We always come to LBI in September, and it can be tricky to find fine dining options in the off season. Raimondo's is always our favorite, but this year we wanted to try some new (to us) spots as well. For the off season, Dune 18 is not open every day. However I left a message to make a reservation and they called back promptly (less than 24 hours later) to confirm. They are BYOB, as most restaurants on the island are. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for indoor on a chilly night and it was cozy and inviting (yet sufficiently spaced). Our server, Axel, was on point. Quickly opened our wine, brought an ice bucket for the white and a second set of glasses for the red. He answered questions, gave recommendations, and was very friendly. Food was amazing! We were going to get two salads, but we were intrigued by the prime rib pot sticker appetizer special. So we opted for that, along with the burrata. I loved the freshness of the burrata and the grilled peaches are a perfect complement. The lemon herb oil was so flavorful but so delicate at the same time. The pot stickers were a fun appetizer, very flavorful and I loved the creamy horseradish sauce that accompanied them, along with some dots of sriracha for a little added heat. Entrees were also fabulous! I ordered the sea bass special. They were out of the side dish it was supposed to come with, so they substituted seafood risotto. That was fine with me because I originally planned to order the halibut with the seafood risotto. The sea bass was a huge portion, and cooked perfectly. I ate the whole thing, because you cannot waste perfectly cooked sea bass! But I was stuffed. The risotto was good but very filling, so at the end I found myself picking out the seafood and leaving some of the rice. My husband ordered the scallops entree and loved the sauce on the scallops and the flavor of the rice. He had been debating between scallops and a steak special that came with lobster Mac and cheese. He opted for the scallops, but the chef accommodated our request for a side of the lobster Mac and cheese. It was huge! Creamy and rich, and full of lobster. We ended up taking most of that home, because it was just too much food. I ate it the next night - it reheated very well! We unfortunately did not have any room left for dessert, so that will be something to look forward to next time!! It is clear that there is passion here, from the chef to the staff. The nuances of flavor show time spent designing a well thought out menu. The staff understand the food and also have excellent service skills. It makes for a fantastic overall experience! As far as pricing, it is worth every penny - maybe slightly more than some of the other spots on the island, but one of the top two on the island as far as food quality and service. We will definitely be adding Dune 18 to our "must do" list every time we are in LBI! read more

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As annual visitors to the island, we're always excited when a new spot opens up. We drove by Dune 18 and it caught our eye for its cute outdoor seating, so we looked it up. The menu was inventive for the island, merging sea food classics with bright Thai flavors. When we went, the atmosphere was great, and food as good as it sounded on the menu. The location is BYO, so bring your own bottle of wine for the perfect setup. The staff was incredibly friendly, and on top of everything. We also had an opportunity to speak with the chef who was excited for the new menu and future to come. If you're looking for a new spot to try, this is the place to go! Looking forward to returning soon! read more

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Had an amazing dinner last night outside . From start to finish every meal and appetizer was awesome. Didn't take pics of anything but the Ahi tuna ... presentation is beautiful. The edamame dumplings melted in your mouth. Our server Sophia was great and the young water lad was top notch. read more

Dune 18 - Ahi tuna - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

Food was one of the best. Found by accident. Can't wait to go back again. Very cute place. Server was wonderful read more

Dune 18 - Atlantic Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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Went during LBI restaurant week, dinner was great! Everything was delicious, service was excellent! The owners, Marc & Virginia did a great job to make us feel welcome. read more

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Looking for a fantastic meal on Long Beach Island then look no further. Dune 18 has a great ambiance with both indoor and outside seating. Service was fantastic, we had a larger party and never felt rushed. We started with fig and flatbread appetizer. I had the chef special linguine with lobster stuffed with crabmeat and shrimp. Delicious doesn't do this meal justice everything was mouth watering. Highly recommend you try this restaurant. read more

Great restaurant with awesome food and accomplished servers. Lovely setting outside which is very comfortable, along with a view of the setting Sun. Don't miss the desserts, especially the house favorite made with fried bananas. read more

Dune 18 - a plate of salad with asparagus and cheese - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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Very disappointing experience; ownership / management did horrible job with our requests. And not straightforward/helpful in the follow up. Tried to resolve amicably; wound up having to call credit card company to block charges. Will not be back. NOTE: given our experience of not even remembering our specific, clear requests IN WRITING, have no doubt we will all be treated to Owner responding, "You must have the wrong business" (code on Yelp for: a business not liking a review and not willing to fix their errors)... or some other version of "Not Sorry". Thank you. read more

Sorry for no pics but my kids were absolute demons from hell. Straight to the point , the food was delicious. The sausage and peppers flat bread was insane and the halibut made me cream. The lobster special was delicious as well and well worth the price . unfortunately the place was slammed to death and some dude was on my feet while I ate . The waiter was MIA the whole night . Aaaand wtf is with the byob in lbi . Just to reintegrate Food was excellent but my god hire some staff man . Of it wasn't for the young dude that was a buss boy we would have served ourselves . read more

