SEASIDE PARK: Betty and Nick's has been a staple of Seaside for over 50 years for their bait,…read moretackle, and fishing gear shop! You can get daily updates of fishing conditions on their website and social media. Bring your leashed dog into the shop with you! They also have a wonderful family-owned restaurant serving breakfast and lunch where leashed dogs are allowed at the outdoor tables. We were invited to visit by Chef Tammy and you can find her working hard behind the grill as early as 4:30am!! Yes, you read that right! We arrived a bit later than that and being such a great place, there was a wait for a table, but it was totally worth it because the food was excellent! A simple menu, but executed deliciously! The avocado toast was presented beautifully and was a full meal and the western breakfast sandwich was huge! Finish out the summer with a great meal at the beach.

Good cheep food and the service treated us very well. Although the interior is a little run down…read moreand it shares a building with a bait shop right next door that I personally like

My wife and I met another couple for a late breakfast on a Sunday morning. Needless to say, it was…read morecrowded and we had to wait 15 minutes for a table. Nice ambiance and very friendly staff. I ordered the full stack of French toast with bananas, strawberries, and blueberries, and a side of sausage links. My wife had the west Coast scrambler which consisted of eggs, avocado, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, and scallions. Our friends ordered the chorizo burger with fries, and pastrami on rye with a side of coleslaw. As a coffee snob, I would say the coffee was very good. Everything came out cooked fresh and hot. Plenty of fresh fruit on top of my French toast. I heard the chorizo burger was different and delicious. Most of the plates went back clean. Portions were very generous. The service was excellent and friendly. The prices are reasonable. There is plenty of parking in their private parking lot. Worth the trip if you are in the area.

I have to say I was hesitant when I pulled up to Shut Up and eat with my family but I'll DEFINITELY…read morebe back ! The menu is MASSIVE, don't come if you're indecisive or if you don't plan to come back to try more dishes ! The waitstaff sticks to the silly bit , wearing PJs, bordering on rude but in a playful way that makes it fun and not annoying. There are so many knick knacks on the walls to look at - lots of conversation starters! We enjoyed everything we ordered (the afternoon waffle section was a fun twist on a sandwich and proved you can have it all!) and are already scheming what we will have next time we come back!

Lava Java, one of my favorite coffee spots while on vacation at the Jersey Shore. This spot is…read morepopular, so def recommend allowing yourself some time or arriving around opening (7am) The staff and service is excellent, adorable interior, and amazing offerings ~ we tried one of their super fun iced coffee flavorings, Brown Butter. Delicious! We also grabbed a slice of their homemade coffee cake. Again, delicious! And of course, some beans for our rental to make early morning coffees before the sunrise. My parents went back on their own trip and ordered a pork roll & cheese on a Kaiser roll sandwich (see pic for the ample serving size) and mentioned they had a morning/mid-day live musician serenading them while they ate outside. So fun! They offer outdoor seating and also lunch (I believe they close around 2p). Parking for most of these spots on the shore can be found on the street, although walkable pending where you're staying down the shore. Highly recommend!

Such a cute local spot! The service was so kind and the line moved quickly. I love that they offer…read morebiodegradable straws as an options.

Classic little diner with tons of delicious options! Potato pancakes and regular pancakes are both…read moregreat. Hash browns are nice and crispy and the omelettes have a yummy cheese sauce.

This place just ain't what it used to be. There is a lot of breakfast competition in the area and…read morethey fall flat. The food was not very good. The waitress was not very attentive and honestly just seemed like she didn't want to be there. I should have known when they were able to immediately seat a party of 6 without any wait for breakfast and we definitely saw why.

Very friendly staff who were accommodating of our party of seven on short notice. Great menu with…read morevariety, and we enjoyed the boardwalk view from the outdoor seating area.

Went to PJ's after a beach day over at Island Beach State Park. We were craving seafood and saw…read morePJ's had exactly what we were looking for. I had the fried seafood platter and it wasn't too bad. Wish the breading stayed on the seafood better but it still hit the spot. My wife killed the linguine with clams. For the price I would expect bigger clams but overall the meal was fine! Probably one of the better places to eat along the boardwalk.

