Welcome to Gin Beach Cafe!
About Us
The staff of Simply Unique Caterers and the Montauk Anglers Club teamed up to bring you Montauk's finest casual eatery...the "Gin Beach Cafe".
Located on beautiful Lake Montauk allow your senses to take in the best the east end offers. From the serene surroundings to the spectacular sunsets, visiting the Gin Beach Cafe will be the perfect place to enhance your day.
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Serving lunch & dinner in a casual setting we offer tableside service, a full-service bar, and a varied menu. We welcome families and large groups...reservations are recommended!
Takeout is available...let us pack your meal to take to your boat, camper, or the beach. Ask about our full-service catering with packages delivered to your home, rental property or anywhere your party is!
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You Hook'em We Cook 'em....
Bring in your fresh catch of the day and we will cook it up for you...check out our menu for creative options.
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Thank you for your patronage...it has been a pleasure to serve you and are looking forward to a spectacular season!
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Cheers,
Amy Breidenbach
Chef/Owner
A Bit of History
If you sit at Gosman's Dock and look across Lake Montauk Inlet to the beach on Block Island Sound, you're looking at Gin Beach. it stretches along the north shore of Montauk from Shagwong Point to the west.
One might think the name stems from the days of Prohibition...after all Rum Row as it was called lay just 12 miles off Montauk Point. In fact Gin Beach recalls the days about 250 years' worth when East Hampton cattle and sheep were driven to Montauk to pasture each spring and driven off in the fall.
A gin was a gate or corral, a fenced enclosure to trap the animals at round up time. The stock were driven into the gin whenever their keepers wanted to inspect them, drive them from field to field, back into town or simply move them around.
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Men on horseback drove their cattle into the gin where they were "pocketed" by gin-keepers who put bars or lengths of movable fence to keep them in order. At Gin Beach keepers had the responsibility of making sure cattle did not stray from North Neck across the field into Indian Field.
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Each June 20th a great roundup took place at Third House where the cattle and calfs would be turned into Indian Field, the best grazing land in Montauk. Today it is the Indian Field County Park.
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The name Gin Beach dates back to 1665. The beach itself is a narrow strip of sand that is cut in two today by the inlet and the lake it is also known as Great Pond.
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Michelle Napoli April 30, 1998
East Hampton Star