Walk into Amagansett Square on a Tuesday afternoon and you’ll feel it. That quiet, manicured hum of the Hamptons. But for a long time, the soul of that square was a place called Meeting House. It wasn't just a restaurant. Honestly, it was the local living room where the "no-shoes-required" vibe of the beach met the high-end expectations of a Manhattanite on vacation.
If you’re looking for a reservation today, you're going to be disappointed.
The Meeting House restaurant Amagansett is gone. It closed its doors years ago, eventually making way for new ventures like Wölffer Kitchen. But the impact it left on the East End dining scene is still something people talk about over cocktails at Stephen Talkhouse. It represented a specific era of Amagansett—a time before every single storefront felt like a curated Instagram backdrop. It was authentic. It was loud. It was exactly what the neighborhood needed at the time.
Why Everyone Obsessed Over the Meeting House Restaurant Amagansett
It’s hard to explain the magic of a place that basically served "elevated comfort food." On paper, it sounds generic. You’ve seen it a million times: Mac and cheese, a decent burger, maybe some local fish. But Meeting House did it differently. They understood that in a town like Amagansett, people don't always want a twelve-course tasting menu with foam.
Sometimes you just want to sit in a booth that feels like it’s been there forever.
The owners, Dan and Deena Gunder, along with chef Todd Jacobs (who was a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement out here long before it was a marketing buzzword), hit a nerve. They focused on the "meeting" part of the name. It was a community hub. You’d see families with kids covered in sand sitting right next to a famous director or a billionaire tech mogul. Nobody cared. That was the point.
The Menu Staples People Still Miss
Let's talk about the food for a second. It wasn't revolutionary, but it was consistent. That's the secret sauce in the Hamptons. When you pay these prices, you want to know the steak frites will be exactly the same every single time.
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- The Macaroni and Cheese: People used to lose their minds over this. It was creamy, crusty on top, and served in a way that felt indulgent without being pretentious.
- The Burger: Simple. High-quality meat. No unnecessary garnishes.
- The Atmosphere: This was the real "dish." The high ceilings and the brickwork made it feel like a renovated historical site, even though it was part of the modern Square development.
It was one of the few places where you could actually hear yourself think, despite the crowd. The acoustics were surprisingly good for a place with so much hard surface.
The Shift: From Meeting House to Wölffer Kitchen
Everything changes. Especially in the Hamptons real estate market. The transition from Meeting House restaurant Amagansett to Wölffer Kitchen marked a significant shift in the vibe of Amagansett Square.
When the news broke that Wölffer Estate Vineyard was taking over the space, the reaction was mixed. On one hand, Wölffer is royalty out here. Their Rosé is practically the official water of the South Fork. People knew the quality would be high. On the other hand, there was a sense of loss. Meeting House felt like a "local" spot, whereas Wölffer felt like a "brand."
That’s the tension of the East End. You want the growth, but you mourn the grit.
Wölffer Kitchen brought a more polished, Mediterranean-leaning menu. They leaned heavily into the wine-centric lifestyle. It’s beautiful. It’s chic. But if you ask someone who spent their summers in Amagansett in the mid-2000s, they’ll still tell you about the chicken pot pie at Meeting House. It’s a nostalgia that’s hard to shake.
What Most People Get Wrong About Amagansett Dining
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Amagansett has always had a slightly more bohemian, relaxed edge. Meeting House leaned into that. When you look at the current landscape—places like Rosie’s or Il Buco al Mare—you can see the DNA of Meeting House in them. They are trying to capture that same lightning in a bottle: high-quality food in a space where you don't feel like you have to wear a blazer.
However, the "local" feel is getting harder to maintain. Rents in the Square are astronomical. To survive now, a restaurant has to be more than just a place to eat; it has to be a machine. Meeting House felt like a passion project that happened to be a business. Today, it’s often the other way around.
The Reality of Running a Restaurant in a Seasonal Town
Why did it close? People ask this all the time about their favorite Hamptons haunts. Usually, it's not because the food stopped being good.
Running a business in Amagansett is a brutal balancing act. You have eight weeks of absolute chaos where you have to make enough money to survive the "quiet" months of January and February. Even though the Hamptons has become more of a year-round destination, the overhead is staggering.
- Staffing: Finding housing for staff is a nightmare. If your chefs and servers can't afford to live within 30 miles, your business is on borrowed time.
- Supply Chain: Sourcing local ingredients from places like Amber Waves Farm is great, but it’s expensive.
- Expectations: The clientele in Amagansett is some of the most demanding in the world. They want rustic charm, but they want five-star service.
Meeting House managed this tightrope for a long time. Their closure wasn't a failure of concept; it was just the natural end of a chapter.
What to Look for Now If You Miss the Vibe
If you’re chasing that specific Meeting House restaurant Amagansett feeling, you have to look a bit harder these days.
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- Il Buco al Mare: It has that same high-ceiling, airy feel, though the menu is much more focused on seafood and Italian influences. It’s sophisticated but still feels like you’re near the ocean.
- The Tavern at The 1770 House: Go here if you want that "old world" comfort. It’s in East Hampton, but the downstairs tavern has that same "unpretentious excellence" that Meeting House nailed.
- Luv2Smoke / Townline BBQ: If you just want the casual, no-fuss energy, heading down the road toward Sagaponack is your best bet.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Amagansett Trip
Don't just wander into the Square and hope for the best. The dining scene here moves fast.
Book ahead, even for "casual" spots. Places that feel like Meeting House—meaning they are popular with both locals and tourists—fill up weeks in advance during July and August. Don't assume you can just "drop by" Rosie's or Wölffer Kitchen.
Support the actual locals. If you want these types of restaurants to survive, you have to visit them in the off-season. Go in October. Go in May. That’s when the "Meeting House" spirit is actually alive—when the crowds are gone and you’re actually meeting your neighbors.
Look beyond the Square. While the Square is the heart of the town, some of the best, most authentic "Amagansett" experiences are now happening on the fringes. Explore the roadside stands and the smaller spots tucked away near the train station.
The Meeting House restaurant Amagansett might be a memory, but it set the blueprint for what modern Hamptons dining should be: simple, quality-focused, and genuinely welcoming. Its absence left a hole, but it also paved the way for the next generation of chefs to try and capture that same coastal magic. Next time you're sitting in Amagansett Square, take a look at the brickwork of the old space. It's a reminder that in a place obsessed with the "new," the classics are what we actually remember.