We were up from Nashville over the 4th of July week...we were to return to Nashville on the 10th of July....but due to a flight cancelation from Newark Airport, which turned out to be a bright spot in our trip because we got to spend an extra night with our relatives in Middletown, NJ, and when we were trying to decide what to do for dinner, they suggested "The Proving Ground" The restaurant shares it's location with Raritan Bay's shore! Our experience was nothing short of Amazing! The food was excellent! Our service was absolutely outstanding (thanks to Darby) who made it an experience!! The live music was very entertaining, just adding to the ambiance for the night!! I would rate "Proving Ground" definite 5 stars!! Absolutely recommending giving it a try!! read more

My wife and I both took a Monday off, after the beach we decided to venture out for Happy hour. I have always heard great things about the Proving Ground, a quick phone call alerted me to that they have started opening for Happy hour. The location, the menu, service and Happy Hour offerings did not disappoint. The location is fantastic on the bay with views of Sandy Hook. The restaurant offers wonderful seating on the dock as well as indoor seating. My wife and I chose to sit at the bar. We took advantage of the happy hour menu, the offerings are great and quite honestly we thoroughly enjoyed everything we ate. The mussels were by far the star of the show. The mussels were cooked perfectly in a wonderful white wine sauce that you just can't wait to soak up in the some bread. The vodka cocktails for $6 are a bargain, the wine offerings are solid. The bartenders were dynamite, seriously on top of their game. My wife and I cannot wait to go back. read more

See all

Easily 5 stars for the view... Weekend brunch review ( yet again). We made reservations on Opentable three days out this time, but called them the day before to make sure it was inside and not outside this time. The weather definitely wasn't cooperating on a holiday weekend. They were happy to oblige on my request. For adult libations, a bucket of mimosas for her while I went with the PG Bloody Mary. Truth be told, that bucket is meant to be shared. This time I actually chose the healthier of meals, a toad in a hole with avocado. For the better half, biscuits and gravy with andouille sausage. A little kick on that one, as we always share. Service was great by a gentleman named Mike. Checking in on us a few times during our meal. Brunch is served 10:00-1:00 on Sundays. Nice casual place that's easy on the wallet. read more

See all

Nice ambiance on the water. Server was great. Seafood selections was great. Little pricey but high quality. Definitely nice outdoor dining. read more

Absolutely amazing time. Delicious food. Incredible music. And you can't be the location. Service is quick and friendly. This is our new favorite spot! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

See all

Waterfront dinning with a view of the Highlands is one of the best overlooks in New Jersey. Ships ahoy !!!! Boat landing for easy docking, for all salt life lovers . Off season this is a local hot spot, great menu, large indoor dinning room, with a choice of both or table with a view. A large bar area with pub tables, sectioned off with clear divider between each table. Jay was our servicer for the celebratory #Covid365 girls night out ! Cheers to a pandemic and being part of history !!! Jay was attentive and very patient as we could not decide on which sharable appetizers to get for the table. Decided to get the delicious perfect portion to share with table. The Mediterranean platter which was a win win, a large assortment of fresh veggie crudités with 3 large scoops of hummus, babaganosh, tzatziki yogurt spread and stuff grape leaves- all time favorite. Had to try the Buffalo wing as suggested by our waiter. The spring rolls were good and small little bites. I ordered the Dynamite wrap, shrimp, bacon, avocado and pepper-jack cheese, say that 3xs fast. Served with a basket of fresh cut steak fries : fried twice just as nice ! Looking forward to returning here when the weather is better and outdoor waterside dinning reopens ! Salute to Spring ! read more

See all

Someone had given me a gift card for Christmas. Decided to go for dinner evening to celebrate my birthday with 6 friends and family. We were seated promptly and our waitress was very attentive. When we arrived a band was setting up. The restaurant was very noisy and despite sitting at the same table we couldn't hear ourselves talking. Then the band started playing which magnified the noise. The food arrived and was dropped off by a runner, not our waitress. All the runner did was drop the food on the center of the table and we had to pass the food to the person who ordered that item. We weren't done with our appetizers yet when they started dropping off our entrees. Out of 7 dishes, 4 were ice cold. We felt very rushed from the moment we sat down. One member of our group se t his meal back and it took about 15 mins for a new meal. By the time it came out everyone else was done. Although the manager did the right thing (Comp'd us our appetizers and gave us a discount) o would probably never return. read more

