We originally came just to get a drink and dinner. Once we saw the appetizer options, we knew we had to try the octopus. I'm so happy we ordered it! 10/10. The octopus is a must order. Chef Mike really knows how to elevate all of the things on his menu. This wasn't like the grilled octopus we'd normally get at other restaurants. They really stepped it up. We ordered a round of drinks to go with our appetizer. The server was very knowledgeable and helped us pick the perfect drinks to pair with the octopus. We ordered the Angry Lobster & Shrimp pasta, as well as the Chilean Seasbass. I was genuinely surprised by how much lobster and shrimp were in the pasta! Large chunks of both!! The seabass was so creative. Perfectly cooked with additions that really took the dish to the next level. We weren't planning on getting dessert but the busboys sold us on it! The tempura PB & J was sooo different. I had to order it just because it was so unique. I don't know how Chef Mike came up with this idea but I'm so happy I did! I will be going back to get this as I'm still craving it. We also got the special dessert of the night which was a banana with a creme brûlée style toasted on top, gelato, and smashed graham crackers. It all worked so well together. Again, another work of art. And the staff! I can't say enough about how wonderful everyone was. From the welcoming hostess to our server who was so personable to the busboys who provided their suggestions to the bar manager who came to great is and get our feedback on our night. It was the first time going to the new location but everyone there made it feel like coming to a good friend's home. read more

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I laugh at some of the previous reviews! This place was absolutely incredible. Atmosphere -- 10 Service -- 10 Food -- 10+ Everything we had was outstanding from start to finish. The food was fresh, creative, perfectly prepared and honestly some of the best we've had at the Jersey Shore. And the service was every bit as good. Samantha was our waitress and she was simply phenomenal -- genuinely one of the best servers I've ever had. Friendly, attentive, knowledgeable, fun, and somehow always there exactly when we needed her without ever hovering. She made an already incredible dinner that much better. And don't overlook the cocktails. I'm admittedly an Old Fashioned snob, and theirs was one of the best I've had -- so good I had to have another just to make sure. Then came dessert. Nobody wanted dessert. We were all too full. Somehow we ordered them anyway...and every last bite was devoured. That pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Chef Mike's is an absolute must. Incredible food, fantastic cocktails, awesome atmosphere and exceptional service. We'll 100% be back. One of those meals you're still talking about after you leave! read more

Outstanding menu and service, one of a kind, a true legacy for Chef Mike, who deserved this opportunity and he is making the most of it.

We have been longtime supporters of Chef Mikes ABG so we were looking forward to visiting his new restaurant with another couple. The food was excellent. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals including the scallops, lobster and lobster/shrimp pasta dinner. For apps we had mussels and calamari - also very good. The cheesecake dessert - well, I wish we didn't share as a table. The service was as expected at a fine dining restaurant. Two things I didn't love; 1. The indoor vibes. The walls and windows are a very dark navy or black. When I'm at the shore, I want to feel like I'm At the shore. My friends mentioned the blackout shades were prob to mask the exterior area. I think it could've been brighter and still an elevated look and feel. But at the end of the day, it's all about the food. I get it. 2. My friends had a $200 gift card from his former location. They are not from area and had no idea he would be closing. I understand not wanting to honor it as it was a different business. But there was also no small gesture... like a free dessert or round of drinks. I think it could've gone a long way ... During dinner we chatted about all the great options now in the area and places we had to try. This spot is great but pricey. Prob won't be back too soon. Go check it out for yourself. I'll always root for Chef Mike! read more

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The chicken fried buffalo lobster tail appetizer was our start and it only got better from there! A great atmosphere in the dining room. Then we were able to relax in the outdoor lounge area to finish our conversations! What a great night! Thank you, Chef and St read more

