Michelin Chef Joe Isidori Returns to His Roots With Opening of Arthur & Sons in Bridgehampton

As a chef, Joe Isidori has ascended to the pinnacle of his career, earning a coveted Michelin star and seeing success on an international level as a restaurateur, most notably as the co-founder of the popular franchise Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, which expanded to places like Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as well as Singapore, Dubai and more.

His latest venture is a passion project, one that represents a return to his family roots, and to a place he has always thought of as home.

In early May, Isidori was putting the finishing touches on the new Hamptons location of his Italian restaurant, Arthur & Sons, at 203 Sag Harbor/Bridgehampton Turnpike in Bridgehampton. It’s set to open on June 6.

Isidori opened the flagship Arthur & Sons in Manhattan in June 2022, and before long decided he wanted to create a second location on the East End.

Bringing Arthur & Sons to the East End does not represent Isidori’s first foray into the restaurant business in the area. He previously operated South Fork Kitchen out of the same space that is now Arthur & Sons in Bridgehampton. The space was also home, many years ago, to the Wild Rose Cafe, an iconic spot known for its nightly music lineup.

Isidori refers to himself as a “Hamptons veteran,” and he has the resume to back up that claim. He worked summer jobs in the restaurant business in the area for many years, dating back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, including at the former Pacific East restaurant. He opened South Fork Kitchen in 2009 and ran that restaurant for several years before making a pivot.

“It was successful, but life came knocking, and I went on the road and opened Black Tap, which became a worldwide phenomenon,” he said. “I did that for many years, but I always wanted to open an Italian restaurant. When I exited Black Tap, that let me open up my passion project.”

After two successful years running Arthur & Sons in the West Village, Isidori said he got a call from a Hamptons real estate broker, who let him know that his old space on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike was available again. He seized the opportunity.

Named in nostalgic tribute to his family’s three generations in the New York restaurant industry, and the new sister restaurant to the popular West Village location, at Arthur & Sons, Isidori takes on the classic Italian American dishes he grew up preparing and eating, a mix of family recipes and new dishes which are elevated with high quality ingredients.

Guests can expect to see “old school” New York Italian American classics and signature appetizers such as meatballs with ricotta, Caesar salad, fried calamari, baked clams oreganata, and sausage and peppers with shaved provolone, with prices ranging from $17 to $28.

Entrees will range from $29 to $45, with highlights such as spicy rigatoni alla vodka, perhaps the most popular Arthur & Sons dish, as well as classics such as chicken parmigiana, shrimp scampi, spaghetti carbonara and veal Marsala. Additionally, house specialties pay tribute to the real classics, such as Old School Sunday Gravy, chicken alla vodka, eggplant parmigiana, and rigatoni alla Norma “Al Forno.” The menu will also include classic Italian desserts, such as “Spumoni My Way.”

Created by Isidori, the Arthur & Sons wine list features a crafted selection from producers such as Brunello di Montalcino and Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido, as well as classic Italian wines including Sartori, Giovanni Rosso and Vermentino di Sardegna. Red, white, rosé and sparkling house wines are available by the glass and by the bottle.

The cocktail menu showcases elevated twists on favorites such as the espresso martini, limoncello spritz and Johnny Lum’s Mai Tai. A selection of mocktails features Italian lemonade, pineapple tiki punch and a “phony negroni.”

The design keeps the “old school new school” vibe, while leaning into a more rustic tone to help reflect the true Hampton vibe featuring vintage tiffany lights, red candles and rat pack era artwork and photos. The restaurant will seat 70 with an additional 15 seats at the bar while an outdoor patio will seat 30 in warmer months.

In Arthur & Sons, East End customers will find a kind of un-Hamptons experience with food they will love, Isidori said.

“The Hamptons is always full of fancy food from the city that comes out here for the summer and we’re the opposite of that,” he said. “We’re red sauce, shrimp scampi, spumoni. I felt it would be a welcome addition. I love being out here, so the more time I can spend out here, the better, and this gives me a good excuse to do that.”

The restaurant will be open on a year-round basis, Isidori said, with maybe a month off in January or February, to give the staff a break.

He spoke about how pouring his heart into the Arthur & Sons ventures represents a return to his roots, and a sort of homecoming.

“I’m a third generation New York City chef,” he said. “My grandma was a professional New York City chef and my father. I don’t know anything else. For them, it was always Italian American, red sauce places that everyone loved. When I got older, I decided I wanted to be a fancy chef, and I went off and earned my Michelin stars, but I realized real quick that didn’t pay the bills. My family taught me that chicken parm paid the bills. So I switched gears and decided I was going to lean into my heritage and what I learned as a kid.

“It’s old school meets new school,” he added. “I took the old school and put it in a new school setting.”

Better cooking methods and better quality ingredients are what elevates the classic Italian dishes offered at Arthur & Sons, Isidori said.

In the spicy rigatoni ala vodka, for instance, Isidori creates what he calls a “velvety smooth sauce” by using speck instead of prosciutto, which provides a smokier, more intense flavor, and he uses calabrian chili paste instead of dry red pepper flakes to add the kick. “It provides more of a clean heat with a full flavor,” he said, adding that the spicy rigatoni ala vodka is the best-selling dish.

The Caesar salad is another winner, Isidori said, made with a lighter, lemony dressing spiked with dijon mustard, rather than the typical “anchovy bomb” flavor.

The “Spumoni My Way” is created with Arthur & Sons homemade pistachio ice cream, made fresh in house every day. Nutella, amarena cherries and cookies are also part of this dessert experience.

“It’s the best thing on the menu,” Isidori said. “I usually say it’s the best bleeping thing on the menu. I can’t say the other word, but you understand.”

Isidori also declared that the restaurant’s Pallini Limoncello spritz will be “the cocktail of the summer in the Hamptons.” The cocktail will include Pallini Limoncello, Mionetto Prosecco and a sprig of fresh mint.

“Not only will we serve great food and have a great vibe but we’ll also have a large, active bar to hang out,” he said. “It will be the perfect place to enjoy a summer night in the Hamptons.”