One Block East

What a welcome change from what used to be here. The previous restaurant had a slightly similar menu, but NYC prices, not really something that works for sub par food on Long Island. Needless to say, happy when that closed, and was excited to try out One Block East. My only complaint and the reason for not 5 stars was the website didn’t work to check out the menu beforehand.
Excellent food, service was pretty good, bartender seemed a little clueless, but was still nice and welcoming. Great beer selection, what a diverse selection! And the food was great too, my niece was thrilled to actually have some great gluten free options, what a nice surprise. Can’t wait to come back!

Sorry to say we won’t return. OBE has gone steadily downhill since changing from Mara’s. We were greatly disappointed with 1) the Portobello sandwich (just a grilled mushroom with fake melted cheese on a skimpy bun) bland and boring and not worth the price. 2) it’s hard to mess up cole slaw, but OBE managed to do just that. The cole slaw had a strange flavor — someone at our table said it tasted like fuel or gasoline (I’m sure it wasn’t either, but it tasted really bad) and 3) the brisket was really dry. 4) The shrimp also left something to be desired (they were microscopic in size) but they were at least crispy. I hope they correct these issues because we really enjoyed this spot, but we feel our money is better spent at a place that puts more effort into their food.

Last Monday, we decided to try One Block East on recommendations from our friends. So glad we did! We were greeted warmly by the host and then started off with drinks in this upbeat bistro. The four of us had a hard time ordering– what with all the choices. Our friends settled on Clams on the Half shell (with spinach and artichoke) and a Lobster BLT (only after considering the lamb and duck tacos). The clams were brimming with goodies and the thick BLT had HUGE chunks of lobster. I almost forgot that I was a Vegan. So, for me, they had a vegetable chili which had every imaginable veggie in it– and a nice kick. We also had a thick juicy portabello burger. We were too stuffed for one of the tempting desserts, but we’ll be back on Karaōke Tuesday for that Red Velvet! Can’t wait!

Stopped in this past Tues night after my mani & pedi. Long day @ work… Definitely not a night I wanted to go home & start cooking. Off night @ any LI restaurant so I had the place to myself. Ordered a martini. Perused the menu & the owner, Dennis, sat down. What a nice guy. Better yet. what an amazing chef!!! This man knows good, quality food. I ordered the ½ rack of ribs with sides. Well… I barely noticed the sides once i tasted the ribs. I’m no rib connoisseur but I’m definitely a foodie. I’ve only had ribs with sauce. In fact… I mentioned this to the owner. Well… Dennis prepares the ribs with a dry rub & they’re smoked! OMG!!! Delectable!!!
Hate to gush but I am. Gotta love a great chef. Locally… I really enjoy Snaps, however, I get more of a neighborhood feel from One block East.
Would like to go back over the weekend & check out the vibe along with the «pig candy»!!
Kuddos One Block East… My new fav in town

Let me preface this review by saying, I definitely recommend you give this place a try.
That being said, it is not perfect. First we placed an order for wings (Obe BBQ Wings). They were very good. Definitely had a different flavor than your standard wing. They were a bit on the dry side, but had very good flavor regardless.
For my meal, i Ordered st louis style ribs. They were very meaty, smoked relatively well, and had a decent bite and flavor. I really wanted to love them, but something held me back. I’m not sure what it was, but the flavor of them was just not grabbing me.
The table had also ordered some sliced brisket which was decent. I can’t really say anything else about it. It was good-​ish.
The sides here are a step above your side orders at most restaurants. I had coleslaw and fries. Both were pretty remarkable actually. Highly recommend you try them.
Prices are in-​line with what you would expect a decent BBQ restaurant to charge. Everyone I was with seemed pretty satisfied and happy with their meals.
The service here was sorta meh. The place was not what you would call crowded. The waitress stepped over to our table and had a phone with a stylus out to enter our order into their system I am guessing, and just stood there. It was a little awkward. No greeting. No are you guys ready? No Hi. That was pretty consistent throughout the meal. Not sure if she doesn’t speak English well, or if it was just an off night. I do have to mention it, as it was slightly off putting to most people at the table.
Give the place a try. Hope they stick around.

