Wifey and I saw this place yesterday and decided to give them a try. We showed up about 5:40 and were seated right away. The hostess sat us in the bar area, which was fine, but seemed an odd choice. Our waitress came over for a drink order before I had even picked up the menu. My wife quickly ordered the Ginger Minty Paloma and I had an Old Fashioned. Wifey's drink was amazing and tasted like 14 more. Mine was just ok, but when you drink them fairly regularly there's not much you can do to make them 'different.' We decided to just split our food. We ordered a Wedge Salad - they put a balsamic glaze on it and it was REALLY GOOD. This came very quickly. We split The Rocco Pizza - vodka sauce, cheese and pieces of fried chicken cutlet. Unfortunately, this was a miss for us. The taste was fine, but neither of us liked the crust and wasn't hot enough. Didn't seem like your normal 'brick oven pizza.' We also split a 'small plate' of linguini and clams. This was just ok as well. The fresh clams were great, but the others were pretty chewy. The whole plate also needed salt. Service was pleasant and fairly quick, but the food was overall just ok. The place itself looked like it would be pretty fun if I was in my 20s. There was a band setting up and I bet the place gets pretty loud. read more

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The food here was actually pretty good- fresh, flavorful, and came out as expected. I ordered the lamb chops with grits and I will say - the grits were the best I've ever had. The crowd was mostly over 60 which is nice since no kids were there but I'm 45 and it wasn't as lively as I would have liked. The bands playing were good too but the atmosphere felt a little flat. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable either. Not my cup of tea for hanging out but I'd go back for dinner. read more

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Yum. Yum. Yum. The menu was too large. Too many wonderful items to chose from. Everything we ordered was good however the food took forever. I'm not sure I ever waited that long ever! The New England clam chowder could have been creamier and thicker but everything else was great. The lobster ravioli was off the charts delicious! read more

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Extremely disappointed in our visit to this restaurant/ bar.. Sat at the side bar and asked if they could put the Mets game on.. nobody was seated there.. they said they would.. never did... all of the other TV's had golf on... yet nobody was there to watch it ?? After a second ask they finally put it on.. so we decided to stay.. 10 minutes into dinner they changed it to the Yankee game and left two golf Tv's playing.. we asked if they could put the Mets back on... however the waitress was nowhere to be found.. never again.. we left half our dinners.. picked up are stuff and left... Horrible experience... if the owner thinks this food and service is going to keep/ bring in customers with the surrounding town struggling to sell expensive condos... he is doomed. read more

I used the front bar for my beverages and the bartender was great. I utilized the pool tables which was a lot of fun while I waited for my coconut shrimp which was excellent ! read more

Burger wasn't bad but not the best burger ever or anything like that. My mom loved her steak and talked about it for a week so there's that too lol. Nice place and service wasn't bad though our waiter did disappear at the end. :P read more

Hemingways - Burger - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

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This place is never consistent but the last time was great. We had great service. The food was also amazing. The happy hour Menu is fantastic with so many great options. The meatballs and eggplant are amazing. Was very quiet inside needs more action. read more

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Went to the comedy night this past Saturday (1/25/24) and it was okay. It would have been nice if Hemimgways has staff taking drink orders at the tables, rather than people getting up and down both before and during the show. Tickets cost $30 and they didn't even check them upon entering. We could have just sat at the bar and listened. They seemed very unorganized. read more

I'd lean closer to 3.5 stars for this place. We came in Sunday at 6:00 and sat at the bar. Service was okay, could have been more attentive but it was a little crowded. There was also someone performing old school Sinatra type music in the back so the crowd was definitely on the older side. You can hear all the music at the bar. We got a Margherita Pie, Tomato Pie, Steamed Pork Dumplings & Sushi. The pizzas were very good, one with tomato sauce the other no sauce. The dumplings were good also but $11 for 5 small dumplings is crazy. I personally opted for pizza over the sushi before ordering because it looked really skimpy/pathetic on someone else's plate. It came out the same for someone in our party and she said it was "okay." Stick to the pizza and maybe the entrees, some of those looked good. read more

