I'm giving this a 3 since that's what the restaurant is rated though I didn't actually eat here. Picked it as a seafood restaurant to eat at our last night of vacation as it seemed like the best option on the island. I called at 4:30 on a Thursday for a 6 pm reservation and they were booked up and we could go at 5 or 8:30. We figured we'd give it a shot and walked in at 5:30 and even though there were tons of empty tables they said we'd have to wait until after 8. I get that they were busy but I wish they had tried to accommodate two adults and a child. They likely could have gotten us in and out. read more

Decided to try them again this year after a disastrous visit last year. Read some positive reviews this year, so we were optimistic. Started off on the wrong foot, being seated 30 mins after our 8:30 reservation. Service was great, owner stopped by the table a few time. Oh the food, salmon was a hit, fish and chips high marks, lobster roll outstanding, French dip terrible. Sold as thin sliced filet mignon, requested rare. Was thick, well done on a inedible roll with fries that were cold and soggy. We had two orders at the table, both came out the same. Location is nice and as mentioned the staff was great. Verdict. I'll try again......next year. Stay away from the French Dip! read more

We went there for breakfast and docked by boat. We tried to call for reservations, but was told they're not taking reservations. We were a party of seven that offered to split up into two tables to satisfy COVID-19 recommendations. We were seated by the hostess who was very accommodative. Then the manager comes out and says we're not allowed to eat there because our party was too big (even though we didn't have more than four people per table (and there we several other tables with four people). He ultimately said the tables were reserved. When we questioned him about the no reservation policy mentioned when we called earlier, he wouldn't respond. He was going out of his way to make sure we felt unwanted. So unless you're on the managers preferred diner list, you should probably find somewhere else to eat. We will never dine there again. read more

We went there on a Monday. The restaurant handled the 6 foot separation mandate very well. Every other table was empty, on the dock. The food was excellent. Our waitress kept her distance and everyone wore masks. I highly recommend going here. The view the food and the staff were amazing!! If you like calamari, this is the best I gave ever had. Not greasy, not chewy! read more

I've been here a few times now since they've reopened, and every time it gets better. The location can't be beat - right on the waterfront of the bay, with both indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is completely outdoors on nice days but can also be tented in when the weather is acting up. I've had good meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On my latest visit with my entire family, it happened to be dinner and I went with the Blackened Salmon. It didn't seem blackened to me, or the seasoning was very light, but it was absolutely fantastic anyway. Perfectly cooked, nice and flaky, and fresh and flavorful. I really enjoyed it. We'll definitely be back next time we're down the shore. read more

Inconsistent hours, rude staff that tells customers wrong information. This is the second time we've tried to dine here and have been turned away because of wrong information about lunch hours on the website and given by staff on the phone. read more

Came here for dinner the other day. The appetizers were delicious. I had the scallop entree and my husband had the tuna entree. Scallops were really good and perfect! I would go for it again today. The potato and corn in a cream sauce was perfect. The tuna was ok. read more

My family decided to try this restaurant. We had a reservation at 7:30. Everything started out fine. We ordered our appetizers and kids dinners. Waitress forgot fries for my son. We put our dinner orders in. Everything pretty normal up until this point. Then we waited and waited and watched party after party get their food. At 9pm we asked our server what was going on? She said they had a party of 11. She said we were next up. Well we were next up because there was no one left in the restaurant! At that point the experience was ruined and everyone was pretty upset. At no time did the waitress or anybody communicate that they were busy or anything. Then at 9:15 over an hour and a half after we ordered did our food come out. Then, to wrap this long post up, we asked to speak to the manager and it ended up being a server! He did not apologize, told me this is not a place you bring kids too, said people on vacation don't get that you have to wait, and was a pompous ass. Icing on the cake was I left some toys for my kids on the table and went back to grab them 5 minutes after leaving only to find out that they threw them out!!! Avoid this place. Classic tourist trap with young servers that don't understand or care about customers. read more

