Sammy's Fish Box Friendsgiving Dinner on City Island

Sammy's Fish Box, at 41 City Island Avenue in the Bronx, takes online reservations for parties of 1 to 12, and its menu is built around feasts meant for sharing. That makes it an unusual but very good choice for a Friendsgiving dinner: instead of a turkey, the table orders platters of lobster, shellfish and paella, each designed for two, and passes them around. The restaurant's own story says it grew from a 26-seat snack bar into a 500-seat dining room, so there is space for a big group.

The restaurant's about page dates the beginning of the Sammy's story to 1966, when it opened as a small snack bar on City Island. Over the following decades it expanded into the large full-service restaurant that now sits near the island's entrance, and the site says the kitchen prepares upwards of one million meals a year. The scale is obvious when you walk in, with several dining rooms, a long bar and staff who move big orders quickly.

City Island itself is part of the experience. The small fishing village at the edge of the Bronx feels far from the rest of the city, with marinas, seafood houses and narrow side streets that end at the water. Expect Bronx families on a weekend outing, couples who drove in from Westchester and groups of friends who treat the trip as a mini vacation, which is exactly the mood for a Friendsgiving.

The menu's Fabulous Feasts for 2 are the reason to come with a group. The Lobster Lovers Feast is $209.95, the Seafood and BBQ Feast is also $209.95, the Italian Feast is $259.95 and the Paella de España is $269.95. A table of eight can order four different feasts and pass them around, which gives everyone a taste of lobster, shellfish, pasta and paella without each person ordering separately.

For a starter, the Montauk Tower Seafood Chiller is $108.95 and the Shell Fish Extraveganza, spelled that way on the menu, is also $108.95. Either one works as the centerpiece while the hot feasts are prepared. Coconut Shrimp is $26.95 and the Super Fried Seafood Combo Platter is $53.95 for friends who prefer fried seafood to raw. Live Maine lobsters up to 5 pounds are sold at market price for the table that wants one giant showpiece.

The feast format also makes the bill easy to settle. Each feast is priced for two, so a group of eight that orders four feasts can split each one between the two people who shared it, or simply divide the whole check by eight. The restaurant even published a February 2026 post on its own blog titled Family Feasts and Shared Platters at Sammys Fish Box, which shows how central this style of eating is to the place. For a Friendsgiving, that shared-platter habit is the whole point.

An honest call: skip ordering a tower and a feast for every pair, since the portions are famous for being massive and most tables leave with containers. For eight people, two feasts plus one tower and a fried combo is usually more than enough. Save the market-price lobster for a smaller group of four, where one big lobster makes a real centerpiece.

The online booking form covers parties from 1 to 12. For a Friendsgiving larger than that, call (718) 885-0920 and ask the staff how they can seat the group, since the restaurant has several rooms and a 500-seat capacity. A weekday dinner in November is the easiest time to get a large table, while weekend afternoons draw families from across the borough.

The dining room seats guests Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 11 pm, and on Friday and Saturday dine-in service runs until 12:30 am, with takeout until 2 am. That late schedule means a Friendsgiving can start after work and still have plenty of time. If the group plans a late weekend dinner, the island stays lively after dark, which is unusual for this part of the Bronx.

City Island has no subway. Take the 6 train to Pelham Bay Park, the last stop, and transfer to the Bx29 bus, which crosses the bridge onto the island and runs along City Island Avenue. Sammy's sits near the start of the avenue, so the ride from the bus stop is short. The trip from Midtown takes about an hour and 15 minutes in total.

Driving is easier, and Sammy's offers extensive valet parking with four large lots, according to its site. That makes it one of the few New York restaurants where a big group can arrive by car without circling for a spot. Coordinate drivers in advance, since the bridge onto the island is a single route in and out.

Before dinner, walk down City Island Avenue to the City Island Nautical Museum on Fordham Street, housed in a former schoolhouse, which tells the story of the island's shipbuilding and sailing history. The walk passes marinas and old clapboard houses and takes about 15 minutes. On a clear November afternoon, the light over Eastchester Bay makes for a good group photo at the water's edge.

For a longer outing, Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park, on Park Drive, is a short drive back across the bridge. The crescent beach is empty in November, and a walk along its promenade before dinner gives the group fresh air and room to talk. After the meal, the island is quiet, and a slow walk back to the bus stop or the valet stand is a calm way to end the night.

Sammy's Fish Box, 41 City Island Avenue, Bronx, NY 10464, on City Island. Phone (718) 885-0920. Dine-in Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 12:30 am, takeout until 2 am on weekends. Online booking for 1 to 12 guests. Feasts for 2 from $209.95, Montauk Tower Seafood Chiller $108.95. Valet parking with four lots.