Best Restaurants on the Jersey Shore
Our picks for the best restaurants on the Jersey Shore: 15 local businesses, with phone numbers, addresses and websites. Chosen by the NJ Business Directory team; sponsored listings are labeled.
Looking for restaurants in Jersey Shore towns? This guide runs from Highlands, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Asbury Park and Manasquan in Monmouth County to Margate City, Brigantine, Ventnor City and Somers Point in Atlantic County and Stone Harbor in Cape May County. Expect seafood, Italian, Caribbean, Mexican, brunch cafes, a diner and supper clubs. Check each restaurant's own site for hours.
Browse all restaurants or Monmouth, Atlantic and Cape May County listings on NJ Business Directory. Inland for the day? See our Morris County restaurant guide.
Each listing is reviewed by a real person before it goes live. Own a shore restaurant? Add it free or claim your existing listing, and see how our listing plans compare. Questions? Reach us through our contact page.
Steve & Cookie’s By The Bay
Restaurants
9700 Amherst Ave, Margate City
Steve & Cookie's By the Bay is a restaurant and oyster bar on Amherst Avenue in Margate City, Atlantic County. It occupies a former supper club built around 1932 and, per its site, is heading into its 29th year on the bay. The kitchen stays true to the classics its regulars expect while changing with the seasons, built around fresh, local ingredients. Staff guide guests through the menu and the drinks list.
Vic’s Italian Restaurant & Bar
Restaurants
60 Main St, Bradley Beach
Vic's Italian Restaurant on Main Street in Bradley Beach, Monmouth County, grew out of Vic's Tap Room, which Vittorio "Vic" Giunco opened after Prohibition ended in 1933. Vittorio and his wife, Carmella, had come from Genoa, Italy, and around 1940 the business moved to its current location on the south end of town. Four generations later, the family still serves Italian food, including its pizza, with take-out available.
The Watering Hull
Restaurants
261 96th St, Stone Harbor
The Watering Hull is a restaurant and bar in Stone Harbor, Cape May County, opened in 2015. Its menu draws on Caribbean and Atlantic seafood, with dishes such as conch fritters, crab rangoon and tuna nachos. Downstairs, the bar pours 30 beers on tap and island-style craft cocktails, with indoor and outdoor seating. It also hosts live music and offers on-site and off-site catering.
Andre’s Wine Bar & Grill
Restaurants
1312 W Brigantine Ave, Brigantine
Andre's Wine Bar & Grill is a family-run Italian restaurant on West Brigantine Avenue in Brigantine, Atlantic County, operated by the Cassara family. The menu covers antipasti, veal and chicken dishes, grilled seafood such as salmon, tuna and branzino, a long list of pastas, and pizza in personal, large and Sicilian sizes, with a gluten-free cauliflower crust. Subs and burgers round out the casual side, and a happy hour runs in the late afternoon.
Inlet Cafe
Restaurants
3 Cornwall St, Highlands
Inlet Cafe is a dock-and-dine seafood restaurant on Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands, Monmouth County. It opened in 1966 as The Lobster Pot and is now owned by second-generation siblings Douglas Lentz and Robin Lentz-Sundstrom. The original building was lost to a fire in 1975, then rebuilt and expanded. The restaurant serves a raw bar and fresh seafood with bay views, cocktails and live music, and it is back for the 2026 season under original ownership.
Queen Jayne’s Lounge & Royal Drinkery
Restaurants
Somers Point
Queen Jayne's Lounge & Royal Drinkery is a bar and lounge in Somers Point, Atlantic County, opened next door to Passion Vines, the liquor store it is an extension of. The menu centers on specialty cocktails, wine and beer with small bites, and the lounge describes itself as a venue for connection, discovery and learning. The space is also available for private events such as corporate parties, birthdays and baby showers.
Hatch44 Cafe
Restaurants
Bradley Beach
Hatch44 Cafe is a breakfast and brunch cafe on Main Street in Bradley Beach, Monmouth County. The cafe has a second location in Metuchen. Its Bradley Beach menu covers omelets, buttermilk pancakes, French toast, waffles and brunch sandwiches. Reservations are limited to parties of six to eight, and tables have a time limit so more guests can be seated. Contact the cafe directly to confirm details before you visit.
The Queen Bean Bistro
Restaurants
Ventnor City
The Queen Bean Bistro is an oceanfront restaurant on the Boardwalk in Ventnor City, Atlantic County, Owner and head chef Chef Sal has worked in kitchens for more than 20 years, including with restaurants around Atlantic County. The bistro serves oceanfront breakfast, lunch and dinner, and its site says the menu draws on local farms and clean ingredients. It suits a meal with an ocean view.
Los Barbaros Birria
Restaurants
Belmar
Los Barbaros Birria is a birria restaurant on Main Street in Belmar, Monmouth County, with a second location on Main Street in the Interlaken area near Asbury Park. The restaurant's site is built around online ordering, with a separate order link and phone number for each location, and it points customers to Instagram for news and specials. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm current menu and ordering options.
Berg’s Smoked Meat & Poutine
Restaurants
Belmar
Berg's Smoked Meat & Poutine on Main Street in Belmar, Monmouth County, specializes in Montreal-style smoked meat. Beef brisket is dry cured with 12 spices for 21 days, smoked over oak for eight hours, steamed and hand-sliced to order. The poutine combines double-fried red potatoes, cheese curds from upstate New York and scratch-made beef gravy. Seating is limited inside and on Main Street, with pickup and delivery available.
Asbury Social
Restaurants
Asbury Park
Asbury Social is a supper club and entertainment venue on Lake Avenue in Asbury Park, Monmouth County. It pairs elevated comfort food and handcrafted cocktails with live music, events and vintage-inspired interiors. The venue is split into several spaces, including the supper club, a green room and a cocktail lounge, with a rooftop announced as coming soon. VIP tables can be booked by phone or text.
R Bar
Restaurants
Asbury Park
R Bar is a restaurant and bar on Main Street in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, built around food, drinks and live music. Guests can choose between the rooftop bar, an indoor greenhouse space and a backyard that opens when the weather allows. The venue books private parties and pop-ups and is set up for a casual night out with no plans. Contact R Bar directly to confirm menus, music and private-event details.
Manasquan’s Paramount Diner
Restaurants
Manasquan
Manasquan's Paramount Diner on Main Street in Manasquan, Monmouth County, continues a diner tradition in town that dates to 1931. Linda and Mike Smith took over in 2023 after careers in healthcare, public service and business. The menu covers scratch-made diner favorites and seasonal specials with local ingredients, from omelettes and pancakes to soups and sandwiches. The diner also hosts community events, including free Thanksgiving breakfasts.
Provenza Restaurant Event Center
Restaurants
Ventnor City
Provenza Restaurant Event Center is on Wellington Avenue in Ventnor City, Atlantic County. Its site describes the food as American cuisine with a Latin flair and organizes the menu into starters, main courses, desserts and drinks. Reservations are taken by phone, and, as the name suggests, the venue also works as an event space for private gatherings. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm menu, event packages and scheduling for your date.
Pablo
Restaurants
Somers Point
Pablo is an American-Mexican restaurant in Somers Point, Atlantic County, and the newest concept from Zest Restaurant Group, which has roots in Cape May. It took over the space previously home to Mexiquila. The menu features tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas and house favorites made fresh, with fillings ranging from carne asada and al pastor to grouper. Handcrafted margaritas, local beers and cocktails round out a lively atmosphere.