RECOMMENDED
Before I get to the body of this review I’d like to help everyone locate this restaurant since two members of my dining group, experienced former officers, could not easily. It is immediately to your left if you make a left turn onto Merrick Road from Wantagh Avenue, across from Sapporo Japanese Restaurant (yellow sign). It is on the North side of Merrick Road, attached to a small parking lot. Look for the red sign storefront which I photographed (No. 97).
One Block East has a great concept, combining great barbecue with craft beers, whiskeys, wines and libations. Their variety of excellent craft beers listed on a blackboard is exceptional and almost unprecedented on Long Island, this fact alone providing a reason to visit. It is a very small and casual space, but appropriately lit. Seating for members was a bit tight.
I arrived early for a cocktail and the owner, Jay, gave me and, later our group, a friendly greeting. I chose «Not Your Father’s Root Beer», a delicious concoction tasting like soda and at 5.9 ABV, packing a kick. I recommend this drink highly.
Jay graciously provided our group with two gratis appetizers to sample, Crawfish Dip and Alligator Bites. I enjoyed both thoroughly. I also sampled the Fried Pickles, which were superb. My Rib Combo Platter, featuring Baby Back and St. Louis Ribs, was HUGE, reminiscent of the Brontosaurus Ribs which tipped over Fred Flintstone’s SUV (two points if you get this reference). Tip… unless you are a cavonne, get half rack portions here. The Ribs were cooked perfectly, mid-​way between nice chew and falling off the bone. They were nicely seasoned. Jay supplied both hot and regular barbecue sauce. Both were good. My sides were a mixed bag. I loved the collard greens which were nicely balanced between vinegary and sweet. The mashed potatoes, however, were bland. I, and our group, were too full for dessert.
Members really enjoyed their dishes. The two or three who ordered burgers pronounced them excellent. One member, who seldom eats meat, proclaimed herself a converted carnivore based on her burger. Another member complimented the Lobster Salad appetizer. It contained A LOT of very fresh and tasty lobster meat. Those ordering Pulled Pork also enjoyed it immensely. Finally, the Fried Mac & Cheese appetizer was deemed delicious.
The individual checks (which Jay graciously agreed to do) came with a non-​disclosed 20 percent service charge. I did not care because our group always tips above 20% by rule but it would have been nice to know before hand.
Our group really enjoyed One Block East. It is one of the best gastropubs I’ve tried on LI. We would not hesitate to return.

Came in early on a Sunday evening craving brisket but ended up with a Jerk Catfish special instead. Everything on my plate was delicious, the beans were super smoky and not overly sweet, the collard greens were great and the fish was also very tasty if not what I would call Jerk, more smoky but tender and good. Bartender was very friendly and tasting a few tap beers from the huge selection wasn’t a problem till I chose one. Also was not a problem changing from mashed potato to the beans. I thought a piece of cornbread would be served with the meal but didn’t request any in the interest of calories. I ended up chatting with the owner for quite a while about craft beers and hiking. I will be back to try that brisket as soon as I get control of the holiday «spread»

Hubby and I stopped into this new gastro pub everyone has been raving about. We were greeted by friendly staff and seated right away. The beer and wine selections are great. We started with the brisket nachos, the brisket was a bit dry. We each had a burger, which were good. The fries are delicious!
I would like to go back and try something different, the menu is vast with a lot of special varieties that you might not see elsewhere. I think this place is definitely worth another visit!

