Don't bother. This was the only restaurant with a reservation at the time we wanted, I should have known there was a reason for this. We had to wait for at least 30 minutes after our reservation time. We cancelled and left. There are better options where people actually know how honor reservations. read more

If I could give a negative review I would, had a reservation for 7:15 during restaurant week, we didn't get seated until 7:40, waited an hour (8:40) until THE OWNER came up to us to tell us that the system froze and our order was never put in and we had to reorder our food...the owner didn't even apologize for us having to wait at least an hour and a half for our appetizers... read more

Was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. Rude as we walked in. Food thrown at us as if we were in a TGI Friday's(Don't know if they are still around). Sent all our appetizers back. Always loved it! Sent a complaint to the website and to the owner personally and never heard back! Too bad read more

We decided to try something new since it was restaurant week and Brandl is right around the corner. I have heard good things about the food and wanted to try it. We had a reservation for 8 pm on a weekday night. We were told by the hostess they were running a little behind and we'd be sat shortly. No biggie. We stood by the "bar" and opened a bottle of wine which we brought with us. Thankfully it was a screw cap because we could not track down anyone to open it or get us glasses. My boyfriend had to walk behind the bar to get our own glasses after about 15 minutes of waiting for someone to help us. One hour after our reservation time we were finally seated. Small table in an awkward corner, but we finally had menus. Appetizers were the best part of the meal. Chicken wings were to die for, and I had some sort of bacon salad which was also amazing. While waiting for our entrees the waiter came by to pour us some water and knocked over my boyfriend's water glass spilling it all over him. Very little apology and then walked away. No extra napkins, or an "I'm so sorry. Let me help you." We had to find another waiter to actually bring us extra napkins so we could clean it up. Entrees were decent, but nothing I'd write home about. I had fish, and my boyfriend had a shrimp and pasta dish. Mine was cold. Cold fish....yuck. And again dessert was nothing to write home about. We finally asked for the check, and I asked the waiter for change of a $20 for the tip. I worked in the restaurant industry for years and will always tip well, but this was getting ridiculous. The waiter came back with $15....not $20 and walked away. We couldn't find him and finally tracked down a manager to find out where our $5 walked off to. The waiter came back and apologized because he "found an extra $5 in his pocket." Seriously? Needless to say, we will not be going back. I can understand cold food or an off night because it was so busy, but there is no excuse for staff's attitude and blatant disregard. read more

My husband and I were referred to Brandl's restaurant when we were looking for a caterer for our wedding. Geez, are we thankful for that referral! Chris was a pleasure to work with while planning the dishes we wanted for our big day. He was patient, eager to please and had incredible ideas. His staff the day of the wedding was attentive, polite and professional. The food was EXCELLENT! Our guests were satisfied and raving about how great the food was. My husband and I are hoping to visit Brandl's whenever we're in town, especially on our anniversary each year! The restaurant is clean, hip, and welcoming. The food is delicious and always fresh. The staff makes the whole dining experience that much more pleasing. Check out Brandl's restaurant and food truck, for sure! read more

On a busy Sat. Night you could not hear yourself think due to a number of large loud and boisterous parties. The overall quality of the food is good but overpriced.The main issue here is attitude and an inflexible and unaccommodating policy, They had very little vegeterian options and the reasonable requests for substitutions went unheeded. Not really worth ever going back to. read more

Rude host, rude staff. These people are bipolar. I've been going for years and I USUALLY say I'm not going back. They are always rude and obnoxious. Last night we ordered dinner and the waiter screwed up our order. Was nasty and rude with major attitude the whole night. The only pleasant person in there is a Hispanic server who has been there over 20 years ( I know, why do I keep punishing myself?) the food is not even that great. The menu has been the same for 20 yrs. I just can't understand how they always hire snarky, sarcastic and rude servers? Anyway I will NEVER. Go back. The food is not worth the aggravation and being treated poorly. read more

If I could give a negative star review I would . Let's start from when we walked into the place .... the owner was less than pleased , seemed overwhelmed , and overall demeanor not welcoming . Next he points and has us sit at bar until a table is ready . There were tables but the poor waiters and waitresses (just 2) were running their butts off ! The food ...: let's just say this if I need salt for my driveway this year I will go there ! Heart patients stay away !!! The sodium overload will shock ur system!!! Not healthy at all !! The food comes and it is not the steak we ordered instead the $60 steak !! Again appalled by the owners behavior!! Rude !! Not customer service oriented at read more

