[[HIGHLIGHT]]Howard's is an LBI classic for a reason. It's a calm, refined space for a family dinner, and the food is solid.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The French fried lobster and the crab cakes are delicious, but my personal favorite is the blackened tuna steak. The apps and sides (calamari, clams scampi, etc.) are also tasty. Portions and sides are generous. You will not leave Howard's hungry! The servers are friendly, and not overly attentive. Just right. My one suggestion: Freshen it up a bit! Would love to see more nightly specials, some new sauces, and vegetable options beyond broccoli. read more

I made a reservation when I first came in to be seated they told me oh it's a birthday and we have a cake for you when it was time for dessert. The waitress said we don't have cake here. Not sure what that was about. They don't carry cake. Food was awful. Filet had no taste and was dry. Lobster bisque tasted cheesey like Kraft Mac and cheese. 3 lobster tails could have been mistaken for farm raised shrimp bc they were so small . Their "special fried lobster tails " were greasy and nothing special . Service was good. And [[HIGHLIGHT]]the ambiance was good bc it was on the water.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - Dried out flirt, 1 fried lobster and over cooked baked potato - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

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Definitely won't be going back. Both the Lobster bisque & NE clam chowder were excellent with loads of lobster/clams in each serving. The salads should have been served chilled , not room temperature. Fried lobster dish was average and pricey. Would be better if broiled. My flounder w/crabmeat was burned on the bottom & dry. Also, a fly in the milk for my coffee. Overall, very disappointing. Service , by Maura , was efficient and attentive. Ambience was poor - very loud from patron's conversations. Decor is stark wood walls with local historical photos. Should have curtains/drapes or acoustic panels to absorb the noise. read more

Great service. Excellent food! The "original French fried lobster" was a huge hit with our group. All the seafood was fresh & expertly prepared. One member of the group remarked that their friend shrimp were "the best they ever had". Shrimp were large, fresh & tasty & were fried to perfection. We will definitely return on our next vacation to LBI read more

Top notch best fried lobster Cole slaw warm rolls with butter Been going hrrr for many years and never disappointed

Wow. My boyfriend's been mentioning going to Howard's for literally years now. I always kind of shrugged it off because I thought "fried lobster? Ehhhh questionable." I was WRONG. It's delicious. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The service is great, the restaurant itself is beautiful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Depending on where you sit you have a wonderful view of the bay.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We started with the clams. Skip these, I'm a huge fan of steamers and these were just not flavorful. The broth was basically water but whatever - you're not there for clams you're there for the French fried lobster. I decided on the French fried lobster and a clam cake. Delicious. I don't know what sorcery this is but the lobster fried makes it so tender. The crab cake was absolutely scrumptious too. I opted for wild rice as a side. Their salad and cole slaw is exceptionally good too. Another gem is their clam chowder. Now Howard's is not a cheap place but I can see myself ordering clam chowder for take out. With some of their fresh delicious bread. A dream meal. Their chowder might be my absolute favorite on the island and trust me I've tried a lot of chowder. It's really that good. Go to Howard's, you won't regret it. read more

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Howard's never fails to disappoint. The views of the marina from inside the restaurant makes for a nice dining experience and service is always prompt. This time I ordered the following: - Lobster bisque: this soup is very creamy and full of lobster flavor. The actual pieces of "lobster" in the soup do seem like they may be shrimp, but that didn't take away from the dish. - Wild Gulf shrimp: The shrimp here has such a meaty texture, and I find it so filling. It is my go to order. There is also always warm bread for the table which is excellent. I will continue to come back. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - Wild Gulf Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

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This is an establishment that makes me realize that the grass is not always greener, [[HIGHLIGHT]]the ambiance is welcoming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Leaving New Jersey for the west coast was not one of my best decisions. This is a family restaurant (It will not open a second before 5pm) , BYOB, great and humble staff. I did not have their speciality fried lobster, I am not into breaded food, but the grilled lobster amazing. I shed a tear it was so good. There is a liquor store across the street incase you are visiting from out of town like I was. The New England clam chowder is better than any award winning chowder that I have had in California. I will post this everywhere. read more

