Had dinner with close fiends and our kids. The view is amazing, they had a live band, the food was great, and the staff and the owner makes you feel appreciated. This will def be a hang out spot next summer. read more

Way over priced for food and drink for average at best. Very slow service and not very attentive at all. Food was severed wrong, either lacked what I asked for or made wrong. I don't send food back so I won't be back. Great siting waterside is only plus. read more

Nice bar restaurant on water in Atlantic Highlands. Upset that one of our friends had there dog with them and wouldn't let us seat outside. Had to take out drinks and sit on bench at dock. Service at bar was slow. read more

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Beautiful fall day sitting on the deck looking out on the water. Can't beat the views. The service was good. Little disappointed in the food. I didn't like the Cobb salad as the couple scallops they gave were sandy. The shrimp tasted like it was from a scampi dish and not belonging on a salad. I expected grilled scallops and shrimp. Pricey for the amount of seafood given on the salad. My husband had the fried clam platter which was definitely not a specialty. You can tell it was frozen and fried as some where rubbery. The beverages were great. read more

Inlet Cafe - Seafood cob salad - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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Stopped in here for an afternoon bite to eat after a day of fishing. Sat outdoors and they seemed busy, so when I ordered my Jambalaya, I also ordered two beers, because, hey, I'm an alcoholic and I hate waiting. Anyway, the Jambalaya kicked ass, but the beers were warm, so a four star experience became three stars. read more

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Came for a weekday birthday dinner and found a table for 3 inside which was nicely spaced. We got the salmon and scallops which were both cooked very well and large portions. Both people finished their plates and liked the taste. I ordered the Mahi with a side of sauteed veggies, which was delicious and very filling. I would definitely recommend the seafood here. The staff is accommodating, and the food is always consistent here. read more

Inlet Cafe - Mahi Mahi with mixed veggies - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Horrible service. Called 50 times for a busy signal and once they finally answered the phone they placed it down for 10 minutes before I got annoyed and hung up. Service was horrible. Told us they were BYOB and then said they got new management and now they aren't BYOB anymore and will get them in trouble. They then came back and said they'll let us bring our alcohol in but will have to charge us an uncorking fee of $35. Outrageous. Will never go back. read more

Don't even think of going here. The location is great but it stops there. The food is very bad. 3 of our meals were not edible. 2 steaks and a grouper dish. ALL unedible! read more

Hate to pile on, but totally agree with the 1 star. Used to be our favorite place -- best aspects of a dive bar but with great seafood (especially towers and sushi). Bartenders had personality and knew how to make a drink. Now, bartenders have no clue, menu is ltd and over priced. Took by our trade to the Proving Ground. read more

Good find in the Atlantic Highlands. Beautiful day for lunch on the water. Loved the lobster roll. Fresh, tender and flavorful read more

disgusting filthy over priced and terrible service. Both the food and the service were terrible, and 3 times more expensive than under previous ownership. now closed for health violations no liquor lic for most of summer. read more

Inlet Cafe - Inlet Cafe Closed for unsanitary conditions. Such a shame .... - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Inlet Café does not take reservations over the phone, but you can call to see if you can be placed on a Wait list. We called last weekend and were told there was no wait. Upon arrival, we only had to wait 10 minutes. Servers clean both the tables and chairs after diners leave. There was a relaxed atmosphere and the music was piped in from neighboring restaurant. View was fantastic. Menus are online at https://inletcafe.com We started with the stuffed mushroom appetizer. My husband had a glass of Echo Pinot and I had the Planters Punch which was just the right combination of rum with juices. For the main entrée, my husband had the Shrimp Linguini and I had the Cappellini D'Angelo dinner special which was delicious. Just the right amount of lobster meat, fresh asparagus & mushrooms with a fabulous lobster cream sauce. Very filling and delicious. Service was good and pricing was reasonable. Please note that a service fee is charged for the use of Credit Cards. read more

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Service was very disappointing, as we had to ask for everything including plates and silverware. We had to chase down our waiter any time we needed something and were never asked if we wanted anything. Food was average and overpriced, and none of the draft beers were available. Our biggest issue, however was with the Valet Parking. We were told by the young man working that "for $20 we could park for the evening and go to the bar next door when we were done eating here". We gave him $20 and went inside to eat. We later went next door to Proving Ground, and when we returned to get out car, the restaurant was closed, the valet worker was gone, and our key was not in the car or valet stand. Assuming our key was inside the closed restaurant, we had no choice but to Uber home and come back for the car the next morning. The valet company and the restaurant seemed to want nothing to do with the issue. read more

New ownership sucks. No idea on running a a previous successful restaurant. Everything slow. Food below average. Wait time a joke.