Hemingways - Tomato Pie ($12) - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Recently I planned an evening of dinner & dancing with friends. We chose Hemingways/...we were not disappointed. Everyone was delighted with their meal. The staff was polite and friendly; the prices were competitive with similar restaurants. At the conclusion of dinner, we were escorted to reserved seats at the edge of the dance floor where we sang along to the band's music and thoroughly enjoyed dancing. The evening was such a homerun that we planned a return visit to Hemingways. Paul the manager (the face of Hemingways) accomplishes countless responsibilities and duties to provide a stress free, fun evening for the patrons. What more could you want.....delicious food, reasonable prices, great drinks, fantastic music in an establishment that caters to adults but welcomes children. read more

I will defently be back just waiting for my lava cake. What a wonderful waitress and she know the menu. She really is a great waitress with a very pleasant personality read more

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the actual 2 bites of my sandwich were actually good, they need to reevaluate and train the staff that they have, i went on a bachelorette (with my friends and they are all from vermont but im from Connecticut) at seaside heights and our first night we decided to go here, we had all ordered drinks and then the security guard came over to check out IDs (which i totally understand) he checked all 14 of our IDs and never said anything and then the server came over and said "i can get everyone's drinks but yours (pointing to me) because you're id was fake" i honestly was taken back because the security guard who had check them didn't say anything initially when first checking the ids, i asked the server if she could ask him to come back because i was just thoroughly confused, he came back and just took my id, didn't say anything, and walked away and then came back not even 2 seconds later and said "yup this is fake" (mind you i am 25 years old with everyone on the bachelorette who are also all 24 and older) i had offered to tell him everything on there and to show him everything in my wallet to in some way help show him i was 25 but he was very rude and condescending, and all my friends were trying to talk to home but his response to that was to snap as say "im not talking to you" and then turned to me and said "do you have a passport" and i said "no i don't carry my passport with me not everyone does" and he said "well everyone in NJ does" which my response was "i wouldn't know i'm from connecticut" i took the L and decided to not let it ruin our night and to continue on with dinner, we got our food and i ate less than 1/2 my sandwich when i had to go to the bathroom and when i came back my food was gone when the server came back over to check to see how everything was tasting i had said "hey just a little confused because i just went to the bathroom and i had more than 1/2 my sandwich left and it's gone, did someone take it?" and she very rudely said that she didn't take it and didn't know what happened to it bc she wasn't here so it wasn't her fault, i had tried to ask if i could get at least my side of fries but she dismissed me, also laughed as she walked away, honestly never experienced anything like that ever before just overall disappointed in a restaurants lack of costumer service read more

Nice time in the Heights after Labor Day. Haven't been here in a decade. Some things don't change much, and Hemingways is the same. Very noisy, older crowd, high priced drinks. Our server, though very nice, was hard to find. I actually went and sought her out. Explanation? Serving six tables. Hmmm. DJ was on and then intro-ed the live act, Jukebox Legends. A retro oldies group. The girl in this all male group was the the focus though it seemed that the guys didn't let her shine. Since it was an older crowd, music was from the 60s and 70s with a few 50s throwbacks. Food was decent, but who really cares what I ate. If you're under 40, it may not be for you. If you go, expect top 40 vinyl. read more

Hemingways - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Not impressed with the restaurant; took almost an hour to get the appetizer. They were training servers on the floor ?? Sushi rolls are ok but tempura overcooked. The bartender is eating a meal at the bar and wiped his face & mouth with the white towel - hopefully its not used again but he placed on the bar top. Use your judgment but do want seem to be a very put together establishment for opening at 4pm. No returns here read more

Hemingways - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

I cannot believe how RUDE the man was who answered the phone. I simply asked if they were open and got a smart ass remark..... something about, "no, I'm in Hawaii answering the phone". Should I have just hung up after he answered?? Needless to say we didn't bother going there. After reading reviews, the food and service is terrible anyway. read more