Dune 18 - Wine ?!?! - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

Food was so good. We were there on 9/30. My friend and I both had the halibut over risotto. The chef used to be the chef at Bisque, and the lobster sauce on this dish is like slightly sweeter, thicker version of their eponymous lobster bisque. it also had jumbo shrimp, a big sea scallop, a split lobster tail and was encircled around the edge of the dish by mussels and clams. I may never try anything else. Had the leftovers for lunch a day later and still fantastic. OMG. My sister had the seared Ahi Tuna with bok choy and wasabi whipped potatoes. She loved it. She started with a Caesar salad. I started with the scallops wrapped in bacon which had a nice sweet sauce on bottom. Absolutely going back here. So glad we tried it. read more

Such a nice quaint restaurant with good ambiance & food! My boyfriend & I couldn't pass up getting the Halibut over seafood risotto.. & it didn't disappoint. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu & attentive. She helped us pick out their banana cheesecake churro dessert--I inhaled it, hence no pic. I'll probably have dreams about it! On our way out, the owner introduced himself & asked how our experience was; & I always think that's such a nice touch. Family owned business that I will definitely be back to support! read more

Dune 18 - Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

We just had an amazing dinner at Dune 18. The service, food and ambience (out on the patio) was top notch. The beet salad and hazelnut encrusted chicken breast were both beautifully prepared and so delicious. Looking forward to a return visit! read more

Had another great meal at Dune 18 last night. The food, as usual, was fabulous. We brought friends who had never been to Dune and they were also blown away with the food. The service staff is top notch and Victoria and Mark are wonderful hosts. Great food, great service, great vibe. read more

Dune 18 always delivers!! Excellent food!! So different and unique menu from the rest of the island. Its a little gem! The owner and his wife are very welcoming and always accomodating when I bring my year old daughter. Everyone who I recommend this restaurant to loves it! We cant wait to come in for the off season prefixed.. 5 stars in our book! read more

Absolutely delicious! I came here last night for a meal and will definitely be back. Staff was extremely friendly, food came out quick, and nothing disappointed. I recommend the lobster flat bread and the crab cakes as an appetizer. I got a meal on the specials list which was crab and shrimp over Asian noodles with siracha, and that is right up my alley!! Virginia the owner even came up to check on us while the whole restaurant was packed. Thanks for a great meal!! read more

Dune 18 - Veal chops with apples and string beans - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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The food and service was fantastic! While there were several items in the prix fixe menu that sounded increíble, the specials raised the bar even higher. Creative menu and sides. Highly recommend the mussels and the double cut pork chop. Will definitely be coming back. What an amazing place nestled into ship bottom. read more

Janelle was the absolute star of the show. The food was amazing and the friendliness of the owner and staff was even better. 10/10

Horrible customer service. My son was extremely ill throwing up everywhere. I called to cancel the reservations many times with no call back. The owner was so horrible after finally getting a hold of her saying she refused to refund the $100 charge because "she gets these phone calls all the time." I would never in a million years talk to someone like that, yet alone a customer. I asked to the speak to the manager and very rudely she goes "I own this restaurant." No words. read more

Another fantastic meal, the food is always over the top. We had 6:30 reservation, we were given the option for inside or outside seating. It was beautiful evening so we decided on outside seating. Service was great. I highly recommend Dune 18 it's our go to place especially in the off season! read more

My family loves this restaurant. This is our "must eat here" every year. The food, service, and dining experience are always first-rate. Daniel and Austin did an awesome job, taking care of all of our needs, including several pitchers of water, large glasses of ice, as well as opening several bottles of wine. For appetizers, we loved the Arancini, mussels, flatbread, and beet/orange slices/candied walnut/goat cheese salad. For dinner we had the Cioppino, surf & turf special, veal chop Milanese, NY Strip, and Hazelnut crusted chicken. All were delicious! For dessert we had the cannolis and Tiramisu. We will be back next year for more deliciousness and great service. read more

The food was amazing I had the Berkshire pork chop and it was cooked to perfection, the service was fast to help, and nothing but nice. The atmosphere was great and it was an overall great experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

We have been coming to Dune 18 for the past few years. Every time we eat here the food and service do not disappoint. The outside seating has a really nice vibe. The food is spectacular and I recommend the tuna and the stuffed shrimp. Our waitress Kaelynn and busser Austin were very professional and top notch! I highly recommend going to Dune 18 and having one of the best meals. read more

Owners wife is absolutely horrendous and should absolutely not be customer facing. Charging NYC prices for mediocre food is hysterical, esp when you verbally abuse patrons. read more