Enjoyed breakfast and dinner here on day 2 of their reopening, and flavored were amazing. Delicious omelette for breakfast, had a bite of captn crunch French toast which was a fun sweet dish. Mussels with red sauce, needed bread to get every last drop. Kitchen and wait staff is doing a great job, expect some kinks for any newly opened place, but they're hearts and soul are in this place. read more

Channel Marker Cafe - Sirloin with Portobello and Mashed - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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Went for breakfast by boat, got there about 9:00am. We were a party of 7, 2 tables open set for 8 people. Hostess comes out, we tell her we will be a party of 7, she goes into restaurant, comes back out and says these tables only hold 5 due to Covid. So we told 2 of the kids to eat in the boat and now we are 5. Again she disappears and the manager/ owner comes out and says these tables are reserved. I called before we came and they said no reservations for breakfast. He said they will be here any minute and the loser runs into the restaurant, never to be seen again. The hostess just shrugs and has no comments. There is no chance that I would ever go to that place again, the manager or owner or who ever he is got to grow a pair. read more

Wish I could give zero! Begged my family to give this place another try because the last time we ate here the food was old and inedible....As we dock our boat guests from the restaurant helped us dock up - once were all docked we walk in to get our table for breakfast - the place had tables open everywhere.... The server came back to us only to tell us The "guy in the back" said no more serving. It was 10:50 a.m. we asked why and asked if they could let him know we took 20 minutes docking - he said he didn't care. Never coming out to speak to us - cowardly and unprofessional sending his young servers out to speak for him. Our family is in the food business and this would never happen. You accommodate any way possible especially if you watch your customer go through the trouble of docking their boat. Had they come over to us as they watched us dock to tell us they weren't going to serve us - we would have come back. Never again. The food is awful and the management is horrible. If that was owner and not management- get out of the food business - you have no place here. read more

Two words. Absolute shitshow. We show up and have to wait 10 minutes for our reservation only to be placed at a table that can barely fit 4 when there are 5 of us. Hostess finally came up to us 15 minutes after we'd been seated to ask if we have had someone come over to take our order yet, which we had not. So far we have waited 30 minutes for food while tables with more people and who came later than us are getting theirs. On top of all of this it took 15 minutes and 3 reminders for our waitress to get us ICE. Total joke. Do not come here unless you want to sit and look at a dock for an hour. HORRENDOUS. UPDATE: After finally receiving our appetizers (over an hour) they were surprisingly good. If it weren't for the food I would not understand why anyone would voluntarily choose to come here ANOTHER UPDATE: as we left we chatted with another table of 5 (also seated at a table for 4) who arrived about the same time as us who hadn't yet received their food as we left. Seems to be a common issue with this place and if you complain you'll just be told that "the kitchen is behind" meanwhile the kitchen could barely feed 50 people adequately let alone the 200 seats they have set up read more

I called the restaurant to put my name on the list. The young lady at the desk said she could not do that but ensured me if I would come by I would be seated and served in a timely manner. I showed up 15 minutes later with my family and was told that they were no longer serving breakfast. I explained the situation to the manager and was basically told too bad. I asked politely to be made aware of the possibility that this may happen in the future and he told me no. This place is absolute garbage, I have had multiple bad experiences because it's the only restaurant that I can get to by boat within a reasonable distance to my house. I would give it less than 1 star if I could. read more

Had the signature crab cakes and the filet minion. All was wonderful and the staff was very friendly.