The food at Sand Dollar Restaurant in Lavallette, New Jersey is honestly phenomenal. Every meal…read moreI've had there has been fresh, flavorful, and worth coming back for. The staff is also absolutely wonderful friendly, attentive, and they really help create a great dining experience. Unfortunately, the older woman who appears to be the owner or manager always comes across as very unwelcoming. She often seems annoyed, frustrated, or just mad at the world, and it definitely changes the atmosphere when you walk in. It's disappointing because the rest of the team works so hard and the food is truly outstanding. If it weren't for the amazing staff and excellent food, I honestly probably wouldn't return. Thankfully, they're the reason I keep giving the place another chance.

Down at Seaside during the off-season and drive up to Samd Dollar for some breakfast. Place is…read moresuper cute, but we were the only ones there when we arrived (more arrivals after us and it was starting to fill up by the time we left). Started with some urgently needed coffee while we read the menu. I ended up getting the Lavalette special - two eggs, two pancakes, bacon, hash browns and toast (I rarely eat like this anymore so I was absolutely stuffed). Wifey ordered the Avocado Mash special. The avocado mash was seasoned perfectly with some lime and not overly salty. Toast could have been slightly more toasted, but the tomato was very good for an April tomato. Very good coffee, nothing super special, but hot and tasty. Food came quickly and was great. As I said, a cery cute place, but I bet this place is PACKED during the season. It was about half full by the time our food came so we got here just in time. Another place I'd 100% recommend.

We stopped in for breakfast on July 6. It was mobbed, but worth the wait. The crabcake benedict…read morewas absolutely perfect. Our server (Michael?) was super nice and attentive. We go here a couple times each summer. We will definitely be back.

Highly recommend! Great food, great neighborhood, great service! Definitely a family spot! Don't…read moreforget to get the crumb cake! Our server was Eric! He went above and beyond! We'll be back Wally

ASBURY PARK: after all these years hanging out in town, we finally visited Toast, a breakfast,…read morebrunch, and lunch destination right downtown. They have tables out front that are friendly to leashed dogs while enjoying the buzz of Cookman Avenue. The menu is full of omelettes, pancakes, toasts, burgers, bowls, salads, and more! BYOB and enjoy a summer day with excellent food!

Okay experience. Upon arriving we were met with a friendly but a bit frantic hostess. The place was…read moreby no means busy and she was acting as though they were swamped. Once we sat down our server arrived who seemed less than pleased to be serving us, he was nice enough but barley spoke with us and seemed to not want to be there. For food I had the Mediterranean omelette which truthfully was not very good, it was borderline flavorless. Additionally our server barley checked in with us. Ambiance is fine, its your typical casual brunch spot - don't expect anyone dressed well or an elevated experience. I definitely don't think this was the best showcase of Toast as I have heard great things so they may have just been having an off day. I would definitely give it another shot.

I've been here a bunch of times since they've opened in 2016 and it keeps getting better and…read morebetter. I've yet to have "choose wrong" on the menu and the staff is incredible- from the seasonal waitstaff to the owners & permanent staff. If you want to eat like a king, feel like family AND a local? Eat at Patti's.

Decided to shoot down to Patti's Kitchen for an 8am breakfast. The place seemed like it was a…read moreregular hangout for people living around here, but I bet it's still swamped during the season. Our server was super friendly and brought us coffee and waters quickly. We both kept it simple here with my wife ordering scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and sourdough toast and I had a ham and Swiss omelette, home fries and sourdough toast. Simple meals that came out quickly and done perfectly. I love that they the portions here are actually correct portion sizes and not an overwhelming amount of food. And I don't know what they do to their hash browns, but WOW. Tasted almost like mashed potatoes, but with the consistency of hash browns. Very good coffee and food, excellent and friendly service, small parking lot and on-street parking - this is an easy one to recommend, I would definitely come back.

Our daughter treated us to dinner!…read more Made reservations- party of 3! Greeted warmly! Nice vibes! Our server Christopher L was awesome! Appreciated his recommendations! Shrimp special appetizer was amazing! My scallop risotto was delicious! Every bite!! Loved it! My coconut martini was a sweet treat! Crème brûlée was yummy! Perfect ending to an awesome Dining experience! Thank you Parking lot or street parking! Highly recommend

The food and the service was great. The ribs were awesome as well as the clam and a nice red sauce…read more The ambience was nice environment. Stephanie, the hostess Bartender was very refreshing and very friendly to talk with.