I was disappointed with the food...we went for Mother's Day brunch. The first course was ok..I had lamb, others had the buratta with pork...sister had the scallops that weren't cooked...wasn't meant to be a ceviche...entrees were cold and very under seasoned. It's too bad because the place is cozy and service overLl was decent...too bad...or maybe just an off d read more

After a few phone calls, the owner did admit his mistake and repay us. However, I do not recommend Brandl. We made a reservation there on Mother's Day for brunch, and it was an awful experience. The most rude host made us-including my 84 year old grandma- wait outside in the heat. He seemed annoyed at our existence when we went inside to ask how long our table would take. Once we finally got inside, the food was fine. It's overrated because there are not that many "nice" restaurants down the shore. Then, once we were home the owner said he accidentally voided our transaction and made us come back to the restaurant to repay. This is when he double charged us. As I mentioned above, he did rectify the situation once we got our credit card bill and let him know. read more

This is a terrible restaurant. Tuna Poke was brown, Pressed Chicken was not pressed and smelled like ammonia and the Lobster Risotto would put Gordon Ramsey in a tail spin. This place should be on one of those restraint rescue TV shows. read more

Always excellent food and service. I had the Tile fish my wife had the Lamb and these entrees were superbly prepared. My Son and his Wife were in from out of town and the Matre de and staff made our experience very memorable... Highly recommend Brandl... read more

Quite possibly the worst experience of my life.... Our reservation was for 8:15 pm... we were sat at 8:45. Then it took the waiter 15 minutes to bring us bread. We finally ordered our meal at about 9:15, but didn't get the food until 10:15 PM!! Thank god the tables and other restaurant goers were entertaining. After receiving the food, my food was completely burnt, my sister's food was ice cold, and my friend's food was entirely undercooked. None of us were able to eat, but it wasn't worth even sending it back since it was almost 10:30 at night and way too late to be eating. We will definitely never be going back... but we will be talking about the night for a very long time. read more

Brandl is AMAZING! My boyfriend and I went there recently for our Anniversary and we were more than pleased! The decor is elegant yet not stuffy and the menu is expansive. The food is articulately presented and just as delicious. And since it's BYOB you can spend more on the food and less on the drinks :) All around great experience, we highly recommend. read more

Brandl - Lazy Lobster - New American Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

The food was good and the service was good but what I couldn't get over was how the hostess and the manager kept taking their face masks off. Even the bus boy was wearing his mask under his nose while clearing peoples' tables. The restaurant was crowded, people were coming and going, and the manager was walking around from table to table. There is absolutely no excuse for this. They should've been wearing their masks the entire time. read more

The service was sub par-- starting with the host who was not friendly and seemed to be in a bad mood. We later witnessed him yell at one of the employees in a completely demeaning way. Next our server was not very attentive but in his defense there were not many other servers on the floor so it could have been that they were just understaffed. However, he did not introduce himself when we sat and he didn't even say thank you when he delivered the credit card receipt after we paid. I normally don't pay attention or let this type of stuff bother me but for what you are paying I would hope to have a better service experience. Most of the food was ok but we all ordered the short rib for our entrees and honestly it was one of the worst short ribs I've ever had-- very fatty. Almost half was wasted fat. I remember coming here years ago and it was not like this. I always enjoyed my meal/ experience here. If I remember correctly this place is known for it's soufflé which takes 45 min or so and I remember the servers always letting you know when they first greeted the table so they had plenty of time to make it. Our server did not mention this at all. Unfortunately we will not be returning and I do not recommend. read more

I was really excited to try Brandl -- had heard great things about it for years but just never made it there. Unfortunately, it did not live up to its hype. We walked in and there was an odd smell in the restaurant -- hard to place, but it wasn't food (maybe cleaning fluid). Even though it was a bit warm, we opted to sit outside. They have a few tables outside with umbrellas that overlook a small pedestrian walkway. Nice landscaping and flowers, so all in all very pleasant. Its BYOB, so that helps the wallet. The entrees are all $25 or more. I ordered a steak special that they had and the meat was so tough that I could barely eat any of it. While I ate the accompanying vegetables (which were quite good), I left most of the main entree and our waiter didn't even inquire if everything was okay when he cleared my plate. My friend ordered their 'lazy lobster', which they are evidently famous for -- lobster out of the shell. It had very little flavor to it and for $35, you expect some taste! We didn't get dessert, but the menu looked nice. It took quite a while for them to settle up our check, which was surprising as the restaurant was busy, but not packed. Maybe it was an off night because as I said, I've heard great things about Brandl. But, I for one will not be back. read more