Our service was awesome. Our waitress was so sweet. Nice and large space. Fun, adult hangout. Not a lot of the shore crowd which is a nice change. Been here a few times and will be back again read more

Go here if you want to be treated to mediocre appetizers, awful service, and nasty comments from your server. This place gives credibility to the negative stereotypes of the "Jersey Shore" The atmosphere is chilling; worthy of a boardwalk haunted house imbedded with some very scary characters, especially our server. The bartender was the only salvation and we had to walk up to her whenever we needed a drink. (And by the end of this perilous journey we needed several) Honestly, I don't know how this place stays in business. If you have any self respect stay away from this nightmare. read more

I called on Saturday 6/17/23 to get information about Father's Day (were they taking reservations, opening time, etc.). The young lady who answer the phone was very pleasant and was trying to answer my questions but (who I assume was her manager) was distracting her. Finally he got on the phone and in the absolute most condescending tone said, "We aren't taking reservations, we don't open until 4, bye, gotta go" Needless to say I have no intention of ever going there, thanks Mr. Manager. Oh and if I could leave zero stars, that would be the rating. read more

I am at a loss as to the negative reviews, but I guess everyone has their own experience. We recently went there in July 2024 and every meal was spot on! The appetizers were awesome too! I highly recommend this establishment! Service was great.. and live music to boot (on the bar side so not too loud where we were eating too). read more

Great service, fun atmosphere, music and dancing, food was awesome. We enjoyed our night!

Always have a good time here. This seems to be the only place on the barrier island with DJ music and dancing all night on Saturday nights- just like the disco days ! During the summer, there is dancing which is run by Hot Night Events. Flyers are sent in advance on Facebook every week. People of all ages are here and they attract a nice group. The DJs are awesome & entry is only $10. They have 2 or 3 bars and very limited menu during the summer months. Parking is usually a problem in Seaside Heights and any beach town during the summer. Best to just park in a pay lot. read more

Yelp needs to reset the reviews on this place because they are abnormally low. Hemingway's from a few years ago had okay food and turned into a late night club at after. Now it is just a restaurant / bar that closes fairly early around 10-11ish every night. A large center bar with TVs and 4 full sized pool tables (free) make it a pretty chill spot to grab a bite and hang out during regular hours. As for the food and service we had a great experience. Table for 7 and no excessive waits etc as some reviews seem to mention. Salads were fresh and tasty, short rib grill cheese and ravioli were delicious, crab cake was better than anything on the boardwalk, ribs and lamb chops were cooked perfectly - we were pleasantly surprised by the meal. Pricing was standard suburb jersey ($15-30) but the ambiance and decor were a step up from a typical shore spot. Would definitely go again! read more

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POC beware. This place has a racist vibe. Upon walking into the establishment with our toddler we were not offered a high chair even though we asked for one. When I asked again the hostess told me that she didn't think we needed one. At this point, I had no choice but to raise the issue, and ask again. Then the manager jumps in and tells me "we're gonna have trouble tonight." True story. read more

This was my 1st time here Food was good. Staff was good. The only complaint I have is that when people are dancing on floor when there is a dj they should not be allowed to have alcohol on the floor with them. There were several spills that could have caused a slip & fall incident. read more

They have great food and service! We loved the atmosphere there and they never disappoint! Their desserts are also so yummy!