Proving Ground is a nice solid 4 for me. Accessibility is excellent. They never flinch at the wheelchair. A big one star deduction is the wait for food/drinks once you're seated. It can be upwards of 60 minutes before you're served your meal, which is tough when you're dining with children. We've come back multiple times for that view. The food is good. The Burrata is excellent! Presentation of the Burrata changes with the season. Pretzels are good as well. We like the cheese it's served with. I order the dynamite wrap as my entree. It's served with a small amount of fries. There is valet parking. There are changing tables in the bathroom(this is huge for any mama)! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Gin drink - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

See all

What a happening spot in the Highlands! The restaurant is beautiful, right on the water with plenty of outdoor seating. I was able to find a bar table right on the water's edge on a September Saturday night. The bartenders were overall nice and attentive, I have to give them credit for running such a busy show! You can order food outside, but there is no wait staff. If you're sitting at a high top simply walk to the bar to place your order. Everything looked yummy as it was being brought out to other tables. I am gluten free so I choose to try the salmon entree and asked for a side of fries. The fries might have been some of the best I have ever had! The salmon entree was just ok, but I imagine other things on the menu are better. They also had a live band which was so fun! Great spot to check out if you're in the Highlands area! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Salmon entree and side of fries - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Stop today at the proving grounds for lunch with my wife sat out on the back patio by the water. It was absolutely amazing to hear the water and the cool breeze just a really beautiful afternoon. We went for drinks and appetizers. The food was absolutely amazing. Servers were friendly just a real happy place. Such a great hang out. Definitely be back many times for the summer. read more

We got the garlic butter clams for a shareable appetizer No grit at all and the broth was amazing. I got the Dynamite wrap handheld My wife got the Cajun mahi sandwich. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Dynamite wrap handheld - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

My wife and I were staying in Sea Bright for the weekend, and we were looking for a restaurant close by for dinner. We decided to go to Proving Ground, and we enjoyed our experience there. They have a large outside space on their deck looking out on the water, which was a great view. Our waitress was incredibly friendly and was willing to chat with us a bit. We definitely felt welcomed there, so kudos on the customer service. They have a decent beer list of local NJ craft beers and other national brands. If you like some craft beer, you'll find something. The food is also really good here. The crab dip was incredibly tasty and the pretzels served with them were very soft. The stuffed flounder was really good. It had a ton of crab and seasoned well. Great spot down the shore and hope to return there in the future. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Stuffed flounder was amazing. - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Just came for lunch but it was excellent. Tasty broth with garlic and bacon with the steamers, scrumptious lobster roll, Super tasty fish tacos and an above average lobster bisque. We will be back! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - View from the deck - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Great food & a stunning view of the river! There are floor to ceiling windows all along the back.

My boyfriend and I wanted to have dinner on the water, so we decided to head down to Highlands from Bridgewater, NJ. We had drove past Proving Ground during our last visit and were surprised to see how packed it was. The outside looked nice and we made a mental note to check this place out. We went this past Saturday (6/17), arriving around 4:30ish. We put our name on the wait list and were told it would be about 20-30 minutes to be seated. We decided to sit at the bar and grab a drink while we waited. The bar was pretty empty at this time, so we had no trouble finding a seat. When we sat down, we were handed dinner menus, so we decided to eat at the bar and took our name off the wait list. Our waitress (i don't remember her name) was INCREDIBLE! We started out with a beer. I had the mango-flavored beer, which was AMAZING! We then moved on to a glass of pomegranate sangria. For appetizers, I had the pretzels and my bf had oysters. The pretzels were really good, especially the cheese sauce. For dinner, I had the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and he had the grilled mahi-mahi. Both were delicious! For dessert, I had the mini cannolis. They were also delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

Love the atmosphere between the live music, outside bar, and just being right on the water. Everything we ordered was amazing (especially the oysters) and service was great also! (their spicy margarita was also very good not pictured) read more