Just went to town on a 5 star breakfast at Channel Marker Cafe! Pleasantly surprised by the elegant plates that arrived. Immediately asked our delightful server if there was a new chef, to which our suspicions were confirmed. Islander pancakes with chocolate chips for the little mermaid - hey giiiirrrlll delicious! Eggs with ALL the fixins for the rest of us, potatoes well done of Thank you for making our morning EXTRA, see you again soon! read more

Channel Marker Cafe - Jet ski scrambled w sausage - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

I'll lead with, don't bring your family here. They don't care about you or especially your kids. We are local to TR and have been wanting to come to Channel Marker for years, no exaggeration. We decided to come by boat before heading out for the day. I called at 10am to inquire about a wait and available slips, but we arrived during changeover from breakfast to lunch due to quite a few unforeseen circumstances making us late. I was visibly upset and inquired about their flexibility since we had our two small children with us that were starving. They were unable to accommodate us, so I told them we were going to sit on on the dock and feed our children the yogurt and fruit I had packed before we would leave. I asked to speak with a manager to politely inquire about potentially ordering take-out or purchasing something already made that we could just give to our children, not us. I was told this is not an option, the kitchen is closed until 12:30pm. Then I feel like I'm begging, and ask if I can just purchase some bread since we came by boat and I only had the yogurt and fruit for my kids. Still, the answer is a firm no! I'm sorry, but I 100% was in disbelief and definitely said a choice word (which I immediately apologized for). If anyone has ever had small children, you could empathize even a little. I've served in many restaurants, and that was a decision call. Shortly after I overheard this manager state she worked at an elementary school?! Wow! And you wouldn't even sell us a piece of bread to hold our children over? Trust me, if we had arrived by car we would've just left at the first moment. It was a little more involved with the boat and the fact that we had planned to be out for the day. But we will be sure to spread the word about your lack of compassion. Ironically, I tried to keep my cool because of my compassion for the staff and the potential nonsense they may deal with on a day-to-day basis. read more

We love the appetizers and salads here. The wedge salad is huge and great. Also love the calamari, flatbreads, mussels, and lobster roll. It's right on the water so sitting outside is really nice. read more

Horrible business management. You never know when they will be open for business. They will likely be out of business soon despite good food/menu. Unfortunate! read more

We made a reservation for a large group and were promptly seated. We got two salads to start - they were huge and perfect to share for our group of 7. We also got two of the shrimp apps that were great. Our waitress was very nice and it was so relaxing sitting out on the water. It's also BYOB which is awesome. If our meal ended there, we'd give it 5 stars. However, it didn't... For our party of 7, only 2 really liked their food and there were still issues. All of our fries were undercooked. We should have brought it up but didn't want to complain as our waitress was very nice. The lobster roll was good but the burgers were underwhelming. I got the crabby burger with lobster and crab mac and cheese on it. There were at least 3 pieces of cartilage in my mac - so gross. Dessert was very good at the end but not sure I would go back. read more

NOT WORTH YOUR TIME. Read this and the other reviews before you decide to go here. Sounds like the food is decent, but nobody can get a table -- and that's not because it's constantly packed, because it isn't. I have tried to come here three times for breakfast in the past four weeks. The first time, I found out they won't take your food order between 11:30 and noon (they say this is the "transition" time between breakfast and lunch. Fair enough, j guess, but this isn't a Michelin star restaurant, it's a diner. Do they really require 30 minutes to take syrup and jelly off the tables?). The second time, I got there at 11am -- plenty of time for breakfast -- and the hostess told me that they were no longer serving breakfast because the kitchen was "slammed earlier." I'm not sure why it mattered how busy the kitchen *was* -- when we got there, the place was basically empty. The third (and final time), I arrived at 10:35am. We joked on the way there that we wondered what it could be this time, but we didn't actually expect to be turned away. Yet, when we arrived, we were told by two hostesses and a manager that the kitchen was "slammed" and we really needed reservations. First of all, this is the first time we were told about reservations. Second of all, the place was, yet again, BASICALLY EMPTY. TL;DR -- The hostesses (and manager) are confused, rude, or unapologetic. The most charitable assessment I can give is that they're completely disorganized and seemingly uninterested in turning a profit. There are WAY better places you can go nearby. Try Patti's Kitchen, which is about 5 minutes up the road, which is run by very sweet people who know what they're doing (and the good is great). Dune Grass Cafe is also great -- it's a little farther up the road in Bay Head, but it's worth it. Don't give the Channel Marker your money -- maybe they'll figure out how to seat people in an empty room, teach the kitchen how to handle cooking for capacity, and train the front-of-house to be a bit more hospitable. read more