The manager/guy at front desk is so rude. He was condescending to the staff and made me not want to eat there. He should consider getting a job at one of those restaurants where the employees are paid to be mean to the guests. read more

One of the more "upscale" places in this dated Seaside strip. The weekend DJ here is adept at his craft & the music is a modern mix of EDM, house, hip hop & top 40 dance remixes. This place goes off at night. Didn't eat here so no review on the food. This place is huge w like 6 bars. Bartenders are your average box blonde spinners w attitude. A mixed crowed to be sure. Leave your class at the entrance. read more

We had a large group reservation for 16 on a Saturday. They put us in their group room so we were secluded from the rest of the restaurant. Our server was wonderful and handled us all very well. All the staff seemed like they were running around a little frantic, possibly short staffed and surprisingly we didn't get a visit from the manager as we ate our meal. We waited over a hour for our main meals which did aggravate some of the members of the group. Everything came out as we had asked and was delicious, which indicates how good our server was even though she was handling multiple groups. We did stay for a little bit, had a couple of drinks and danced for awhile. The DJ was Ok. read more

So there's 2 yelps for Hemingway's and I'm writing for both. HORRID. I came here once for the club back in 2012 before Sandy (I haven't been back so I assume Sandy worsened this place). Tonight I came with 5 others. 2 of which were 10 years old. A) this place is not what it used to be. It's a 50's and up place. Music was ok when we walked in. Random house music. Then a LOOOOOUD I MEAN LOUD house cover band of billy Joel came on. Loud to the point we had to yell to one another. B) the host sat us at a LONG table in the corner with no air. Made for like a huge party of 20. No silverware. No dishes set. No 'your waiter will be right with you'. We had to call the waitress over 15 mins later. C) she took our drinks, of course wrong. The menu is odd. Idk if they're sushi, pizza, or a couple of odds n ends with burgers, wings, salmon, filet mignon. For some reason I got sushi. D) I ordered Kani salad - or as they call it kani su, and 2 rolls. I honestly thought I'd be getting kani salad. I got imitation crab meat soaked in a bowl of liquid (see pic). My nephew got chicken fingers and fries which came out a good 5 mins before everyone else's dish. Oh. No silverware still. No napkins. We asked they said they ran out of napkins. LOL WHA?! E) two people has to share a fork for their dish. Also- they ordered a pizza and burger which they didn't get. LOL WHA?! F) there were about 3 different people bringing our dishes out. G) music wouldn't stop being so loud we had to scream everything across the table and to our waitress. Just as we were done eating, billy Joel wannabes got off and they played some disco/dance music. So I know this place used to be the famed jersey shore club temptations, then Hemingway's club, but honestly this place idk what it is. Seems more like a 50s and up lounge. The people look straight out of your Brooklyn and Staten Island mafia movie lol not that I'm judging - just funny. Will NEVER EVER come back again. OVERLY poor service for $200. No. Thank. You. read more

Hemingways - 2 people sharing the fork. What a pitiful sight - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

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Good food good service good happy hour definitely worth trying out if in the area. Not far from my house unfortunately don't get there that often read more

This review is for happy hour during COVID. My boyfriend and I visited Hemingway's for a Saturday afternoon happy hour (everyday from 4-6pm!). We were seated at the bar with plenty of space between other parties. The doors were open to the Boulevard which allowed for great air flow. Drinks are inexpensive ($3 domestic beers, $5 wine and house cocktails) and the food was great! We shared coconut shrimp and wings. The bartenders were attentive and being very clean and safe. Will be back for sure! read more

Hemingways - Coconut shrimp and wings - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

We stayed in an Airbnb around the corner, so it was really convenient. We were surprised how large it was when we went inside, plenty of seating during those busy summer months.I was really excited that they had sushi on the menu, it had been on my mind for days. I was also excited to see the legit sushi bar on site! So I had a couple rolls and a Caesar salad. I feel like the salad may be a bit over priced, but that could also be the Midwest in me. And I would have preferred less dressing. My friend had the chicken parm, which must have been good because there was none left for me to try! We finished up with a delicious lava cake. I would definitely recommend! read more

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Went to Hemingways Monday and had a great meal with friends and family. Such a great place to enjoy music, live bands, DJ's. Cold drinks. The atmosphere like I had said before is an amazing. I had gone into a competing restaurant on the boardwalk for tacos but the person who sat us put us directly in front of the beer taps leaving us with 10" of space to eat! Ugg read more

