For 30 years you went to Dave’s Grill, now Dave’s Grill is coming to you.
For three decades the famed Montauk restaurant was a staple within the community, serving superior seafood and other specialty dishes. It was one of the hardest reservations to get in town, with day-of reservations available through its reservation line.
The magic of Dave’s Grill now lives on with Dave’s at Home, a new service by owners Julie and Dave Marcley, offering small, catered events in clients’ homes. Many of the old menu favorites — Dave’s cioppino, baked stuffed lobster, clams casino, crusted founder, and of course, the chocolate bag — are included.
Dave and Julie met in 1982 and opened Dave’s Grill back in 1988. Prior to opening, the space was the Viking Grill, a fisherman’s diner that was open from 10 PM to 6 AM. When Dave and Julie took over they started by serving breakfast — eventually adding on lunch and dinner.
“We’ve watched the evolution of Montauk over the years. I mean, it’s certainly changed in a lot of ways as local people,” said Julie. “We always wanted to keep the integrity of what was here and what was local and embrace the change.”
“I’ve had five restaurants in my career since 1983 on the East End. And so you create these relationships with people and just know where to go,” Dave said on how he sources the best ingredients for his dishes.
The original location closed in 2016 and the duo thought they would take a year off. But when another restaurant became available across Lake Montauk they opened Dave’s Gone Fishing and ran that for the next few years.
“After that we did take a summer off. It was the first summer that we had off in a long, long time and we weren’t quite sure what our next step was going to be,” said Julie. “We were really ready for something new.”
“At the time, a couple of our customers asked us if we would consider bringing what we do at Dave’s Grill to their home,” she continued. “We weren’t sure if it would be the right fit, but we thought, well, let’s give it a try and see how it goes.”
After the first summer off in years, the team pivoted into what they’ve recently launched — Dave’s at Home, essentially bringing the Dave’s Grill experience to people at their own properties.
“It’s been fantastic,” said Dave. “We couldn’t be happier connecting again with customers and coming to their homes and creating an experience for us and for them. It’s been fun.”
The number (631-668-9190) that so many called for that hard-to-get-reservation is still in service, but now it can be used to book a private dinner at home.
“We kept the same phone number that we had for many years,” said Julie. “When we moved on to Dave’s at Home we decided let’s keep that phone number. It’s kind of the shoe is on the other foot because now all these wonderful customers who called us all these years, we’re now calling them.”
The Dave’s at Home menu will offer many of the same favorites as the restaurant served. “It’s all the favorite things that people loved,” said Julie. “I think it’s a lot of nostalgia too for people.”
The experience is curated based on the client and could be anything from a casual dinner to a more formal setting. The crew, at times, will include other familiar faces from the restaurant. They keep the head count to under 20 guests, creating an intimate and memorable experience, at homes across the East End.
So far much of the business has been word of mouth. “It’s a new avenue and it’s kept us doing what we love,” said Julie.