I have had dinner with my wife at the channel marker several times this season. And let me tell you. It just gets better and better. Despite some minor issues like constantly being fully booked and a passcode for the bathroom, every experience we've had at the channel marker has been wonderful. Not to objectify the wait staff but they're all good looking and symmetrical. Which definitely compliments the beautiful water-side views from their dine-on dock. (Sunset is great!) Joey's angry lobster and ciopino is some of the best seafood that I've had by the shore. And the salads (especially the arugula and the zorba) are big enough for a whole family. Great place. Highly recommend . read more

I'm confused with all these reviews for this restaurant. After having dinner there last night, I don't understand how this place gets any bad reviews. We had 6 pm reservation for 6 people for outside seating. We got there 15 minutes early and they sat us right down at a great location outside. We ordered appetizers and our meals at the same time. By this time the outside was now full but you don't feel crowded at all. The apps came out after a short wait and they were amazing. Plenty on the plate to share. Definitely try the wings. They were great. They gave us the perfect amount of time to enjoy the apps before the brought the entrees. All 6 of us loved our meals. I had the cod and shrimp puttenesca which was delicious. Its not cheap but they give you a lot of food! Definitely worth the money. Bottom line, service was great, food was great. We are year rounders in Ortley and wiill definitely go back! read more

The hostess Cara was so rude over the phone. Hung up on me when i was asking for a reservation. This place needs to check who they hire.

There were a number of items not available on the menu. The server wasn't friendly. Food was okay.

Covid 19 respected. Awesome views, good service. Fish and lots of it, fresh well prepared. Greek salad, clams, lobster flounder. All delicious. Never felt rushed, reservations only. BYOB is a plus. Apps and salads are large enough to share. Grab a bottle and enjoy. read more

Stopped by here while on vacation. Food was good but service and staff very slow. Ot sure if I will return

Went here for dinner on Friday night - luckily, my boyfriend made a reservation for 6:30 because it seems like it definitely picked up around that time. Especially if you want a seat with a view outside near the docks - which is totally worth it if you don't mind a little heat and the not too often smell of gasoline as someone drives up to the restaurant and parks their boat. Service was great, and the appetizer and meals came out fairly quickly, despite how busy it was getting. And my entree was HUGE - see the clam strips photo below! My boyfriend got blackened chicken - his review is that it was good, and it felt like a homemade meal. Our favorite part was the appetizer, though - the roasted eggplant flatbread was TO DIE FOR. Honestly, if we have the opportunity to go back, we'd probably get two appetizers to split and call it a day because they are pretty good sized portions if it's just you and one other person. Oh, and it's BYOB - one of my favorite parts about it! read more

Channel Marker Cafe - A bottle of white wine (BYOB) and a view! - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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Delicious food, professional staff and a beautiful setting. I am typing this regrettably because I know that the crowds will flock there after reading this. Well they deserve the praise so I will deal with the crowds read more

Channel Marker Cafe - Fried flounder sandwich - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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The food was excellent and the view can't be beat to get the feel of the shore in the summer. Service slow.

We kept hoping this place would improve becuase the waterfront location is great. They don't seem to know how to run a restaurant...in any respect. Service is veeeeerrry slow. They are always out of several key items. Staff seem to be constantly confused and overly busy when the place is less than half full. Breakfast for 5 of us...it took about 20 minutes from brining the first 2 plates to bringing the final one. And finally brought the tabasco when I had almost finished my omelette. Other reviews here mention better places nearby. Check them out. Channel Market is NOT worth the wait. read more

We passed by this restaurant hundreds of times & never knew it was there! We were looking for places to eat on the water & could not believe it when we found it!! The service was great & the food was delicious. The breeze off of the bay made it just perfect! It's BYOB, too! We've brought overnight guests there & they've also loved it! Definitely a restaurant you should try. In season it may be tough to get a table during dinnertime. read more

