One of my most favorite restaurants. All the bartenders are friendly, make great drinks, and treat us very nice. The food is good and they are always willing to switch things around to accommodate us. My only negative: I WANT THE CLOTH NAPKINS BACK ! PAPER STINKS. read more

Harpoon Willy's - Seafood Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

Great place for dinner and hanging with friends. Food is fresh and really good with a big variety to choose from. Service was great and atmosphere so pretty overlooking the river. read more

Great food Great price!! Everything was fresh Had the short rib excellent and had the burger a few weeks ago which was cooked perfect. This is a must go read more

Very disappointed in the food and service. A restaurant/bar where the staff is more interested in cleaning up than making patrons happy. The burgers, yes burgers, were dry and the bun was way too thick for the amount of meat. Seriously??? We've all watched enough Restaurant Impossible episodes to know it's the management, not the staff. No one in charge. We waited 15 mins before our waiter even showed up. Then our to-go order after dinner was overcooked. And no attention to putting ketchup or utensils in the bag. Again, no manager, no class. Never again. read more

Had a fun evening outside last night! Six in our party and Taylor did a great job with service. The chicken gnocchi was delicious, the sesame tuna steak also was great. The seared scallops entre with mushroom risotto was awesome. I wouldn't get the chicken sandwich (blah) or the sirloin steak sandwich ($19 and not worth it). Drinks were fun but overpriced I think. The ambiance was nice and no bugs! We would go back! read more

Great views! I had the sea scallops over mushroom risotto. My husband had the pasta special with seafood. It was rigatoni with seafood in a cream sauce. It was very good. Service was a little slow and seemed more interested in socializing than serving. It seemed like we were there on a slow night. read more

First, I will start off with the reasons I gave it only 3 stars. It was SO FREAKING LOUD in there. It was difficult to carry on a conversation. The bar crowd was a little rowdy for a Sunday afternoon. When we asked to be seated in the separate room we were told it's for private parties. When we were leaving there were people seated in there and it clearly was not a private party. I would have liked the option. The servers bringing the food were not real servers, just food jockeys with no personality. Now for the positives. The view of the river was nice and visible from all points of the room. Picturesque room with a great fireplace. We split the roasted clams, very delicious. Didn't have the smokey flavor I was expecting but still very nice, fresh. Didn't even need the butter. I ordered the duck, medium rare but it came out at medium well. Since both meals came out together I opted to keep it. It was sliced a little thick and needed a better sear but overall good. The cranberry dressing it came with was good, but I wanted more. The vanilla mashed sweet potatoes were freaking awesome and a huge portion. I ate all of it. Came with fresh vegetables, nicely cooked and seasoned well. My wife had the short rib with sauteed spinach and mashed sweet potatoes (I ate some of her's, I couldn't get enough). She enjoyed it and I tasted the short rib, very good. The other patrons were very friendly. I would love to come back and have some cocktails and one of the burgers. I was almost jealous of patrons who had them. They were HUGE and people really seemed to be enjoying them. If you come for a burger come hungry. I would definitely come back. read more

My go to place when in the area. Had another great meal tonight. Starting with the Brussels sprouts in the picture & finished with clams & pasta. read more

Harpoon Willy's - Seafood Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

Gave this place a second chance tonight. Hopeless. Garden burger here was always homemade and awesome. Got something I've never seen before. Looked like it came out of a box from grocery store. Description had toasted wheat got hard roll instead. Didn't even bother sending it back. Done. read more

