"Off The Eaten Path"...Sunset Saloon

[Photos via SunsetSaloon] As its name implies, there are two very good reasons to show up to Montauk’s Sunset Saloon each night: the gorgeous sunset views and extensive cocktail menu that make for an exceptionally pleasant, laid back experience. Locals, seasoned regulars (like Jimmy Buffet), and tourists fortunate enough to have been tipped off about this well-kept secret...follow Montauk’s windy, unsigned back roads to Sunset Saloon après beach to catch a spectacular light show when the sun dips down over Fort Pond Bay.

While the Saloon offers an eclectic menu ranging from standard, inexpensive bar grub (chicken fingers and waffle fries) to more sophisticated seafood selections (Montauk lobster clambake and fluke tacos), no one’s really going for the food. Patrons flock instead, because Sunset Saloon has incredible sunset spectating and embodies the unapologetic casual beach vibe of The End.

Owned and operated by friendly veteran surfer Craig Lieder, the interior bar and restaurant feature stacks of surfboards (for sale!) and large screens playing surf videos nonstop. But let’s be serious – if you’re here for the sunset (which, again…you should be), head out back to grab a spot at the bar or at one of the plastic white tables dotting the sand right down to the water. At Sunset Saloon, it’s hard to tell where the beach ends and the bar begins – a quality we very much appreciate. If you’ve still got your suit on, feel free to take a swim. Or maybe you’d rather skip stones across the rippled surface of the bay. Or watch the occasional sailboat pass through. Or have an impromptu photo shoot (this place is seriously photogenic). What’s that? You’d rather just order a frozen drink, sit back, and watch Mother Nature at her finest? You’re in luck. But one last thing: while Sunset Saloon is family-friendly, they inexplicably call their delicious strawberry daquiris “strawberry dicks.” So let’s try to order without giggling, shall we?

Jimmy Buffett performing at Sunset Saloon