At Chef Mike's, we landed a great seat at the bar and settled in for an absolutely delicious evening. The cocktails were amazing! Their Pomegranate Cosmo is to die for, while Jim enjoyed his dirty martini with an extra rim of everything-bagel seasoning. And let me tell you... that rim was EVERYTHING! We started with Chef Mike's Signature Chopped Salad, followed by my absolute favorite chicken dish. Jim went with the Aji Tuna, and both were fantastic. We were also lucky enough to run into Chef Bass and his lovely wife, owners of Daniel's Bistro. They were enjoying the house salad, a veggie-lover's chef's choice, and a delightful pork chop. And then there's John, our amazing bartender and bar manager, who was on point as always. He even makes his own lemon vodka, fermenting it for days. Now THAT is dedication to the craft! Chef Mike, you've outdone yourself once again. Thank you for feeding us, taking such good care of us, and giving us another amazing experience. Great food, great cocktails, great people, and a night worth remembering. #ChefMikes #googlocalguide #NJRestaurants #JerseyShoreEats #Foodie #RestaurantReview #CocktailLovers #SupportLocalRestaurants #TheThingsISee read more

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We started with cocktails - a Cosmo and Martini straight up. Thin glasses, well chilled, full pour. We would go back for just these at the bar - although too small (the bar, not the drinks). The octopus appetizer (shared) is beyond excellent. We have this regularly at other restaurants, they are not even close. The crab cakes and duck (special) were delicious. The portion sizes were perfect, which means not overwhelming. Service was exceptional. Four instead of five stars because of the ambiance. Basically very dark. Maybe the thought is that this is refreshing after a day in the sun. This will not deter us from returning. read more

As a longtime patron of Chef Mike's ABG, I was really excited to try the new Chef Mike's Legacy. We arrived early for our 7:00 p.m. reservation and placed our orders around 7:10. Unfortunately, we didn't receive our entrées until 8:14 p.m. And even then, only two of the three dishes came out. One of those had to be sent back because it was the wrong order due to a kitchen error, the correct entrée wasn't brought out until 8:31 p.m. The calamari was also overcooked and very tough. I ordered the filet mignon, and while I understand it's a premium cut, the portion was surprisingly small for the price. I do want to emphasize that the staff was excellent. They were friendly, apologetic, and clearly doing everything they could despite what appeared to be kitchen issues. read more

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The food, cocktails & service were excellent!!! Unfortunately, the ambiance took away from the experience. The lighting was extremely bright and harsh, with LED hanging lights and table lights that gave the same harsh lighting. The warmer recessed ceiling lights alone would create a much more inviting atmosphere. We also overheard other guests commenting on it. I would keep this in mind if you are looking for a cozy date-night. Great food and service, but the interior lighting need some serious attention. read more

Chef , mike definitely brought his signature dishes back to the hershey motel.. Staff was lovely waitress was amazing.Very tentative to our needs. Food came out perfect. The only thing I would say is that some of the dishes personally , food presentation means a lot and I don't think that the key protein items that were given were showcased. That's the only thing I would comment on. I have attached pictures to show you what I mean. read more

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For all the locals, the legacy does not live on. Chef Mike's ABG is no longer. The appetizers were decent and the drinks were the same, however, the entrees fell extremely short. The pork chop was undercooked, poorly prepared (eg, flavors did not meld, too much Gorgonzola, a fully uncooked peach on top), and completely differently than what we had previously coined "best pork chop ever" at the ABG. Despite taking 2 singular bites, the entree remained on the bill. After asking to have the pork chop removed, it was remediated by taking off a beer and the cheaper cocktail of the 3 we had ordered. In addition, the fish we ordered was oil/butter soaked and lacked any flavor. Generally, the food lacked any real heart, the flavors were not great, and the treatment on the poor food was improper. Ultimately, it was a big let down and we will not be going back. Also, sadly underwhelmed by the atmosphere which consisted of a drop ceiling, white lights, and no core theme -- seems they may have missed on a chance to open up a new beautiful place. read more