First time, tremendously disappointed. Felt incredibly unwanted at this place. Went on Saturday night with a previous reservation for 8:15, we were told to sit at the bar for 15-20 minutes to wait for a table to open up, which was odd. In that time, no one came to open our bottle of wine (BYO) for us until 20 minutes later. Still waiting at the bar at 8:45, a group of the same size that came in before us without reservations was seated. Finally, 8:50ish the host takes us to a table. It was all very unwelcoming and short. I usually don't care about things like that, but this place felt so off. We went escargot for an appetizer - tasteless. Bread was good, that was a plus. For dinner, company had the pork, also good, probably overpriced but whatever. I ordered the special, blackfish on what was definitely advertised as on top of gnocchi of some sort. It came on top of mashed potatoes - which were ok, but not what I was expecting... A fourth different server/waiter now came to ask about dessert. We chose creme brûlée which had odd pockets of varying temperature in it - mostly tasteless. Conclusion - overpriced, unwelcoming, food was sometimes good, sometimes just ok. Best part was that it was BYO. Live right down the road and won't be back. read more

The waiter was extremely rude. Came up to our table for the first time and all he said was "what are you ordering" then gives attitude as i order and i Asked for a suggestion between two options and he said "i don't choose for customers" and gave me a dirty look. This is extremely disappointing and disrespectful. Hopefully the food makes up for this disgusting service. Not coming back here EVER as a belmar local read more

Excellent BYOB. Had several different items as the menu changes. Love the shrimp and rissotto My husband had the filet He loved it. Great as atmosphere and service. it's our go to! read more

Since this menu is a little on the pricey side, my boyfriend and I decided that we would have a special occasion dinner here. We ordered a few appetizers in order to sample different items. The cauliflower fried rice and roasted brussels sprouts actually go really well together. A big thank you to Taylor for making our birthday dinner wonderful! She was so sweet and accommodating. read more

Food very good-especially Tapas ( Pastrami Salmon & Tuna) Waiter was bored and inattentive. read more

Food was amazing, service was okay, location should probably be changed it doesn't match with pricing but amazing quality. For starters we had the escargot, cordial about them being served in the shell but non the less delicious. My girlfriend had the filet ordered medium and cooked to perfection. The special was swordfish, which I chose and it was amazing so much flavor! Absolutely one of the top 3 restaurants in Belmar! read more

Brandl - The Swordfish special and Filet, amazing dishes both highly suggested. - New American Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

We had a gift certificate for this place so we decided to go last night. We weren't disappointed. It's a byob but you can purchase small bottles of wine if necessary. They offer a tapas menu during the week. You can get three different small plates for $25.00. We had fried oysters, risotto balks and shrimp. The shrimp were my least favorite of the three My wife ordered a Thai shrimp with cranberry risotto which was delicious. I orders scallops with cauliflower which was also excellent. We also ordered the roasted Brussels sprouts with a pomegranate molasses sauce which shouldn't be missed. We didn't order dessert bug noticed that there is a soufflé on the menu. There is outside seating, seating under a canvas tent and in the restaurant. We chose inside because it was a little too muggy to eat outside. Wait staff was very attentive. Definitely will take the rude down the shore again for this restaurant. read more

One star because our waiter Vincent was great. The owner or who ever he was was rude. We had a reservation and he looked at us like we were from another world. The place had only a few tables occupied. The oysters were good, the tuna tartar modest at best. I got snails escargot and was deeply disappointed We shared the Lamb Chops. We asked for medium rare we got rare. We ordered the souffle. My friend had one bite. The prices they charged you would think this was a five star restaurant. They had one bus boy, one waiter and who ever the big shot rude guy was. In the hour and a half we were there there was maybe six tables occupied. This was on a Wednesday evening at seven. I am so glad it was a BYOB. I can't imagine what they would have charged for wine. Do not believe some of your searches that say this is one of the best restaurants on the water in New Jersey. This place is just terrible. read more

