In a word Atrocious. Had good expectations based on local feedback and was totally disappointed. Calamari- underwhelming, tuna was overcooked and even the coleslaw was bad. Way overpriced for seriously less than mediocre food. I have no idea why there is a wait for this place. Service was fine- no complaints. Our server tried to make up for it, but there's no making up for really bad food. Won't be going back. read more

Never had a bad meal there, we have been there many times. Love the homemade salad dressings. Don't go hungry cause there is a wait. personally me and my wife's favorite . read more

We visited with two families and 4 kids ranging in age from 5-12 between us. Two kids have allergies and wait staff had a "not our problem" attitude and a super limited kids menu. We asked for plain pasta and we're told that it "had to" have butter on it! The noise level was deafening. We're it not for the fact that everyone was beyond hungry after waiting an hour and a quarter for a table, we would have walked out! read more

Good food, good atmosphere, too expensive $120 for two. Husband had buffalo calamari which was very good and crab cakes which were tasty but somewhat mushy. I had a garden salad and shrimp cocktail which had 6 jumbo shrimp. Both dishes were delicious. Service was excellent! 4 stars only due to price read more

This place was highly recommended and did not disappoint. The 1 hour wait was worth it. The garlic mussels were awesome. Lived the family style salad with homemade dressing. You must try this spot when you are in lbi read more

We have been coming down for years to LBI and have stopped at the Black Whale maybe 3 or 4 times. It's always super busy and the wait is forever but what can you expect with a summer restaurant? The food was very pricy but also very good. My only main problem with this place is the staff. Mostly the wait staff. EVERY time we go ( only a handful of times) the waitresses are so rude. If you don't want to work at a restaurant then here is a tip of advice.... DON'T. We had Meredith I think her name was and she always had this nasty look on her face like she didn't like us. Another time we had one named Lindsay I think? She also had this horrible look on her face like we were the worst customers ever. So annoying. And they all are always in the back in a little spot probably texting and talking. So unprofessional. The food isn't worth the horrible waitors that think they are above you. read more

There on 8/3/2018 got seated quickly group of 6 sat there for 20 minutes no water no service, we watched the help move tables. When we finally got a bus boy he said he would try to get someone no luck. We got up to leave I asked to speak to a manager I was told there was no one on duty. Good luck. read more

Come for the drinks, stay for the salad dressings. My fourth time here. We had 5:45 pm reservations on busy Sunday night and were seated right on time. Well trained staff. read more

This is the second time in the last 8 weeks that we have eaten here. On both visits we were disappointed in the wait staff. They are not friendly at all - don't smile or welcome you and everything is hurried. Even the hostess did not smile or seem to care that we had come to patronize the Black Whale. However I must say that the food is fresh, tasty, and cooked to perfection - and there is an excellent selection. Beware ,there are no free refills on iced tea or nonalcoholic drinks as in other restaurants. Noise level is quite high. All things considered, we would return again because of the high quality of the food. read more

My favorite place on lbi. Garlic style crabs are the best. Garlic mussels are incredible too. Can't go wrong.

What happened to this place? 4 years ago it was my favorite restaurant in beach haven. Most recent visit, the food was mediocre, beer selection terrible and the manager needs to up her medication. Will not be going back, it doesn't seem like they care read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I went to LBI to celebrate my 30th birthday. My friends and I stopped into the Black Whale for drinks and dinner. When we got up to the bar, the bartender ask for id's. I'm originally from Ohio, so I still had an Ohio drivers license. When the bartender flashed his light under my license, he accused me of having a fake license and threw it on the ground. I first thought it was a joke, or that I was getting punked by my friends. He persisted to tell my that my id was fake, and if I wanted he would call the cops. I told him to be my guest and call the cops. When the cops arrived, they swiped my id and told the idiot bartender that it was legit. Rather than apologize to me, he says "you must have a really good fake id." I was livid with the situation. He not only embarrassed me in front of the other customers but ruined my entire birthday weekend. Oh, and don't bother speaking to the manager. She's an idiot as well. Don't go here unless you want to be treated like dirt. I'm sure I saw a cockroach or bedbug crawling around as well. What a dump! read more