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Came back again for another dinner of French Fried Lobster. It was almost as good as I remember it. Came with a house salad and one side. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The inside of Howard's was just as I remember, overlooking the bay with plenty of windows.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Our server was nice but I think pretty new. We found out later there were specials that night cause we overheard other staff telling tables around us. He never mentioned them to us. For the salad, I tried the honey-dijon dressing. Fresh & delicious! Then the Lobster came and I was disappointed. The lobster pieces were over cooked and smaller. Considering it's much pricier than the last time I had it, not 5 stars this time! read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - French Fried Lobster and Baked Potato. - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

Food: wasn't anything to write home about, my table of 7 got 3 different total entrees and 1 shared appetizer. The entrees were Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Scampi and Scallop Scampi. All of us felt as if the flavor lacked in the scampi sauce, it was mostly butter. After adding; lemon juice, Tabasco and red pepper flakes the dish was enjoyable. The scallops and shrimp were cooked wonderfully and tasted amazing. The portion size was also very good. Service: was great, we had a nice 20 something year old guy who was attentive and constantly making sure everything was to our liking. Certainly made the experience great. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance: lowly lit place, but was quite hot inside. We had dinner at 730pm so the temperature outside shouldn't have contributed to the inside temp. Felt humid despite the wall mounted mini splits in the room.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Final thought: feels like a place that's catering towards the out of town crowd more than the people of this area. Overall rating 3.5/5 read more

Always think of Howard's fondly Like visiting Grandma... those fluffy dinner rolls , the fresh, delicious broiled seafood platter with the baked potato dripping with butter read more

Promptly seated for our 6:15 Friday reservation at a primo window seat by the dock. While table clothes give a fine dining feel. Our server quickly brought fresh bread and water. I'd been dying to try their deep fried lobster tail so I paired one with the baked crab cake. The c lobster tails was predictably delicious v with drawn butter and lemon. The crab cake...sadly only adequate. Lots of filler mixed with crab. Salad was similarly adequate...clearly a bag of iceberg lettuce with bits of carrot. And sliced cucumber. Crumbled blue cheese at no additional charge was a nice touch. But overall, the fabled Howard's was a nice restaurant but not the best seafood on LBI. Great service and seating though. read more

I will start by saying [[HIGHLIGHT]]the property is very NJ shore appealing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The young girls that meet you are smiling and friendly, The room is long and narrow on a canal. Our waitress was excellent. Unfortunately, the food was the exact opposite. The clam chowder was like potato wall paper paste in consistency. It had absolutely no clam taste and had no pieces of clams in the paste what so ever. It was a joke. The steamed clams were tiny, like eating a large raisin. if they were any smaller, they would not be there. They were fresh though, and the butter helped. The garden salad was adequate, nothing out of the extreme ordinary. Bread basket rolls were like Wonder Bread. The fried shrimp dinner was awful. The shrimp had this thick breadcrumb coating. This is to make the shrimp look larger. Also, the shrimp are butterflied before they are breaded to make them look larger. This technique just made them dried out on the plate. The crab cake was not the worst that I ever had, but on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, this crab cake was a 3. The bill came to $199.00 for a party of 4. You do the math per person. This place brags that it was established in 1950. Maybe this fare would have been OK 75 years ago, But today, you would be better off going to Dairy Queen or McDonalds for a fish sandwich. read more

I recently rediscovered Howard's, a secretly good restaurant on an island full of mediocre ones. The daily specials are delicious and brighten a menu that otherwise feels static. A mahi mahi with edamame and corn succotash was one of the better things I've eaten lately. Yes, they don't have a liquor license, and the brisk service feels rushed at times, but Howard's is worth a revisit. read more

Food was average. The crab cake had no taste at all. The flounder was slightly burnt. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I asked the hostess to shut the mini split air conditioner off cause hit me in the shoulder the whole night she ends up moving the indoor so now it's hitting my head[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The prices were definitely overpriced on the food for the quality. My service was really good though. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]We arrived early to this byob around 5:30 and while the restaurant was about 40% filled they still sat us in a side room with another couple next to some folded chairs.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Hmmm... We had lobster tails and crab cakes. Both small portions and more expensive than comparable restaurants. They tasted good, the waiter was nice and attentive but they don't take Amex. The next day one of the merchants told us Howard's is a tourist trap. I'd have to agree as there is more worthy competition on the Island. read more

