Whales Tale - Northport, New York

Jamie M.

Absolutely horrendous experience hands down worst experience I had at any restaurant. I can't decide if the service or the food was worse. My friends and I wanted to enjoy a nice dinner by the water on a warm summer's evening. This is an outdoor dining area and the atmosphere was so chaotic. The establishment did not even put fans around the area for air circulation for such a hot day nor to keep bugs away. There were lantern flies landing on people and the food and smooshed across the floors and numerous flies swarming the place and I should've taken that as a sign to leave and take our business elsewhere. The waitress was very rude and condescending towards our group. First off she was very unorganized and all over the place. Although our group was on the younger side ranging from older teens to early 20s we remained respectful towards service workers understanding that they might be having a rough day but did not understand why the waiter had such a bad attitude towards the group from the get-go. A member of the group asked a question about the food due to dietary preference and was met with a condescending quip from the waitress about how she never was asked such a question instead of being straight forward and answering the question of if the shrimp came deshelled and deveined as some seafood restaurants keep shells on the shrimp. The waitress also quipped when I asked about the drinks menu. When the waitress brought our half empty drinks to the table they were brought in broken cups with the drinks spilling out onto the tray and as the waitress handed them out they spilled onto the table and spilled onto clothes of the group members. Another much friendlier waitress had to help our waitress with getting drinks and food to our table. We did not get replacements for the broken drinks brought to our table, staff did not bring rags to help clean up the spills all over the tables floors and ourselves, nor did we get moved to another table. When I asked for a straw I was told they had all just been knocked over. At this point our group just wanted to quickly eat and leave the restaurant. Our food arrived cold it was bland and flavorless. To top off the whole ordeal a few bites into my food I had found a blonde hair in my food which was absolutely disgusting and I completely lost my appetite and could not eat after that. At this point I asked the host for the bill so that we can leave. I am usually a generous tipper but due to this whole ordeal I tipped 5% even though I should've tipped nothing. Tips are a generosity from the customer for good service and not something that anyone is entitled to. As we were leaving, the host/manager became aggravated seeing the tip on the bill and called the waitress over who shouted condescendingly after our group throughout the restaurant. The group was shocked at this type of behavior after already having such a terrible dinner where none of us were able to consume even a quarter of the meals we ordered. Mind you none of the members once spoke back to the host or waitress throughout the evening, not even as they shouted despicably after us as we were raised much better than that. They also up charged the bill amount so I had to dispute that with my bank. Just completely astounding how entitled and rude people can be and seeing this type of behavior from both the waitress and host/manager says a lot about such a low class establishment.

Polom C.

I miss the "old" vibe of the restaurant. Food is still good, but missing the last touch of perfection from the past (6 years ago). Tacos are still good, but not excellent as I remember.

R N.

LOVE THIS PLACE!! Tacos are phenomenal, especially the cheeseburger one. Their Thursdays a half apps and taps is also a family favorite. The Quesadilla and wings are a huge hit. Prices are reasonable, a little on the higher side, but you get what you pay for and it’s worth every cent. (Especially that summer sunset)

Catherine K.

Been coming to whales tale forever, have always loved the food and atmosphere - a great local spot. However we had a weird experience tonight with the service / atmosphere. This place is known for its sunset and water view, but they had huge umbrellas blocking the entire view. I understand that it gets hot at certain times of day, and the umbrellas are great for that. However it was 7 pm and pretty brisk outside. We asked if they could take the umbrellas down for the sunset and the staff refused…we even saw other customers ask about the umbrellas and they said no to them as well. People come from all over the island for this view, and for it to be completely blocked is pretty ridiculous. Also when we left we said “have a good night” to the staff at the host stand and they didn’t even acknowledge us. I just expected better from this place. We’ll prob be back though because the tacos never miss

Evelna

The food was decent, but I’m leaving a more negative review due to our server’s behavior towards the middle of our meal. My bf and I came here, and we were still eating when our server, Olivia brought us the check, which was very rude. We definitely didn’t appreciate that kind of service, nor have we ever experienced something like that before. We were truly astounded. The service was slow but she was kind. However the ending left a really bad taste in our mouth.

We ordered 2 appetizers, 2 tacos, a burger, 2 sprites and a margarita. I enjoyed the burger, the baja pork, bang bang shrimp, the pomegranate margarita was sweet and strong. My bf enjoyed the fries but I didn’t, I felt like they were too crispy/ over cooked.

Alex K.

This is my first time at this restaurant.

I’ve heard the suggestion come up many times through my 13 years of living in this town, tonight I made plans for my fiance and I to meet with some friends to kick off summer, why not down by the water! Whales Tale was the perfect place on the perfect day, but our experience was no where close to ideal…

Too small of a table for our call ahead, we had to find our own chairs to sit our group entirely. 26 tacos for 8 people piled onto two trays that took 4 servers to identify which was which item… our appetizers were cold, and forget about a timely refill. Two entrees even came out 15 minutes before the rest of the tables food! Simple is better if you’re still planning to eat here, as far as mixed drinks they aren’t consistent either.

The kitchen messed up most of our orders, who’s to blame is irrelevant besides the management. This place was swamped and clearly a staple, they did not set the staff up for success nor their customer experience. Neither myself nor my guests will return, this place is all about the hype and its location, not about service or the food.

Best of luck!

Cyn D.

My husband and I wanted to go for an MC ride somewhere new and decided to venture to the North Shore. What a treat...we landed at Whales Tale. From the moment we arrived at the restaurant, I knew that I'd like it. The hostess was very kind and sweet. Had us seated quickly and retrieved us from the bar. We then were set at a beautiful high top with an amazing view of the sunset on the water.
At the bar, we ordered a Pomegranate Margarita and a Rocket Fuel to get us started. They were delicious.
We brought our drinks to the table, where Alana introduced herself as our waitress.
She is an asset to Whales Tale and I commend her for her level of care and service. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient, and above all, she went above and beyond to meet our needs. If you aren't aware riding on a Motorcycle, makes doggy bags complicated. Needed to have the plates wrapped in saran wrap so they don't break open and spill all over the saddle bags, and she made sure it got done.
Her recommendations on the food were spot on. Oysters are beyond fresh and clean. Guac was good, it just needed a hint of lime to make it great (fortunately Alana made sure we got our lime, had to cut it herself), and the Bang Bang shrimp were yummy. Then the main course had a tostada salad with seared Tuna and I couldn't be happier. My boyfriend ordered the picnic pork, and pork belly taco. Let me just say I was stealing a bite whenever I could; And finally the bill. Very affordable and you definitely get your money's worth.
So if you're looking for a spot with good drinks, amazing food, and a view. Head to Whales Tale, you will not be disappointed. Already planning a group for with friends to this amazing restaurant.

Kristi C.

Pros: Good casual food and drinks, and really nice waitress. Amazing crispy fries and refreshing margs. Business seemed to be doing well as it was packed in there! Tacos seemed to be a popular order here.

Cons: Was super hot inside where we sat. No AC or fan (at least nearby) with the sun blazing through the window. The high top table setup is unfortunately not practical for sitting or comfortable as there’s a shelf in the place you normally put your legs (see in image). Perhaps the shelf can be removed from the high tops? Nonetheless, our level of comfort overshadowed the meal for us.

If we were to go again, we would probably eat out on the patio.