Black Whale is the type of casual beach restaurant (brown Kraft paper lining the table, a bucket of oyster crackers and house made cocktail sauce and fresh horseradish on each table) featuring fresh fish and seafood served with an innovative flair. This explains the crowds of people waiting for tables in the small dining room or the bar. They do accept reservations. I highly recommend you make one for a large party, but you must call the morning you are coming to reserve a table. We were a party of 10 which is typical at the beach so I was pleasantly relieved that we were seated right away and the service was attentive. I had the fresh fried oysters, a generous portion for $22.00 including family style salad with 2 house made dressings and choice of a side. The oysters were freshly shucked, sweet,plump and cooked to perfection. Others at my table had the broiled seafood platter. This plate featured a crab cake with lumps of crab, shrimp, scallops and fresh flounder. My 14 yr old son who is new to seafood said it was the best crab cake he had this week and especially liked the flounder. Others ordered the fresh fish of the day, listed on the specials menu. Grouper, Tuna, Salmon, and Opa were fresh tonight. The Grouper was grilled with a honey rosemary sauce that was a little sweet for my taste but the fish was cooked well and was clearly fresh. My brother in law had the Opa. A generous portion with a spicy jalapeno sauce that he said had a kick. There are many seafood restaurants on this island and we have sampled many of them over the years. The old cliche really rings true, "If you were stranded on a island (18 miles to be exact), where would you want to eat seafood. My choice is Black Whale for the great service even with the crowds and the exceptionally fresh fish. I am looking forward to a return visit, hopefully before next year. read more

There was so much hype around this restaurant, but it fell way beneath our expectations. There's always a two-hour wait here, so my husband and I made reservations in advance for a late dinner. The vibe felt chic and cool, as we sat at the bar for a drink before our table was ready. Yet once we sat at our table, we could barely hear one another speak because the other tables were so loud and so close to us. I ordered scallops, which I love, with a side of corn. Yet the scallops arrived in a pool of butter, which I just found unappetizing. The combination of the scallops and the corn left much flavor to be desired and did not feel like a full meal. My husband ordered pork chops, which he says were really dry. We would not go back. read more

Food was good, prices were high, service was poor. The house manager used my phone to make a call, which was one of the more Bazarre moves I've seen done in a restaurant. Also I said I was allergic to shellfish, and left the restaurant feeling like I ate Sebastian from the Little mermaid. Quality food but need to improve Customer experience for what they charge read more

Very satisfied here after having a poor dinner at the ketch. Great atmosphere and friendly staff who answer questions about the menu (I asked how many scallops come with an order : 8-9 which isn't bad for 26.99)! I absolutely hate getting paltry portions for top dollar. Drives me nuts. The scallops were plentiful and delicious and the broiled platter, which sadly only comes with 2 shrimp and 2 scallops, was still very good, especially the large lumpy crab cake. Delicious. read more

I should have went somewhere else. First off to noisey not a family restaurant more like a bar atmosphere. The food was ok not great and for the price of the meal it was pretty skimpy. They barely gave you any food and was super expensive and really had no flavor very bland. The salad and the tomatoe shrimp appetizer were very good the only thing on my dish that was good was the crab cake the flounder had no flavor and only had 2 shrimp N 2 scallops for like $32 . My brother in law had to ask for new fries bc the ones they brought looked like they had been sitting all day and ice cold. Trust me If your thinking of going here for good food go elsewhere. The waitress was a sweetheart tho very nice. read more

This place use to be AMAZING! However, the food has gone down in quality the past two year and has gotten way smaller (go figure the prices went up though). I never care about food prices if the food is great but the whale has definitely lost its great food standards it once had and the workers are not friendly whatsoever. read more

For the last 10 years, my husband and I have come to LBI for a week each summer. Until this year, it was our one "date night" away from the craziness of having 3 young boys. We were always so pleased with the consistently great drinks (you have to check out their drink menu, it's unbelievable) and amazing food that we would look look forward to going back each year. This year we decided to introduce our sons to our "special place". They did not disappoint. In fact, in my eyes, they stepped Up their game. Not only was the food excellent as always (I had bacon wrapped scallops with homemade cole slaw and my husband had the salmon special with French fries That were EXCELLENT) their service was spectacular. My youngest son freaked out because he could see the Lobster tank and it was making him sad so they very kindly moved us (on a very busy night) to another table, one of my boys spilled his drink all over the table and they rushed over to help us out. They made excellent recommendations and catered to our every need. Over all the summers we have spent here we have been to many restaurants in the island. Nothing compares to the Black Whale. Can't wait for next Year!!! read more

go all the time for lunch and made the mistake to try for dinner. given a time for wait which got linger every time we asked for an update. then decided to go to another rest and got yelled at by the manager for leaving... who does that? terrible customer service, (even after a 200 dollar bar tab while waiting) will never go back. lost a great customer read more