Chef Mike's Legacy - Seafood Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Disappointing Experience -- Chef Mike's Legacy Did Not Live Up to the Name We were really looking forward to trying Chef Mike's Legacy because we were big fans of the old Chef Mike's. Unfortunately, this experience left us extremely disappointed. We arrived at 5:30 PM and were seated immediately. The restaurant was only about a quarter full. Our waitress came over, explained the specials, and took our drink order. Despite the restaurant being relatively empty, the drinks took a surprisingly long time to arrive. When they finally came, my drink wasn't quite right, but I accepted it. My wife's dirty martini and our friend's dry martini, however, were unacceptable. Both arrived in rocks glasses rather than martini glasses, and blue cheese from the stuffed olives was smeared on the glasses. We initially thought maybe this was simply how they served their martinis. Then they tasted them. Both tasted like water. We called our waitress over and she offered to have them remade. When they returned, amazingly, they were in the same exact glasses with the same blue cheese smears still on them. They tasted somewhat better, but still weren't good. What made this even stranger was that as the evening went on, we noticed other customers' martinis being served in actual martini glasses. The menu listed the martinis at $17, plus an additional $3 for blue cheese olives, which already seemed excessive. The real surprise came when we received the check: there was another $7 upcharge for Belvedere vodka, making each martini $27. We have eaten at plenty of upscale restaurants and found that pricing excessive, especially considering the quality of the drinks. For appetizers, we had the Thai chili fried calamari, which was very good, although the sauce tasted like a commercial bottled sauce rather than something made in-house. We also ordered the whipped ricotta. The presentation needed work. Instead of having the light, elevated appearance you would expect from whipped ricotta, it looked like a soft blob of cheese on the plate, and the accompanying toast was overly charred. Then came the biggest issue of the evening: the wait for our entrées. We arrived at 5:30 PM and did not receive our entrées until approximately 7:45 PM -- more than two hours after we arrived. Our table ordered two sea bass dishes, a pork chop, and lamb chops. My $57 lamb chop entrée consisted of only two double-cut chops, with the actual eye of each chop only about 1 1/2 inches across. For that price, I expected more. The menu described the sauce as a rosemary demi-glace. It was tasty and I enjoyed it, but it was not what I would consider a classical demi-glace; it tasted much more like a prepared housin finishing sauce. The goat cheese mashed potatoes were also overly sharp, with too much goat cheese overpowering the potatoes. Both sea bass dishes arrived completely covered with shredded fried leeks--to the point that you could barely see the fish underneath. The leeks and overall dishes were greasy, although the fish itself tasted good. There were certainly things we enjoyed, and the food wasn't terrible. That's almost what makes the experience more disappointing. At these prices, you expect polished presentation, properly prepared cocktails, accurate menu descriptions, reasonable portions, and service that doesn't result in a two-plus-hour wait for dinner. Most disappointing of all is the name Chef Mike's Legacy. We loved the old Chef Mike's and came in hoping some of that experience and quality would carry over. Sadly, for us, the legacy just isn't there. We won't be back, which is unfortunate because we truly wanted to love this restaurant. read more

Ordered a cocktail, my signature cocktail. It tasted like dirty water. I sent it back. The second was the same. I ordered the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp was soft to the touch. My first bite, the shrimp was very mushy. I could not eat it. I also sent that back. It took forever for our dinner to arrive. I ordered the 8oz filet mignon, rare. My husband ordered the filet medallions with lump crab meat. The filet was served medium rare. Dark pink, gray around the edges. It was like warm at best. I didn't say anything. The medallions came out piping hot. They were absolutely delicious. While there was no sign of crab meat, my husband throughly enjoyed every last bite! Dessert. We shared a salted caramel gelato. It was already melting when it hit to the table. The first two bites had an icey texture (freezer burn). We have been to ABG in Seaside Park. My husband was there more often than I and my mom was a regular. The Legacy pales in comparison. The staff was super friendly, accommodating, apologetic, and understanding. They were honest about working the kinks out. I'm sure we'll give it another try, but we'll wait a few months. read more