Very disappointed. New owner has taken a great summer spot and ruined it. Menu is limited. None of the previous favorites. We ordered steamers. Overpriced and sparse serving. Our waiter left to become the bartender because he left. Service suffered. Food was mediocre.only ordered sandwiches. Also overpriced. But water view is still nice. Can't ruin that! Valet attendant left at 7pm. No one to park or retrieve cars. We will not return to Inlet Cafe. Very sad. read more

After we were done with our Sandy Hook visit, we told our daughter that we wanted some seafood. So...she took a look at the Yelp app to see what was nearby. She narrowed it down to 2 places---one of which was Inlet Cafe. We all agreed that it was where we would have dinner. We were there on a Wednesday around 5 p.m. and the place wasn't very busy at the time. We chose to eat inside. Much as the view outside was nice, we didn't want to have to share our dinners with the seagulls LOL! Inlet Cafe has been around for 50 years and is a family owned business. Our server, Anthony, was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. After looking at the menu, we placed our orders. Each table gets a bowl (or in our case, two) of cole slaw. We really enjoyed it as it had a mayo based dressing that had a creamy texture. There was an undercurrent of onion through it---just enough to give it flavor but not overpower it. We were also given some bread. For starters, our daughter and I both got a cup of lobster and crab bisque. It had a creamy broth with added tomato. The lobster and crab were finely shredded. We both enjoyed it. My husband got the "deluxe shrimp cocktail' which comes with "Doug's famous cocktail sauce, crackers and lemon". He raved about it. The shrimp were large and very fresh. He really liked the cocktail sauce. For my main course, I chose soft shell crab. You have a choice as to how it is prepared---scampi style or fried. I chose fried. It comes with fries. The two crabs were battered before being fried and were plump and flavorful. My husband got a scallop dish (we don't remember the name and the online menu doesn't list it) that had bay scallops in it. He really liked how well they were prepared. Our daughter got linguine with clams that had Alfredo sauce. She enjoyed this dish and it had a generous amount of clams in it. Also, it came with 2 pieces of garlic bread. Our son-in-law got fish and chips which he enjoyed. As for the kids---one of them decided to try the fried clam strips as he was curious since he never had them before. Even though it was a kids' menu item, he got quite a lot and ended up not being able to eat it all. He did, however, decide that he liked fried clams. One of his brothers got the kids' fish and chips, while the other one got his go-to restaurant meal (no matter where they eat) fried chicken strips. For drinks, my husband and our daughter had beer, while our son-in-law and I had soda. The kids all had milk. We all agreed that we were glad we ate here and would go back again. The restaurant does have a small gravel parking lot in front. We easily found spots but I can imagine that if it were busier, parking might be a problem. Dinner wasn't cheap. For 7 of us, it came to something like $170 before the tip---a splurge to be sure, but well worth it! read more

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New owners ruined it. It used to be a great local place now its anesys closed because they acted rude to the locals. Sad.

Excellent, attentive service on a beautiful day for sitting outside. Excellent mixed drinks and tasty salads (lobster salad for her, Islander Salad for me). The place is a little pricy but I guess that pretty much describes the Jersey shore especially in the summer. Nice touch is the large bowl of complimentary coleslaw placed on the table with the bread. read more

There are few better places to be on a glorious New Jersey summer day than the Inlet Café. Today we enjoyed a lunch at the edge of the deck with a view of not only the water below us, but of Sandy Hook across the water and New York City in the distance. We enjoyed eating steamed clams, and my salmon salad was one of the best that I have ever had. We were also impressed by the service, and how the waitress took one member of our party's allergy quite seriously. The atmosphere is fun and casual. Parking can be rough, but we got lucky since we came early. Even if we hadn't, it would have been worth walking a long distance to! read more

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Casual dining by the bay. As expected, plenty of seafood options with enough turf to satisfy those that don't eat fish. The main dining area isn't terribly big. Has two bars, one of them is a circle bar in a covered area with a water view. The other is a regular wall bar in an enclosed area with no view. Can't fit large parties in the covered area with water view. Food was good. The coleslaw is complimentary with bread and is very good. Probably one of the best coleslaws I've ever had. As for my meal, I had one of their specials, Grouper Francaise. It was loaded with francaise flavor which almost completely masked the natural taste of the grouper. But it was enjoyable to me. Some people I know might not like that much flavor. The mashed potatoes were good and the steamed spinach was a surprising favorite. Not a big beer selection but enough variety to get something you'll enjoy. My wife ended up having a steak sandwich which looked very good. Her French onion soup was also delightful. Overall, good food so can't complain. Service was on par with most places, although we couldn't fit our whole party by the water. They do have outdoor seating for when it starts to warm up. read more

