The food at Sand Dollar Restaurant in Lavallette, New Jersey is honestly phenomenal. Every meal I've had there has been fresh, flavorful, and worth coming back for. The staff is also absolutely wonderful friendly, attentive, and they really help create a great dining experience. Unfortunately, the older woman who appears to be the owner or manager always comes across as very unwelcoming. She often seems annoyed, frustrated, or just mad at the world, and it definitely changes the atmosphere when you walk in. It's disappointing because the rest of the team works so hard and the food is truly outstanding. If it weren't for the amazing staff and excellent food, I honestly probably wouldn't return. Thankfully, they're the reason I keep giving the place another chance. read more

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Down at Seaside during the off-season and drive up to Samd Dollar for some breakfast. Place is super cute, but we were the only ones there when we arrived (more arrivals after us and it was starting to fill up by the time we left). Started with some urgently needed coffee while we read the menu. I ended up getting the Lavalette special - two eggs, two pancakes, bacon, hash browns and toast (I rarely eat like this anymore so I was absolutely stuffed). Wifey ordered the Avocado Mash special. The avocado mash was seasoned perfectly with some lime and not overly salty. Toast could have been slightly more toasted, but the tomato was very good for an April tomato. Very good coffee, nothing super special, but hot and tasty. Food came quickly and was great. As I said, a cery cute place, but I bet this place is PACKED during the season. It was about half full by the time our food came so we got here just in time. Another place I'd 100% recommend. read more

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This place was absolutely amazing, such a cute little place and the food was terrific. Me and my friend are down here for a little vacation, and we will 100% be coming back to this place for breakfast next year we visit. Strawberry and nutella french toast tower was the best! The service we had was also amazing, our waitress was so friendly. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Good food, interesting menu and very friendly attentive service. Will definitely be back.

Middle of the road breakfast stop. Priced similarly to some better options in the area. Coffee comes in a thimble. Was good to try but probably won't be back. read more

We went two different mornings but have everything from sweet to savory foods. Service is on top of everything! Tight seating inside but they do offer outside dining in the front. Better menu than other breakfast places in the area. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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We absolutely love Sand Dollar. Fantastic pancakes! Wonderful service and Jersey Shore ambience. Every time we are at the shore we stop by. Absolutely worth the wait and it's not a trip to the Jersey Shore without going there at least once for breakfast. read more

Coffee was delicious, pancakes were great. Overall a great breakfast! This will be a breakfast staple for us.

Great local breakfast spot if you're in the area! Located right on the main drag in Lavalette, this cute, small, family owned restaurant is a must. It kind of has a diner feel to it but a little more upscale in my opinion. I recommend that you get here early on the weekends in the summertime because it gets PACKED! They have both indoor and outdoor seating and take out is also an option. The outdoor seating gets full quick! The menu here is extensive and there is something for everyone. From healthy to more of a treat yourself kind of option is how extensive it is. Now the food is delicious and made to order. Portions are generous and worth the price. The service is friendly and accommodating. Our server was very attentive to our needs and communicated with us how things were going in the kitchen since they were super busy on a Sunday morning. Everything came out exactly how we ordered it. Overall, I highly recommend this breakfast spot! read more

The food is great, the staff is even better!!! A great little spot to get breakfast or lunch.

I order from and eat here often. It's literally the BEST! The food is excellent -and very high quality- and the staff is super friendly.

Delicious Belgian waffle, Good coffee and friendly service. Regular syrup is on the table but for $2 extra, real maple syrup is available! read more

Solid place for breakfast! We came here during the week and it was super crowded. We each opted for an omelette and split a side of pancakes. The omelettes come with a choice of fruit or home fries and toast. The buttermilk pancakes were fluffy and delicious. They have a decent selection of pancakes to choose from (most of which are served with whipped cream, so if you're not a fan, make sure to request your order without it). Service was a little slow to start but friendly, and our food came out quickly. Overall, the portions are generous, prices are fair and the food is tasty. read more

I've been here twice on a trip with both my friends and family. It's such a cute spot and i love it when i get down to seaside! The food is so yummy, i highly recommend the pancakes, and the service was fantastic! everyone is super attentive and so sweet read more

First and last time at this place... walked in the lady at the front seemed almost disappointed to have people walk in, unfriendly people should not be greeting customers. Very friendly waitress... found mold in my home fries. read more

I've been waiting for almost an hour for breakfast. As we sat down at the table it wasn't set and the utensils were placed in a pile for us to distribute. There were people who got here after us and are already ate and paying. It's very unfortunate that I had to write this because the food good. read more