Feel like such a lowkey place on the island, but everything is consistently good! Not the biggest restaurant but there are many tables inside. On the nicer end, but still with a beach vibe. Such a variety on the menu, there's definitely something for everyone to find. The french fried lobster is a must try!! Service has been great each time. read more

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Everything was absolutely excellent from the hot rolls, fresh salads and great seafood. We had the blackened tuna and the grilled halibut. Wonderful waiter service from Ben. Definitely one of the best restaurants on LBI read more

No more standing on a line to get into Howard's. Reservations are taken on open table with credit card information and a $10 per person penalty if you cancel within 24 hours of the reservation. Personally, I hate entering credit card information for a reservation with the possibility of a penalty, but I understand and realize I have to get with the times and just deal with it. I don't think I'll miss the long lines of waiting to get in, but it was kind of fun talking to the people also waiting with you. If you are a traditionalist who always makes the journey to Howard's every year, you will not be disappointed. The staff is friendly and our server, Ashley was a real hoot and made the dining experience a little more interactive and fun. Her 20 plus years with Howard's showed in how accommodating she was in making her customers happy. It was pleasant to find that the salad and warm rolls are still accompanied with an entrée. So many places on the island no longer offer either a salad or bread with an entrée and Howard's still offers both. Our entrées were grilled chicken and Barnegat Light scallops. Not much I can say about the chicken to make it sound exciting but the broiled scallops were cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. Market price was $45 and I was told you get 8 ounces so the number of scallops may vary based on weight. Howard's is BYOB so bring your favorite wine or, should you forget, there is a liquor store nearby. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant certainly didn't disappoint. The window seat view of the bay and marina at sunset is just incredible. The restaurant is spacious and inviting. The staff is friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about the menu. The prices are very comparable to Island menu prices and the portions are fulfilling indeed. BYOB is an added bonus and they do offer a small wine menu. The calamari is a must try and the corn tortilla with fresh lump crab, mangoes, and a lime sauce was so perfect- this app was not a shareable app and was $19.95 with only one tortilla- still a must try bc the flavors were incredible! The entrees are generously plated and flavorful. The meals come with coleslaw or a salad. The coleslaw was delicious and the salad was fresh mixed greens. The broiled lobster tails were a treat and came with a veggie or starch. The shrimp scampi came over linguini and was very enjoyable. We had enough dinner to take a portion home with us. The dessert menu has a nice variety and worth trying! The warm brownie with vanilla ice cream is delectable. The flourless cake is great and a nice sharing portion. read more

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Howards is great. We celebrated a birthday and were a large party. Clark our waiter was excellent, he provided us a top tier dining service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Everyone enjoyed their meal, and the restaurant has a nice view.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We went right at 5pm when they open and had reservations, there was no wait. Only disappointing dish was the french fried lobster, it was unfortunately over done especially being their signature dish. Other than that the dinner was a pleasant experience. read more

I don't think Howard's knows what a lobster tail is. What a joke for $50+. Mahi is so thin and dry. Stuffed flounder was awful. Lobster bisque and clam chowder just tasted like butter. Calamari was so small and tasteless. Salmon was like a 4 ounce cut in half. Salad was fine. Service was fine. Will never be back. I realize we are at the shore but come on... no wonder it's the only place you can get a reservation basically whenever you want. read more

Meh. Second time here but def the last as I felt under whelmed by the dining experience and food. Go here to watch the sunset and try The fried lobster tail which is a unique take on a lobster tail and it actually is cooked perfect just add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and dip in the drawn butter. Thai chili calamari was served warm and was drowning in the sauce so couldn't even finish it. Yellowfin tuna was 3/5 stars a tiny portion for the price and fresh but the seaweed salad was the worst and fishiest I ever tasted. I never tasted seaweed salad that tasted fisher than the fish on my plate...very strange! The New England clam chowder was really good but thick and heavy. Hub got the combination platter and for $50 we think it was over priced. We both prefer Pinky's seafood, ship Bottom shellfish and Harvey cedars shellfish. read more