My husband and I went to Brandl to celebrate our anniversary. Even though I indicated that it was our anniversary on our reservation, no one acknowledged us at the restaurant. Our waitress, Katelyn, was very attentive. She said the lazy lobster was one of Brandl's signature dishes (and, most expensive [$41] !)so I had to try it! What a disappointment! The HALF lobster tail was served in a black bowl atop three asparagus sprigs! I was appalled! The amount of food was laughable. Even Katelyn was taken aback! The lobster tail was soaking in butter so it tasted delicious. (Anything soaked in butter is a winner!) We left the restaurant hungry. The "lazy lobster" would be perfect as an appetizer but to serve it as a main entree is totally unacceptable! The cost of our dinner was absurdly high and not worth the money! read more

New menu works wonders. Try the sous vide favorites or sample some really inspired desserts. Can't wait to enjoy summer outdoor dining. The ambiance of this perennial favorite has only gotten better. Beautiful new light fixtures and a revived bistro feel. Thank you for breathing new life into an old favorite. read more

Great food and amazing staff. The Kobe Tar Tar is one of the best dishes I've had. I recommend the Grilled Caesar Salad and the Lazy Lobster is sometehing you just can't go wrong with. I've never had a bad meal here! read more

Great food, atmosphere and service! Plus it's right by the family dollar store! Apparently this is too short for Yelp to consider this a review. Here's the long version. Delicious meal, palacios regalia, formidable decadent service, Cold bathroom, puppy paintings. Plus it's right by the Family Dollar store ya can't beat that. read more

Amazing food!! If you want something different with food that is freshly prepared this is the place to go. First of all the grilled Caesar was delicious, tuna tartare was so fresh. The best part was we had the fresh catch Friday $39 for two dinner specials. Best part is byob. The service was really good and the servers were very attentive. read more

Restaurant is in sort of odd spot but décor is nice and we got table on screened-in patio. Two of us went not having any specific cuisine in mind, just hoping for good food, service and nice time. All boxes were checked. We were immediately greeted by staff who gave us water, served our wine, handed us an impressive menu and ran thru the specials. We ordered east coast oysters and a field greens salad to start and for dinner the lobster and tuna entrees with sides of cauliflower and brussel sprouts. The oysters were very flavorful and fresh and the salad was spot. The lobster had very good texture and sweetness and the tuna was excellent. Both entrees went well with the sides. We opted not to have a soufflé for dessert thinking that bit of self discipline gave us justification to go back very soon. read more

Terrible. Cold stale bread that we waited a half hour for. The portions got smaller and prices went up. Waited an hour for my rare $43 NY Strip. Came out well done- I might as well have eaten my shoe. I put up with the rude host long enough. This place is no longer worth it. read more

Food was very tasty. The flavors complemented nicely. The tuna with olives and capers was very tender and well-seasoned. The food was a bit overpriced, though. Especially for the serving amount given. The souffle was over-rated and way too dry. Personally, I found the head waiter to be quiet obnoxious and witnessed him being rude to an elderly couple who were (very nicely) complaining about the room temp. read more

We visited Brandl for the first time on a Sunday evening for the Lazy Lobster special. Included in the deal (for $35) is a bowl of the Lobster Chowder or a Salad, the Lazy Lobster main entree, and a choice of desert as well as coffee. The 4 of us all got the special, and 3 of us got the Chowder. The taste of the chowder was excellent - lots of corn and other vegetables. My complaint, however, is two fold: 1) The chowder was not hot - and I am one who doesn't need soup to be scolding hot, but this was barely lukewarm and 2) when something is titled "Lobster" chowder, I would expect more than 1 piece of lobster the size of a quarter to be included. But as I said, the taste was still excellent - but there is room for improvement on the temperature and actually putting lobster in it. We all had the same entree - it was a "Lazy Lobster" - which is a lobster removed from the shell (hence the lazy part for us) and placed on top of a risotto which had a vanilla - creme type taste to it, with asparagus. Once again - the taste was excellent of the dish, and the risoto was quite different than ordinary. The lobster itself was very well prepared, however, my compliant would be the portion size. If I were to guess the size of this lobster, I would say a 1 pound at most, maybe less. Everyone at the table except for me seemed ot think it was a decent portion, but my take on this was - the size is masked by the risotto which fills you up. This is a dish they normally serve for $35 on its own - and the amount of lobster was lacking. For desert, we had the Creme Brule (which was excellent), the brownie with ice cream (pretty standard, but still good) and sorbet (the cabernet flavor is unique). One final point would be that our intiial waiter seemed a bit stuffy, which I have all seen on other reviews of this place - he just had that "I'm better than you attitude," which I can't stand. Though, he did come over several times to make sure everything was going well, which made up for it somewhat. But the other waiter, and the bus boys were very attentive, courteous, and a but more down to earth. Pros - excellent tasting food, decor, BYOB. Cons - stuffy atmosphere, small portions, cold soup; pricey (but they offer reasonable specials on certain nights). read more

