Morty’s Oyster Stand To Take Over Former Cyril’s Fish House

Morty’s Oyster Stand will take over the former Cyril’s Fish House building, possibly this summer, after the building on the Napeague stretch has sat vacant for two seasons.

Jack Luber, a partner in the new venture, spoke about the exterior plans for the full-service restaurant and bar at 2167 Montauk Highway at a Thursday, March 28, meeting of the East Hampton Town Architectural Review Board.

Board member Esperanza Leon said she recently took a trip to the location and found that the building was in “shambles.”

Construction is currently underway in the interior of the restaurant, and a town building permit has been posted outside.

In May 2016, a jury found the operators of Cyril’s Fish House guilty of 45 misdemeanor charges of violating East Hampton Town code.

Complaints stemmed from the number of people spilling out of the bar and mingling on the side of busy Montauk Highway on summer weekends. At the time, Cyril Fitzsimmons, the popular bar’s owner, had been fighting the town over dozens of violations issued to his company, Clan Fitz Inc., in 2013.

A settlement was reached with town under which Mr. Fitzsimmons and the owners of the property, the Dioguardi family, agreed to make substantial alterations to the highway-side restaurant, including removing a bar at the front, adding fencing around the west side of the building, and strictly conforming to an occupancy limit of 150 people, in addition to paying a $60,000 fine.

After more than 25 years on Napeague, Cyril’s closed its doors for good, and since 2016 the bar has been unoccupied. On January 25, the Dioguardi family sold the building to Jeremy Morton under the LLC name Out East Restaurant Group, for $1.3 million.

“Any improvement is an improvement,” ARB Chairman Richard P. Myers Jr. told Mr. Luber at the meeting.

Mr. Luber said that the view from the highway will be “upgraded tremendously,” as he explained the plans for a new mahogany fence that will replace the existing stockade fence. Mr. Luber pointed to the blueprints and drawings as he explained that the restaurant’s exterior will have navy blue shingles, a clear glass door, new kitchen windows, brass portholes placed throughout, and a light gray-and-blue color scheme. The footprint of the building will not be expanded.

“It’s a flat, rubber roof. You don’t see the roof—you never did,” Mr. Luber told the board.

He said the plans were prepared quickly in order to get them into the ARB’s hands in time for the summer.

However, Mr. Myers explained to Mr. Luber that the board will require a more accurate set of plans for the oyster house. Mr. Myers asked for an exact location and placement of the brass portholes, and exact lighting placement.

“There’s no problem with the siding, and no problem with the colors,” Mr. Myers added.

In addition, Mr. Myers wanted more information about the front and back doors.

To that, Mr. Luber added that a third door, a fire safety door, has been approved by Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Thomas Baker.

“It’s looking very good and it’s sounding very good. We just need to see it,” Mr. Myers said.