - will remember next time to ask for it on the side.
She also ordered fries, which were sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley. Nice touch, but they could have used more salt.
I got the chicken empanadas. Really good, but I wasn't expecting deep fried. They resembled pot stickers more than empanadas. The remoulade sauce that accompanied was very good.
At the time, the bar was not open, so we got 6 oz bottles of soda. Nice trick since there are no free refills.
The place was pretty pricey, considering the type of food, and the service was verrry slow.
The location, though, was great.
Setting aside the fact that I have no idea what a "gig shack" is in common parlance, this place is completely awesome.
Me and my girlfriend were in Montauk for a scant 36 hours and we ate here twice -- it was that good.
First time: Â I had the fish tacos, she had the lobster roll. Â Being from California, I don't expect any fish tacos on the east coast to stand up to those fresh off the stand at the Super Burro in Mexico. Â These were no exception -- I still believe a traditional fish taco cannot be found in NY state. Â HOWEVER, the tacos were fantastic and non-traditional, with a hard taco shell, yummy mango salsa and perfectly fried fish. Â The lobster roll was a bunch of fresh lobster on a bed of lettuch (and maybe tomato?) on a beautifully spongy brioche roll. Â The lobster tasted fresh, sweet and clean. Â I usually prefer my lobster rolls with a bit more mayo and fatty, salty goodness, but this one worked quite well and was actually refreshing. Â On our way out, we saw (and smelled) a rack of Hawaiian BBQ ribs, so....
Second time: Â Okay, imagine this: Â we have just finished dinner at another restaurant (where I had excellent stuffed fish, and my girlfriend had really bad - inedible - BBQ ribs with sauce that smelled like ammonia) and we had just walked half a mile through one of the most intense rainstorms of our lives before being picked up by some kind gents in an SUV. Â We are totally soaked and freezing, she is hungry, I am tired. Â
We head straight to 668 The Gig Shack to get her some right proper ribs. Â We sit outside on a miraculously dry park bench-table thingy. Â I order a cup of homemade white chocolate raspberry gelato (I'm really an eskimo estranged from my parents at birth) and a cupcake. Â
The ribs are fantabulous. Â Smokey, slightly sweet, greasy and thick, and almost completely without sauce (at least, without the thick, cornsyrupy nonsense that passes for BBQ sauce these days). Â The gelato is equally good...raspberries mixed in with white chocolate, with little white chocolate bonus chunks. Â
We ate the cupcake the next day. Â Vanilla with cream cheese icing and rainbow sprinkles. Â Puts Magnolia (and Buttercup) to shame. Â They have Red Velvet cake too, but it's an awfully long way from Manhattan and I don't think they deliver that far. Â I do love me some red velvet though.
The other best part: everything was appropriately sweet/salty/greasy, but it all tasted remarkably clean and light. Â I don't know how they do that -- maybe it's some sort of magical power.
Now, there's only one question left: Â What the hell is a gig shack?
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