Great place to go for good food and a great atmosphere. The staff was great and the even have free pool tables. Upscale place in the heart of Seaside Heights. read more

I literally have been coming to Hemingway's for years for drinks and entertainment, but on a Sunday night with all the BYOB's full, we decided to try dinner here last night. Place is packed with live entertainment tonight and we were lucky to secure a nice high top table top near the bar area where we could enjoy dinner and listen to the music. Place is spacious with multiple bars, inside and out, as this was the home of "Temptations Nightclub" many moons ago. They have filled it out and it's big clean and modern. They also have a more quiet dining area off the bar area to the left as well. Ordered a bottle of wine and this was about the only snafu of the night. Again I understand these are all high school kids working the summer and you have to cut them some slack but unfortunately she could not open the wine properly (breaking the cork). When she did open it she poured bout about 1/2 the bottle into 1 glass without every offering a taste. Truly was not a good start. No bread or anything was offered so not sure if that is a miss or if it simply isn't an option. FOOD: Appetizers wedge salad with Maytag bleu cheese with sliced red onion was really quite tasty. Downside of this dish the lettuce was warm not even close to being chilled or cool so it took away from what could have been an excellent salad. I also did not see any apple wood bacon as listed on the menu. $8.00 Cheese steak dumplings were deep fried with rib eye and peppers and onions. Dipping sauce of cheese and Siracha ketchup made this a tasty little treat. $13.00 Tomato Pie traditional small brick oven pizza $11.00 ordered well done and produced well done BRAVO! Taste was exceptional with deep rich sauce and fresh cheese this one was a winner on all counts. Berkshire bone in Pork Chop glazed with sautéed string beans and roasted potatoes $28.00. I have no idea where they get their meat but this thing should be ILLEGAL it was so good. Hands down top 2 pork chops I have ever eaten. No words just try it. Ended up at the front outside bar with Justine and Jason (Bartenders) for the duration of the entertainment both of them are simply the best. All and all aside from a bit of a warm wedge salad and the wine snafu and the servers in the dining area being M.I.A. most of the night, the food itself gives this a nice 4 Star rating. The pork chops is a 10 go have one, I would definitely dine here again. read more

My family is on vacation with our 22 month old daughter. We read some great reviews & decided to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE! Upon entering we walk into the middle of Amen screaming at a female employee behind the desk it was obvious she was crying and yet he continued on. During his rant he did identify himself as the manager and owner. His incessant screaming scared our child and we tried to walk away and not be in the middle of the commotion. We were not acknowledged or greeted by anyone although the crying girl did make eye contact a few times, it was obvious that the incessant screaming was not going to let up anytime soon. At this point Al baby became agitated scared and now was also crying. We were finally seated 10 minutes later and the tension in the place was extremely uncomfortable. We considered getting up and leaving because it was a very difficult tents and emotional tirade that had affected my child. We decided to stay an ordered our food which came out 35 minutes later. Unfortunately the food was so so I've had better pizzas overseas!! The food was pricey!! The atmosphere and attitudes of everyone there certainly left a bad taste in our mouths we will never be back and we will never recommend this restaurant read more

Omg what a disgusting meal ! Came for the Irish Wake Fund Raiser. Bought a cup for $10 to fill with tap beer. Upon getting our sEat at the bar .... we were informed that their taps weren't working. Had chicken wings for an app. They were ok. Then the three of us ordered thE corned beef platter wHich were $16.00 each. OMG. They were ALL inedible. The meat was hard like shoe leather and tasteless. The shredded cabbage was so undercooked. We sent back one platter and got another one that was worse than the first one... the bartender took it off The bill. Shame on their kitchen for sending out food like that. Horrible experience. The Irish Band was great tho. read more

Hemingways - Corned Beef - New American Near Me - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Dinner was amazing! I really enjoyed the food and drinks. The service and ambiance also great. I recommend you stopping by to eat here, you'll love it ! read more