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Normally I would never go a restaurant like this---matronly, institutional and not vegan-friendly. But this place is a tradition with my girlfriend's family, so I got roped along. The service is friendly and they have an hilarious "vegetarian menu" which consists of exactly two items: a linguine dish and a portabello mushroom dish. I got an order of french fries ($5) which were pretty good: crispy and starchy. The linguine ($20) is comically bad (and over-priced) and consists of unseasoned noodles with some vegetables. The chef should be embarrassed to offer such terrible food in this golden era of plant-based/vegan eating. If you're a foodie, go elsewhere. If you're vegan/plant-based, go to The Woohoo, Buckalew's, MKT or Living on the Veg. read more

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Our service was excellent at Howard's tonight. We arrived without reservations and had a 30 minute wait. This gave us enough time to pick up Chardonnay at Fritzi's . Our entrees were good: the Swordfish special which was 4 star in the opinion of my partner and I had fried flounder which was very well cooked and fresh. For starters we had cups of New England clam chowder and lobster bisque which were excellent!! Bread , crisp green salad and baked potato were great. The only negative was the noise level which made it tough to converse. read more

Service is always great and the pecan flounder is my favorite. Cant go wrong with the French fried lobster either. My husband had the horseradish salmon and he said it was really good too. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - Pecan crusted flounder - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

This restaurant earns its five stars for the look, the food and high quality service. Came here on vacation. Definitely worthy. I like the ambiance of the restaurant house. read more

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Food was very very good. Our server forgot multiple things. We stopped asking for them and just made sure they weren't on the bill. Also we had plates and multiple glasses piled at the end of our small table for two without anyone grabbing them. Had to constantly flag someone to get our drink. It was so loud that my husband and I were screaming at each other to hear anything, again sitting at our very small table for two. With that being said, the food was so good we'll give it another shot. Loved the French fried lobster and the lobster bisque. My filet didn't have the best flavor but was very very tender. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - French fried lobster and filet - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

This is one the best seafood places anywhere. The food always fresh and delicious! Service is great. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Atmosphere is great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Good for a date, groups, and families.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Even the butter for bread is outstanding. Also BYOB, so that saves a fortune! Love this place!!! Worth the wait! read more

A solid seafood restaurant that is somewhat pricey. Howard's Seafood Restaurant has set up a tent outside in their parking lot to serve guest during the current COVID restrictions. Me and the family are visiting LBI for the first time and was able to set up reservations on OpenTable with no issues. After we arrived a bit early, we were seated within minutes. It was evident that the restaurant took several precautions due to the continue coronavirus risks. All the servers wore masks and gloves.There was an image on the table that we could scan that so that we can view the menu online on our phones. My party ordered a few appetizers along with our entrees. We ordered calamari and littleneck clams for appetizers. The calamari was nothing special, but the clams were very good. For my entree, I have a pecan crusted flounder along with baked potato. The flounder tasted fresh and was cooked appropriately, but I wasn't too crazy about the pecan crust. The other entries which included the horseradish crusted salmon, flounder Maryland (flounder stuffed with crab), and lobster tail with fries were given rave reviews by the other members of my party. Overall it was a good experience in these different times. The service was good and the food was solid. I would definitely come back. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - Pecan crusted flounder - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

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Delicious food and awesome service. We had made reservations and were quickly seated. The waitress was extremely friendly and patient with us. The lobster bisque was amazing and everyone enjoyed their meal. I had ordered the special for the night. Seared ahi tuna with seaweed salad. It was delicious and well seasoned. Seared perfectly. Also don't forget to add the French fried lobster to your meal. read more

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Absolutely always spot on ! The food is great The food is fresh The service is attentive Keith continues the family tradition with a great always spot on dinner read more

Customer for many years. recent visit, usual good service but broiled crab cakes ordered were not like they used to be. see first picture of crab cakes on this site to see. came out like they were fried. Big difference from past. read more

So have seen and heard about this place for the past 4 years. Every time I looked at the menu though just couldn't justify the prices. Decided to take some friends and family out to dinner last night. We decided to give Howard's a shot and treat ourselves to a nice meal. With that being said, this joint is underwhelming. Not sure what the hype is about. Interior is lovely and view is pretty. Our server was a nice and professional young man, not sure of his name. It's BYOB so that's always a good deal. We shared the French Fried Lobster which is apparently their claim to fame. Super disappointed in this, very heavily breaded and fried and completely overwhelmed the lobster itself. The baked potato that came with meal was the size of an apricot, very sad as I love me some carbs. My daughter got the shrimp scampi and said it was good but not memorable for the price. Their Ranch dressing was amazing, wonder if it's homemade? So my thought process goes like this... If the dish that you were primarily known for isn't good I don't know that I would spend the money and take a chance on a different entrée. Simply too many good restaurants in LBI that I would rather spend my time and money on. read more

