Albatross — Restaurant in Town of Islip

On the advice of a friend who regularly visits Fire Island, our family of eight, including a four-year-old and an infant, had an amazing dinner experience at Albatross tonight. I was somewhat apprehensive because the restaurant's Google rating was lower than that of another restaurant where we had had a disappointing lunch the first day of our stay. So I wanted to write my five-star review as soon as possible.

Our positive experience began when we dropped by during the afternoon to get the hostess's advice on how to procure a table for eight people -- without a reservation! -- on a busy Saturday night. She told us that if we came before 6:00 they would probably be able to accommodate us.

This is exactly what happened. When we arrived we were immediately seated at a comfortable table near the window. The attentive waitstaff quickly took our drink orders and, shortly thereafter, our meal orders.

I was worried that our small children might become difficult while we ate two courses (starters and a main course). However, our server brought our starters quickly, and the main course soon after clearing our dishes from the first course. The timing was perfect!

The food was perfect, too. I enjoyed my New England clam chowder, one of the best versions I've tasted. The table shared top-notch oysters, steamers, fried calamari, and Buffalo wings. Our mains, which included grilled fish, linguine with white clam sauce, and penne with vodka source and grilled shrimp, were uniformly excellent, with quality ingredients and preparation. For example, the grilled broccoli that accompanied my barramundi was so flavorful that it transcended the norm for this standard vegetable.

With our meal we enjoyed a bottle of white wine at a fair price.

This review may sound too favorable to be true, but it accurately describes our experience. I recommend Albatross...

Went with other families so it was 8 people 1 of 2 comments: for ambiance, very disappointed after being seated inside, next to bar 'dart board's with very load patrons, people smoking outside rear entry door with a large stand-up fan facing the bar with stink entering at our table, I went to close the door and the people politely moved. .... Not a nice Fire island experience. Keep the bar tables for the bar goers, not families with kids, definitely lost the fun fire island experience, outside dining seems nicer. 2 of 2 food: stay away from the Cajun wings as taste was like burnt old bay, yuck. Streamers were small, overpriced and nothing special, pasta dishes were okay in flavor and size but nothing worth returning for, burgers were undercooked, fish tacos were very good, and fries were good, house wine by glass was overpriced.

Not worth it, Based on the food, we're...

We had the French Onion Soup and the Cajun Shrimp and it was delicious and the portions were good. Our waitress was amicable and knowledgeable. The reason I gave this review 3 stars is because of the SIZE of the soda. They gave me a glass that was maybe 8 oz. It looked like a thimble full. Fill that with ice to the top and you get about 4 oz of soda. That costs $4 at the Albatross. THATS A DOLLAR AN OUNCE. No free refills. Let me make a comparison. CJS across the street charged us $7 for a can of beer and a soda. My glass had to be 16 or 20 oz. Huge. So buyer beware if you order a soda at the Albatross for you or all your kids. You’ll get your drop for $4 and NO FREE REFILLS. The owner of the Albatross shouldn’t be such a cheap sake over something as...