I've been to my share of restaurants and this place was outstanding! Service was very friendly and the food was fantastic! When my wife and I usually go out we need a doggie bag because there's always too much food but at Brandl we ate everything, nothing was left behind except 1bottle of beer that I brought lol. There was only one other party which made it even better. Thursday nights I'd say go there! I will definitely be going back read more

Brandl - Lazy lobster - New American Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

This used to be an amazing restaurant. Romantic good food and great service. It's all gone down hill ! Made reservations for tonight (Saturday) some time ago to celebrate a beautiful occasion. After waiting over 15 minutes to be seated. The owner sat us by the bathroom at a table for four people. When we asked to be seated somewhere else he flatly said NO. We sat and were ignored for another 15 minutes until we got up and walked out. He saw us and asked if there was a problem. Yeah get more help. Treat people nice. Left and went to blend in Manasquan where we were treated amazingly and promptly. Better menu too. Never never never going back ! Over priced over done terrible service. Food isn't as good as it used to be. Goodbye read more

From the moment we met Paul, the host, we knew we were in for a great experience!! Warm and friendly but right to business, Paul welcomed us and showed us to our table with a smile. Vincent, our waiter, helped us with our appetizer and entree choices which were spot on and absolutely delicious. It was a VERY busy Saturday night yet we were served quickly, but not rushed at all. Our busboy kept our bread basket and water glasses filled and was also very warm and personable! Coffee and dessert were also delish!! We had the Blue Point oysters and crab cake appetizers, scallops and Thai shrimp as entrees and mango sorbet and banana tart as our desserts. A++++. We will definitely be back!!! read more

I first discovered this location through the Belmar Restaurant Tour where my husband and I tasted their roasted garlic oysters. This was what brought us back time after time. Their service is very attentive and the food is delectable, although we always find ourselves going back for the oysters. The restaurant is BYOB which is always a plus and I don't think they charge extra for bottle service. If you go on the weekends, they sometimes have live music. Also has covered outdoor seating for those who like to dine outdoors. I do recommend reserving beforehand if you do end up going on the weekends. read more

I have had an expense account and for the past 20 years and entertained clients in the better restaurants across the US and Europe. My wife and I enjoy cooking as well. The decor at Brandl is very nice, not plush or a "beach place", just a pleasant place to dine. The fresh bread and butter were well above average, little did we know it was the highlight of the meal. The Caesar salad consisted of two stalks of romaine in a lake of dressing topped with a single sun dried tomato. The calamari was the boxed frozen type served with a jar grade marinara sauce and a spicy mayonnaise type dip. The Crab Cake was more like crab flavored bread again served on a lake of mild sauce. Not a single chunk of crab meat was found. If you want good crab cakes go to Baltimore in July / Aug. The 16 oz NY strip was huge. The sear was dry (re-fired?) and the sear was very tough to cut through. Overall the steak had little flavor especially considering it was for a NY Strip! A $49 steak should be exceptional. All the dishes had zero finesse or any truly fresh ingredients . With my preferred restaurants the owners are heavily involved regardless of price point and have high standards. Other less liked restaurants are simply a business with "managers" operating a "food factory" often using packaged items including sauces. In my view Bandl falls in the later category. read more

Listen....the food is very good...the portions more than sufficient...the bread delicious....BUT...the prices are outrageous. We had four bacon salads, one full sized dinner pasta special for the table (as an appetizer), and then four entrees, coffee and three desserts. With tip....$400 dollars for four people. That's $100 dollars per person. This ain't New York City.....and at $100 per person, again, with the aforementioned description of the food being excellent, I would not go back. It's just food and for me, someone who can afford a dinner like this.....I just would not devote this kind of money to something like this. It was NOT worth it and one need equate whether the price is worth the benefit. Again.... the food....absolutely delicious....oh, and did I mention, it's BYOB. No booze that we bought from them. Insane. read more