Nothing you order at Randazzo’s Clam Bar will be the best thing you ever ate. But you can’t say you know Sheepshead Bay unless you know Randazzo’s. It is the indisputable heart and soul of the neighborhood, a hold-out from the days when working class clam bars lined that storied waterfront.
Today, you’ll still find a thriving seaside community, but the vibe is decidedly contemporary. New luxury condos are going up all over, and recent Russian immigrants from nearby Brighton Beach spill into Sheepshead’s streets. The youths of Sheepshead tend to congregate either at the UA movie theater on the other side of the Belt Parkway, or in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot at the water’s edge.
You can dine indoors if you so desire at Randazzo's. But I prefer to sit at the picnic tables outside where I'm serenaded by barkers for the fishing vessels across Emmons Avenue who shout “PORGIES AND BLACK FISH, POOOORGIES AND BLACK FISH. . .WE GUT ‘EM, WEEEEEE CLEAN ‘EM FOR YA” in an almost unintelligible Brooklyn fisherfolk accent.
Raw, baked, steamed, or fried Cherry Stone and Little Neck clams along with a unique spicy tomato dipping sauce is the specialty of the house. But local Blue Point oysters, zuppa di mussels, and clam chowder are consistent crowd pleasers as well. You'll also find some menu options such as King Crab Legs that are clearly not local delicacies, but the salty atmosphere may put you in the mood anyway.
Randazzo’s is a tad bit expensive, and its glory days are clearly behind it. But Sheepshead Bay is always a solid ten degrees cooler than midtown, and breezy Manhattan Beach is just a short, placid walk across the wooden Ocean Avenue Bridge. A meal at Randazzo’s won’t change your life, but even the oldest Brooklynite will give you a little street cred if you drop some Randazzo’s knowledge.
Randazzo's Clam Bar 2017 Emmons Avenue 718-615-0010