We absolutely loved Black Whale! Our entire meal from the service to the food was phenomenal. We skipped the appetizer because our entrees came with salad; they all looked so delicious otherwise. I had the sesame crusted tuna that had a delicious avocado and cucumber salad. Very filling and cooked perfectly medium rare. I believe this was a special that night . My mother in law got the crab cakes with a salad and the portion was huge !! My husband ordered the crab cake sandwich and wouldn't stop talking about how much crab was is it and the perfect cocktail sauce that was with it: the real show stopper was my father in law's mussels marinara!! I have NEVER,NEVER seen so many mussels in one portion. We would up all snacking on the mussels . There had to be atleast 2 pounds of mussels! They were cooked perfectly to boot. Michelle was our server and could've have been more attentive. We were only in LBI for 2 days but if we were there longer ... we would've been right back there . read more

An overpriced, crowded restaurant that doesn't take reservations after 6:00 PM. The Good: + Nice location, in a residential area one block from the bay + Full bar with lots of drink options (ask for the wine list which includes specialty cocktails) like creative martinis and margaritas and "premium" rums, vodkas and tequilas + Decent wine list The Not-So-Good: - The location does not offer any view of the bay - Reservations are only accepted for times before 6:00 - The wait when you arrive any time after 6:00 can be quite long (our wait on a non-busy Wednesday night was "at least an hour") - While you can wait for your table at the bar and have a drink, the bar area is small and loud so you may not hear the hostess call your name - The fish is NOT local, including farm raised salmon and shrimp. When asked which fish was local our waitress said, "None, but it's all fresh." My question is "fresh" from where? - The prices are ridiculously high for non-local seafood - The sides offerred are mostly starches: potatoes, fries, rice and one green option (broccoli with butter and garlic) - My tuna ordered medium rare can out just seared, completely raw inside. While the waitress took the tuna back and brought it back cooked properly, she also noted "The normal grill guy is not here tonight." Maybe they should get a better backup grill guy. read more

Had dinner in her a few weeks ago. The food was decent but a little expensive and the service was slow. There are better options down there for a sit down dinner. I have heard the happy hour in the bar area is a great deal and a great time.....hope to check that out soon. read more

Went here on the last Saturday in September with incredibly great weather so it was packed. First time here and it was very good although pricey. Pricey is ok if it's worth it which it is. Seafood combo was excellent cooked perfectly and great variety. It's noisy and crowded but that's the Jersey Shore read more

Amazing meal! The best grouper I have ever have. Ambiance was great and beachy. Service by Joanna was the best..so attentive and food was just perfect! My husband and I were so lucky to be able to just walk in and they had a table available, but larger groups had to wait. Definitely a place to come back to!!! read more

Great dinner spot on LBI. Tried the happy hour for the first time this afternoon and they had some great specials: dollar oysters, some beers and wine for around $3.50. My favorite was the peel and eat shrimp and the crab cake sliders. Got a salad because I love their homemade ranch. Service here is excellent. read more

The good food is no substitute for the ridiculous policy regarding dinner reservations. I tried. to reserve a table for five people. The hostess told me I had to find three more people if I wanted to reserve after six o clock. The grandkids had a swim meet and we couldn't be there before seven thirty. Gestapo tactics!. read more

We are so happy we waited! Originally we were given a wait time of one hour and 15 minutes, but we were seated within 45 minutes. Our entire dining experience was excellent, exactly what you want when you are on vacation. We had fried calamari as an app, very tender and tasty. I had mussels with linguini in white sauce, the best fish I had on the island. My boyfriend had steak and a lobster tail. Everything was super tender. For dessert I had the brownie sundae, delicious as always and the most perfect cappuccino. My boyfriend was also extremely happy to find out they serve espresso, which seems to be hard to find on the island. Staff (our server was Conner) was also extremely attentive! We can't wait to go back to Black Whale!! read more