Chef Mike's Legacy - Very small bar area. New bartenders learning their way. - Seafood Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Extremely disappointing experience. We were a party of 12, paid to Uber here, arrived early for our reservation, and easily spent close to $200 on drinks before we were even seated. The tone was set when my husband went inside to use the restroom wearing a hat and was condescendingly told by the host, "There are no hats in this restaurant, son." He had absolutely no issue removing his hat. The issue was the completely unnecessary and demeaning way he was spoken to. When a friend later tried to address it with the manager, the response was just as dismissive. The waitresses were lovely, but unfortunately the attitude from the host and management overshadowed everything else. Chef Mike's still seems to be positioning itself as though it's the upscale oceanfront restaurant it once was, with the prices and attitude to match. The reality felt very different. It's now inside the Hershey Motel, and to us the space felt like a dark, underwhelming hole in the wall. Treating customers as though they should feel lucky to be patronizing your restaurant is a horrible look when the atmosphere, hospitality, and overall experience don't come close to matching the image you're trying to project. We were 12 people ready to spend a significant amount on dinner and drinks and ultimately left without ordering food. That pretty much says it all. Thankfully, we walked down the boardwalk to PJ's, where we were warmly welcomed, had a delicious dinner, and completely salvaged the night. We won't be back. read more

I'm a long-time Mike's ABG fan. I'm writing this review to try and help the new Mike's Legacy work out some problems, so they can match or exceed the old ABG experience. What went well was that they still have their Thai calamari. It's absolutely amazing. Also their crab cakes. And there were several other tasty new additions to the menu. Our waiter was also very polite and helpful. What is not yet working, but I'm very hopeful will be worked out in the coming days and weeks: - The calamari arrived room-temperature. All the flavor was there from the old ABG; it was just not hot like it had always been served at ABG. - Bartender could not make a Kir Royale to save his life. I got a lowball mostly full of Chambord and with an apology from the waiter that the bar had run out of lemon juice. That is not at all what a Kir Royale is, or the glassware for it. I sent it back and got one of their listed cocktails, and it was good. But the bartender needs training. - Nantucket prices. OMG former ABG. Wow. Mike has dramatically raised his prices. Most entrees are $50+. We literally flew in from Nantucket earlier this week and had a better meal there for a bit less money. - The A/C vents are up in the ceiling, and have condensation that drips on your head and on your food. - Busboys are utterly untrained. One busboy came with a dirty plate from another table with a lobster shell on it. The busboy asked my guest if he was done, and when told 'yes,' the busboy picked up the lobster tail with his hand from the other persons' plate, put it on my guest's plate in front of him, and then proceeded to stack the plates and clear them. I'm a former bus boy myself, I've never seen one person's leftover food transferred to another person's plate in front of a them and then cleared away. There were many, many other such busboy gaffes throughout our evening. Nothing mean-spirited; the busboys are just completely untrained. - The kitchen experienced a power outage, which slowed things down. The food came out slowly, but consistently, but it took 3 hours and 15 minutes for us to dine. At the old ABG I recall we were in-and-out in about 90 minutes. We did not mind sitting and talking, but the slow food prep roughly doubled our time at the table. That means table turns are cut in half. That will destroy the restaurant's profitability if they can't get food served at a normal pace. - The lighting is very, very odd. Not at all like the old ABG. Mike's Legacy has blackout shades that they don't even open once the sun goes down. That makes Mike's feel dark. And the place is painted very dark blue. The lights are almost fluorescent white - the table lights and the pendant lights overhead. The table lights can be changed to a warmer hue! We figured that out ourselves. Several other tables similarly changed their table lights. But there is nothing we could do about the overhead pendant lights. We'll be back next summer when we are next in town, and will hope all these kinks are worked out. I know it is not easy running a small business, and Mike definitely had it 'dialed-in' at ABG. Give this place a try! read more

Had reservations for 830 got there a little early and we told that they were not taking any reservations for that day that there was a problem with the kitchen asked to talk to Chef Mike. They didn't know where he was. I told him to check the refrigerator unbelievable. The staff was excellent and very nice, but some of them were young and didn't really what to say or what to do where the hell is Chef Mike? This is ridiculous. All the money that he's charging he should be McDonald's horrible what the hell happened? This is the man that got on the Internet and cried looking for a place to put his new restaurant and now look what he does, he could even be found to confront the embarrassment that what's happening bad bad bad bad that some legacy that you're creating read more

