Paul's in Speonk serves up good food and music

A combination of such down-home food as barbecue ribs and lamb chops with music posters and memorabilia from the 1940s onward give Paul’s Restaurant in Speonk a flair that distinguishes it from others in the area.

The barbecue selection at Paul’s brings diners out in droves, said owner Paul Glazer, a longtime East End resident. The ribs are smoked for five and a half to six hours and “we have the best homemade barbecue sauce,” said Mr. Glazer, who is originally from Nassau County but has lived on the East End for more than 20 years.

Before opening Paul’s, Mr. Glazer owned the Eastport Luncheonette on Montauk Highway for 13 years. Three years ago, before opening Paul’s, Mr. Glazer sold the luncheonette to Noreen Glynn, a former server there.

“I wanted to expand into a restaurant,” he said. “It was a natural evolution.”

Paul’s, which is little more than two years old, still feels new. And Mr. Glazer brought his love of music—which he cultivated at the luncheonette—east with him to Paul’s in Speonk.

Mr. Glazer believes that good music should come with good beverages, and noted that the bar will soon be home to a happy hour from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Fridays that will feature half-price top shelf drinks. Martinis are a popular cocktail at the bar, said server Maria Hanley.

Mr. Glazer also ensures that he always has two Blue Point drafts on tap. He is currently offering Blue Point Toasted Lager and Blue Point Octoberfest.

Paul’s also features wine. Right now Mr. Glazer is offering a variety of Chilean wines, but he also always has “a sprinkling of North Fork wines,” he said. “We like to keep it local.”

And local people, from Westhampton to Manorville, come to the bar regularly, Ms. Hanley said. “A lot of people from Manorville and the Moriches come.”

“There are a lot of regulars. They’re very supportive of local business,” Ms. Hanley continued, adding that she believes the friendly service at Paul’s keeps bringing customers back.

“We just had an appreciation dinner for the board of education at Remsenburg/Speonk Elementary School,” said Deirdre DeVita, the president of the Parent Teacher Association at the school, who was visiting Paul’s last week. “We had ribs, flounder Francese, homemade French onion soup, toasted bread, broccoli and mashed potatoes.”

The ribs and lamb chops are some of the most popular barbecue items on the menu, which offers down-home fare at a reasonable price.

“We have a burger deluxe for $8,” Ms. Hanley said. The prices for the majority of the other items on the menu range from $12 to about $20.

The restaurant also features a list of daily specials for $12.95. “They’re recession beaters,” Mr. Glazer said, adding that most of the dishes are under $13 and come with potatoes, vegetables, and gravy. “And they’re very popular.”

A beef brisket dish, a pulled barbecue chicken sandwich with french fries, and half a rack of ribs are just a few of Mr. Glazer’s “recession beaters.”

The restaurant not only offers a variety of dishes for carnivores, but is also known for its seafood and salads. The flounder Francese, which is offered as a special on some nights, is a seafood dish Mr. Glazer is especially proud of.

“It’s a delicious light Francese sauce,” Mr. Glazer said. “It comes with risotto.”

Mr. Glazer also offers blackfish, a white-fleshed fish that is currently in season, as well as mako shark when it is in season in the summer.

“We have the freshest seafood,” Mr. Glazer said.

Pedro Yat, who formerly worked at the Crazy Dog Diner in Westhampton Beach and Sayville, is the head chef at Paul’s.

Paul’s Restaurant

295 Montauk Highway, Speonk; 325-1190.

Dinner served Wednesday through Monday from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

All major credit cards accepted.

Reservations suggested.

Handicapped accessible.