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Whether by car, helicopter, the LIRR, or the infamous Jitney bus, if it's a Friday afternoon between Memorial and Labor Day, Wall Street is going "out east."
2025-07-03
The Hamptons have been a haven for the ultrawealthy since the Astors and Vanderbilts set up estates there more than a century ago, but the transition from fishing and whaling towns to playground for urban professionals really started to take off in the freewheeling 1980s, during Wall Street's boom years.
Since then, the secret has been out, and over the last decade, social media and Bravo's "Summer House" have introduced a whole new generation to these once-sleepy seaside towns of Long Island.
Walker Ward, who previously sold data and research to hedge funds and other large investors, told Business Insider that the Hamptons remain a recreation hub for stressed-out Wall Streeters looking to escape the heat and humidity of the city.
"There's so much to do there," Ward said, who has summered there for the better part of the last decade. "Why wouldn't you want to go out there if you could afford it?"
Whether you're looking to relax or rage, there's something for everyone — as long as you have deep pockets. And, as with any destination for the wealthy, these resort towns offer ample opportunity to peacock.
"The Hamptons, especially with social media, have become a runway show for people to go out and flaunt what they have, how much money they make, and what kind of car they're driving," said Ward, who now parodies Wall Street on social media as WalkSauce42.
In preparation for the July 4 holiday, we spoke to current and former financial industry professionals, as well as some Hamptons locals and business proprietors, about this year's hottest hangouts. Some of the industry insiders we spoke to asked to remain anonymous to protect their jobs because speaking to the press is either forbidden or frowned upon.
Here are 7 top Hamptons hangouts for bankers, traders, and more.
Surf Lodge
The Surf Lodge's beach deck.Rebecca Smeyne/Getty Images
This was the most-mentioned spot, which is why we're putting it first. It's a quaint seaside hotel and restaurant, as well as a sceney place to get bottle service on the beach and hear live music and top DJs in Montauk. But FYI, tickets for entry on July 4th are pretty much sold out. A table on the beach for 10 for the next day is listed as $7,500.
"The tendie towers baby, that's the intern's favorite, and the holy grail," Ward joked to BI. "Everyone knows Surf Lodge."
Someone who previously worked at a large investment bank confirmed it's popular with the Wall Street crowd.
"It's got a DJ, a deck. You pay thousands for a table," he said.
Le Bilboquet Sag Harbor
Le BilboquetEugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Condé Nast Traveler
The Sag Harbor outpost of this Upper East Side French restaurant opened in 2017, and has since built a reputation for being "one of the satellite offices for the elite," said Ward, who currently summers in Amagansett, between East Hampton and Montauk.
The restaurant bans shorts and flip-flops and is perched alongside a marina deep enough to allow large yachts to dock.
"Everyone loves to sit there and drink wine and look at the sterns of all these massive yachts," Ward said.
The Wall Street recruiter described it as "another see and be seen spot."
The menu offers a seafood tower complete with a dozen oysters, king crab, langoustine, shrimp, a half lobster, snow crab and shrimp for $250, a 100-gram tin of Caviar Ossetra Imperial for $490, and their signature Le Poulet Cajun, a $39 Cajun-spice-rubbed chicken with a beurre-blanc sauce, salad, and fries.
Stephen Talkhouse
Stephen TalkhouseBryan Bedder/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Stephen Talkhouse, founded in 1987, is also known for its live music scene. It's become so popular with vacationers that one Hamptons local complained to BI of summer lines that "wrapped around the village." Ward agreed, saying you have to know the staff in order to "Trojan Horse" your way in.
Located in Amagansett, between Montauk and East Hampton, its website describes it as "a legendary music scene and casual neighborhood bar in one. The music calendar for the July Fourth weekend includes "Secret Sellebrity Society Band" and alt-rockers "Kids That Fly."
Mary Lou's
Mary Lou's MontaukCourtesy of Mary Lou's Montauk
The Palm Beach outpost of Mary Lou's is well attended by local financiers and the socially or politically connected. It's also attracted popular musical acts from The Chainsmokers to Mojave Grey.
