Peter's Clam Bar — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

We took my elderly mother in law here to treat for seafood. She specifically wanted outdoor seating, for covid concerns, so we called to make reservations. They took our reservation but told us the preference for an outdoor table was first come first serve. They also sent a confirmation of the reservation at 5pm. When we arrived we were the only party at the podium and there was a man who immediately said we didn't have reservations. He didn't even look at a tablet or book in front of him, just hastily said NO. We could see several tables open but he continued by saying he would have to check and see how long the wait would be if we wanted to step aside. My husband asked him to check because we did have reservations and he replied that was "impossible" because they don't make reservations for parties smaller than 5. We were a party of 3. My husband got his phone out and showed him the confirmation. The man tried to say we only got a reservation because we booked online but we shouldn't have. My husband corrected him that he did speak to a person at the restaurant a few days prior. Finally, we were taken to an outdoor table but he seemed disappointed to have to seat us despite there being severalopen tables inside and out. We were sat at the very end of the dock. It was very pretty and despite people coming in and out of the gate frequently, we enjoyed the placement. Our server was friendly and brought water and took drink orders quickly. We ordered shellfish apps, steamers, clams and oysters. Everything was fresh and tasty though the clams had too much bread crumbs. Two of us ordered the crab pot entrée though it's served on a platter with an excessive amount of thick buttery cream sauce poured over the entire dish. It was very difficult and messy to crack the crab legs because the sauce was thickly congealed on the legs and made everything slippery and messy. Our bill was nearly $300 after the tip and we did not order alcohol, we expected as much and were fine with that beforehand. I found the meal OK though my fish was bland and dry, the corn was flavorless, the sodas were flat and once our food came we never saw the sever again. I understand seafood is quite expensive as of late but it just felt like a waste of money instead of a nice treat out with family. I was more impressed with the view of the water and the pretty swan floating around the dock than the food....

What can I say about this place? Some very good seafood. So let me give you some insight about this place. It has a dining in area which is more suited for people who like to get a little dressed up, which has indoor and outdoor seating. And then there's another side which is like a quick take out dining area very seating for this it's a lot more casual but there's no outdoor seating for this area but this beautiful views in the windows give a nice view. The last area is the clam bar area. This is where I usually spend most of my time. Drinking ice-cold beers sucking down some awesome oysters and clams. The last two areas that I mention a perfect when you coming from the beach get sand between your toes and really not dressed up. Going there tonight relaxed atmosphere the food is on point. If there's something in a platter that you're not interested in so in other words you don't like flounder in your seafood platter they can replace it with extra shrimp extra clams whatever you want and they accommodate you. They have an awesome Lobster asparagus salad that is just out of this world. This not really much on this menu I don't like and I've eaten in every area of this restaurant so from the finer dining area to the outdoor seating which is in my opinion really enjoyable on a gorgeous day. I'm a lifelong Long Beach resident I've eaten here since I was a kid I used to work in this place the new ownership has definitely picked up the pace on this place and made it a lot more enjoyable with the expanded menu. My only knock on this place is the parking during the summer it is a nightmare. Everyone in their mother wants to go to this place and it gets packed really quick there is some parking on the Street but it's limited and the parking lot is super small. If you're coming come in groups in one car. Is also a shutdown restaurant about a block away you can park there no one's using that parking lot and walk over. Also, there is boat parking they have I think eight slips for boats maybe 10 I'm not sure I don't use it but it's there if you want to take your boat in. Well worth it and the food is top-notch. The service is decent as well. So in my opinion for strong Stars a possible 5 if the parking was better if you have a...

I know this place does not get high reviews but I just wanted to give it a 5 today for the experience, the price and the service. The Spanish gentleman greeted me in the parking lot. He 1st asked if we had a phone order which we did not. He had quite a few paper menus in his back pocket. Yes, he wore a mask, that also had a fake cartoon mouth painted on the front. He was just tremendously helpful and told us about the specials. They had a 1.25 lobster with corn and a beer for $16.95! Plus they had oysters which was my main purpose to come outside to eat. They also had soft shell crabs, both in a sandwich or as an entree. They were very generous with the meal and I happily gorged.

Because of the pandemic, there were no place to seat inside. You have to entry at the claim bar entrance to order food. All the tables inside had no chairs so quarantine was strictly enforced. The cashier was nice and it looked as they all helped each other with orders. I wanted to have a beer which came free with both entrees. There was a nice lady who saw i was undecided with the beers and she verbalized all the beers they had available. It was helpful. They then ask you what car you have and they bring out the order to your car. All in all it was a nice experience and almost had some normalcy during this crazy time. The spanish guy was so friendly and his attitude was terrific. I would return just because of his...