I have never been treated so poorly in my entire adult life. I'm not one to ever complain or seek out extra attention but I was treated so outrageous it was disgusting. the first moment I sat at the bar I was treated like the "loner " with no fiends . on top of that when my friend came we were never given our correct order being drinks and food. We were never apologized to, the staff looked like they were under age anyway serving us drinks. They had no idea how to make a shot for two people. Our food when it came was wrong and luke warm at best. when we asked for the check the bartender with the sleeve tattoos gave us an attitude and we started to yell at each other. The staff ganged up on us and started to berate us and call us while trash and other offensive names. We left and will never go back. To be honest, it's such a disappointment to see the local establishments turn into such a trash hole. We were yelled at saying we were from North NJ but yet we reside in Ortley. Never ever again will we go or recommend this place. On top of they we have family members who serve as Reps for Spirits there. No more... Complete disgrace for any reputable name. read more

Hemingway's Café: (Saturday, 7-17-21) The location is beautiful inside with a stage for entertaining, 4 pool tables, sushi bar (closed on my visit), 2 indoor bars and perfect A/C. Aside from the 2 bartenders at the front bar that were GREAT representatives, the remainder of the visit went from not so great to horrible. Upon entry we had to wait about 5 minutes for someone to greet us and take our reservation for a party of 3. The manager did come to the front after about 3 minutes and asked us if we were being serviced, but she did not offer to take our reservation. We were told there would be a 15 minute wait (despite plenty of visible seating) so we had a drink at the bar, and then our table was ready after about 5 minutes. We placed our orders and this is where it started to go down hill. Our server, though sweet, nice and polite, was hard to track down throughout this visit, and I also didn't like that she touched my leg and shoulder way too much for my comfort. Although I do recall mentioning "just bring the food out as soon as it's ready" (due to us being hungry from spending a day at the beach), there were huge gaps in time between each dish. Guest #1's wedge salad with salmon came out 1st after about 10 minutes (the salmon was tasty). Guest #2's (me) wings came out about 7 minutes after that (the wings were very tasty) and then the coconut shrimp (average joes) about 3 minutes later. About 5 minutes later we became frustrated that Guest #3's (a vegetarian) pizza had still not come out. This is where tracking down our server began to become an issue. Our server checked in with the kitchen and we were not given an e.t.a. on #3's food after about a 7 minute time lapse. We were all hungry after a day at the beach when we arrived so at this point #1 & myself felt bad about eating while #3 (a vegetarian) was still waiting indefinitely. The pizza making station was visible from our table and we saw pies flying out of there to other tables regularly, so #1 spoke to the staff in that area after speaking to our server again. After about another 10 minutes we resolved with the server that #1 & 3's meals would be removed from the bill as they left to eat elsewhere. I remained to resolve my portion of the bill even though I did not finish my meal (wings & shrimp), and then the pizza arrived. The server went to fix the bill and graciously offer to box up the pizza to take with me. Now comes the horrible part... About a minute afterwards the manager (same manager from before) comes to my table with an attitude and tells me, "you can just leave and not pay for anything". This left me speechless as I literally had a wing in my mouth. Before I could explain to her that I was going to pay my portion of the bill she started venting about restaurant staffing shortages and customers being rude. After swallowing the food in my mouth I tried to get a word in to deescalate the situation and to let her know that I hadn't complained or been rude to anyone, but the manager was not open to discussion or listening, and then she left. It was at this point that my dining experience at this establishment was thoroughly ruined and I became upset at being berated by management for things that I did not do. I looked for my server (again), tracked her down at another table, told her what happened and to not bother with boxing the pizza, and that I left her a $20 at the table. The tip would have been less ($5 or $10) but I didn't have change. Hemingway's Café management & owner: Get you management team's customer service act together! Wishing you success as you continue to resolve your staffing and work flow issues. This experience was disappointing. read more