Inlet Cafe - Grouper francaise - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Worst experience I've ever had somewhere. Ordered calamari without cherry peppers because my mother in law can't have spicy food, came with peppers. Waited 30 minutes for someone to come over to resolve the problem. Server doesn't even look up from tables to help. Finally got a new calamari just in time for the rest of the MESSED up order to come out. Fish n chips didn't have the side that we ordered, the fish was small and SOOOO GREASY. The lobster roll started off delicious. But after picking out shell and cartilage, my boyfriend found a piece of RAW squid in his lobster roll!!! We called over the manager and he said "Ill be right back". He never came back.... and the server said he will take 25% off!!!!! 25% off a $130 check... for multiple messed up and DISGUSTING items?! The icing on the cake. Received the bill WITH NOT EVEN THE 25% OFF! They tried to play us! I will NEVER EVER return to this place. Worst experience. Don't give them your money. read more

Went on Saturday night with my girlfriends for dinner. First the menu was different than online. Very boring menu with no pasta dishes and extremely pricy. We had a hard time deciding as the choices were not great. 2 of us ordered the wedge salad with shrimp, avocado and blue cheese. It came smothered in dressing and warm (not room temp but warm) it was fine but for $21?? My 2 other friends ordered the fish and chips that were not at all crispy in fact 1 was under cooked (not sure of the price on those). All in all terrible food. The check showed there was an extra charge for credit card use. The waiter was a young and friendly boy. It was a hot evening and the lights were too much, The only thing that was great was the view. read more

New owners took over they change the menu tons of sushi but I don't like sushi they should bring back the old menu

Terrible Service, I don't know what happened to this place. It used to be spot on. Waited forever for out initial drinks and even longer for our orders to be taken. We were a group of 6 and 4 of us ordered sushi, waited 20 minutes only to be told that the sushi chefs go on break at 4:30? Where in the world does that happen on a Sunday that a chef goes on break during the dinner crowd? I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy. So sad an institution in The Highlands is now being run by the inmates!!!! read more

Great fresh seafood with a wonderful view on the water over looking Sandyhook. We shared an amazing Admiral's Feast and soup sampler. This seafood platter had a whole lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams and crabmeat. All the shellfish was cleaned well before serving. The two of us could barely finish the platter. The soup sampler was a great way of trying their three homemade seafood soups. The size portion of each was about 3/4 cup. It was the perfect size to tease the palette! All three were so delicious but I claimed the Manhattan Clam Chowder to finish. It was the best Manhattan I've ever had. I will be back again especially since I can bring my pup outside. Aug. 27th...yummy lunch with the family. We had soft shell crab sandwich, Fish and Chips, Strawberry/pecan salad with Blackened Tuna, Cuban sandwich. All were very good. Next visit I think I'm trying the lobster salad. Looks amazing! read more

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This may sound like a carbon copy of the other reviewers, but we have been coming to the Inlet Cafe for years, and this was not the same restaurant that we have known and loved. It was a beautiful night, and the place was not crowded at all. Now we know why. It is not a seafood restaurant anymore. It is mostly sushi. None of the basic seafood menu staples were on the menu; for example, no fried or broiled shrimp or scallops, no flounder, clam strips, steamers...I can go on and on. No warm bread or coleslaw, like the old Inlet Cafe used to offer either. Menu prices are very high for the amount and quality of the food. My advice? Skip it and go somewhere else. read more

Wouldn't come back here again. The place was very nice for an outdoorsy by the bay feel but a lot of things felt like corners were cut. I could barely read the menu to start. Some were on card stock, some were on a sheet of paper that had crap all over it. Looks like they went to copy them with a basic copier and did it poorly. Everyone's menu was not centered. Words were cut off. Menu also did not match online. The waiter took forever to get things going. It was a Monday night too. Not busy at all. I don't mind waiting but it was about 20 minutes until we were greeted for drinks. This trend continued the whole night. It took about 30 minutes to pay. Food came out decently quick but everything else was not very good with timing. The food part was not very good. I ordered lobster bisque and I try a lot at different places. This had to be the worst I have ever had. It tasted like a bucket of salt. And also it was $18 for a bowl! I ordered soup and fish and chips and my fish and chips never came out with everyone's meal. It took the waiter 15 minutes to realize as I could not find him anywhere. I told him never mind because at that point I had lost my appetite and everyone at the table said the fish was battered heavily. It was almost like a pancake batter with barely any fish. I don't complain about places usually but this place consistently disappointed. read more

We just had a terrible experience at the Inlet Cafe....started out great at the bar....awesome drinks....the hostess forgot us for almost an hour....we sat, ordered cod sandwiches, which arrived dry--they ran out of tartar sauce...it took us 3 asks to find this out and 3 more asks to get plain Mayo. One of the waiters was so rude to us for complaining...was SO rude. The manager didn't manage anything, rather first discounted the bill minimally, and when questioned just said--"FINE! I'll take off all of the sandwiches!" We weren't looking for a free lunch, and we were treated so poorly, food was ok...could have been really nice...my advice, wait the hour and eat at Prooving Ground. read more

i was going to write a scathing review, but after reading the reviews there really is nothing more to say. My heart is broken. This was my favorite go to place on the shore. What was once a wonderful dining experience, has turned into a shore shit show. I was warned that it was terrible, but, I could not imagine in a million years how really bad it is. This is a shore restaurant and they are serving frozen fish......My God, it's a travesty of justice. They really need to remove The Inlet Cafe name from the sign, it is such a embarrassment to the original Inlet. Shame on the new owner for luring people in under a false sense of a wonderful meal. The old Inlet Cafe was a 5 star Shore eatery. Always knew you were going to get a excellent meal. $120.00 bill and i left my whole meal and not a second glance from our server. They need to close their doors, change the name and reorganize. read more

Bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good. Ordered appetizers, one never came others came w the meal. Nothing came before the meal. The food came after an hour and was mostly cold. We ended up canceling 2 items (which they did not charge us for). The manager was ineffective. Felt bad for the waiter who had to work there. Also felt bad for my kids who were starving and had to listen to the patrons dropping f-bombs and discussing bashing people's heads in while we waited for our cold food. The one star is for the view, otherwise would give 0 stars. read more

i have never given anyplace a bad review, but I just have to say that was one of the worst dinning experiences we have ever had. I understand it was new but the salad came out with dinner, after a long wait. One persons in our party did not get there dinner till 20 minutes later at the same time as the appetizer. Everyone was pretty much finished with dinner. When ask to cancel the two things, we were told no. It was awful and the bill was outrageous! . read more

The atmosphere is nice. I tried their bing bang shrimp they were delicious ! Totally worth the trip from Nassau county ! I also had their piña colada, I am not a heavy drinker but it was kind of weak. However the server fixed it by adding a rum floater. I will visit again read more

Inlet Cafe - bing bang shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Should come with a warning: Must take 2nd mortgage to eat here! 6 cocktail shrimp $27. It was barely enough to feed my 5 year old. Menu is mostly sushi rolls. No kids menu unless you ask and you have two choices : chicken tenders or motz sticks. Beware of mysterious Service Charge and Credit Card Charge. Like to overpay? Like a limited menu? This is your place! The view of the bay is nice, but that's a dime a dozen in those parts. read more

This place was recommended by a local gentleman so we decided to come in on a Saturday afternoon. We were seated immediately by the friendly staff. They have a good amount of outdoor seating as well as an outdoor bar that has more covered seating. They also have indoor seating but due to the pandemic it is currently closed. Our server was a very nice young gentleman who was friendly and efficient (can't remember his name). They have plenty of different options to offer on the menu. I had the shrimp sautéed dish which was amazing. We also had calamari for an appetizer which was also amazing. No draft beer on tap currently but they offer many specialty drinks as well as a full bar with domestic bottled beer. The view of the water and ambiance of this place has you feeling like you are on a tropical island not NJ. Love this place and can't wait to come back to try the tacos! read more

Inlet Cafe - Shrimp sauté dish. So good - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

