4 Best Restaurants in Riverhead, Long Island

Not only are the wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta dishes here delicious, they are also made with organic stone-ground flour using local, seasonal produce, handmade mozzarella, and artisanal meats. Try the fig, caramelized onion, and Gorgonzola pizza or the mushroom pasta with locally sourced porcinis. For a splurge, go for the $65 2-lb wood-fired T-bone, medium rare.

Housed in the old John J. Sullivan hotel on Main Street, this homey restaurant harks back to the Victorian era and exudes masses of charm—stained glass, chandeliers in old oil-burning style, an 1893 mahogany and marble bar made for the Chicago Exposition, a rich mantled fireplace, and the head of the last buffalo shot by Teddy Roosevelt. Buffalo (bison) meat is on the menu, lower in fat and higher in protein than beef and it tastes pretty much the same, only "beefier." If you don't want to splurge on the $44 cowboy steak, go for the $20 buffalo burger. An organic beef burger is also available. You may have guessed that meat is king here, but vegetarians are not entirely forgotten—try the roast portobello mushroom with homemade ricotta. Tweeds also boasts the biggest selection of bourbons.

In a region popular for seafood, this place is all about the meat. The most popular dish here is a 24-oz bone-in ribeye, and you can also get handcrafted pub standards such as shepherd's pie and fish-and-chips. A cool local hangout spot, the pub hosts live music on Friday and Saturday and has a selection of more than 100 beers. A children's menu is available and brunch is served every Sunday.

Anyone who has driven Main Road in Aqueboque at night, driving back from the wineries or heading home from Greenport, has most definitely noticed the Las Vegas–like sign illuminating this otherwise sleepy strip. At this unpretentious family-owned café, beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike, you'll find comfort food at its best, including Long Island duck, roast loin of pork with sauerkraut, softshell crabs, and home-baked strawberry-rhubarb and lemon-meringue pies. They do take-out too.