Came on a Sunday morning and was seated quickly. Got our drinks, waited over an hour before asking how long they thought our food would be ready. The waitress rudely replied there are still many tables ahead of us. We decided to leave. If coming here may want to consider you may be waiting almost 2 hours before your meal is ready. read more

Good food, good service, and not incredibly overpriced for a tourist trap area. Recommended. Rather enjoyed the canolli pancakes, and the coffee was fresh. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Canolli Pancakes - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

The food was absolutely delicious!!! Felt like I was at grams house on a Sunday morning. The owners and staff were so friendly and welcoming. We suggest this as a must go to place and will definitely be back!! read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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Came here with my cousins and my boyfriend for some breakfast the other day. It was my first time. They have both outdoor and indoor seating. We decided to sit outside because it was nice out. We all started out with coffee, which unfortunately wasn't strong enough for our preference. My boyfriend ordered the chocolate chip, Reese's pancakes, which was decent. My cousins and I decided to try the Lavallette Special, which was 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, a choice of meat and toast. The pancakes were nothing to rant and rave about. My cousin and I ordered whole wheat and we got white toast instead, no big deal though because we weren't on any dietary restrictions, at the end of the day, bread is bread. The eggs and potatoes were okay, the bacon however, was nice and crispy. I personally think there are much better breakfast places in the area, but the service was quick and food was inexpensive. read more

Great food, great service! This is the Lavallette Special and I added strawberry's and whipped cream. 'Twas delicious. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - breakfast - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

I think it's so crazy that every review I've read talks about how miserable the hostess is, it's so true! The food is mid at best

The face of the restaurant is the most important part the restaurant and host was very unwelcoming I got a racist vibe from the staff in general. The food takes forever I went to Meg's Grill down the st yesterday morning and it was absolutely beautiful the service was fast and on time and the wait time was perfect and the food was fantastic over all MEGS Put this place to shit and grumpy pants in the front needs to return to her nursing home and get her diaper changed read more

The Sand Dollar used to be one of my favorite places to eat breakfast. This morning we went for the first time since pre-pandemic and I'm not sure what happened, but the food was just not good. The pancakes tasted awful-- bland and rubbery-- and as I was breaking up pieces for my daughter it seemed like they were microwaved. Had the same texture as ones you buy in the store and heat at home and accidentally leave in too long and the edges turn hard. A real disappointment. Eggs were average and fine, breakfast sausage was overdone and extremely greasy. The staff was friendly, but I don't think we'll be back at this point. read more

When you're in the area visit this pancake house. The best breakfast ever. Everything my family and I ate was delicious. I love their breakfast burrito. The service is great also. We go there every year while on vacation. read more

This place never lets down. If it's in season be prepared to wait. But it's worth it food is good service is quick and accurate.

I live down the street and have been to this spot only a handful of times. Every time I think I am ready to try again, it doesn't seem to go well. The wait for food is forever, which is fine, but I'm not sure anything else goes right either. This past time, no one came up to us for 20 minutes while sitting there in the sun until a waitress asks us "what drinks did you order again?" We let her know we never got asked for drinks, but we'll put everything in now to speed things up. So we order two coffees, an omelette, and a sandwich - they tell us lunch isn't ready yet even though it's 12 and I'm pretty sure the menu says lunch all day. So we then get 2 omelettes instead, no big deal. 40 mins later our food comes out, one omelette has a long black hair sitting on top. We point it out to them kindly and they bring it inside. We have to wait again for someone to come outside to ask us if we want another. So we say yes we've been here for over an hour but only if it isn't going to take over 30 minutes again. Sure enough another 30 minutes go by and we finally get the omelette! It was good, no complaints about that. We then have to ask to get the item removed and the check brought. When checking out nothing is said to us. Probably the last time we go here. The young waitresses/waiters are nice and not to blame but this place is poorly run. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Hash Browns, Pepper & Onion Omelette - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Love this place!!! Delicious food and the owner and waitresses are so friendly and welcoming

I have been there at least 5-6 times over the last 10 years and don't understand how the owner can greet customers without smiling, tell them that it will be 20 minutes to wait and once seated after 30 minutes, the waitress was very nice and told us the kitchen is backed up at least 45 minutes. We left before ordering. lesson learned - don't frequent a place whose owner does not appreciate the customers. read more

What a cute, quaint little place!! My friend and I had breakfast here and I enjoyed it a lot. We were seated almost immediately and had a good chunk of time to browse the menu selections. A lot of the choices sounded amazing- especially the waffles, but I settled for strawberry pancakes and an iced green tea. My meal came with three huge pancakes with a heap of sliced strawberries and a side of butter. The pancakes were so fluffy and held up well even when I decided to be overly generous with the syrup. The sliced fruit tasted fresh and sweet. The butter was slightly salty and creamy all at once. A truly yummy combination! As for the iced green tea, it was very fragrant and lightly sweetened. The flavor wasn't watered down but it wasn't overpowering either- such a pleasant surprise. The serving portions here are excellent and so is the prompt service! read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Strawberry pancakes - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

I won't go into detail because in my opinion it is pretty hard to mess up breakfast (definitely possible) but this place is a great spot to hit up before spending the day in the beach. Whether it's too much grease or not enough food for the money this place is not in those categories. Very clean and light and affordable. I recommend this to people all the time specially since the big diners are on the mainland I consider this one of the best Pancake spots on the strip. I had the Chocolate chip banana pancakes... they were great and not covered in chocolate chips which is good because as much as I love chocolate i don't want a pound for breakfast... great balance. They have everything you would expect a breakfast spot to have and the staff are friendly and attentive. Looking forward to eating there this upcoming summer season! Definitely worth checking out if you haven't ! You won't regret it ! read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

I wanted to love this place. But was terribly disappointed. I saw they had coconut french toast so Tuesday morning we headed over. (I love coconut french toast). This was horrible. Was a busy tuesday but we didn't mind the wait. We did however mind the 70+ minutes waiting for 3 orders of pancakes, waffles and coconut french toast. Pancakes were tough. Waffle was supposed to have banana inside, but only had a few slices on top. French toast tasted like bread with some coconut on top. As in waaaay under cooked. People all around us were sending hash browns back bc they were raw. Oh well, we tried....still looking for good coconut french toast if anyone knows a place lol read more

Great menu, awesome friendly service, our waitress Karen was so attentive and kind, the comfortable outdoor seating was very relaxing, I went for breakfast and really enjoyed a pork roll sandwich and hash browns, my boyfriend and I also split a stack of chocolate chip pancakes that were excellent, & the coffee was fresh. We will defiantly be returning next time we make it down to the area: read more

Menu has many options - went for breakfast and was pleasantly pleased with my meal. The service was terrific and our waitress an absolute pleasure. Will definitely be back - next time to try one of the many lunch choices on the menu! read more

I think this spot deserves more stars than it gets. I had the Nutella French toast with fresh strawberries and it was amazing! Pretty much anything with Nutella involved is amazing true true But I highly recommend anyone in the area looking for a nice spot to have breakfast or brunch, check this place out. Friendly staff, good selection of choices, quick service and a block from the beach...can't beat that! read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Nutella French toast topped with fresh strawberries - amazing - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

FYI- I've been eating at the Sand Dollar for years, even when they were at their previous two locations. The place seems family owned....which is a GREAT thing. Until the family seems to be a bit too preoccupied with themselves and not enough on the paying customers. As I got up to pay my bill, the older owner woman and the cashier were talking to each other and saw me approaching. And they continued to talk to each other as I stood there for a minute waiting to pay. I hate when this happens because it makes me feel like I'm interrupting YOU just to pay for my meal. Trust me, I'd rather not pay and just walk out without disturbing you, but that's kinda frowned upon in restaurants. As far as the food, the bacon was crispy. I love well done bacon and ate every piece, but if you don't then you might be disappointed. The pancakes were good and my one year old loved the scrambled eggs. 2 breakfasts, one kids meal, two large drinks and a coffee cost $45 before tip read more

Good food and good service. Very quiet since it's the offseason. Wouldn't say it's outstanding so that's why it's only getting 4 stars. I had the bacon and cheese omelette, seemed a little smaller than other places I've been. Fries weren't the best but they were good. Boyfriend got the French toast. He said it was good! Wouldn't be the first place I would return to but it definitely would be a consideration if I'm looking somewhere. read more

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Came here with a party of seven and a party of four while on vacation. Both times our food was cooked perfectly. The only difference was the service. With a party of four - yesterday, Friday- our server was able to be more attentive even though we were sitting outside. Inside, she seemed more rushed and overwhelmed, although she met our needs quickly. Our waitresses always honored our special requests and made our accommodations seem like they were no problem. read more

Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant - Ice cream pancakes were a huge hit! - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Love this place for years been going since they were in ortley beach great food great service

One star isn't low enough for this place. Service was really bad, dirty forks, bad food, and slow service. We waited for 30 minutes for our food. Never going again pattis kitchen is better. read more