In my honest opinion, this place does not deserve any stars!!!! Myself and my boyfriend of 6 years, his friend and his grandmother wanted to do a nice dinner. Beginning of the experience was great! We brought in a bottle of wine since it is BYOB, Our waitress was amazing and made accommodations for my gluten free diet! We ordered appetizers and they came out within great timing. Once we ordered our entrée (I ordered the salmon and my boyfriend order the filet medium rare with lobster mac n cheese) my salmon came out cold and his filet came out medium well/ well done & cold!!! My boyfriend sent back his meal hoping to get the correct temperature and that's when it all went south. It took 37 minutes for the fresh dish to come out of the kitchen, my boyfriend decided he did not want the dish anymore due to the time it took and because everyone at the table had already finished their meals. He spoke with the owner and while speaking to him the entrée my boyfriend had remade was THEN delivered by the owners wife (the hostess) who was very rude and decided it was a good idea to say "if you don't pay for this I have to throw it out" with an attitude and proceeded to make it seem as though it was his fault. The owner then proceeded to threaten my boyfriend saying "i hope you are not driving" (due to the bottle of wine that was on our table) such a shame the owners are very foul and cannot treat their customers with respect. You would think they would have learned from the other terrible reviews they received dating back to a year ago! read more

Owner was absolutely miserable My freind ordered the $68 surf and turf medium rare, it came out very very well done, he sent it back to get his $68 steak cooked to order, obviously doing too hard for this establishment, because after waiting almost 40 minutes and the rest of us finishing our meals, he decided to cancel his order. The owner then proceeded to go from talking to us, to outright insulting my freind and saying that "sorry he isn't perfect" and picking up the singular wine bottle we brought and saying we better watch our backs. At the same time the hostess (owners wife) comes out with the 37+ 20 initial minutes we waited for the entrees to be brought out in the first place, and shakes the dish in front of him and says " well if you don't eat this it's going in the trash" as if it was my freinds fault for waiting an hour to eat his $68 entree, so after being screamed at by the owner and his wife, paying the bill and still tipping the server handsomely, we left dune 18 for the first and last time, avoid at all costs, read more

Just had the most wonderful experience here! The food was delicious: especially the chicken, flatbread special, and vegetable dumplings. This place is a great find, the owner and his wife were wonderful. Additionally, the server was fantastic! read more

Michael Logan- he asked for my name and personally threatened me so I figured I'd start the review by saying who I am. horrible experience, would never recommend to anyone. - went to Dune 18 with my Girlfriend of 6 years, friend and grandmother. we order apps and entry's and brought our own bottles of wine given its byob. The apps came out timely and were delicious. however the following experience ruined the entire dining experience.( fyi I learned the host is the wife of the owner.) keep this in mind. other reviews have coincide with exactly what has happened. all 4 entries had came out following the appetizers and was all good. we had ordered 2 dune 18 surf and turfs medium and medium rare and a breaded chicken entry and a salmon entry. The first rare surf and turf came out perfect, right temp, lobster Mac was steaming and everything looked great. The medium rare came out well done, and the lobster Mac was obviously sitting for awhile and turned more into a lobster Mac soup. it was gross to say the least and the filet was 3 temperatures over due. Ordered medium rare, and served medium well. At first no issue the server had came out, recognizes the issues before anything is even said when she sees everyone but the medium rare meal being dug into. however after the meal was taken back we were told it would take about 5-10 mins to get a new one out. we had waited 37 mins before we even got our steak. Actually the check was dropped at the table before the steak was. This being said the Host, (owners wife) comes out and says I quote, " well what do you want me to do because if you don't pay for this it's going in the trash." a 62 dollar dish mind you. that wasn't prepared to ordered. I was extremely taken off by this comment, as to I ordered this meal about 50 minutes ago with the rest of my family and they had cooked and prepped the meal wrong and now making it feel like i was the bad. As the customer I felt guilty for even complaining and for the host to put me on the spot like it was something I did wrong made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I continued to express my discomfort to the owner not knowing the host was his wife. He instantly went to insults, saying that I'm not okay to drive picking up the only bottle of wine we brought split between the 4 of us. He then turned the tables on me, threatening me saying I should not be driving home and I shoold watch my back, as he picks up our wine bottle on our table. The waitress I could see was extremely uncomfortable aswell, and I assured her I would be leaving her a cash tip to put in her pocket. Long story short, if you want to be shouted at by owner of a supposed respected restaurant, that "you're not perfect! " then this is the spot for you! read more

I've been there many times & have waited for a table, even with a reservation, but it was never an issue. The food was always delicious, the service wonderful & the male owner was always extremely welcoming & very friendly. I showed up this evening a few minutes late to our reservation, about 5 minutes. I waited for the hostess to come out to check us in because the door was locked with a note on the door that says to wait to be seated. The hostess/female owner finally came out to check us in & was extremely rude & felt the need to mention that we were late about 3 times. She said she was seating the people who showed up on time, it was so unnecessary & nasty. . Needless to say I will never be back to her restaurant. It certainly isn't worth the nasty behavior. read more