Lobster partially raw Very very long wait time for dinner after ordering. Oysters very disappointing, never seen so small Too expensive. read more

Chef Mike's is extremely expensive but their drinks are not watered down in their food is out of this world absolutely delicious if you're gonna propose to your girl or your favorite anniversary is coming up this is the place to go read more

Service was AWESOME!! Food was great. Layla and the rest of the staff were great. Very attentive. read more

The food was amazing!!!! I had the angry lobster and shrimp m. It was excellent. My wife had the crabcakes and I tasted the crabcakes and they are the best on the island. We each had the crab bisque again fantastic. The restaurant has not missed a beat since they moved from Seaside Park to Seaside Heights. I will definitely go back there. The price is a little bit more than most restaurants, but it's worth every bit of it compared to the restaurant just north of it. It's well worth what you're paying versus going to Dune in Ortley Beach. read more

Friends had reservations for 7:00 we showed up 6:45 to have cocktail bar was full so we went to the pub bar. 2 cosmos, corona and grey goose. We told the hostess we were here and she proceeded to tell us they're running 1hr behind Due to flooding. We finished our drinks 4 bar stools opened up so we decided to take them. Cashed out all was good. We sat at bar order same drinks and looked at menu. We ordered apps calamari was ok. We decided not to wait we got the bill and drink prices were almost dbl from pub? Seems like sexy Chef Mike is ripping ppl off. Never going back. The 5 star reviews they are a joke. 3 it was their first review. Come on mike you're paying people for reviews. read more

We went to Chef Mike's on Wednesday evening for a 6pm reservation. Yes they had a slight problem with the computer in the front not reaching the kitchen, things happen. The lovely lady went to every table to explain what happened. Our appetizer of fried calamari was the best we have ever had. The entrees of Angry lobster & shrimp pasta and seared peppered ahi tuna where delicious, so many pieces of lobster. Our after dinner martini's & pina colada donut holes were a perfect end to the evening. Not sure why so many bad reviews, the restaurant has only been open 2 weeks, give it a break. We will surely be back read more

We have been dining at Chef Mike's ABG for years, and the food has always been excellent, while the hostess station has generally been average. Recently, we decided to try the new Legacy restaurant and came away with mixed feelings. The reception was pleasant, our waitress was excellent, and our appetizers reflected the high quality we've come to expect. Unfortunately, three of the four entrées were surprisingly below Chef Mike's usual standards. We ordered two pork chops, and our waitress recommended they be cooked medium. When they arrived, the presentation was fine, but after just a few bites it was obvious the pork was extremely rare. When we brought it to our waitress's attention, she acknowledged it wasn't medium and explained that the restaurant had just opened and the staff was still working through some issues. We also ordered the filet medallions medium-rare, but they arrived medium-well. Regardless of how new the staff may be, this is not a startup restaurant, and it appeared there was no quality control to verify that the food was cooked to the requested temperatures before it left the kitchen. If the kitchen and staff are not yet operating at the expected level, it would have been better to delay the opening until those issues were resolved. This experience was disappointing because we've always enjoyed Chef Mike's restaurants. At this point, we're not sure if we'll return to Legacy, and if we do, it will likely be after the kitchen has had time to get up to speed. read more

Wonderful night on the patio last night At The new Legacy! The summer vibe was relaxing! We ordered crab cakes, pork chops, grilled octopus and an incredible lavender berry cheesecake! Very attentive staff, excellent experience! We will definitely be back to try the lamb chops! read more

I made a reservation 3 weeks in advance. Someone called about 30 mins before our rez but didn't leave a message. When I called back to see why they were calling, the man was so rude and said "have you looked out the window we're obviously calling to cancel." We were sitting outside but there were no alternative options and a lot of attitude. I could go on but it was wacky... read more

The food was excellent and the service was very good . Beautiful interior and nice ambiance . We highly recommend this restaurant.