I came with my wife and mother on Labor Day around 8:30pm and there were several tables and we sat near the bar looking out on the water. After 10 minutes of sitting there with no one coming over the hyper waitress who I won't name finally came by. I never complain but the a/c was blowing on all of us pretty hard from on top and the waitress upon telling her suggested that we move. Fine. Another 20 minutes went by and I finally received my Guinness. I come here with my wife every few weeks and it is way more crowded than this and there is never a problem. A half hour went by before I got my beer. The food came out in another 20 minutes and my mothers veggie burger was ice cold and soggy so she sent it back. She stayed with their sweet potato fries which were ice cold too. She then sent those back. The second time her food came out it was perfect. It was probably laying in the kitchen a while and should have been brought out but what do I know. My burger was very well done as I ordered it medium well. The side salad I ordered was half ass at best and my wife's scallops were ok. The reason I am writing this review is because I told the waitress I wasn't happy waiting a half hour for my beer and she said I should talk to Pete the manager. He came over and during our brief conversation he said he'll take care of me 3 times. The check came and this SCHMUCK Pete didn't do a darn thing. And I never wanted him to. But he's still a schmuck. My takeaway from this dinner is that this manager should look for a new line of work and this waitress should seek a psychiatrist. Fast. read more

We always have a great time along with great food but tonight's meal was off the hook. The grilled salmon with strawberry vinegarette over mixed greens with crasins, mandarin tangerines and thin sliced pistachios was UNBELIEVABLE. Better than NYC. The presentation was beautiful. Whoever thought to pair feta cheese with salmon is a culinary genius. Service was great too. We highly recommend Harpoon Willy's. read more

We frequent this ppace almost weekly. Best burger in town! Great grill and drink specials. My constructive feedback would be for management to step in and not allow for the bartenders to eat behind the bar-especially from the bins on the grill! Gross! The other day I saw a bartender eating over the tin of fries and "double dipping" into a sauce. This is so unsanitary! May make someone think twice about coming back. Also dropping a pan from the grill onto the ground and reusing it. Another no-no! I am hoping steps are taken so we can continue to rely on this restaurant as our consistent "go-to." read more

We threw a surprise party for my mom at Harpoon Willy's this weekend. The staff was more then willing to accommodate our 30 person party on a busy Saturday night in the summer. They were super friendly, and made sure all details were worked out. Both waitresses we worked with were so helpful and made sure everything ran smoothly. To top everything off, the food was delicious! I would highly recommend for a party, event, or just for dinner! read more

First venture out in months, with friends & first time at Harpoon Willy's. Outside seating was very accommodating. Hostesses were so friendly & professional. It started to rain a little as we arrived, no problem, huge umbrellas & large picnic tables kept us dry. The view of the Manasquan River, was beautiful & the sunset over the river was radiant. Cocktails on point. Peach Sangria was so refreshing. Strawberry Basil Margarita was a sweet, tart and refreshing cocktail, perfect for summer outdoor sipping! Something for everyone on the menu, food was delicious. Highly recommend the Brussels sprouts & fish tacos. In addition to a fabulous meal & drinks we had a delightful waitress,Taylor.She had just the right balance of friendliness and efficiency. She recognized that we wanted time to visit and did not rush us at all. Taylor and other staff members made certain that we had everything we needed. Living in times of uncertainty, we will certainly be back! Thank you for a most enjoyable, stress-free evening. Bravo Harpoon Willy's!!! read more

I have always been a fan for quite some time. Even trying to get a seat at the " Coveted" bar was always a challenge but oh so worth enduring dirty looks and a long wait. During the Holidays , even with covid, it was wonderful and staff were friendly and accommodating especially being out of business for a long time. Well... fast forward.. February 2021. Made a reservation a WEEK in advance at the " Coveted" bar and were told told there were all options open.. The day of our reservation, they did not have it..( it was 5:30, plenty of seats in the bar..) and sat us in a dreary corner. The manager came over and pretty much said" too bad". (Oh, NO SHE DIDN'T.)So rude and the amazing part was that there a few open seats at the bar the entire time we were there. Yea, I realize " no big deal" but when you have not been out in oh so long, YES, it is and the un accommodating Hostess & Manager could care less. Now that it is busier and people are venturing out, not such great customer service as in the past...Hey, I would have sat pretty with a free cocktail but zippo. It seemed WAY too crowded in the dining area too but whatever. I shall leave it at that and hope that it was just a bump in the road at Harpoon Willy's.. read more