Not bad, but we were hoping for much better…
I was here on a Friday night with my wife, the bar was packed and there were a few tables available. The waitress was kind enough to get us as far away from the bar as possible. Even though I insisted that I didn’t mind, since we are usually the loud people at the bar anyway.
They had a very good selection of craft beers, but only 3 IPA’s. More IPA’s please! 2 of the IPA’s were sessions and 1 was not. Of course I order the non session IPA. The waitress told me that they were out of it. Sad face! I was stuck with a 4.75 abv founders.
All of the bottled beers were priced fair, most being about $ 7. The draft beers were priced on the high side. Looking at the list you can seen that they sought after some really unique brew, but something on draft under $ 10 would be cool. I’ve been to a lot of craft beer bars, in fact they are the only bars that I seek out and this was one of the most expensive (on Long Island). My wife ordered a Not Your Fathers Root Beer, she likes that sweet stuff. It was served in a can, we’d prefer it in a bottle… Just sayin.
My wife would have loved to have a glass of Paumanok vineyards semi dry Riesling, but at $ 13 a glass she said «no freaking way». This is a terrific wine (if you like a sweet wine, which my wife does) from a terrific vineyard that we have been to many times. However, we buy this wine by the bottle for $ 19.99 And it’s served at the vineyard for $ 6 per glass. I totally understand that restaurants are supposed to make money by marking up the price of wine and liquor, but $ 13 is just too much for that wine. $ 10 would have been fine. We dine out all the time and I mean all the time! We always see similar wines priced lower. We have never seen a glass of wine on a menu before and stopped and said «that seems too high», but this really caught our attention. Specialty mixed drinks averaged $ 14. I didn’t have one, I don’t know how large the servings are or how good they are so I’ll leave them alone.
So to sum up the bar, they can shave off a few dollars here and there. Also with a beer menu as long as theirs they could throw on a double or triple IPA or two.
For appetizers we ordered the Alligator bites and the fried pickles. This was a mistake on my part given the redundancy of the two dishes. Both fried in the same batter and served with the same remoulade. I had to have the alligator just because I hardly ever see it on a menu and I remember really enjoying it that last time I had it at a bar in Florida. The dish was a total loss for me. The pieces were so small and ultimately tasted like nothing. It was about $ 13 and I get it, alligator isn’t easy to come by in these parts and must be expensive, but anything over $ 7 for this appetizer is too much, only because it wasn’t very good. The fried pickles on the other hand were the best that I’ve ever had! Every other time that I’ve had fried pickles, I found that they get rubbery. These fried pickles were great.
For entrees I kept it light and got a chicken Ceasar salad. My wife had the pulled pork with mac, collards, and cornbread. My salad was good. The chicken had a fantastic smokey taste to it and the dressing was spot on. I wish the salad was a little bit bigger, just a little more lettuce would have done the trick.
My wife’s pulled pork was served at room temperature. She kindly asked for it to be hot, which they promptly corrected. We really hate sending food back, and almost never do, but at room temperature the pork wasn’t appetizing at all. If Kansas City style means that it is meant to be served lukewarm then we are sure glad that we don’t live there! The mac was good, nothing special, nothing fancy. She enjoyed it. The collards were good. Ultimately, she didn’t really like the pulled pork. She said that it didn’t have a lot of flavor and was a bit fatty. I tried it and I added some of their spicy BBQ sauce to it. I wound up really liking it, mostly due to the spicy BBQ sauce. The sauce is freakin insanely good!
Overall, we found some good and some not so good with our experience here.

The wings are soooooo good.
Love that they have GF options. The fried shrimp was delicious and so were the alligator bites.
The drinks are great. I’m a fan of the Smoke Without Fire and Wyder’s pear hard cider which nowhere else has.
I know not to get a salad here when I’m so hungry because it wasn’t loaded enough for my appetite. Super small amount of chicken.
But. I crave the wings daily, everything is delicious, every single person that works there is super nice, and it’s all around a great experience every time.