The food and service are exceptional. The only word of warning is when they say no hats, they apparently also mean ladies wearing stylish dressy hats. read more

Really wanted to love it as Chef Mikes was always one of our favorite places down the shore. Appetizers and drinks were great but with a party of 7 people, 3 people ordered the surf and turf special for $90 and 2 out of the 3 lobsters were completely translucent and uncooked and had to be sent back. The steak with the lobster was also not a great quality at all. The filet mignon medallions with crab were extremely fatty and chewy and not the quality of a real filet mignon. This was one of my favorite dishes at the old Chef Mikes but this dish was no way near a good filet. Service also took a very very long time (over 2 hours for dinner) with people all around us complaining. I want to give it another try in the months to come because I want them to do well like they have in the past but they have a lot to figure out before we go back. read more

Went to chef Mike's for dinner last night except the was NO chef Mike !!! He had a busy day and went home Early!!! So no chef Mike. So why did I go to this NJ shore top chef's restaurant if he's not the chef total bust never go there AGAIN and the food- rather go to Ebby's!!! I give it one star read more

Overrated and over priced. Manager was rude about dish that was drenched in sauce. I got the sea bass which had way too much sauce. Response from manager was next time get it with sauce on the side it's chef Mike's signature dish. I don't care whose signature dish it is. It was literally drenched in sauce. Sauce on the veggies sauce on the fish sauce all over the plate. Sauce literally everywhere. And the sauce that smothered dish was room temperature which made it even more inedible. Filet was over cooked twice. I am pretty sure "chef Mike" didn't make all the dishes being served tonight. Waitress was pleasant and knowledgeable but the manager has an awful attitude. We will not be back because of her. read more

Food was amazing drinks good service was wonderful... A+ highly recommend. Very happy I went and did not follow bad reviews.

We loved Chef Mike ABG but I think they need to work out the kinks in the kitchen and bar before I go back. Waited over 20 minutes for a glass of wine to come with dinner which was at least 30 min after our salad. The waiter couldn't tell me if the reisling was dry or sweet so I asked to taste and 20 minute later he said the bar was too busy to taste? Our table wobbled and the bathroom doors wouldn't lock? The speciality martini was $17 so I order a dirty Tito (which I realized after was the specialty seaside martini) and mine was $19? The restaurant didn't open til mid July so I feel things should not be broken already? They did comp our glass on wine .. Positive note the dining room is beautiful and my dinner was delicious although my husbands was lukewarm, but for the money I won't be back soon read more

Like many others, we have been going to Chef Mike's for many years. We went for the first time since the opening and were disappointed. The bread service which you now have to pay $8 for had dinner rolls that were soft and tasteless. I have had better rolls on an airplane. The butter was simply three lumps of butter that had toppings: one was roasted garlic, another honey, and the last was Chinese spice. The butter itself was not flavored. Chopped salad had way too much dressing. I had the sea bass which I frequently ordered at the old location. It is not the same. One piece of eggplant was cooked, the other was not. The fish did not have the same crust. My husband had the lamb and it was overcooked. I was holding three additional reservations for the rest of the summer. Sadly, I canceled them. read more

Food was good , service was horrible. Don't use the excuse that they just opened. They have been in the game along time. If your gonna use an excuse that they just opened the use a discount also. Get it right !!! read more

This place is a disgrace. Chef Mike was only as good as the amazing space he had at ABG and that was why we would Put up with the overpriced meal, but Legacy not only has terrible ambiance literally from the 80's, but to make a reservation and be told we have to sit in a corner at some pathetic high top was never going to happen. His food isn't good enough to be treated like that. to be told by hostess that we couldn't sit at a table in dining room because it was for 4 people as we we counted 4 tables of just couples was insulting to say the least. When I went to manager and pointed out her excuse he doubled down and then became hostile. That is when we walked out after wasting money on 2 drinks. The night was saved when we drove to an amazing restaurant in Bay Head, sat that bar and had an amazing meal. Legacy? lol read more

I don't usually write reviews, but we had an awful dining experience tonight. The glasses were all dirty. I ordered a glass of wine and there was things floating in it and then we ordered the calamari which was disgusting. It was like eating a saltine cracker Chef Mike has gone from a great chef to catering to the tourists and getting away with his name. What a shitty experience we had tonight and we're locals. read more