It saddens me to give Harpoon Willy's a bad review since we never had a bad experience here but today it wasn't as good. I know this is the beginning of the summer season and they need to improve or else things won't be good for them. Our table obviously wasn't clean since it was all sticky. The service was terrible. We waited an hour for a hamburger and a salad and it wasn't even crowded. They never put rolls on our table and it took them a half an hour to bring another beer. The food was just good not excellent like it use to be. Needless to say we won't be coming back for a while. read more

Cozy atmosphere. Been here multiple times before and always had a great experience. I got the slow braised pulled pork bolognese with arugula and crumbed blue cheese over rigatoni. Very creamy and full of flavor. They weren't shy on the pork and surprisingly the blue cheese gave this subtle flavor that complimented the dish so well. The servings were big and very reasonably priced! read more

Harpoon Willy's - Braised pull pork over rigatoni - Seafood Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

Great place to meet friends or dine alone. Water views. Ordered lobster salad. Yummy. Not the best but good. Gets crowded with locals.

Haven't been in years. It was a great experience. Our waiter was a young man with dark hair and he was awesome. He gets 5 stars! I wish we had gotten his name. I had a Caesar side salad and the sliced filet on brioche with sautéed onions and mushrooms. The steak and onions were perfect, I couldn't eat the mushrooms . My wife had a burger with frizzled onions and cheddar with a side house salad. Her burger was a little salty, which she attributed to the onions. We'd both go back. Top notch service. read more

Great burgers great bar great staff. This is a favorite spot of locals and an elite establishment in the area. Menu is great and food is delicious. What else is there to say? read more

We had a great meal here. The drinks were delicious- we got a margarita and a gin and tonic, both specials of the day. For apps we got the roasted clams and drunken scallops both delicious. For dinners we had the sesame crusted tuna and the braised short ribs. Both of these were terrific. The prices were reasonable and even the side dish veggies were fresh and well seasoned. We will be back for sure. read more

Been here many times and gave several 5 star reviews. Not today. Party of 5, 2PM reservation on Fathers Day, was seated promptly. Placed orders for drinks, appetizers and diner. Mentioned to the server there were no napkins, plates or utensils at our table, she said she cold get us plates and napkins, but the utensils were being washed. OK, in spite of the fact that there were 4 tables (ranging from 4 - 8 seats) around us that were empty and had full place settings, I guess the "ghost customers" are more important than the paying ones. Apps came out, still no place settings, told the food runner who brought the apps, he appeared indifferent. After a few minutes and the apps getting cold, I got up and took the place settings off the unoccupied table myself. After a long wait, 2 of our 5 dinners were delivered, with no explanation about the other three. One of the missing meals was the same as one of the meals that showed up. We assumed they were coming right out, but you know what happens when you assume. After about 10 more minutes, the other 3 meals had not shown up and I asked for a manager, who apologized and went to the kitchen to see what was up. The meals showed up a minute later. I ordered the fork and knife burger, which I always get at HW's, ordered medium. It was so badly burned, it would have taken dental records to identify it. They made me another, but needless to say, by the time it came everyone else had either finished or was close to finishing their meals, They did comp it, but It was not at all enjoyable. This was a total breakdown between the back and front of the house as well as management. I get the whole short staffed thing, but the restaurant was properly staffed for the amount of patrons they had. There were many empty tables and sections. Tables should be set, meals should come out together and food should be properly cooked, always. Too many other dining choices on the Jersey Shore to deal with this. This was once my favorite, but I definitely won't be back. read more

A little to loud. Steak was very good but for the price you pay you think they would have real bread service. It's like they took a roll out of a ShopRite pack and threw it in a basket. Also for the price no small soup or salad. read more