This place definitely lived up to my expectations of food, alcohol, service and atmosphere.
FOOD & ALCOHOL:
We got a half rack of ribs with collard greens and smoked beans, pulled pork with mashed potatoes and mac & cheese, a cider and an IPA. I was excited to try this new spot. Since I grew up in NC, I have high expectations for pulled pork, ribs and all of the other comfort food that I knew so well in the South.
The food was delicious! We appreciated the fact that our food was not slathered in BBQ sauce, but rather spice rubbed and still managed to have moisture without sauce. That’s a skill. We loved that there was yummy spicy and regular BBQ sauces to use on the side. Surprisingly, the collard greens were probably my favorite. They were so flavorful! The mashed potatoes were exactly how I liked them, and I can now say the same with the mac & cheese (since I’ve never had them served this way with sprinkled cheese on top.) So good! The alcohol selection is vast and we both enjoyed what we got. Everything was served in big portions, so we tasted each other’s and saved the rest for today’s lunch.
Reviewing the morning after is always a good idea, considering the way my stomach feels afterward, is another indication of the food. Comfort food sometimes is too heavy for my stomach and I regret eating those things I knew I shouldn’t have. Very few times when I eat so heavily, do I feel fine in the morning. Hallelujah.
SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE
Rick was our server. I was sure to grab his name to put in this review, because he was great all around. He made sure to ask all the right questions, be there at the right time and offer suggestions when needed. Despite having other tables, he made sure to share his attention to all.
The atmosphere is great. I loved the décor, lighting and music selection. Tom Petty and some other classics were playing. I’m looking forward to coming back and want to try the lobster. The food around here sucks compared to the city, so thank you for opening something worthwhile to spend my money on.

Stupefyingly horrendous «cuisine» sums up this alleged Bbq joint. It was completely crowded on an evening evincing the dearth of good bbq joints in Long Island.
With one bite of the alleged bbq I died a little inside. Why am I here? Why am I not at bobbique or sempre fame? Well I had to finish it. A waste of calories hell yeah. But I was in the place and didn’t feel like taking it to go (which is my code for toss it in the trash as you leave.)
The blandness of the food was something to behold. Like coke zero without the coke. Like the louvre without art.
The baked beans side was a runnily messy concoction of a few black beans and a few baked beans. I felt bad for the beans as they bathed helplessly swimming around hoping for help that would not be coming from more beans.
Hands down the worst bbq I’ve ever ate in any city state planet solar system or Galaxy. Avoid like the plague. Actually the plague would have been more welcome.
I see there is a manager of the store policing these reviews and going down their receipts etc. improve your place don’t attack the customers.

Tried this place a few weeks ago after reading all the 5 star reviews on here…
Came here with my father, upon walking in no one was seated at the bar, and one table was taken, we weren’t greeted which didn’t really bother me, but I wasn’t sure if we should just grab a table, or wait to be seated, so the minute or so that passed by i felt kind of awkward just standing there
once we sat we started off with the the pork empanadas which i must say were absolutely delicious, easily the best part of the meal
then to order I asked the waitress (who was very nice) a couple questions about certain things, and it didn’t seem like she knew the menu too well because she kept asking the guy behind the bar, not a huge deal, I just like to ask for recommendations and stuff when trying a new place, its good for a server to be interactive
also the iphone ordering system was kind of weird as opposed to just writing down the order with pen paper, had to go thru the order a couple times so the waitress could get it right (i don’t think its her fault, seemed like the ordering app was giving her trouble, go back to the pen and paper no need to be hi tech with everything)
i ordered the pulled pork sandwich and my father ordered the sliced brisket platter with mac and cheese and collared greens
my sandwich was ok, nothing great, the portion size for $ 12.95 was wayyyy too small, something that would be better suited for a 10 year old, I left starving, I ate the sandwich in about 3 bites, literally, and the fries didn’t do much to fill me, I was pretty disappointed knowing that you can get a much bigger sandwich elsewhere for under $ 10
on to my fathers meal, the collard greens, very good! The brisket had a good taste, but it was very dry, had to cover it in sauce… W hat was shocking here was the mac and cheese, it had ZERO taste, didn’t even taste like there was cheese in it, just pasta covered in an off white sauce, and it had a very grainy texture to it, similar to that of mashed potatoes
who knows, based on all these reviews maybe I just caught them on an off day?