Virginia you probably have me confused with someone else You were open as there were tables sat. We never left a phone number so I am not sure who you tried to call? It happens but maybe have your staff be more customer friendly. First impressions are important and you failed read more

Called looking for a reservation. Left a Message and they never even bothered to call me back. Another one to scratch off the list. Unprofessional. You would think after 5 restaurants cratered in the same location someone would at least make an effort. read more

Witness the owner or manager, name was Def Virginia fully harass a poor patron trying to claim she had not left enough money. Just to 3 minutes later find out the waitress either was holding back some of the money OR owner was trying to run a petty scam. With so many wonderful options on LBI stay far far far away from this establishment. This Woman, Virginia, never even apologized to the poor customer or the rest of the restaurant for the putrid experience. read more

Excellent meal every time we go. From the daily specials to the price fixe the food has been outstanding. The restaurant is always busy and tight but it adds to the experience. They are busy and open year round and I understand why. read more

Food, service and ambience were outstanding! Our waitress Kayla was the sweetest. It was our first time there and the food is excellent!!! Great dining experience and we will be back!! read more

Dune 18 is phenomenal!! For an appetizer, the Thai rocky shrimp were crispy and tossed in a sweet chili glaze. For an entrée, I had the marsala filet tips with garlic mash and green beans. Although, the dish was not on the menu for the evening, the owner was willing to accommodate. Throughout service, the owner stopped by multiple times to make sure all was well with the food and service and made us feel like family. Overall, Dune 18 is an excellent dinner choice for an excellent upscale meal. read more

Dune 18 - Tempura Rocky Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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The food was delicious except my mother threw up twice last night and I left feeling very nausea. The service was very slow. The best part of the meal was the salad. read more

Quite simply, one of the best meals I have ever had in LBI, and I have been coming to the island for 32 years. Located in the heart of Ship Bottom, it is easy to get to with ample parking. The scenery is beautiful and we loved sitting outside under the well decorated awnings. The service is first rate but the real story is the food. The menu is original and gourmet and the food was outstanding. From the warm bread with garlic olive oil on the table at the start to the last bite of the filet mignon, we enjoyed every bit. I will be making a reservation for my wife's birthday dinner here before I leave. Highly recommend. read more

I was part of group (7) ladies who went to the Dune 18 for a Happy Birthday celebration. Unfortunately, it turned out to be very humiliating and " Unhappy Experience ". A person Virginia stopped us as we left. Virginia created a very ugly scene accusing us of not paying the full amount of the bill. She was loud and rude demanding payment. After a very heated discussion, it turned out...her staff mishandled the money. No apologies from Virginia or staff. There are many excellent restaurants on LBI, we will be going back to the Dune 18. read more

This has become a favorite place to dine for us. Dune 18 has continued to impress us. This year has shown what the owners, Marc and Virginia, were capable of. Dune 18 has been taken to an amazing culinary level. The hospitality from start to finish is impeccable. The food is just incredible, from the freshness of the ingredients to the creativeness of each dish. Everytime we have gone, we have loved our dining experience. We have loved trying several menu items, we love that the menu has much to offer for everyone plus amazing specials. There is delicious seafood dishes to amazing steaks offered. Dune 18 is a treasure to LBI, it is a fine dining experience on the island. read more

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Absolutely loved Dune 18! Have been dying to try this restaurant and so glad I did. Everything from the appetizer to dessert was amazing. I couldn't stop talking about the tomato soup and Cacio e Pepe! Service was great and I loved how the owners were present introducing themselves and helped out around the restaurant throughout the night. Excited to go back and try more. read more

A neighbor recommended Dune 18 to us recently, so we tried it during LBI Restaurant Week. It was without doubt my best dining experience ever. Period. The food was excellent. The service was exceptional. The price made it all a bargain. Choosing what to order is the only problem and this is with the short Restaurant Week menu. (Perhaps the owner will consider some small plate events.) Our first course consisted of shrimp tempura with a spicy aioli and a ricotta crostini. Both were delicious. The salad was fresh and varied. The soup, a creamy chicken with gnocci was amazing. For the main course, my pork chop was flavorful, perfectly tender, perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. It was served with sweet potato puree and apples all in a generous amount. My wife's hangar steak was not only flavorful but unexpectedly tender. We had to take the desert home for later consumption, but they look great. As we waited for our packed-up deserts and to pay our bill, the owner sat down to chat and see how we liked everything. He didn't act like he knew us forever as owners or managers may often try to do. He acted like he WANTED to know us and wanted us to come back and had to be chased away by the maitresse. Go. You won't be disappointed. read more