The Black Whale Bar and Fish House is not as good as it sounds. The service was less than great, it took what felt like forever for someone to even come and seat us. The prices of the meals are ridiculously high- and for high prices food you would typically expect the meal to excellent. Well it wasn't. The fish and chips I ordered came soggy, and my friends were not impressed with their meals either. I would not recommend this restaurant for someone looking for a good meal. read more

This was my first time here. I found the food very good. Fresh fresh fish. They have a simple menu but the food is well prepared and served well. The wait can be unbearable, but the bar is fun and the time passes quickly. read more

Very good food! When we arrived we were told there would be almost a 2 hr wait but we only ended up waiting a couple of minutes. I will definitely come back here next year when I'm at LBI again! read more

Very good seafood place! Always a wait if your smaller than a party of 6 and can't make a reservation but the last time my gf and I went, we got a nice spot at the bar (it was a Tuesday.. I'm sure that would be impossible on the weekend). The Shrimp & Scallop Santa Cruz is AMAZING! It's a great entree after an appetizer of the mussels (white wine and garlic butter). A little pricey but so is everything at the shore so might as well go somewhere that also delivers in great environment and quality food. read more

The service was great!! Sat at the bar Sean and Kurt took good care of me my dishes were always cleared and my drinks were always full!! Highly recommend.. Get the mussels and the seafood combo you can't go wrong read more

My husband, daughter and I went to Black Whale for lunch this past Saturday around 2:30pm. The place had several patrons but def was not crowded yet everyone was seated one after the other in the booths instead of a little space between diners. The waiter was friendly enough, his service was fine however for the price of the 'specials' the cost was ridiculous! We ordered the lobster roll special for $24.99 and aside from the fact that it was smaller than the smallest hot dog bun ever, there were several shells in the salad and the taste of lobster was minimal. My husband's salmon plate was not much better. The most annoying thing however was that they kept asking to take our plates that still had plenty of food on them! 'No thank you, I'd like to finish my meal before you whisk away the plate' was on the tip of my tongue but I didn't want to be rude. Clearing the table also included me having to wrestle my half-finished drink from the person's hands! She grabbed it before I could clutch it. I almost could understand their zest IF the place was packed but it was pretty darn empty-plenty of tables were available. I wouldn't go back based on the quality and price of the food and the obnoxious behavior of the staff. read more

Wonderful final night on LBI! We anticipated the long wait and went extra early to put in our name. Wait was less than anticipated and we relaxed with a cucumber cooler on the porch. Cozy and not cheesy seaside decor inside. Interesting drink menu- inspirational. Wonderful sweet local oysters, great burgers for the kids, fresh seafood with interesting twists and preparations. Not at all what I would have expected on LBI. My fish (grouper) was little overdone for my taste. Amazing desserts! After a full week of ice cream and water ices my kids proclaimed the brownie Sundae as their favorite dessert of the week. And my salted caramel jar was out of this world! Shared with 3 people and it was a favor overload! Service was good and we felt well taken care of. Can't wait to return next year! read more

overpriced. fish and a handful of steamed broccoli $30. They threw in a bland salad. Comon' make me want to come back

When I'm in LBI with my wife, Kate. We always cruise down to Beach Haven on our bikes and hit up the Black Whale for happy hour. Great specials, oyster shooters and an awesome bar. The best of LBI, read more

Fried tuna spring rolls were awesome. Also tried the garlic clams which didn't disappoint. I had the mahi mahi which was cooked perfectly and the almond in the crust was really good. Someone else had the BBQ shrimp which was a little bland for me but everyone enjoyed. Service was very good our waitress was attentive and friendly. read more

Make a reservation! You could wait forever here. The food is amazing (my man's favorite on LBI) and the service is good. Salad is above and beyond, chilled plates and delicious duo of dressings. Hostess is always, always rude. I've been at least 30 times in my life, and each time she sucks. Bar is crowded but beautiful and drinks are tasty. Good nightlife option, too. read more

Strong drinks and FRESH SEAFOOD!!!Packed restaurant get there early enjoy a drink at the bar. Waitress was helpful with suggestions, not annoying. I have been here 2 times in the past week. 2.75 lb lobster to die for, fresh steamers were delish. Next night calamari and broiled fish shrimp and scallops. Food is fresh, did I say Fresh gets loud but know what to expect and you will enjoy this experience. read more