See all

I hosted my daughter's baby shower at Proving Ground two Sundays ago and I'm glad I did! In the planning phase, all my emails were answered promptly; all my last minute changes were dealt with. Food, view, service, ambiance: perfect. I was afraid the space would be too noisy for 48 ladies talking at the same time, but it wasn't. I was afraid the semi-private "The Porch" wouldn't be private enough--it was. Everyone had a good time! Thank you, Proving Ground. I'll be back in the summer! read more

See all

This place was beautifully placed on the water. The outdoor setting and spread out tables made my dining experience during covid feel very safe. The menu is very expansive, and has tons of delicious options. I had a poke bowl which was very good, just kind of small for the price. It was a nice location for a late night meal but it was necessary to make a reservation as it was very busy. Staff was friendly but a bit unfamiliar with the menu. I would come back here if I were in the area again. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

See all

We came here with a group of 8 for a birthday and a Sunday Funday and it didn't disappoint. We sat downstairs where they have probably 15 tvs spread around with all the football games. The downstairs has open garage door type windows that were closed because it was about 55-60 degrees but one was open leading outside. It was still warm enough to sit with a sweatshirt on. The outdoor deck is right on the water with a tiki bar outside, the space really is pretty big. Great specials for food, about 10 items from $6-$9, which we got just about all of. We got the cheesesteak spring rolls - great, chips & queso - good, brisket fries - huge portion and awesome, corn dogs - good, buffalo chicken tenders - ok, fried shrimp - good, and chicken quesadilla - ok. The Brisket Fries are definitely my recommendation and most everything else was solid bar food at cheap prices. $3 23 oz. Bud Lights, 5 for $12 domestic bottles and some $6 Absolut specials were all great deals as well. Then we went upstairs for a bit which is all indoors and really nicely done, there are another 15-20 tvs up there with everything on. Everything was nice, new and clean. Overall, they did a great job renovating this space and I recommend it to anyone for football/bar type environment. They have a full restaurant upstairs which I'm sure is good as well. My only downfall was that they had so many staff members, yet we waited 15 mins for our check downstairs and lots of people were just standing around while tables needed clearing, etc. Our server and bartender were both good but some others seemed to be doing a whole lot of nothing to be honest. read more

See all

Sorry this review is late, I've been super busy, I'm actually in South Carolina right now. So on Saturday, March 27th, my wedding anniversary we wanted to go to Bahr's Landing for lunch. We get there like 2:15 and it's an hour and a half wait. The weather was fair but they had their waterfront dining closed. So we drove up the road to Wind and Sea which was gone! It is now the Proving Ground. All remodeled, looks great. No wait, we sat upstairs with excellent water view but it was chilly, I wasn't prepared, they had all the glass doors open. Our waitress, Crystal, was excellent. All Covid protocols were observed. I had the Cajun Mahi Sandwich which was very good. It's served on garlic bread with lemon aioli, a nice touch. It's not big. The fries are also very good. My wife had the Salmon BLT which was excellent. I had a bite. Bigger then the Cajun mahi and tastier. Overall a fantastic dining experience, we'll be back very soon. I forgot to mention I had the lobster bisque which was nice and my wife had the French onion soup which was made with Swiss an interesting change. Excellent! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Salmon BLT - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

See all

I came here for lunch with a group of 4 people over the Labor Day weekend. The outside patio in the back was spacious and you're actually on the water which was very nice. We ordered the wings appetizer, the lobster roll, the crab stuffed flounder, and the seared scallops. The wings appetizer was okay but not memorable. The lobster roll was a really good deal - two lobster rolls and fries for $24. The lobster was fresh and juicy. The scallops were perfectly seared. The accompanying mushrooms/spinach were cooked and seasoned well. The crab stuffed flounder was cooked and seasoned well. The best dish was the scallops. Service was very fast and friendly. The restaurant was super clean even during COVID-19 times. I would definitely come back if I'm ever in the area. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Scallops with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Basmati Rice - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Last night went to the PG for dinner first time here. Will be back. Had a great time and terrific food. Was here with some friends all first timers at PG. service was great thanks to Jay who took care of us and was attentive and was knowledgeable about the menu. Some items I would suggest: Wings, Clams , Bacon wrapped scallops. Our main course range from Ribs, Stuffed Flounder, Crab cakes, Seafood Medley. Cannolis were delicious Finally all the drinks were satisfying and Jay always was on top of his game to making sure we had what we needed. Ate upstairs by the open window great ambiance. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Stuffed Flounder with CrabMeat - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

fantastic!! great views delicious lunch everyone from the valet, hostess, busboys, and kelly out waitress was professional and warm. read more