Great meal! Service was excellent. We made reservations and had party of 11. BYOB. Prices very fair comes with a starch and a salad. I had the broiled crab cake and lobster tails. Great place. read more

Howard's Seafood Restaurant - a plate of seafood - Seafood Near Me - Beach Haven Gardens, New Jersey

Classy place - delicious rolls, salad was great - shrimp scampi was excellent, pecan crusted flounder was good but very crusty, and deep fried scallops were wonderful with fresh and crisp broccoli. We will be back! read more

Howard's is our place "down the shore" (LBI, for us) and has been for many years. It's where we go for consistently good straight-forward fresh seafood and a relaxing environment. It can get rather busy, but we lucked out tonight (mid-June, so still not peak season) and got a table right away. (In case of a wait, we always bring a book so we can hang out and read once we put our name on the list.) I usually get the same thing each visit -- broiled scallops with a baked potato. Honestly, the scallops were over-cooked and a bit dry on this occasion. Typically, they are spot-on and I suspect they will be on our next visit. The hub typically gets the fried version of their Fisherman's Platter (shrimp, scallops, crab cake, flounder) and it never disappoints. He always shares, gives me some of his scallops (cooked perfectly) and shrimp (to us, the best/tastiest part of the fried platter). While the crab cake here is not our fave -- get the jumbo lump crab cake at Mud City and you'll know why -- we will always come back to Howard's. It's tradition and we know we're going to get a good meal. If you're a fan of fancy presentations and complicated sauces, go to Green Gables for that. read more

Food was very good. A little pricey. The atmosphere was just ok. Service was good. Our appetizers and meals came out quickly. Almost to quick. Felt like we were in and out of there in less than an hour. read more

The food here is incredible. Been going for years and years and always consistently our favorite restaurant. Crab cakes are excellent and love the fried lobster. Their bisque is incredible. But the owners have been increasing the prices dramatically over the last few years (well beyond the rate of inflation and far more than increases at other restaurants in LBI) and they sadly have now priced themselves out of our budget at this point and we have cancelled plans for dinner there this weekend regretfully. They're serving wine the past two summers and I wonder if this is what caused the severe price hike. Regardless, we are very disappointed. read more

I've been coming to LBI (Beach Haven) since the late 1970's and I've never been to Howard's. We have friends that swear by it, so I had to give it a try. I have the hardest time dining out. I'm culinary trained and a total foodie, so my expectations are high. The place is bright, in an excellent location with ample easy parking. The hostess and staff were smiling and friendly. It's casual wear and comfy feel. Bare essentials. 3/5 Server was attentive, friendly and quick (Thanks Clark). 4/5. Food: Bread Basket was nothing special, dinner rolls with packaged butter. Appetizer: fried crab cake, served with tartar sauce in a covered "to-go" style plastic container. It was crisp on outside, moist on inside; not jumbo lump, more like flaked blended. Serving was quite small. For the price, I would have expected jumbo lump with a nice remoulade or two of the served crab cakes with tartar sauce. French fried lobster: small piece, fried well. Nice flavor but portion size for price, meh! Swordfish with artichoke & sun-dried tomatoes. The swordfish could have been seasoned breed before cooking, the sauce was flavorful and provided needed moisture to the thin, overcooked fish. GF had house salad. Ice berg with balsamic vinaigrette, nothing great or bad. Filet Mignon was slightly overcooked, poorly seasoned and over-garlic'ed. Small serving cut on bias to make appear larger. Dessert we had keyLime pie and flourless chocolate tort. Keylime pie had a nice buttery crust, nicely flavored filling but served with what tasted like non-dairy topping. No crunch component! Flourless Chocolate tort that tasted like Godiva chocolate tort you could buy at shoprite. Also served with the same flavorless cream and no crunch component. I have no problem spending top dollar (huge fan of The Gables) but I need the food to be top notch and I didn't feel it was. I usually rate on whether I would return, I would not return. read more