Yummmm!! Sooo delicious. Their food was so amazing. I got a Caesar salad that was so fresh the dressing was amazing and definitely homemade, a huge salad for not a huge price. My friend got the burger and she is a VERY picky eater and she LOVED it. We both got the fresh cut French fries that were also amazing! To add to it the view from the restaurant is just beautiful! I have to go back again, loved it !! read more

3 stars for the food, ambience and water view (if there during daylight). If you DON'T want to be surrounded by small children hurtling around, subtract a star. If you DO want to be able to bring your kids while you get your drink on, add a star. Those who keep mentioning the peanut shells are way out of date; the free peanuts been gone for over a year now. The food is average. While the chicken on the chicken sandwich is good on its own, it's pounded so thin, the flavor gets lost in the giant bun. The fries, however, are very good. The burgers are fine - big, but nothing special flavor-wise. Besides that, what really seems keeping this place going are its liquor license and sweet location right on the harbor. The Long Island Teas they are so famous for are $11 each. They're good, but not $11 good, but then, I am not a Rumsonite and maybe Rumsonites don't care how much a drink costs. The "bloody mary" is actually only tomato juice and (I hope) vodka - all I could taste was tomato juice. No pepper suspended in the drink, no detectable spices, no horseradish kick, no celery or olive garnish --- no flavor! Basically NOT a bloody mary. Considering that this place is a bar, the failure to be able make this basic, common drink is unforgiveable. You can even get a reasonable bloody mary on an airplane, for pete's sake. The place is alright but certainly not worth enduring the pushy crowds and throngs of rowdy children. I doubt I'll return. read more

Throwback award! This place is a time warp, in the best way.

Not sure why people love this place so much. The burger wasn't that good. I ordered it with cheddar cheese, and they really should have warned me it was cheddar sauce, not a slice of cheddar. I don't care for their cheddar sauce. It doesn't have much taste. The cheese steak is the same way. Very boring food! The views are nice though. read more

Great burgers and onion rings ..Didn't expect the burgers would be that good being I thought it was a seafood place. But heard through word-of-mouth that the burgers are awesome so I had to give it a try.. Was not disappointed.. read more

Not a bad meal in the place. The blacken fish is the best I have ever had. I go with the Grouper pan "Barnacle blacken". You can also get it grilled. But the pan blacken comes out perfect. French Onion soup another hi light. Burgers and large, juicy and cooked to perfection. House salad dressing very tasty. I can go on. Awesome atmosphere. Friendly servers. Hostess been there forever is a sweetheart. 5 stars. read more

I've lived near Barnacle Bill's and have been going there with family since I was little. As a kid, I loved eating peanuts while waiting for a table and tossing the shells on the floor, but they've stopped this. The building is located on the Navesink river, but there aren't a ton of tables that actually provide a good view. Most of the space is dark and cozy. I've not bothered to go to Barnacle's in recent years. The food is just okay, and there are plenty of other restaurants in the area - including restaurants with river and ocean views - that serve much better food. The burgers are decent, and the seafood is generally just okay. None of the food is bad, but it's also not spectacular. There isn't anything that I "just HAVE to go to Barnacles" for. It gets very crowded very quickly on all nights of the week. It can be a bit of a challenge to find parking in their lot at peak times. The bar is usually too crowded for it to be worth standing at. This summer, I brought a friend to grab a quick burger, but we left and went elsewhere after hearing that there would be a 45 minute wait at 5PM on a Wednesday. Barnacle's is a good place to bring family and kids, or just to grab a burger and a beer. It's also likely appealing to tourists, as it's not too expensive, offers a bit of a river view, serves seafood, and looks cute decorated in nautical decor. As for me, there are plenty of places in the area that I'd rather go to. read more

Was referred by a local. Very nice local seafood bar and restaurant. Good food and drinks. Will return. Bruce Springsteen is a frequent patron here. Ha Ha but true! read more

Place looks like a dump. Peanut shells all over the floor. One of best burgers I ever had. MUST get the side of cheese to dip burger in. Fucking DELICIOUS. I don't even bother ordering anything else besides the burger. Famous for their giant Long Island Iced Teas. Overall friendly environment but usually a wait. R read more

Great Burgers Great Service.... Great Bartenders.... D-Mac is the man... Forbin Dooooog!!!

