Family of 4 for lunch was $71.00. Highly overpriced and rolls were old and fell apart after each bite. Crab cakes were OK though. I wouldn't have mind the cost if the rolls were fresh as I never complain about price for a good meal. read more

Thanks for accommodating us with our annoying (but necessary!) gluten free diet. You have been considerate and helpful! We will be seeing you again... And the chowder is great! read more

I wouldn't even give this a star. Stale bread, the worst new England chowder I ever had in my life. No taste to it, no clams...wait think I did see a sliver in my bowl. Sloppy plates. I didn't think it was possible to destroy a peanut butter & Jelly sandwich, but they did. Stale, dry bread peanut butter oozing out on sides and way too much jelly. Very poorly made. Service was lame too. Looked like it took a lot of ever to get service. Never once did they check to see how the meal was. Do not go. read more

We went for breakfast as part of our annual trek to ok' Barney - the food & service were good, my only complaint was the coffee. We'll be back, we love the casual atmosphere & tradition! read more

Rude and untrained wait staff. Food cold and tasteless. Stinky rest room. Any questions? read more

Great food service and prices! Wait staff were very pleasant. Feels like mom's kitchen. We will be back!!!

This place is a staple on the island and has a really solid breakfast. I wouldn't come for anything else but breakfast is great and cheap

Chowder is the real reason to come to this place, otherwise, it seems comparable to any other diner on the island. If you are up at the lighthouse during lunch time, stop in for a salad or a sandwich (and the manhattan chowder of course!) and you will not be disappointed. As for anyone complaining about prices, well that is just LBI. Also, probably 50% of places on LBI are byob, so always call first if you plan to drink and you are not sure if there is a bar! read more

We wanted to go to Harvey cedars Shellfish but they were closed .... this was July 2 I had a seared tuna sandwich which was great for 11 bucks ... worth checking it out. read more

It's not that hard to do a decent job at a place like Kelly's. The menu is fairly simple and the clientelle, easy-going. However, my chowder was not even close to hot (which made me wonder if it was even safe), and the potato skins -- I'm pretty sure from frozen -- had soupy cheese on them, and one chunk of bacon. We had to ask for sour cream which, on skins, is pretty basic. My friend's grilled cheese, which she ordered with tomato, came without tomato. The waitress offered no apology, which would have gone a looooong way. She brought out cold slices of tomato upon request, which is not the same. My ATM card got stuck in their machine and the manager was rude. You're a captive audience at the tip of the island, and they know it. Skip it. read more

I had breakfast at Kelly's with my family when I stayed in LBI in August 2009. First of all, the place is SMALL and POORLY VENTILATED. It felt like a sauna save for the maybe two ceiling fans that looked like they were about to fall off the ceiling. The waitress, who looked no older than 17, came to my table, did not introduce herself, ask how we were, but rather simply said, "What are you having?" Being a waitress myself, I know how a server is supposed to treat and talk to guests. I guess it's different for privately owned restaurants? Either way, I wasn't too happy about that. My two cousins and I ordered coffees, and they were given to us with no teaspoons. No spoons at all, for that matter. I asked the waitress twice for three teaspoons, but to no avail. I had to stir my coffee with my knife. The saving grace in this experience was probably the Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese that I ordered, but then again, how can one mess up packaged bagels, cream cheese, and lox? My cousin and I also ordered an order of home fries which took 15 minutes to get out (though we saw them sitting on the counter forever) and were cold by the time we got them. The serving was also very small for what we paid. My cousin ordered over easy eggs and wheat toast. When she received her plate, the egg yolks were stiff and completely cooked and the toast was barely browned. I would not recommend Kelly's to anyone vacationing at LBI in the future. Good service is a biggy for me, so as generic as the food is, I veer toward chain restaurants due to the server's necessity to follow a certain company guideline for superb guest service. That, or buy your own eggs at a grocery store. Their food is really nothing special. read more

We have eaten here many times and are never disappointed. Fresh spinach salad with grilled salmon made for a delicious lunch. Friendly & efficient service. Wonderful view of Barnegat Lighthouse from indoors & outside deck. read more

Solid lunch joint. Doesn't get overly creative with menu but the foods and service is reliable and a safe bet

Service was slow the five cheese omlet came out and the cheese was not melted at all. The waitress did not refill coffee unless we flagged her down. A side order of sausage was not brought to table but left on the counter where I had to get up and get it. read more

Delicious food and good service! Great place to stop at after visiting the lighthouse

I'm giving it one star for the Dairy Queen . The food is bad. Everything we ordered was sub par. I had a cheese steak that was mostly bread. My daughter got a Cesar salad. It was not even close to a Cesar . Wife got a salad with chicken. It was a salad with rolled up deli meat. Witnessed the owner yelling at a customer who had to leave because the kid at the next table threw-up on him. The owner was telling him to pay for the meal. The kid did you a favor! read more