This place was A+ and enjoyed it for dinner. The vibes were so nice and so much outdoor seating. We sat right by the water and plenty of social distance. Music Thursday nights too. I got the lobster roll and we got a burger too. Delicious. Fries are crisp. But definitely if you go and like seafood get the lobster roll. 24 bucks and plenty of lobster in it. All around great place. read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Lobster roll so good - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

As soon as I walked inside the hostess didn't seem too welcoming . the drink I had was 95% ice. I did look forward to the mahi mahi tacos which said it came with avocado but it seemed like they were trying to hold back on it . Atleast our server was nice read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

My fiancé and I had a wonderful lunch at Proving Ground. We shared the twin lobster rolls ($34) and the crab dip ($20). It comes with two pretzels and we ordered two extra. I don't remember how much the extra pretzels were, maybe $2 each. We did need four pretzels to eat all the dip. Everything was delicious! Our server was knowledgeable and efficient. 100% would return! read more

See all

Great atmosphere but on two occasions I found a hair in my meal. First it was in our hummus about 2 years ago and just today I found one in my salad. Either this is a subtle way for them to make fun of the fact that I'm bald, or their kitchen hygiene standards leaves a lot to be desired. Once bitten, twice shy. There will not be a third instance..... read more

The food was great, loved the view and the service was good. Will definitely go back when I'm in the area.

Great spot for waterside dining, we came here on a hot Monday afternoon for drinks and appetizers. They have a very expansive menu for both drinks and food lots of seafood options. However I felt that the food portions were a little small compared to the prices. Food was delicious, would like to come back for the Sunday brunch! read more

Proving Ground Waterfront Dining - Pina colada - Tiki Bars Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Food was good, service was very good, smiling staff wherever you went, and ambiance is unique on the waterfront. Hopefully I can do a better review if we get a chance to go back. read more

Great location on the water. We sat upstairs at the bar. Spacious and not crowded. Nice big TVs everywhere. Great drinks and appetizers. The conch fritters special was very good. Definitely would come back again. read more

Came with some girlfriends for happy hour and we were very hungry!! We all got the Fabrizia spiked sparkling waters to drink. We each got a different flavor and unanimously decided the lemon was the best. For food we got the pretzels, chicken pot stickers, bang bang shrimp, corn dip and cajun fish bites. The pretzels with cheese sauce were by far my favorite. They give you more than enough cheese with them as well. The corn dip had far too much cream cheese in it and lacked flavor - I wouldn't order it again. The cajun fish bites were delicious too and the sauce they were in was perfect. The bang bang shrimp had good flavor but was a little too doughy and didn't have a good crunch. Finally, the chicken pot stickers were just okay - not bad, not good. The view here is amazing, service was friendly and happy hour deals are nice. I will definitely be back here but I will be more careful in what I pick to order next time around. read more

See all

This was my birthday dinner, and I would've expected a little bit more from the waitress. When my fiancé told her it was my birthday and we ordered dessert. She basically served the dessert like slamming it on the table, no candle nothing not sure if this is a regular practice, but I would not recommend this place if it's your birthday because it was not a pleasant experience We arrived early and hung out. Downstairs ordered a martini at the bar. It was in a plastic cup. That was the first also the serving was very small like half the size of a regular martini. Then, when we went upstairs, a glass of wine was like a half a glass of wine definitely drink elsewhere read more

Good spot to listen to music. Drinks were a bit weak. If you are a beer drinker better stick to that. Food selections were just okay. West coast oysters sucked. Food was a bit of an overreach. All in all a good waterfront place to listen to a live band and enjoy the view on the outdoor patio. Kyle was our server and a bit obnoxious. The outdoor seating is limited to 90 min. He began rushing us an hour in. it takes away from the experience. We might have ordered more if that didn't happen. I know the guy works on tips, but that's inexcusable to keep rushing people out of the seating. Prior to being seated I heard him complaining about other people. I gave him the benefit of the doubt as some patrons can be difficult, but after encountering his approach myself I had to conclude it was him. Not cool. read more

See all

Cool space. Great Buffalo cauliflower. Good selection of drinks; service was friendly. I would go back

To the owners.... Had a terrible experience with some of the staff. When asked the bartender if she had any kind of berries to put in my margarita her quick nasty reply was NO! When asked if they had any Wheat Beer answer was NO! I go over to another Bartender because clearly she wanted nothing to do with me. I come to find out there is a whole container of cut up strawberries and all different kinds of wheat beers. I begin to tell the previous bartender that she in fact does have bunch of strawberries. The bartender Emily freaks out on me! Telling me I asked for berries and I had a major attitude! Girlfriend don't be mad at me because you don't know you variation of berries or your beer selections. I was super annoyed, I have never been treated like that at a restaurant/bar ever! I ended up telling the manager Sarah who right of the bat says ohhh thats Emily. So clearly this isn't the first time Emily was rotten to a customer. Sarah's reply was I'll talk to her. That was it! To make it worse, we sat in a section of 4 tables. Sarah repeatedly came over to the other tables to ask them how they were doing and not once to ours. She was even offering to take pictures of people. It was almost insulting. It's like she had no idea what to do with us. When waiting at the front desk as my friend was using the bathroom Sarah just completely ignored me. Not a goodbye not a hey how was your meal. Not clearly sure how Sarah is a district manager. Who wears slides to work at a restaurant anyway ? Moral of the story knowledge is key people. Bartenders need to be trained on beer selections or the menu should have an explanation on what kind of seasonal beers they have on tap. Sarah need to learn how to deal with situations instead of ignoring them. Food was pretty good and our waitress Desiree was amazing even though they are understaffed. read more

We really enjoyed the amazing, delicious food and the atmosphere! The service was excellent as well.

This place could easily rely on it's fantastic views of Shrewsbury River, Sandy Hook and NYC sky line by serving mediocre food and watered down drinks. They could but they don't! As a party of two walking up at 6:00pm on Sunday we were offered immediate seating upstairs indoor or an hour wait for outdoor seating. We opted to wait for outdoors and decided to grab a drink, find a seat in the non-dining areas (dock side rocking chairs for the win!) and listen to the band. All the bars were packed and the bartenders were doing a great job handling the constant flow of orders. Solid pours at reasonable prices made for great drinks! Fresh sea air and the cover band made the time fly by. We got the table ready text almost to the hour (didn't feel like a 60 minute wait) and got seated right away at a dockside high top. Server came over right away and took our drink, app and entree order. Ice Water was served immediately and our drinks rolled out about 8-10 minutes later. Considering the crowds, that was a quick turn. Our apps, Tuna nachos with wasabi Mayo, siracha aioli and edamame with salt, pepper and garlic, came out about 10 minutes later. The nachos were perfect but the edamame might be the best we have ever had. Why other places don't serve them like this is beyond me. They were so good we contemplated asking for toast tips to sop up the left over "sauce". The garlic plays a key role in the dish but you don't end up with garlic breath. Edamame is a 5 Star dish. For entrees we enjoyed the Tuna Poke Bowl and Grilled Fish Tacos. Both on point. Through out the whole meal the staff was attentive but not over bearing. You never felt rushed even though there was a constant wait the entire time we were there. As I said, PG could do a lot of things to just get by but they took an awesome view and created a menu and vibe to match. Looking forward to enjoying PG all-year round read more

Came here on a Saturday night after watching the sunset at Sandy hook. Staff was very nice and attentive. There's valet parking and then there's street parking. We opted for street parking that night. We sat outside near the docks. Very nice view and the cool breeze from the ocean made it a perfect night. Food was delicious! We started out with appetizers, we got the burrata-which was delicious! Then for our entrees I got the baked 3 cheese Mac with fried Buffalo chicken which was really good! And my gf got the stuffed flounder meal. She said it was delicious and fresh! The dishes come with plenty of food and we were able to take it home and have it the next day! We didn't get any dessert as we were too full from the meal. This is a nice place to go for date night and maybe even watch the sunset as you eat your meal! read more

See all

Went here for a date night - very romantic setting, the seating was great with views of the water and soft hanging lights. Food was awesome with a great selection of seafood. read more

See all