A culinary community is at the center of Long Island’s Shoals Hotel

The Shoals Hotel opened on the North Fork of New York’s Long Island last year, named after “a community of fish swimming together as one.”

It’s an apt name for what its owners are trying to accomplish in the small village of Southold.

The Shoals is owned by a group of partners who live in the village. Over the past two years, they have reopened the North Fork Table and Inn, one of the area’s most acclaimed restaurants; the Southold General, a breakfast and sundries spot; and the Southold Social restaurant. 

And while each business stands on its own, they operate synergistically, while also partnering with members of the broader community. 

The North Fork region is known for its wineries, oysters, farm stands, picturesque (if rocky) beaches and as a quieter alternative to its more moneyed, party-driven neighbor on the South Fork, the Hamptons. 

When the Shoals opened, it positioned itself as the area’s first hybrid “boatel,” featuring both 20 guestrooms and 20 boat slips, making it accessible by both land and sea. It was part of a larger plan to make the longtime working marina accessible to the community, both nautical and land-based, and keep the location’s maritime history alive. 

Overlooking the Peconic Bay and built on the site of a working waterfront, the Shoals integrates marine design elements into its room design and offers views of both the sea and the waterfront. The family-run Little Ram Oyster Co. has its oyster operation and kitchen in a historical building on the Shoals property (once called the Scallop Shack) and keeps its oyster beds right off the dock. Little Ram turns the Shoals Food Truck, parked right on its lawn, into the Shuck Truck one night per week, offering oyster happy hours featuring local wine and beer. (On other nights the truck also serves Little Ram oysters in addition to lobster rolls and other casual bites.) Little Ram also offers tours and shucking workshops to hotel guests. 

A stay at the Shoals is complemented by the other businesses in the group’s portfolio. The hotel offers customizable daytrips on its vintage Chris-Craft boat, which could be to a nearby restaurant or just enjoying the boat and the views. A lovely day of boating on the bay for us meant swimming to a beach in a state park accessible only by boat, and we refueled with a picnic of salads, sandwiches and sparkling rose packed by the Southold General.

The General has quickly become known for its pastries, made by Francois Payard, a renowned New York pastry chef who relocated to the North Fork. Upon waking up at the Shoals, his croissants and muffins are part of a complimentary continental breakfast spread. But guests can also grab a Shoals bike and take a quick ride into the center of town, where all guests are treated to a full breakfast at Southold General’s charming location on Einstein Square. The egg, gruyere and chive croissant sandwich alone is worth the bike ride. 

Love the General? Payard is also chef at the Southold Social, which specializes in dishes that embrace maritime culture but also goes big on the desserts Payard is known for, such as the Payard Chocolate Dome (look it up). 

Between the Shoals and town is the North Fork Table and Inn, which opened in 2006 and quickly became a destination restaurant known for its focus on the area’s farms and wineries, before the term local was so widely embraced. 

Its new owners haven’t changed that approach, but they renovated the historical property and brought in a Michelin-starred chef. As someone who had been there years before, the space may be totally different, but the food and service was as excellent as I remembered.

Some highlights of the menu are the Southold Grill, an assortment of regional seafood; mushrooms from nearby Mattituck; and Long Island duck and pork from 8 Hands Farm, just down the road in Cutchogue. And of course, those Little Ram oysters. The menu also includes wine from around the world but features quite a few from North Fork vineyards. 

The Inn is also just that, with four comfortable and well-appointed rooms above the restaurant that were renovated along with the rest of the historical farmhouse in 2021 and were designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen, the same architect behind the Shoals. 

Jonathan Tibbet, one of the group partners, said all of the properties aim to “highlight the incredible agriculture, aquaculture and viniculture that uniquely exists on the North Fork — a huge goal of ours.”

“With respect for Southold’s history, we wanted to capture and share the best of what Southold has to offer,” he added. “Having the opportunity to have the Little Ram Oyster Co. working on-site at the Shoals … has made us so proud. To put the working waterfront back in play in Southold was truly a blessing for us.”