We went here after the beach for some fresh seafood yesterday and it was great! The broiled flounder was the highlight of our meal, along with the New England clam chowder. The seafood was definitely fresh and tasty, as was the salad and corn on the cob. The crabcake sandwich was fine too, but less interesting, and the fries were only okay (but the garlic mashed potatoes were great). We sat out back and enjoyed the beautiful green space, with a nice view of the lighthouse. Would definitely go back. read more

Had so many options of where to eat, very upsetting choice. There was a dead spider on the pickling my sons plate. My husband and I ordered spinach salads which were the size of a typical restaurants side salad, and not good at all. I tried my hardest to think of a good thing to say but really cannot. We all left feeling sick. Very disappointing. (2 salads a wrap and an appetizer ran us $60). read more

Nice little place near the bay quite warm inside. The food was ok and the service was very polite but slightly below average in speed.

My family loves Kelly's. It's a family restaurant with lots of college kids as the waitstaff. they are very friendly. It's not overpriced like most of the places on the island, and the food is fine. Fresh and served with a smile! read more

September 9, 2012 - a beautiful Sunday on LBI. I needed a getaway and spent the morning walking the beach and strolling the stores of Surf City. After an obligatory visit to the lighthouse and jetty I was hungry for lunch and looking for some local flavor. Kelly's seemed to fit the bill. I knew it had been here for a long time and was part of the local culture. Since I was by myself, I sat at the counter and waited to be noticed... it took a while to get a menu. Several things on the menu sounded good but I ordered a simple grilled cheese to satisfy a craving. Since I was at the counter right in front of the service window I could see that there were not many orders ahead of me, but it took almost 15 minutes to get a grilled cheese. There was plenty of wait staff - most of them seemed related to the owners or maybe their kids' friends - and the restaurant was not packed, it seemed that every table was waiting a long time for their food. Even though they were nice, none of the wait staff had a clue about good customer service. My $6 grilled cheese was tasty, but I've made better in less time for myself. Robert Irvine would have a field day here. Location is the only reason they stay in business because they don't count on a lot of repeat business. Too bad - the location is great and the decor is "jersey shore charming" - with a step up in service and food quality, Kelly's would rock. read more

It's a sad day. The establishment I've visited/eaten at for well over 20 years of my life has caused me to leave a poor Yelp review. During my weeklong stay in LBI, Kelly's is a must. In recent years they got air conditioning, which is much different than the ceiling fans they used to have. This small change made Kelly's a no brainer on a humid night. We entered Kelly's to live music and were seated right away. This should have been my first cue that something was off. With the attraction of the lighthouse in view from Kelly's dinning room windows usually causes Kelly's to be packed, but tonight two other tables were sat.....that's all. We ordered drinks which came out right away and ordered entrees. One fried seafood combo, 2 stuffed shrimp dinners, and a steak dinner. Salads came out timely and then the entrees. On the first few bites of the shrimp entree I noticed the shrimp were raw. Not undercooked, but raw-cold and grey. Same for the other stuffed shrimp entree that was ordered at our table. The waitress saw the grey color upon making her way to the table and quickly apologized and informed us that she would be getting us new ones. Well about 10 minutes later she brought out the exact same ones. The shrimp was now cooked but the crab stuffing was now over cooked and crispy. The steak at our table was cooked over well done when medium was asked for, and to top it off the flies landing on our food was too much to handle. We have always loved Kelly's for the "old timey" weathered feel so I get it that flies flock to food. But tonight seemed to show a fly problem. It was concerning. We have eaten here for two decades. But tonight was sadly our last. When the bill came there was nothing done about the poor cooked food or the fly problem. When you pay 20-25+ for a dinner you expect a good meal. This meal was lack luster, rushed in the kitchen, and not taken care of in the least. As a former restaurant worker myself I was surprised that an establishment like Kelly's would let patrons leave without some type of acknowledgement of a poor experience. read more

We seem to go here every summer at least once for breakfast. The only real reason I can see for this is the location. The jetty is fun to walk out on and occasionally we will climb to the top of the light house after eating. Twice this summer I ordered eggs and they arrived half raw, which is not what you expect when you order scrambled eggs. The fruit plate is tiny and they never seem to be able to really understand the difference between cheddar cheese and american cheese. They only take cash, which is an annoyance I only accept from restaurants that excel in either food or charm, and Kelly's doesn't excel in either. Location is all they have going for them, and pretty good coffee. read more

First I would like to say that we would never make a trip to LBI without stopping at Kelly's! It is a staple of our summer. If you are going there expecting a gourmet restaurant then you are going to the wrong place. If you are going there for good food, fresh seafood at a reasonable price then go to Kelly's! It's a great place to go for breakfast and lunch too! Friendly, fast service and the back deck overlooking "Old Barney" on a nice night makes it a perfect summer night. The chowder is some of the best I have had. I disagree with the comment that it was watery and very little clams. I also have to make a comment about it not being kid friendly. It is a family restaurant run by family! Maybe if people teach their children how to behave in restaurants no one would have to make a comment! All in all good food, good service! read more