Great burger and view. Ordered muscles and they put the marinara sauce on top horrible. Worst mussels i ever had

One of my favorite burgers in the area, (they have an occasional off night, like my first visit.) But I'm very glad that didn't deter me from giving this place another try. Their cheddar(sauce) bacon burger cooked rare with still a nice crust on the burger is fantastic. Usually not a fan of deli rolls for a burger bun but it works here. Go for the burger, free peanuts, and beer(s). Nice ambiance as well. read more

This has to be one of the best restaurants in Monmouth county. The view of the Navesink River is amazing and the food is even better. The burgers and hot dogs are amazing and I will never get enough of them. I constantly come back to this place because of the amazing food. The crowds show just how good it is, with people just lining up to get in. read more

This was my first visit to Barnacle Bills. I am new to the area and read the reviews here so I decided to take my wife and daughter. If I was just going to the bar I would have given it 5 stars. Great place, good drinks, and awesome location. The food was pretty mediocre though. I had a chicken sandwich and fries which was so-so. I would have preferred to just get a beer. My wife had a burger and it was really greasy, and my daughters chicken fingers were soaked in grease. The peanuts are a nice touch, my daughter loved breaking them and throwing them on the floor. I also had a Long Island Iced Tea, it is supposed to be a specialty but doesn't taste any different then your standard. Stick with the beer! read more

Great food, nice servers, low key. My only complaint is I wish the place was larger. It feels very tight in there for family dining!

The wait to be seated was a little long, but that's because it's a quaint little place with a pleasant at home feel. The server was delightful and kept our drinks filled the entire time. I ordered the burger because word of mouth and boy it did not disappoint. This place is a definite slam dunk if you are looking for a delicious burger and some good drinks. read more

We visited Barnacle Bills with my family on 9/5/13; i.e. a Thursday night for the first time. We liked the place because of the location near the water and the casual ambience. We ordered burgers, fries, and salads. The burgers were large-sized; but unfortunately did not find them to be flavorful. The french fries was good. Service was attentive. Net-Net: We really want to like this place since it is close to where we live and is great for families with young children. However, I wish the food was better. read more

Great burgers. Cool little place on the water. Onion rings came out greezey. They took off the bill for me. Sweet pot. fries are like steak fries. they were good I like shoe string better. Over all. TRY it out. I will be Back! read more

First and foremost, the place is worthy of every accolade including best burgers it has received. The burgers are second to none in a way every a perfect burger should be; big, juicy, tasty and not to mention the mushroom and onions they are served with make them even better. They cook them perfectly. It isn't everywhere you can order a medium-rare burger and actually get it medium-rare. Looking at every table, I can't say I haven't seen at least 1 burger on each. The prices for the burgers are very reasonable as well. $10.95 for a good, I'd guess, 10 oz. burger. Some of the other things I've tried there are their mussels marinara (also delicious), their reuben, french dip, and side house salad with and egg vinaigrette dressing. Sides: must get the sweet potato fries - they are good side wedges and if you've got a hankering for onion rings - YES! Delicious, homemade, not greasy. The service is always on point, for as busy and crowded it ALWAYS is. Along with the great food and service, the views of the river are beautiful, especially on a night sunny evening. Barnacle Bill's definitely has that small, pub, homey feel. It's a must try if you love great burgers! read more

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Beautiful location, fun atmosphere, pleasant staff and fantastic food & drink prices. Very light hearted atmosphere. Scenic views over the Navesink River & Marina too. The burgers are big, cooked fresh to order - if not a tad bland. Seafood is fresh, but again, not super flavorful. Steaks seem very good for the money. Lively, cramped bar scene. Be prepared to wait 45-1hr+ on weekend evenings. Their live music is better the typical average act for some reason. A solid 4 stars, would be 5 but the food is just a bit bland/average. read more

All my friends could not believe I had never been here before. I went here on a Saturday night knowing it would be busy. My friend asked me what is the longest i was willing to wait on the drive over. I told him 45 minutes. We were told the wait would be exactly 45 minutes. We walked down to the marina and just hung out there while waiting for out table. Our table was actually ready in about 30 minutes. I was told the seafood was good but they are famous for their burgers. We got two burgers. The burgers only come with chips so we ordered a side of onion rings and fries. My medium burger was actually more medium well to well. That was fine. I got mine with a cheese sauce on it. The burger was messy but it was very good. The fries were steak fries. They were perfectly cooked. The onion rings were your typical frozen onion rings and were good but a little greasy. We ordered way too much food. I dont live that close to this place but i can see myself going a few times a year. read more

Absolutely packed on a wed night. Huge burgers. Plenty of food given on any plate. Fancy seafood dishes to burgers. Local music. We had a great night. Visiting from SoCal and it was fun. Thx to all there. If I lived here I would be a regular. read more

Good burgers and beer but not much else to write home about. Its located in the fine rich city of rumson so you may expect more then cheese sauce or bad potato skins. Dont waste your time unless you want a burger and wanna watch some boats. read more

