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A familiar bar and restaurant space on North Main Street in Sayville has quickly taken on a new identity.
Off the Bay, a seafood-forward restaurant and bar, held a soft opening this week after a roughly two-week transformation of the former Sayville Bait & Tackle, which had held fort at the location since 2021.
The restaurant has opened in a soft-launch phase, with the kitchen and staff testing menu items and dialing in hours as they gear up to move into full operations in the coming days.
“We’re still in soft-opening mode,” said co-owner Michael Jordan, who noted that operations should be in full swing by Friday. “We don’t have a fully established menu yet and we’re still working out kitchen hours, but we’re testing things out in real time with customers coming through the door.”
The restaurant hosted a preview this week for regulars before holding a friends-and-family event Thursday, and then finally opening to the public for dinner service Friday night.
The renovation itself happened quickly. Jordan said the project took about 12 days and focused more on refining the space than rebuilding it.
“We kept the bones of the building,” he said. “We really just cleaned it up and let the character of the space shine through. It still has that nautical feeling, but it’s much cleaner.”
Space feels bigger, menu is broader
The team removed much of the decorative clutter that previously filled the walls and ceilings. The shift away from knickknacks, Jordan said, has made the dining room feel bigger, even though no square footage was added.
The layout was also adjusted to create more separation between the restrooms and the dining room by extending a vestibule area connecting them, and the kitchen was reconfigured to support a broader menu.
“I think the biggest thing is it feels bigger,” Jordan said. “There was a lot going on before, and once you take some of that away, you feel like you can breathe a little easier.”
The location itself has seen several iterations over the years. Before Off the Bay, the space housed Sayville Bait & Tackle, which featured a nautical bar concept, and remained open for nearly two months after Jordan’s team took ownership Jan. 1.
A building with a lot of history
Prior to Bait & Tackle, the spot had been briefly home to Irish Exit, which replaced the long-running Half Penny Pub.
Jordan and his partners — Robert DelGiorno and Shaun Ihne — briefly closed Bait & Tackle, in order to complete the transition to their new concept.
“We liked the space, we liked the building and we liked the history of the building,” Jordan said. “It’s been a staple of the community for a long time.”
The partners operate several other Long Island hospitality ventures, including Patchogue’s popular bar and restaurant WhiskeyNeat. They also recently opened Frankie’s Table in Commack and run Bobby’s Big BBQ as a catering company.
For now, Jordan said, Off the Bay is open daily for dinner as the restaurant continues refining its menu and service ahead of a full rollout.
Top: inset photo taken by Ron Ulip / Freshly Cut Film, main photo taken by Brian Harmon.
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