Not bad for basic food. You will wait a long time which is frustrating since they have about 15 wait staff and 5 in the kitchen and have no idea what they are doing. Also no credit cards, they need to get with the times or get an IRS visit. read more

We had lunch today at Kelly's in Barnegat Light and it was terrible. All the seafood serve didn't taste fresh, the bread was stale and the chowder is so watery with very minimum clams and potatoes. That was not the worse part... while paying for our bill, the owner came out and started screaming at my 3 year old not to touch his woodwork. I say this without exaggeration and this was witnessed by the customers eating there on Aug 11 at about 130pm. He was pointing at him while screaming. It was very traumatic to my son and very inappropriate. If there was a rating for no stars, I would give them zero stars instead of one. For all parents out there, be forewarned that this is NOT a kid friendly place. read more

I don't think the food in Barnegat Light could get any worse then this place. Over priced and frozen with tastes of bland lard to compliment the dry seafood. read more

It's not the worst restaurant that I've ever been to, but it's not what I would consider "good". This is mediocre at best. I'm not a complainer- just trying to be honest. The place is in a great location and one of 3 or 4 restaurants in Barnegat Light, so they don't really have to impress. We had Manhattan clam chowder-it was fine. Fried flounder sandwich- fine. Fried clams- fine(and very similar to the kind you find in the freezer at Costco. I give the place a big "eh!" read more

Well, after visiting the lighthouse, his place looked interesting enough to try. Figured I would keep it simple and go with a piece of fried flounder, served with slaw and fries for $10.99. Wifey got a chef salad and we split an app sampler with the family. App sampler was less than expected, with 2 mix sticks, 3 tenders and 1 small potato skin. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about. Fish came out, might have been Mrs. Pauls, fries were soggy, slaw not great (I am picky about slaw). Wife said chefs salad was okay, but she left the tomatoes on he plate (in he middle of August in NJ) and the yolk of the eggs were pretty green. Service was pretty good, but most likely will be our last visit. read more

Horrible. Way overpriced for deep-fried, frozen slop. Obscenely long wait to get food after ordering. Avoid. Seriously.

This place is great, and what a location! The breakfast i highly recommend is the locks bagel with a poached egg, talk about a great breakfast! My family and I come to LBI every year and i always look foward to this diner's breakfast. read more

Had lunch here last week while vacationing with friends and recommend the seared yellow fin tuna served on a large bed of greens. The portion of tuna was very generous as was the salmon served on a bed of greens served to a friend. The third friend had a cold roast beef sandwich served on a bun with tomato, lettuce and chips on the side. There was a very generous amount of meat in her sandwich and she took half home. Would eat there again and it is right next to the lighthouse and a Dairy Queen...Fresh seafood, the ocean and ice cream...can't beat that! read more

The seafood is fresh, the waitresses are friendly and the Manhattan clam chowder is out of this world! For all those who decided to write such absurd complain I totally disagree! The family that owns this restaurant makes you feel as if you are home. The building is quaint with little wooden carved fixtures all over. They have entertainment over the weekends with a nice backyard that overlooks the light house! It is BYOB which I didn't know when I got there but there is a liquor store only three doors down so all of those who can't walk three doors down and purchase a bottle I have no sympathy for. I am a regular at Kelly's and will continue to be one! Definitely one of the best spots on the Island!! read more

I have been going to Kelly's since I was a little girl and now when we go to LBI for the week we go there the first and last nights we are down there. My son looks forward to getting their salmon they make it just the way he likes it. The wait staff are very nice and the place is very homey. It is small but a comfortable place to go you can talk and not feel crowded unlike a lot of other resturants and usually there is a nice breeze to keep it cool and if you want you can sit outside and the dairy queen right next door makes a nice place to get dessert we have never been disappointed I highly recommend it read more

Terrible restaurant and what I assume was the owner was very rude. We arrived shortly before 11:30 and never have been there so did not know they only served breakfast until 11:30 on a Sunday! When asking about if they still served breakfast they said sure. Then I asked about sitting outside and the owner said that there were no tables available but the hostess then later when my mom asked again said sure and we were seated outside. Terrible breakfast. Eggs over-easy were pretty much thrown over. Pancakes were cold and strawberry's cut up but the stems not removed! Dry bacon! Terrible restaurant. We should've just gone to the diner down the street. There are so many really good places to eat on the island but this place is a waste of time! Don't waste your money on sub-par food!!! There are better breakfast places in Surf City and Beach Haven!!! Pretty much probably any place but here! read more