Came here today to celebrate my fathers birthday and had a great meal. Asian Brussels sprouts, nachos, and melt a Way were all great. My chicken Napoleon was delicious and the service was excellent. Was not too crowded and we reserved a little side room since we were a larger party. Our waitress was kind and attentive. Would definitely recommend!! read more

First time ever at this place; ok it was pretty great . Loved the windows looking out to the marina. Had a good burger, it had some fancy goat cheese and fig jam on it. The bar grill guy was well versed in flipping burgers, made the night special. Might come back to this place again this week. If I did, I'd most likely get the same order and relive this moment all over again. read more

Went here on a Tuesday night and the place was packed at 8pm. Had to park across the street in a boatyard parking lot. The bar was completely packed and we were glad we had made reservations. When we walked in, we were promptly seated while others were still waiting for their tables since they were walk-ins. As an FYI, this place I located along the river, but has no views of the river - just views of the parking lot. The dining room isn't all that big - it looks much bigger from the outside. It is an extension of the bar and the decibel level matches. We were a party of two sitting at a small table and still had to yell across at each when we wanted to say something. Within the first few minutes were greeted and our drink order was taken. We received our drinks in less than five minutes which was impressive given how crowded this place was. This is when things turned south for us. Our order for food was taken in about 10 more minutes and our apps were brought out within 15minutes of our ordering. The fried oysters were kind of boring compared to other places we've had them. Our main course did not arrive for an HOUR after our apps. I will say our waitress stopped by a few times and replaced our drinks when she saw they were running low. When our main meals came out they were terrible. My husband's grouper was bland and the artichoke crust was barely recognizeable. My fried scallops were totally inedible. I thought maybe I got one bad one, but then bite after bite, the same thing, they were completely overcooked and rubbery. I could not eat them. It was the worst experience at a restaurant that I have ever had. Next time, I will listen to locals who warned us about this place not being very good. Service = 3 stars for prompt service and follow up Ambiance = 1 star for acoustics and cramped seating Food = negative 1 as the cooks need to learn how to cook read more

We were in search of a good American restaurant and this place was what Yelp yielded. Based on reviews we decided to try it out. Place was packed at 545 on a Saturday night. Right away we were thinking it was a great pick. Shrimp app was pretty good, server was fabulous and fiancé had a good meal of crab cakes. So, you might be wondering why the two stars? My filet mignon was drenched in gorgonzola dressing to the point that it was grotesque. Then after two bites it was apparent the steak was not even hot, cooler than room temperature. The creamed spinach wasn't just not hot, but was cold to the touch. Oddly, the risotto was hot on the same plate. read more

The last time I was here was probably 1999. Now, I remember why. Where do I start? From the moment that the young fellow put down the "bread basket". What was in the basket were several little dinner type rolls that you might have been served at a lunchenette or a homeless shelter. Next came New England clam chowder. The delicate taste of clam was over powered to extinction by what over powering herbs were in it. Chef should go to food channel and get some great chowder recipes. Now the roasted clams. Tiny, not bad, but they could have served some melted butter with it. They put a piece of lemon as if they were shucked and served on ice. Round three and the knockout punch were the stuffed shrimp. So the dish comes out. 4 decent sized shrimp with a dalop of stuffing. Served on top of mushy rice and on top of that some kind of ,they say, is a cheese sauce. Well it was some kind of cheesy, gooey, semi solid creation. Stuffing did actually have some crab in it. But, it was again so over spiced and salted as to make it unrecognizable as crab stuffing. So that is it folks. Maybe I will come back in 18 years Or maybe not.. read more