Had two burgers here with my bf. We were in a bit of a rush, but the waitress was very nice and accomodating. The burgers were delicious and came as ordered (I like them a bit bloody, and as anyone who ever orders rare or medium rare knows, they usually come well done from places where they don't know how to cook). I may definitely go back if the rest of the food is as good as the burgers were. read more

Sunday, August 9, 1:30pm. Two of us Seated right away along the window overseeing the river, nice. Started with steamers - market price - we did not ask what today's price - turned out to $26.95 - seemed extreme for a bowl of steamers :( 2 Long Island ice teas - not bad, but far from delicious Split a burger that comes with sautéed mushroom/onions with American and order of sweet potato fries - decent burger, but not the best in the state? The Pine Tavern in Old Bridge severs a better one and drinks are half price at the bar all Sunday :) Don't know what all the hoop a la is about. Add 4 draft beers and you get $96+tip read more

Whenever we are in the area, John wants to go to BB for "the best burger." this afternoon I had great shrimp /crab salad and we shared side of excellent onion rings and fries with my daughter and son in law. Everyone liked their meals. Attentive service. Great value for quality. read more

I just moved to the area and have only eaten here once. This is a great spot to bring the kids (or not). I had an excellent cheeseburger and steak fries. When I ordered, I asked for cheddar cheese. The waitress warned me that the cheddar came as a sauce. I asked if it was good. She said it's good. I ordered it. I was really good. I was expecting a processed cheese sauce like you get at 7 Eleven, but it wasn't. This was a homemade cheese sauce like you'd find in a good mac n' cheese. The burger under the cheese was also excellent., and it was huge. I enjoyed dipping my hot and crispy steak fries in the sauce that dripped off the burger. read more

Decent food. Good selection of fish thats fresh but not prepared particularly well. A cool atmosphere. Nautical themed, Feels like a refurbished lobster shack. Throw the peanuts on the floor if you want. Usually pretty packed during the summer and winter, even- on the weekends. Dock and dine is sweet. Good views. read more

It is a local hang out which would otherwise be viewed as kind of a dive. The burgers and the good view is well known and unlike many newer places it has a sense of history and local flavor. Great place to grab a bite to eat and watch a game. read more

Best burger in NJ and incredible homey, authentic seaside atmosphere that you don't find anywhere else these days. Stick with the burger or baked seafood platter (and atmosphere) as the other food options aren't anything spectacular. And be prepared to wait at least 40 minutes unless you're going at an off hour. read more

30+ years and the burger is still the best around. Cheesesteak, tube steak and pork roll sandwich very good. I've never made it up dessert here but they look yummy. Bring your quarters for a fun time on the throw back video games. Plan on waiting for your table unless you get there at an opportune time. Great view and nice walk out to river during warm weather read more

The onion/mushroom burger is a classic and one of the best in Monmouth county. Their steamers are are great and I've never had better onion rings. read more

BEST BURGERS! great atmosphere inside and out, overlooking the water. Amazing onion rings. A great time over all

Great food, awesome nautical atmosphere and the Long Island iced teas are the best I've ever had. Very good place to come for a date or your whole family. They also have live music and the location is beautiful, right on the navesink river. read more

My first time ever there ... New England clam chowder was good and burgers are awesome ..... Service was A+ ..... Will definitely come back... Loved it. read more

Packed house following the St. Patty's parade but I'm confident we would receive the same quality service and food if we were the only table seated. Great neighborhood dive, brilliant views, and tremendous burgers. It's a diet killer with hearty portions but well worth it. We will be back soon! read more

I'd prefer to give 3 1/2 stars but that's not an option. Went there with my wife as we heard the burgers were good. And they were, although I really didn't care for the cheddar sauce they poured over my burger. Tasted and looked like Cheez-Whiz. But the meat was properly cooked and the serving size was generous. The sweet potato fries were simply too big. I'm not a "Texas" fries fan and much prefer the traditional "pommes frites" style of thin and crispy. My New England clam chowder was the best I've ever had. I've never had a clam chowder where I didn't even see the potatoes because the clams overwhelmed (in a good way) the soup. Will probably go back to try other seafood items. Atmosphere is nice but the place gets busy so expect a wait! read more

Always nice food at BB's. Great atmosphere and live music if you time it right. The surf'n'turf is my favourite and they do a decent chicken parm read more

Good burgers and comfort food. A good place to get together, have a few beers with your friends, while chowing down on some good grub

Place is a bar - food as expected - good view of the river Interior/Exterior = 7.9 Food = 6.1 Beverage = 7.8 Service = 6.7 Food is "fair". Not worth going out of the way $$. ( scale $ - $$$$ ). read more