Shuckers rejoice — Little Creek Oysters is back.
The decade-old oyster shack and market — which brought to life the waterfront behind Bootleg Alley off Front Street with consistent crowds clamoring for its shellfish offerings — ceased operations following collapsed negotiations with its landlord, briefly leaving the business without a home. Now, Ian Wile, Rosalie Rung and Travis Zurawski’s nautical Greenport treasure is set to reopen in a building they own, just in time for the annual Shellabration that takes place throughout the village.
Following the October closure, the oyster shack has been revamped and reimagined on Carpenter Street in the former Greenport Distilling & Bar (211 Carpenter St.), with a larger space that makes room for more of Little Creek’s quirky concepts while retaining its folksy charm.
“We’ve spent the last five weeks trying to make sure that we can do what we could do before,” says Wile. “We had developed a very bizarre set of skills in a bizarre fish tank. The nice part is that now, with the [extra] elbow room, we are hoping to add some things.”
A Familiar Feel
The new space includes an expanded market, which has grown from the tin fish and apparel of the Bootleg Alley days to include pasta, meats and cheeses, as well as brewed coffee. The kitchen, while still compact and visible to all, has more room and is sure to be a boon to the team, who previously had to grill oysters outside the shack even in the colder months.
Photos by David Benthal
“It’s like the perfect graduation,” says Zurawski. “It’s the right size without being overwhelming.”
The second floor, meanwhile, is surrounded by large windows that let in the natural light, making for a casual, coffeehouse-like vibe with comfortable seats and low tables.
“To me, that room is a great mid-afternoon [destination] to grab a coffee or tea, go upstairs with a chowder and sit and watch the shipyard,” Wile says.
Zurawski has seen many changes since he became a partner in the business two years ago, including creating the Sunshine Shack snack bar at Orient Beach State Park in 2022 and the formation of a not-for-profit organization earlier this year. While having to pick up and move is by far the largest challenge he and the Little Creek team have faced, Zurawski says that owning the building is going to make things much easier going forward.
“I always saw us owning a building,” says Zurawski. “We can change things we want to change, the money and time and effort you’re putting in comes through on the back end and we don’t have to ask too many people’s permission to change things around.”
Wile feels that the building, which had been painstakingly renovated by the late chef and restaurateur Frank Purita and his family for the distillery prior to his 2019 death, was perfect for Little Creek.
“What Frank and his family did in here … had they not been as serious and creative about this building, no matter what effort we’d made in here, it’s the only way we’d make the landing. The bar was built. The upstairs was built. We basically finished their story.”
Despite the changes, Little Creek Oysters on Carpenter Street still feels like Little Creek. Most of the decor — a colorful mix of wood filled with cheeky bumper stickers, photography, fine art and self-reflexive nautical kitsch — has returned. The same barstools, some of which have miniature plaques with regulars’ names, line the bar.
“We tried not to hang everything where it was before,” says Wile, before noting that “it’s not a re-creation. It’s different.”
Ready to Shuck
Photos by David Benthal
There is perhaps no better weekend for Little Creek Oysters to reopen than Shellabration weekend, an annual shellfish-themed restaurant crawl in Greenport Village that benefits the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s marine program.
But first, the new Little Creek Oysters will open on Thursday, Dec. 5, for a special art exhibition reception. The Hold Fast Fund, Little Creek’s not-for-profit arm that seeks to uplift community members through “entrepreneurship, mentorship and scholarship,” will host “Faces of Greenport,” a documentary photo series by Times Review Media Group photographer Jeremy Garretson. The photos will be on display through the new year.
Then, Little Creek Oysters will host the VIP kick-off for Shellabration on Friday evening and keep its doors open throughout the weekend with a special menu.
While Little Creek’s regular opening hours are still pending, shuckers who miss the shack’s signature grilled oysters with housemade compound butters can head to Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm (20685 Main Road, Mattituck) on weekends leading up to the holiday for a special pop-up.
Going forward, Wile hopes to reconnect with regulars and new customers alike, as well as continue to host interesting events and initiatives, including presentations and talks in the upstairs space.
“There’s not another property in the village that could have worked,” says Wile. “We’ve settled into being comfortable here.”
For the true Little Creek faithful, though, Wile says that there’s one new feature in particular that will move the needle for everyone.
“There are now three toilets!” Wile exclaims with a laugh. “Everybody wants to talk about the glamorous stuff, but there are now three toilets — and heat. So look out!”