OK! I am happy to say that I have visited Inlet Cafe again and I can elevate the rating for 4 stars :) Update: parking after 4pm is only valet, which is great - there is limited parking onsite. Also be aware the menu online hasn't been updated in some time so the prices /menu items are slightly different than on their website then what is avail at the restaurant. We had: - oysters rockafeller as an app. $15 for 5 oysters (although the waitress told us it was 6.) We didn't mention anything though to the waitress since it wasn't that big a deal. They were great. Made with sweet italian sausage and you could taste the fennel seeds. Also came with a lovely undressed chopped tomato and mixed greens garnish which I ate as my salad as my entree (pasta) did not come with a salad. - The Codfish sandwich without the bun and a side salad as the side. Codfish was a big piece and you could tell it was fresh. Salad was very good. Blue cheese dressing was delish. - The clamwitch sandwich - fried clam strips on a potato roll with tartar sauce (a good serve) on the side. LOADS of big tasty fresh clams - yum. And great value at only $10. Came with a side - opted for fries which are flavourful, spiced, coated steak fries. Delicious all around. - Linguini with white clam sauce. OMG. I was weighing up whether to have the crab cake sandwich or the linguini. Opted for the linguini as I haven't had it in awhile... SO good and so glad I did! $14 for a decent lunch sized portion - not humungous but definitely generous, with loads of chopped up clam meat and garnished with 5-6 whole clams in the tastiest, buttery-ist, garlicky sauce... and a side of garlic bread which came in handy to mop up that tasty sauce (very rich - def not diet friendly but great if you are treating yourself on vacay!) - Home made key lime pie for dessert which was tasty but served with Cool-Whip instead of real whipped cream (seriously?) and an overly sweet raspberry coulis. Were lucky enough to grab a seat right by the water. Can't beat that gorgeous view. Our waitress was friendly and personable and attentive. Bill was $200 (incl gratuity) for 3 for a lunch with wines, beers, mixed drinks, the aforementioned food and a double espresso. Not terrible value considering the meals and drinks we had. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

Inlet Cafe - Yummy linguini and clams in white sauce before I ate it all! - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

This place was exactly what I was looking for. The seafood was delicious, the scenery was beautiful- I could ask for anything more on a great night. The waiter was very friendly and we sat outside right by the water. The wait wasn't too bad and it helped that the restaurant next door had music (seemed like a noisier and younger crowd). I waited in the pier which was just fine. All around great restaurant and great experience! read more

Inlet Cafe - Flounder stuffed with crabmeat. Wonderful! - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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We had some great burgers and enjoyed a lively atmosphere near the water with friendly service. When this quarantine is over lets support our local businesses, & this will be top of the list! #supportlocalbusinesses read more

Not sure how this place only has 3.5 stars, people must be crazy! Let's start with the amazing location , right on the water , you watch the boats go by and kite boarders play in the waves. The staff were all friendly and courteous and made us feel welcome from the get go. The food was not only delicious it was bountiful! I'll probably eat my dinner left overs for lunch tomorrow and the next day! The Inlet Cafe is great spot for a special dinner or just dinner on a random, don't feel like cooking night! read more

Decided to do take out and unfortunately both of our entrees were underwhelming. The Lazy Lobster was chewy and poor quality- no tail or claw, just really chewy. The grouper was over risotto which was yellow rice and mayonnaise- not a good combo- the fish was fresh but tasteless read more

GO TO PROVEN GROUND NEXT DOOR NOT HERE - NEW CHEF NEEDED ASAP! Seen this little restaurant while I was at the proven ground that is literally right across the way So I decided to recommend it and try it with my family. SO DISAPPOINTED. Thought the waitress was great but as far as the taste of our food that came out, not good. We all rated our food each one of us and we were a party of 5 between a number 1 and the best a 4. 2 orders of linguini and clam sauce both of my family thay ordered it said The fish was not fresh and clams came out of a can and the linguini soggy. Huge disappointment when we are on the water eating and expected great fresh seafood and fish. I personally Ordered the vodka sauce over pasta and the garlic was Soo overwhelming In the sauce that it was unbearable and I was not able to eat it. No joke my mouth burned. I am Italian and LOVE garlic so you can only imagine how bad it was. My sister ordered an islander cafe salad. The salad was Slimy and uneatable and she wished she would have it taken off the bill. She could not eat it. The lobster roll was decent but not the best but ok. It was a 200 dollar meal for all of us. Not a terrible bill for a party of 5 but when all of us hardly ate our meals I think that's pretty sad and quite an expensive night for eating nothing And No one even asked why are all your plates were still filled with food. In my opinion I have been to the proven ground too and I would just go there, definitely better food with the same on the water experience. This place definitely need a new chef! read more

Inlet Cafe - Vodka sauce with pasta - Seafood Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey