If you have the opportunity to have the seafood tower, take full advantage. It's excellent compared to other seafood restaurants at the Jersey Shore. My previous favorite was at Rooneys in Lonf Branch but Runners hit the mark really high. I give them top honors at the Jersey Shore. read more

Clams are ridiculously small with almost no clam.. Guest bought 4 dozen complete waste of money. read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Everything was great. From the bread to the shrimp cocktail to the swordfish and tuna steak. Plus the mud pie was really good too. Will definitely be back. read more

When visiting the area each year, we used to get softshell crab platters here as a snack after a day at the beach. The fries are still good, but the softshell crabs were disappointing. Not only has the price gone up but almost 8 or 9 dollars, but she crabs themselves seemed smaller and prepared with too much panko crusting. They used to have big beautiful softshell crabs sitting on ice on the retail side, but I didn't notice any this time. Maybe they just don't have them on hand like they used to and maybe these were frozen. Either way, disappointing considering the large price increase (partly due to this item no longer even being on the "takeout menu"). It's on the dinner menu though. Also, they are now charging a credit card fee. If you're in the area and want fresh seafood, just be mindful of what you're getting. See the latest pictures of the takeout menu that I took. Also, there are some other places around to consider. read more

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Great Fresh Seafood, outstanding staff. Dinner was excellent, and apps were tremendous. Try the seafood tower, they also offer a nice selection of Oysters that change daily. read more

Went in to pick up some fresh salmon. I asked for a portion for 5 people and then they proceeded to give me all of the salmon left in the fridge because it was in the evening. I saw how much it weighed, and asked if that would be too much. He then agreed it would be too much for five people. If I hadn't said anything, he would have given me an extra pound of salmon (2 extra servings). When I was checking out, the auto tip screen came up. I changed the 20% to $5 instead (still very generous considering he helped for 90 seconds and it's not necessarily food service). When he saw the tip, he yelled to all the other boys "everyone say thank you we got an awesome tip" in a clearly sarcastic tone. Felt super embarrassed as a customer even after giving them $60 worth of business on fish they probably would not have sold else wise. read more

Stopped here for a seafood dinner after the movies. The place smelled like a fish market because they also sell fresh seafood to bring home to cook. We were craving clam strips but was pleasantly surprised they had steamers on the menu too. The service was excellent and the food was great too. read more

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Being a lifelong residence of the Ocean County area I really enjoy seafood, we wait from September to the end of May for runners to open, they not only have the fresh seafood. It is cooked perfection the portions are huge and the food is delicious. Everything is made on the premises and they have an amazing seafood market! The staff is excellent and the chefs are always on point! It is a great place to eat my recent visit, which was yesterday Father's Day I had zuppa de pesce! And yes, it was amazing. My kids had crab legs which they devoured and my wife had flounder franchise. I've never seen such a portion perfectly cooked and delicious. Yes, there are many places to get seafood on the Jersey shore, but you have to put runners at the top of your list. read more

Runners Fish Market? Run away. I had picked up a large phone order having never visited this place before. The lobster rolls (approaching $30 each) are made from frozen lobster tails - not what one would expect at the shore. And the frozen lobster (to make matters worse) was overcooked and chewy. While I was waiting for my order I had the opportunity to peruse the fish display. I've never seen displayed fish at a fish market (or anywhere else for that matter) that appeared worse. The salmon, the tuna, the mahi all looked older, dryer and grayer than Father Time. It was shocking. I would much sooner buy my fish from ShopRite than this place. I already ordered and paid for everything so what could I do? Big win if my family doesn't fall ill. Don't make the same mistake I made. read more

Wish I didn't have to give them any stars. Just another seafood joint, but very expensive. And guess what refills are not free. I will never be back steer clear of the place. read more

Service was great. Our waitress was really helpful orienting us to Lavalette. We had just the Manhattan Clam Chowder and Steamed Clams. Both were serviceable, one was blah and the Ipswich clams were overcooked and gritty. Worse btw, was the fish in the market which we'd hoped to buy for dinner later. Not fresh. read more

Delicious!!! We come to the area every year and usually go to Rockafellas By the Sea, which sadly is no longer open for dine in. Runners Fish Market and Restaurant had the best reviews in the town for Italian and they did not disappoint! We came early at 5:30 this evening and were immediately greeted and sat at a table. Good thing we came early because the place was packed shortly after and there were people waiting outside as well. The staff was so friendly and helpful. We started with some bread and butter, mussels with a garlic butter sauce, and a Caprese salad. Everything was so good. Even better than Rockafella's, I have to say. For our main entree, we chose the lobster ravioli with shrimp, scallops, eggplant, and spinach in a vodka type pink sauce. The ravioli itself was good but definitely could've used more lobster. It tasted more just like cheese ravioli but it was still yummy. We ended with a slice of key lime pie. The consistency was similar to cheesecake which I actually liked. Flavor was lacking a bit though but it was still tasty. They made us a fresh pot of coffee too! To end the night, we bought one of their cool shirts that all the staff was wearing. $20 for a shirt which I thought was a great price! Overall, this place was wonderful. Good food, no frills, nice people. You can't go wrong down the shore. It's just the best place to be. read more

Seafood was great, staff was great and prices were fair. The place does need some updating in terms of decor. read more

I wasn't impressed. Kind of seems like they rely on being one of the few options in the immediate area. I've gotten take out from here and it's been good but we dined in on Friday night it wasn't great. We ordered calamari - all breading, swordfish bites - again all breading and bacon wrapped scallops - pretty good, bacon tends to do that. My entree was the blackened mahi with rice and julienned vegetables. The fish was ok, somewhat flavorless to be honest. The rice was the same and they should just serve regular vegetables. Others had stuffed flounder, chicken franchese, wasabi tuna and salmon. The tuna looked great but everyone else agreed it was average at best. Not worth the $85/couple price tag for no atmosphere and that price was for a BYOB! read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Blackened Mahi ($29.95) - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

This was a great restaurant to go to. I definitely recommend it. The food was good and so was the apps. Our waitress was very nice and kind. The food took a little while to make but other than that my family had an amazing time. read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - This was the Steak and Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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Super friendly service (very patient with kids) and great, fresh food. Indulged in the marathon (double surf plus turf) and it was very satisfying. Wife scallops and shrimp were sweet too. read more

Stopped in at Runners to get some jumbo shrimp for shrimp cocktail. Shoutout to the excellent, helpful and funny counter staff, who gave me a tutorial on shrimp sizes! I left with three pounds of fresh shrimp, went home and mixed up a home made cocktail sauce, and it was all a HUGE success! Thank you Runners! read more

Good food here. Just be prepared for a long wait. All the staff are very friendly. Food is a little pricey but appears to be high quality. read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Broiled Scallops platter - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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Call first. The hours are completely wrong. They are only open certain hours throughout the week.

W my husband and I got take out all summer from runners! Never a bad meal. Always good! You won't be disappointed.

Fried clams were tiny pieces Very disappointing!! Service was great! Fried soft shells , too small, also disappointing! Not the usual Runners! read more

Came back to Runners again last night. Food and service were absolutely great. Love this place!

Fresh as it gets, great bunch of guys too!!! When they ring the bell from the tip, they seem to really appreciate it. They always have a really good selection too. read more

Food was excellent. Drove from Hamilton nj to get good seafood for my birthday and lucked out. Calamari appetizer...yum. salad yum. My husband and I both got broiled combo seafood platters ..delicious. small restaurant. Half of building is a fresh seafood market. Friendly staff and owner. read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Front parking Runners Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

I went here today on June 25 2024. The service here was great. The food was excellent and delicious definitely worth the prices the waiters here treat you with care and give you a better experience read more

Was delighted with our meal at Runners this evening! Clean seating area and plates and glasses. Our server, Jessica, was friendly informative and a doll to have serve us. She had great recommendations and was alot of fun. Good came out warm and promptly. We had scallops wrapped in bacon and they were fresh and the bacon was perfectly cooked. Oysters on the half shelf were top notch. For dinner, per Jess' recommendation, we got lobster ravioli and I highly highly recommend-them. They come in a vodka sauce with scallops shrimp AND fried eggplant. Amazing. Will definitely be back for sure read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Lobster Ravioli - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Don't walk, Run to this friendly Fish Market and Restaurant in Lavallette. Sandwiched in between the bay and the ocean is a little distance running themed fresh fish lovers delight. Adorned with endurance racing kitch and motivational sayings all over their walls, this is an affordable lunch/dinner stop for the whole family to enjoy. At first glance the prices look like they are a little inflated...until you realize you walked into the money saving realms of the bring-your-own establishment! Let the wine flow and the coolers roll to your hearts content. No matter if you love the craft styling of your own brews or you feel like being a sommelier for the night...BYOB is the way to go with the way prices can get at the Jersey shore. The servings sizes were gargantuan. Big bowl of Lobster Bisque to start; the broth was thick and flavorful, so good that they didn't have to disguise it with anything extra. The coconut shrimp appetizer was also on point...the sauce was an extremely tangy raspberry that I couldn't get enough of. The lobster Ravioli came in a pink sauce and had these lovely breaded eggplant strips sprinkled over the top that made for an interesting texture contrast. Next up was the combo: A little bit of everything. The scallops and the crabcakes were top notch...the flounder and shrimp left a little to be desired in the flavor department but were certainly fresh nonetheless. Even without a desert menu the cherry on top was the friendly and dedicated servers! read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Oooh breaded eggplant let's hang out! - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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I went here last night and I'm sorry but you need to be honest with your customers. They billed me for an EXTRA item! This is absolutely ridiculous and should be criminal. I ordered 3 items and they charged me for 4 as you can clearly see below. The food was average I was not a fan of the fried flounder. The buffalo shrimp was too spicy. Will not be going back because of the dishonesty first and foremost. read more

Runners is a great place if youre in the area and You want good seafood. I wish i could give it a 3.5 but the food we ordered was just average. Also we waited 15 minutes longer than they told us and it wasnt that busy. Everyone in my party got seafood. One person got overcooked swordfish, my crab stuffed shrimp wasnt hot. The buffalo chicken calamari was a tad soggy. Overall, i would go again and try something else on the menu. Prices are good considering the amount of food you get. All fish entrees come with a side and a salad. It is completely possible that we caught them on an off night. I would go again. read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Crab stuffed shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Everything tasted very fresh and I enjoyed everything but the mussels. It was served in red sauce that tasted like it was a jar you buy at ShopRite. Besides that I really enjoyed my fried clam platter. I did feel we waited long for the food to come out but besides that it was fine. I'd return. read more

This is the real deal when it comes to seafood at the NJ shore. The fish is FRESH and they didn't use too much salt. I had the mahi mahi tacos and they were delicious and very filling. For only two tacos in an order, the portions are perfect. They is the perfect amount. Get the curry Mayo on the side. It's delicious. I should not eat fries but I had a couple and my who party loved them. If you do not want to wait for an inside table, order it as take out. It only took 20 minutes. If we sat inside, the wait would have been an hour. This is an authentic seafood place, not an overpriced trendy tourist shore seafood restaurant. The staff is great and the owner is nice. If I return to town, I will definitely eat there again. read more

absolutely love Runners. everytime my family and I visit Lavalette we ALWAYS either eat from Runners. We have ordered dinner from there and brought it back to the house and we have also eaten there many times. the staff is very sweet and the restaurant is nice. the lobsters and fries are to die for. highly recommend the lobsters. read more

We went here for dinner while we were on vacation mid July and it was delicious! the seafood was fresh and so tasty. The staff was so nice and our server waa great. They brought out crayons and paper for my grandkids to color and then they hung them on the wall. One of the staff even took out a live lobster from the tank so my grandson could touch it. Loved this place. Try it you won't be disappointed! read more

We visited Runners again for takeout. The service was prompt and friendly and the seafood was fresh and delicious! We love the coconut shrimp and the fried flounder! Delicious! read more

Great food and great service! We enjoyed our meal there, and staff was all pleasant. Highly recommended

The mussels marinara with pasta was the most disappointing, uninspiring meal I've had in a long time. The sauce had zero flavor and the pasta was overdone and served wet further diluting whatever minimal flavor the sauce would have had. Shrimp cocktail was good. read more

This restaurant has great seafood been there a bunch of times never had a bad meal highly recommend it

Decided to try Runners based on some of the reviews. We traded ambiance for good food. The waitress Sammy was a delight. So accommodating and attentive even as the evening got busier. I ordered the the blackened sword fish that was delicious. Not too salty but rather more seasoned and melt in your mouth. My husband had his favorite: broiled scallops. He enjoyed them immensely. The dinner comes with a salad, julienned veggie and choice of potato or rice. We had an appetizer of the fried calamari that was great! We were stuffed. The bill came to about $94. Not a cheap night but worth it. We will go back. read more

Run to runners, with a bottle of rum in order to mutter! I don't know what that means, but Runners Fish Market makes me so happy that I start speaking in tongue. I came here with a group of 6, barely any wait at dinner hour (if you go to Vinny's nearby the wait is SUPER long). We were starved so ordered right away, the special of the day was the Firecracker calamari and they are tangy little rings of heaven fried crispy and then drizzled with some kind of crack addicting-finger licking heavenly sauce. I nearly had pull the last one right off my boyfriends fork because they were so good. The portion is GIANT (and cheap only $10), we shared with our whole table and still had plenty. Then we got the Seafood Combination platter for our meal and that was just as satisfying. It was a little bit of everything for the fatty foodie in you to try (and yelp about!). We had a perfectly seasoned crab cake, fluffy, thick and melted in your mouth. There was a piece of grilled fish that just fell apart in the best of ways and jumped into your palate. Also some shrimp that I had no room for after the salad AND side of french fries that we had scarfed down. And just when you think, this place could not possibly make your vacation down the shore any better.......I tell you.....this place is also BYOB! Come here on a night that you do not plan on dancing, moving or doing ANY physical activity after your meal, because you will be stuffed and naturally in a very satisfying food coma. read more

Runners is legit! Whether your stopping in to get some raw stuff to take home and make a nice dinner the product is super fresh and always satisfying. They have a sit down side to and serve some of the freshest seafood classics on the shore. Their prices are pretty high but they back it up with quality. This is a great place to go on a weekday and any day to pick up some fresh seafood for the grill or stove top! Their coconut shrimp is so good! And the dipping sauce is to die for ! Looking forward to picking up some jumbo shrimp and filets this summer ! read more

Runners Fish Market and Restaurant - Coconut shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey