Daphne's Swaggers Into Westhampton with Chic Cocktails & Old-School Hip-Hop

Shafqat Islam is a one-time professional hip-hop DJ who founded a successful startup, sold it, and got into the restaurant business, becoming a partner in a Westhampton Beach burger joint. After some field research, he saw the place needed a fresh concept.

It happened quickly — a three-month turn-around — but he assembled a new team and reopened this spring as Daphne’s, a cocktail bar and bistro that, like Islam, doesn’t shy away from showing off a little cosmopolitan swagger.

OK, define swagger: The “vibey” open-till-late bar scene. The risqué art and moody color-tones, the dark blue glossy bar. There are the playfully elevated menus inclusive to people with dietary restrictions. And then, of course, there’s the hand-curated, thoughtfully orchestrated ’90s hip-hop playlist that takes diners on what Islam, 42, calls a musical “journey.”

It’s an atmosphere that aligns with the current zeitgeist-y seamlessness of urban-hustle and high-end, a happy marriage that has taken popular culture by storm. The concept has soared in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, but would it take off here, in the Hamptons, where residents are notoriously finicky about the restaurants they frequent and roundly suspected of seeking escape from reminders of city life?

“When people tell us we took a lot of risks, and we did … they were intentional to kind of let people know who we are. This is our personality,” says Islam, who still holds a “day job” as chief marketing officer of the software company he sold and lives full-time now in Westhampton.

What you see, feel, taste and hear at Daphne’s is all personally curated. The restaurant’s website touts its eclectic braintrust of “chefs, restaurateurs, tech entrepreneurs, DJs and food lovers.” It’s like a Hamptons showcase for their respective passions. That’s where Islam comes in. After all, he sold and still works for a marketing company.

Daphne’s is becoming synonymous with good, locally sourced food, a late-nite bar scene and throwback ’90s-era beats that provide a nostalgic soundtrack for a crowd that probably came of age during the rise of rap and hip-hop royalty like Biggie, Jay-Z, Tupac, Nas and Dr. Dre.

“People told us that it was risky here (in the Hamptons), and it’s not common (to hear a lot of these artists in restaurants), but I’d say it’s been a massive success,” Islam says. “Everyone loves it. A lot of the people here (in Westhampton Beach) grew up with hip-hop and the reception has been tremendous to the music.”

To the food, as well. “Really high quality and local,” says Islam. As much as possible, he says, Daphne’s will be using seafood from Haskell’s day-boats, meats from Justin’s Chop Shop, and cheeses and veggies from the local Saturday farmers market. Daphne’s is also growing herbs in its patio garden, where you can also dine (and frolic) outdoors.

The menus at Daphne’s — there’s one for brunch, the raw bar and dinner — were developed by former Starr Boggs chef Jack Clark, who will be running the kitchen. He’s offering up some casual Mediterranean hits, like a lamb burger with feta and a coffee and mint rub that’s accompanied by herbed fries and a Harissa aioli. More traditional fare like steak frites and pan-roasted branzino is contrasted by a Wagyu burger with cheddar and Russian dressing.

Don’t worry, there’s a lobster roll, too (hot or cold with truffle butter) and a lobster eggs Benedict for brunch. “Chef is from the area and knows what people want around here,” says Islam.

Now to the chic bar, which gets progressively livelier as the night gets older. The cocktail menu introduces concoctions such as the Dune Road Daiquiri, the Good Morning Marg (tequila, cucumber juice, coconut juice and water, electrolyte drops, lime and agave) and the Yuzu Palmer. The bar menu will be able to accommodate everyone from the connoisseur of reserve wines to revelers who simply want a healthy, or just “insanely creative,” alternative to a popular cocktail.

While there’s no dancing at Daphne’s, you’re seemingly encouraged to have a good time. To help that part of it along, Islam has thought deeply about the sonic pleasures that will accompany your social time.

The night’s music comes in three waves: Daphne’s by Day, Daphne’s by Dusk and Daphne’s by Night. “You’ll go to a lot of fancy New York restaurants these days and they’re blasting old-school hip-hop, but if you ask anyone there, they don’t know who Mobb Deep is,” Islam says.

The difference with his playlists, says Islam, is that he’s a true fan of the genre and an old-school hip-hop DJ.

“I’m the DJ, I curate it, and there’s a whole journey I take people on during the night,” he says. “It’s not just random. Over time it starts building.”

He says he usually sets the mood in early evenings with instrumental or melodic hip-hop (think A Tribe Called Quest or Mos Def), but that by 10:30 p.m. he’s moved on to deeper, grittier cuts from the aforementioned ’90s hip-hop legends (and Mobb Deep, too.)

“By 10:30 or 11, you want the bar pumping. So that journey is very intentional. No one’s allowed to hit shuffle,” he says.

Islam says he believes he’s found the right balance between local and leisure, and plans to stay open year-round. That’s due, in part, to having consulted with the local Westhampton Beach community before choosing the right concept to inherit the former space of LT Burger, a restaurant he replaced after recognizing that it “was not such a hit” with local Facebook groups.

“The town said, ‘We want somewhere nice to eat good, local food, have drinks, have it open late,’” he says. “And it was very clear that this was missing.”

Daphne’s is located at 115 Main Street, Westhampton Beach. For more info, visit daphnesny.com.