Mary Lou's Montauk branch, which opened earlier this year, is aiming to provide the same ambiance and flair. Cofounder Alex Melilla told BI that the crowd so far has been "a more mature crowd, affluent crowd, influencers, tastemakers, as well as a great local scene." The
The Wall Street set may be especially drawn to the special menu set to be curated by the team behind Marea, the luxurious seafood restaurant just a stone's throw from Deutsche Bank Center in midtown, which Mary Lou's will offer during a weekend later this month.
Duryea's Montauk
Rachel Askinasi/Insider
Duryea's is a seafood restaurant on the water in Montauk known for its $97 lobster cobb salad.
"In my 20's that was the only place we would go on summer weekends there because it was cheap and easy," one Wall Street recruiter said. Not anymore. "People go to Duryea's on their yachts and tender to shore."
Gurney's Montauk
Beach vibe at Gurney'sEugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Poppi
Wall Streeters looking to decompress might turn to Gurney's Resort & Seawater Spa, a 146-room hotel and spa with multiple al fresco dining options along a lush stretch of beach in Montauk.
The Wall Street headhunter said it remains one of the most popular outposts for the financial crowd — and Lizabeth Zindel, the editor-in-chief of Hamptons Social Magazine, explained why: "It's absolutely beautiful," Zindel told BI. "There's a huge terrace as well, which overlooks the ocean from up above."
On the menu at the outdoor Firepit lounge are creative cocktail concoctions like the Chocolate Negroni; the "Afternoon Tea" featuring Earl Grey, bergamot, gin, and cream; and the "Improved Grasshopper" featuring mint and chocolate liqueurs. Each is $23.
As with any wealthy enclave, the Hamptons boasts numerous country clubs.
The Hampton's local described Southampton's Shinnecock, which is hosting next year's US Open, as the "fanciest golf place out here." Ward cited East Hampton's Maidstone Club as another place where "fancy people" from the Street spend their time "hobnobbing."
"Maidstone is the Arnie poster above the bed," he said, referring to a poster of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a pro bodybuilder above an aspiring muscleman's bed. "It's what you aspire to be."
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Emmalyse Brownstein is a freelance journalist who was previously a finance reporter at Business Insider. Her focus was Wall Street careers and workplace culture, and she wrote everything from exclusive scoops to deep-dive features, profiles, explainers, and investigations. Emmalyse’s stories brought readers inside some of the world’s most powerful financial institutions, unpacking themes including Gen Z’s entrance on Wall Street, infighting over return-to-office policies, the high-stress lives of junior bankers, rigorous industry recruiting practices, and the rise of Wall Street South.Before joining BI, she was a national reporter at McClatchy Media and wrote for Miami New Times. You can reach her at emmalyse.brownstein@gmail.com.Popular articles
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Reed Alexander was a correspondent at Business Insider covering Wall Street, with a focus on investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase.In this capacity, he's broken consequential stories that have defined the civic conversation in the financial-services industry. He's written hundreds of articles, unearthing JPMorgan's secretive corporate surveillance-monitoring tools tracking employees' comings and goings, to profiling the real-life former investment banker who built a digital alter ego as "Litquidity" and became a household name on Wall Street.Reed was previously an entertainment business correspondent at BI, where he reported on the media industry and Hollywood companies like Disney. Prior to joining Business Insider in 2020, Reed reported and wrote for publications ranging from Dow Jones Media Group's MarketWatch and Moneyish, to CNN International, where he began his career based in the Hong Kong bureau.Reed is also a professor of journalism at the University of Miami's School of Communication, where fellow faculty awarded him their highest honor — the distinction of Communicator of the Year — in 2022. In 2024, he teaches a course called "Covering Hollywood," a specialty journalism course which takes students inside the machinations of reporting on the global media industry, and equips them with the tools to tell stories about the figures who dominate it.Reed has been interviewed by leading national and international news broadcasts and publications, ranging from CNN and NBC's "Today" show to "People" Magazine and the Associated Press. LinkedIn also named him one of its ten Top Voices for the Next Generation, highlighting his leadership in business journalism.He holds a bachelor's degree from New York University and a master's degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.**Expertise
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