Tonight's dinner was lackluster at best. My party of 6 included 3 adults and 3 kids. Kids ordered off the kids menu which was your usual chicken fingers, mini-burger, pasta type of options and included a side of fries or mac-n-cheese and a scoop of ice cream. The adults had the braised short rib, the day boat scallops and the captain's catch. First, the kids meals. The hamburger looked somewhat dry and went virtually untouched and the fries were nothing special, the grilled cheese was fine as was the mac-n-cheese side that came with it, the whole wheat penne was a good option though on the small side even for a child. It is always irksome when they use 10 cents worth of pasta in a kids meal when they are charging $6+ for it. What was really irritating was I asked for apple juice and generally limit my kids to having water or watered down juice at dinner but the waitress mentioned they also had chocolate milk so of course, all three kids wanted chocolate milk upon hearing that. I said OK to 3 chocolate milks. Had she mentioned that they were going to be $3.25 each, I would have said no way. That is $3.25 PER chocolate milk, as in, $9.75 total. It was approximately a 12oz cup of milk with a teaspoon or so of chocolate syrup mixed in. The braised short ribs were fine. Nothing special, not bad, a decent meal. The day boat scallops were served on a mushroom risotto and the entire entree was awful. The scallops were simply overcooked rendering them chewy and stringy. The risotto (also overcooked) was mushy, pasty and heavy rather than silky and rich and there was too much cheese in the mix. It was the sort of dish you want to send back to the chef but what does a patron do, tell the chef s/he doesn't know what s/he is doing? The flavor of the scallops was fine and they were of a decent size. All the more reason this dish was depressing because the raw ingredients were good, but the execution was novice. The captain's catch was not much better because it included the day boat scallops so those were left uneaten after an initial taste revealed them to be more the consistency of scungilli. The side vegetables were nice. The view, if you have a table where you can actually see the river, is not bad though you have to look past all the cars in the parking lot to see it. The waitstaff should give patrons a heads up if their kids chocolate milk is going to be more expensive than their parent's beer. I really liked our waitress until we saw the bill and the pricey kids beverages. She should have mentioned the cost before we placed the order. read more

We were up in the area for my husband's birthday and celebratory tattoos at Slingin' Ink. Our friends said this place was good so we went on over. We arrived at like 8:30 p.m. and it was PACKED. The wait was an hour for a table for seven, or we could go into the side room where no one else was. That was fine by me considering our usual noise level and also how loud it was out in the main room - a conversation would be impossible to have. We were greeted by a very friendly server...drink orders were taken promptly, my Zinfandel was put in as White Zinfandel (ewwww) so she had to take it back which she did with no problem. $9 for a very decent sized glass, and because of the error, she only charged me $6.50 for the first one (i.e., the WZ price). Nice beer selection...Dead Guy was on tap - good for them! The menu seemed like a really nice balance of entrees, appetizers, and lower priced sandwiches. I had the tuna ($23) and the sauteed spinach and green beans for a side. The tuna was a tad small..maybe 5 oz., but as rare and ruby red as I like it. I wasn't wild about any of the sauce options (can we please abolish mango salsa immediately?) so I was prepared to eat it with some cracked pepper and sea salt. With the bread, they bring out little bowls of pesto..I saw one sitting along, then stared at my naked tuna. Pour that sucker of pesto on the tuna and voila - that was effing delicious. The spinach was OUTRAGEOUS - what on earth did they do to that spinach? It was heavenly. My husband got the pork chop - a 14 ozer for $18 - that thing was huge and SO DELICIOUS. He also go the mac and chee as a side (diets be damned on birthdays, right?) and he said it was phenomenal. We shared the tuna sashimi appetizer, and for $12.50...it was a little lean in size. Overall, a very nice experience and I will gladly go back. They seriously, very seriously, need to consider firing that Friday night band. We practically ran out of there because it became unbearable. read more

