Will travel for food.

Last week we hit the road and checked out a lovely restaurant near the water in Hampton Bays.

The restaurant, Good Ground Tavern, is located in the historic Canoe Place Inn which has been around for decades and received a major update three years ago.

Dining at the Good Ground Tavern in Hampton Bays feels a bit like stumbling into a coastal time machine that someone wisely upgraded with proper lighting and a cocktail program.

Canoe Place Inn is steeped in history, welcoming gangsters, jazz artists, bootleggers, and now us.

The vibe strikes that Hamptons balance of elevated casual. It is polished without being precious or Goop pretentious.

The food is solid. Not boundary-pushing, but well executed. Think seasonal pastas, fresh seafood and steakhouse comfort dressed for a summer evening.

The lobster spaghetti earns its keep, the flatbreads feel designed for sharing and the cocktails walk the line between inventive and safe.

The cocktails are huge and quite tasty. I enjoyed a delightful Aperol Spritz and my daughter ordered a Spa Water Spritz with Gin, Cucumber, Fresh Lemon and Prosecco

Local Oysters were excellent ($24).

The Tavern Caesar Salad was tasty, although I have a problem when salads are not chilled ($22).

The tender, flavorful Green Circle Farm Chicken was a generous portion with wonderful potatoes and spinach ($38).

My husband’s Sungold Tomato Buccatini with lobster was deliciously ample loaded with fresh lobster meat ($46).

Service is smooth, polite without the theater of hovering. Prices, surprisingly, are Hamptons-adjacent. It is not a bargain but you won’t need to pawn the coveted beach pass.

Good Ground Tavern doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it polishes the rims nicely.

The food and ambiance is worth the drive on a lovely spring, summer or fall evening as the enticing garden dining is a must.

Good Ground Tavern in the Canoe Place Inn & Cottages 239 East Montauk Highway Hampton Bays, New York. Open daily 8:30am-10pm. Reservations on Resy.