To say we are disappointed is an understatement. We have had a home down here for 14 years and read about this place in New Jersey magazine. We were excited to find a local with a waterfront view. We waited for over an hour for our appetizers and dinner soon followed. Many things were sold out so I ordered a fried seafood combo which was without flavor. My son sent his steak back. Our girls thought their meals were ok. The only saving grace was the view, drunk people waiting for a table and the off-key live music. So bummed read more

Overpriced. Menu seems better for dinner rather then a lunch place. Also what kind of cafe stops serving breakfast at noon? At a cafe I expect breakfast to be served all day :(. Went back the following day, expecting a nice early breakfast at 9:30 in the morning. I ordered a omelette with Swiss cheese, onions, ham, and peppers. I expect a good omelette cause you can't operate a buisness without good food. Don't get me wrong the omelette was good but the eggs were terrible. Tasted like the eggs you get at a hotel buffet, I expected better and was utterly disappointed. read more

This place is a beautiful, small, bay front dine and dock that we love! They have such fresh fish and the soft shell crabs are to die for! One of my favorite seafood places down the shore :) read more

We just came from having dinner at this fabulous restaurant set in the most beautiful setting on the marina. Neil, the manager made sure that our table was perfect and that we were in the location we requested. Our server Marlene was very attentive and professional and checked on us regularly but was never intrusive. The kitchen was a little backed up, and since we didn't order any appetizers (we'd had a huge lunch), they gave us a complimentary salad for the table to enjoy while we waited. Food was fresh, tasty and of top quality. A perfect meal, great service and a setting that can't be beat? That's the best recipe for a perfect evening! read more

This place is hit or miss. Food is generally good, however the service suffers from a young, inexperienced staff. On a recent visit, for a table of five, our food came out over a span of about 30 minutes. The staff seems to be confused and unorganized. A waiter walked by with a large loaf of bread under his arm, as in right in his arm pit! Never good, especially on a warm night. I want to give them another chance, but I don't think much will change. It's a very convenient location with a nice view, but they have to step it up with the service. Servers need to focus on their tables at all times. Don't bring meals out if the majority aren't ready. Also check drinks for refills, clear table of used dishes and glasses, connect with the customers, smile once in a while, and recognize that the customer is important to the business. You can't keep screwing up and expect repeat business. --------- Update: July 15, 2018 Well, we gave this place another chance today. We were a party of nine, sat outside on the deck, and enjoyed dinner with a great view. A few things to note: 1. The menu offers less choices, mostly seafood, no kids meals or options. If you're a picky eater, look elsewhere. 2. The wait time to receive our meals was ridiculous! We waited well over an hour for our dinners. They did not improve in this area at all. They have to get their act together, or people won't come back. 3. They got rid of the fresh cut fries and replaced them with some coated, very soggy fries. 4. Grilled chicken was over cooked and difficult to cut. 5. They were out of about six lobster and crab menu options. 6. The singer, Bobby G., was disappointing. Really enjoyed him last year, but seems like it's time for him to retire. He only stays inside the restaurant and doesn't venture onto the deck area at all. The only real positive attribute is the view. Now if they could only serve good food in a timely manner, this place would be great! read more

Food was excellent but the are struggling bad with service - 45 min between apps and dinner is unacceptable! Asking for silverware shouldn't be on the to do list - waiter was super nice and apologetic for what the kitchen could obviously not handle! Breaking down tables while I a still eating? Really do you want me to leave? read more

If I could give it 0 stars I would. They were out of everything. Limited menu to begin with and half of the items were not available. We left so I never got a chance to sample the food. read more

The entire experience was amazing. Quality food, friendly efficient service and Neil made us feel welcomed and appreciated. Definite returning soon! read more

Delicious and the views from the dock are so amazing. Perfect spot of a special occasions or just a family get together