Oh the promise. This place looked really good. I would give it 3.5 stars. First the good. Staff is very very friendly and the service is quite good. The menu is very promising.
I began with the crocodile nuggets. They seemed to be bit overly breaded and did not really taste like much. Next came the brisket which was good. Could have used a bit more beef (as shown in the Picture). The mac and cheese was lacking flavor (note: I do prefer baked mac and cheese to their version). But I should not have to add salt to mac and cheese… and here I did. The collard greens were very good. The Briket its self while a meager portion was tasty. The beer selection was impressive I had some bourbon bacon bread pudding for desert that was tasty as well
The BBQ sauce was also very good and was a highlight. They need to add Cheese grits to their menu. Overall it was a good experience but the food needs some tweaking

OBE has a small yet awesome selection of draft beers. There were half a dozen options on tap; all of which were tap and a few of which were local. A couple of the local options were from a Taste of Long Island — this is a nanobrewery in Farmingdale and OBE is the only place you’ll find their beer on tap outside of it’s own facilities. The staff is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the beer selection. OBE also has a few wines as well as an extensive liquor selection with an emphasis on whiskeys.
For starters, we split the swamp corn which is like popcorn chicken or shrimp except with alligator. It’s an interesting take. The bites are ideal for dipping in pub’s awesome sauces.
For lunch, I had the pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork was soft and delicious. I could have ate a heaping of the pork on it’s own. The pork combined with the cole slaw and the potato bun made for a tasteful sandwich. The proportions of each element were on point. The sandwich came with a side of fries which offered more opportunities to dip into the delicious sauces provided. My favorite sauce was the spicy BBQ!

Shot through for lunch with my dad today. He & I both loved it. The local hometown feel. Cozy, yet friendly. Beth our server was exceptional. Friendly & patient since it took us s while to make our minds up. We ordered 2 Caribbean Punches & started with the fried green, yet they were red but definitely tasted green tomatoes. We love love loved the tomatoes. Fried perfectly crispy & the coating didn’t fall off when I cut into. It came with a delicious chipotle mayo. We also had the OBE clams with spinach dip & the cocktail clams. Both were fresh & delicious but my dad & I both preferred the cocktail clams. Just a preference people, you decide for yourself. You can’t go wrong either way. We kind of got full so we split an order of ribs. The combo half rack baby back & half rack St. Louis ribs. We ordered the collard greens & smoky beans. Both were delicious. The beans were so full of flavor. A slight sweetness, some tanginess like vinegar or mustard & a back hint of smokiness. I would get a bowl of just the beans, they were that good. Will be back for sure. Jay the owner & Beth were awesome. Oh yeah, we got greedy & ordered a to go plate of Pig Candy. My dad wouldn’t share so I can’t review the flavor but it sure as heck looked good. Thanks dad, I paid & you wouldn’t even let me taste it. LOL

Tonight we tried out One Block East (OBE) in Wantagh which has been open for about 2 months now. Frankly I think you need to get on down there and give it a shot. The owner is on site (always a plus) and besides the good food, they have an incredibly well stocked bar and beer menu. Not much ambiance, but hey, at its core this is a BBQ and Burger joint.
We started by splitting up a batch of their Smoky Wings. The smoke was evident, and where there was smoke there was also a little fire in the seasoning. There was enough heat to get your attention, but not so much as to ruin the meal or sear off your taste buds. Also, the wings themselves looked like they had been training at Muscle Beach; They were big and strong and meaty and tender (See the picture). These wings are about as good as you can get if you really want to taste the smokiness, which I do.
My son had the Fish & Chips (see picture). He really liked how light and crunchy the batter was and the fish was very tender and flaky.
I ordered the Chopped Brisket Sandwich, and it was outstanding. Smoky and slightly fatty brisket with a sweet side sauce on a potato bun (see picture). Yum-​yum. The bun was nice and fresh, and was also a little quiet which was good because I didn’t want anything to intrude on the brisket. The bun did its job perfectly; It held the sandwich together.
On the side I had the Smoked Beans. These are not traditional baked beans. (see picture). These are Great Northern and Kidney Beans and the smoke flavor is strong. They add molasses and brisket and pulled pork and they are just sensational.
On the downside, the french fries look good but are not even close to being crispy enough. The place is small enough that you would think they could drop fries in small batches, but maybe I’m asking for too much. Still, it is something that needs to be fixed.
Guaranteed we will be back. Still have to try the fried chicken and the burgers and the deconstructed pies served in Mason jars.