I love burgers. There is no way around that. I will usually order a burger the first time I visit a place and judge it all from there. I went to Harpoon Willy's the other day and grabbed a seat at the bar. I'd always heard this place had a great burger so I figured time to figure out! I ordered a 4 cheese bacon burger...it was the wharf something or other I believe. My girlfriend ordered the avocado/onion/etc burger. We also had an order of clams as an appetizer. First, the clams were simple. In the shell and with some butter. Tasted great. Then the burgers! Wow! I always had Barnacle Bills, Bond St, and Main St as my top 3 in NJ...this place probably jumped to the top of my list. First, they grilled the bun. Such a simple thing, places never do it!!! But they did. Secondly, everything was fresh. I don't eat avocado so I'll take my girlfriend's word on it...it was amazing. The only negative thing I can say is we both ordered our burgers medium rare and they were more of a medium burger. But it was still delicious. Other things: Place is cute on the inside with a fireplace and an in-house feel to portions. The view is nice with the river right there. The bartenders were on top of their game, pleasant, and quick to ask how things were or if we wanted a refill. Place is on the pricey side so keep that in mind. Our $12 burger was probably the cheapest thing on the menu. Oh, and I watched a rice ball get made at the bar. If it didn't have avocado in it I'd have ordered it. Looked amazing. I'd suggest you get it. I watched the guy who did, and he loved it. read more

Still here on Wednesday night. Taylor's rockin the table. The filet is a 10 out of 10. Sauté onions on the burger under cooked. Calamari very nice. Overall very good... read more

With little regard for my dining experience, wait staff began moving tables, shiftiest chairs and preparing for a large party! This large party was seated and quite literally took over my small dining space. I feel management had little or no regard for me. Restaurant was empty and there was no reason to ruin my dining experience. read more

Remarkable how this local favorite keeps knocking it out of the park. Best burgers and Bloody Mary's on the Shore! The knife and fork burger is a favorite, always cooked to perfection. 1/2 lb of meat, topped with lobster meat, french cheese, sauteed spinach and onions. Humus app is made fresh and always great. Fun place, can never go wrong here. read more

I really want to like this place, it's close to home and has a nice view of the Manasquan river. What makes it even more special is my husband proposed to me there almost 40 years ago. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is extremely loud, I'm talking shout across the table loud, and the food is mediocre and overpriced. I had the salmon, which was decent, however, the accompanying mango pineapple salsa was more like baby food and the rice was awful...not sure what the chef was trying to accomplish there. Maybe a quick drink and app at the bar would be nice, otherwise don't bother. read more

Our first time and I should have gone with my gut after reading reviews . Yes it was very noisy I couldn't hear anything it was so loud. It was mediocre at best. I looked at others meals and it was all cookie cutter microwave but not fresh seafood. I will not go again. The service was good and we did get a seat right away. I can't give it anymore than 2 stars. read more

The atmosphere is great compared to other options in the area. Went last night. My husband had the pulled pork burrito and it was very good. I had the sweet chili shrimp which was decent. BUT The young hostess was absolutely devoid of personality and actually came off a bit rude. Our waitress was friendly but innattentive after the food was served. She never even asked if we wanted dessert and we had to ask someone else to take our payment bc she was busy socializing with customers so long. Oh, the wine selection was good though. We'll give it another try. read more

12/19/14 We've been going here years great service, great portions, great food. Not so much anymore. Service still great but new executive chef has resulted in frozen not fresh and smaller portions. Sad to see this happening to a once great place read more

So disappointed with my experience dining here last night. I made a reservation and still had to wait 20 minutes. The seating is way too squished, my boyfriend continuously had waiters holding dinner plates over his head to serve the table behind us. It felt like we were dining with all the tables around us we were sitting so close together. We had to remind our waitress 3 times for our waters we ordered amount other things she kept forgetting. She was really spacey during our whole time there. This was both mine and my boyfriends first time at Harloon Willys and we both said we'd never go back!! read more

What happened to Harpoon Willy's? Stopped for lunch at the bar yesterday, ordered the crabcake sandwich. Crabcake was straight out of the freezer, no doubt from US Foods. Deep fried on a day old toasted roll with limp lettuce and with a less than ripe slice of tomato. My husband had the prime rib sandwich special. A greasy mess on yet another day old roll with a side of soggy fries. Also the 2 bartenders were more attentive to their cell phones and side conversations instead of the patrons. Harpoon Willy's used to be our go-to place. Not anymore! read more