The Buoy Bar — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

The Buoy Bar Waterfront Grill is physically sandwiched in between the more upscale Fisherman's Catch and the more casual Ted's Fishing Station, so it's no wonder that the vibe and cuisine fits right in between as well.

Not too formal, not too casual, Buoy Bar is the perfect outdoor post-beach spot to grab some sandwiches and refreshing frozen drinks. We rolled in on a Sunday afternoon and found plenty of other people also shaking the sand off while enjoying their meals and the weekly live music (every Thursday and Sunday I was told).

Their menu is a mixture of land and sea-based selections, with sandwiches, entrees, and typical fried apps tossed in too. Between the three of us, we ordered the lemon pepper Mediterranean Sea bass, lemon flounder, and sweet & spicy tiburon sandwich. The first two entrees (priced in the high teens) come served with a buttery rice and steamed mixed veggies, while the $14 fish sandwich came with sweet potato fries. Food was terrific, but my favorite was the refreshingly light tiburon sandwich, served sweet n' spicy style with a chopped mango salsa and fresh avocado on toasted ciabatta bread. All three meals were worth the price, but I'd say their sandwiches in general are the best deal. On the converse end, I'd probably steer clear of their $10-$12 salads, especially since the price goes up an additional $4+ for a protein.

Live music was as awesome as it was relaxing. A solo acoustic guitarist w/ amp covered songs from Johnny Cash to Oasis and just about everything in between. He played a three-hour set, and took two short breaks during his set. His selections were perfect, and definitely set the mood for the much needed waterfront tranquility after a long day out in the surf.

I'd give this place a solid four-star rating, but our server went the extra mile and brought out a complimentary chocolate torte dessert for a birthday we had at our table. She also lassoed up her fellow staff and they gave us a quick table-side "happy birthday" song to boot.

Thanks, and we'll definitely be back!

P.S. - Buoy Bar is located at Scotty's Fishing Station - right on the water. Signage along Bayside Ave. might make it hard to initially spot, so just look...

First I'd like to say the food is amazing. I enjoy coming here for that alone. Now service! My friends and I -3 total ordered some burgers and drinks. One of the orders were completely wrong. We called over the waitress( nasty as can be) and asked for the correct order. Not only was the waitress nasty but completely out of line how she spoke to us. I had to call the manager over to see where her food was, as my friend n I were done with our food. Food finally comes out perfect. She then throws the menu down n said "in case you want dessert here is the menu" how about "ladies if you would dessert here is the menu" Politely would of been nice. Her customer service skills need a refresher course for sure.We get up leave and I tell the manager how rude and nasty my experience was with her waitress. The waitress (wish I knew her name) comes over n says "I know your talking about me" n I gladly said Yes I am. You are the nastiest waitress I've ever dealt with and she turns to me and said " You Suck" Wow what a way to treat a paying customer. The manager also needs a customer service course because she just stood there. A gentleman named Matthew from the kitchen heard the nasty waitress and had to remove her from acting and causing a scene by the bar area. This post is made to make the OWNER aware of how his staff treats his $212.00 bill customers. She's in the wrong profession for sure. A shout out to Matthew for diffusing a situation that should of been handled by the manager. It is only for Matthew correctly handling this situation, that...

I searched for parking for almost a half an hour while my party waited for me at the restaurant. They were told that since i hadn't arrived yet they were not allowed to be seated and could not order food without me. The hostess explained to them that they would be losing money if they had seated them. They were also told that we had a limit of 2 hours to eat and did not want us to stay 3-4 hours. It was explained to them it was the lack of tables which justified this policy. The hostess and manager did not make them feel welcome and were very rude. When I got there, I ordered the Mahi mahi taco entree. This entree was served in a trifold taco tray which only contained 2 tacos. The center tray contained a piece of romaine lettuce with black beans. I felt for the price I paid the taco entree should include a third taco. The lobster rolls my party ordered were ok. My suggestion would be to add more tables to the restaurant floor. It was obvious to see that they could easily add at least six tables to sit more people. I don't feel that prices we paid for the food were justifiable. Overall, with all the competition in the area I would not recommend this place to eat. I wish my party and I would have had a better experience. We were...