The rave reviews brought us to OBE to check out what all the banter was about. We had intended to go there the Holiday Sunday but they ran out of food and closed early so we tried again and Glad we did. We made rezzys for last Friday night at 8:30 to check this place out and were seated immediately upon arrival and greeted by a bubbly wonderful server; Beth L., a fellow Elite member… Never was served by a fellow Elite before so this was a real treat. Beth introduced us to «J», the owner and the evening was off to a grand start. We felt like family members and couldnt wait to chow down on the vittles.
I was in need of an embibement and was drawn to the Sazarac and Bonnie G. had Abita Light beer… both were super and appropriate for a BBQ fest. For Appys we had the Fried Pickles, briny coated slices deep fried to golden brown with a nice dipping sauce… mmmm! And, the OBE Clams which were unbelievable. Looked like cherry stones with topping of spinach and sauce Grilled to perfection. They were not overcooked and the clam tasted fresh from the sea.
We were actually full at that point but not to be deterred we got the mains:
Combo Ribs– half baby back and half St. Louis Style with Collard Greens and Baked Potato.
Fried Chicken– Half a chicken deep fried to perfection while remainiing juicy on the inside.
Corn Bread– Lets not forget the Corn Bread… was delish and held up for lunch on Saturday.
We could only finish half of the portions and took home the leftovers. On Saturday for lunch we reheated the ribs and chicken… they were actually better the second day… like chinese food! They were meaty, juicy and out of this world!
OBE is not fancy but homey with a good vibe and lotsa happy patrons chowing down on great food accompanied by outstanding service from our own Beth L.
We shall return soon to try the other dishes cause they all looked good…

Wow! This place! The service… awesome… the food… the bomb! I kept seeing One Block East pop up on my Unilocal and I knew I had to try it from all the great reviews. I was speaking to the manager and I couldn’t believe the place was only open for three weeks. I’m very impressed.
Their beer selection is massive for such a tiny place. And when I say tiny, I don’t mean uncomfortably tiny, I’m going more for intimate. It was very comfortable. I ordered the pear cider and it was delicious! When I ordered the pear cider I was kindly asked if I was gluten-​free, which I’m not, but the manager said that they offer many gluten-​free options. It’s great to see that they cater to a wider audience.
We ordered the clam appetizer to start, super yummy. And then all my friends and I got the classic burger. What I liked most about this burger was that it was a manageable size, not like the monstrous burgers you get elsewhere, so I was actually able to finish it. The fries were also good as well.
I will totally be back. I wish them much success!

One Block East where have you been all my life??? This place just opened and let me tell you, the food is awesome!!!
I came here on a saturday at around 1pm and was greeted by the owner who was a super friendly guy. We asked to sample a couple of the craft beers that were on tap and he was more than happy to oblige. The beers were great, super fresh and right on point.
We were in the mood to try a bunch of things so we ordered a few appetizers. One was a beer cheese app that was lightly toasted bread with a bowl of cheese spread. Absolutely delicious and goes with many of the craft beers on tap! We also had the wings which were large for a wing, super meaty and had such a nice crisp skin, perfectly saucy & seasoned! Another app was the OBE clams which was something I had never experienced but was superb. The clams were grilled, and had a spinach/​artichoke dip on top. When you go you gotta try it!
I cant wait to get back here, one of the best things is its right down the block from my house. Three blocks south actually lol ;-)