The Rum Runner Scores always out of 5 Carl & Nicole: 3 Service: good Atmosphere: poor We were seated on the first floor below the building, it felt like being in a basement. Initially they sat us outside in the corner which was windy and appeared dirty so we asked to move. Food: good We had raw clams and Thai calamari for apps, clams were good and the Thai calamari was ok. It was just plan fried calamari served with two sauces. For dinner we had the lobster and steak sirloin. The steak was very undercooked and you couldn't really taste the bleu cheese. Lobster was delicious but the Brussels sprouts were very boring. Truffle fries were delicious. Drinks: ok Carl ordered the pineapple jalapeño margarita and it tasted like store bought margarita mix, not much of a pineapple or jalapeño taste. He then ordered the rum runner per its namesake and was persuaded against it ‍ so he got the rum bucket and it was good. Nicole loved the watermelon sangria Price: poor We had a $100 gift card and still paid about the same if not more out of pocket than we normally do. The lobster was $50, not horrible but overpriced when you're used paying about $25 and it's just as tasty. Overall: if you're looking to experience the Rum Runner for the atmosphere, wait until after COVID times. The combined food and experience was not worth the price. #shorelovesfood #seabrightnj #njfoodie #njfoodblogger #njfoodies read more

This place is terrible!!! Our reservation didn't mean much. Our food came out before the cocktail which was also pretty bad. They clearly are not set up for as many out door dining tables as they have set up. Btw the downstairs out door seating is their alleyway/carport. Which would be ok if they didn't expect you to pay top dollar for the food. Our food came out so fast I'm sure it was cooked ahead of time and waiting for us. read more

Every time I read a review of this place I end up scratching my head asking myself did these reviewers visit the same place I just ate at. Let me first say that my wife and I enjoy immensely the various McLoones establishments. We've visited almost all of them. We like dining at their locations for a couple of reasons first and foremost consistency. I'm not naive enough to say they are the best place to dine but I will say they are at least consistent. We've never had a bad meal, the service has always been impeccable, and at many of their locations the waterfront views are spectacular. Such was the case of our recent visit to Rum Runners. It was a beautiful evening and we just wanted to have a few drinks, have some light fare to eat, and then enjoy the sunset. We sat at the bar during happy hour. Mark, was the bartender. I immediately remembered him from our last visit. He was friendly and courteous. I'll go on record by saying that Rum Runners has the best rum runners this side of Key West. Mark prepares them perfectly. With our drinks we had the flatbread and fish tacos. They tasted fresh, as usual, and the portions were enough to fill us up. After our meal we went downstairs and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Navesink River. Needless to say we will continue to drop by at Rum Runners whenever we are in the area and encourage others to do the same. read more

Our server was not very experienced or attentive to our need for drinks or our food order. We both ordered steaks and for the price the squash was literally a tablespoon worth of the item and ice cold. When I brought this to the attention of the server, he apologized as I requested new order of squash. He acknowledged and left the table to never to return until he dropped a check on the table. For the 46 bucks I thought a replacement of the squash was not a heavy lift. As a result I won't be making reservations at any of the Mcloone restaurants anytime soon. read more

The service was great!!! The food was just OK ...the view is amazing at the Navesink River ...the shrimp appetizer was delicious and the bread is the best part of the whole meal!!! Our waitress was so nice and so accommodating, Anna Maria!! read more

You have to give it one star for the beautiful views and stunning sunsets. 3 for the food and service. Went tonight on a Covid-19 summer Tuesday night and it was one of the more comfortable dining experiences since this mess of a pandemic. read more

Service was a little slow, food was consistent . Best part was view. Beautiful restaurant , lots of parking my favorite part was the view.

I love this place especially for lunch . It's not so crowded. Everyone is so nice . But the shrimp and lobster bisque is the best . The grilled cheese is nothing like you had before . read more

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This is place is a joke. Food is average at best, service is average, places are nice and so are the views. The rest is a joke if you are local. It's a fun place if you have orange plates or come down from up north. If you know any better, you will go somewhere. Just ordered food to go and when I arrived, was told my food wasn't ready. Sat inside with a mask on. Saw food come out in a bag and it sat on the bar for 15 minutes till the hostess delivered it to me. My wife ordered a rum bucket which cost $20 bucks. It came out in a plastic cup, literally put into a bucket. What a joke. And our food was terrible. read more

October fall day and the views on the Shrewsbury were beautiful. The restaurant is very attractive with plenty of seating and a large bar area. Service was excellent. Gluten free options labeled on the menu. The place was quiet because it was lunch time on a Wednesday. Food was fresh and delicious. Started with a cheese platter that had a beautiful variety of cheese, grapes, some jam and local honey comb on the side. Only complaint about the cheese platter is it is served with no crackers. Onto the Lobster bisque, before pouring the soup into the bowl they start you off with some Lobster and then pour the soup over it. Fish Taco's were a special with sword fish, they are also available GF. The Lobster Roll was very good but would have liked much less mayo and more chunks of Lobster. Definitely not worth $22 dollars and then $2 for a salad up charge if you didn't want the fries. Fries weren't GF so they automatically charged me for the salad. The Lobster Roll was really good but on the same note disappointing as I have had much better for $10 less. The menu is a little pricey for lunch but it was a special occasion so I didn't mind. I would give them a 3 1/2 star rating if they had 1/2 stars, so was only fair to bump up to 4. read more

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Lobster bisque too salty, Luke warm. Spicy claims and shrimp linguine good. Assorted appetizers Feb. Ambiance terrific. Will not go back. read more

Great views of the bay. Although there was hardly anyone up top we were informed that unless we had the brunch we could not sit outside. After a little sweet talk we sat outside and ordered some drinks a shrimp cocktail, oysters and the Lobster Guacamole which was out of bounds good. Drinks were nothing great but the views made up for it. We will be back on a pretty day. Atmosphere and Lobster Guac saves the day. read more

The Rum Runner - Shrimp Cocktail and a dozen Blue Points - Seafood Near Me - Sea Bright, New Jersey

I know it's close to Rumson but $14 for a Bahama mama!The bar took forever to get drinks and we never even got to order food we ended up leaving. There was no entertainment will not be back read more

This used to be a nice place until they showed their true colors. Made a reservation having not been there since 2019, expecting a great environment. WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE RENOVATIONS WHEN CALLING TO RESERVE. Was surprisingly shown to a crowded bar space where they were stuffing as many people in as possible. Service was slow, inattentive, food was cold, and not worth the price. Then was presented a coupon as a consolation prize for a crap experience. Promptly headed over to the Salt Creek Grille for desert and drinks. Won't be returning - ever. read more

Beautiful inside and out with mediocre food. Food: I didn't like the blue cheese dressing in the Iceberg wedge salad. The Coconut shrimp was as plain as can be. The Prime rib burger did not have a burger taste and maybe that's the way it's supposed to be but I didn't enjoy it. Price: Expensive, especially the alcohol. Service: Friendly, but got a few things wrong and it took way too long to correct the mistakes. Atmosphere: Beautiful setting on the water. Energetic (noisy). Full bar: I asked which IPAS they had and chose the first one, so I don't know if they have a good selection. I probably won't be back. read more

Good food. Nice atmosphere after being remodeled. I can't say the portion sizes were the largest.

This place only gets its stars for its location and staff. Great place for a drink or to watch a game. Summer time it's pretty dope too. Everyone working here is aces, but the food is not particularly good. Wings were good. Seafood platter was fresh, but gotta ass some more food for a $36 dollar platter. Flat iron steak was disgusting, and had a smell to it like it was either not fresh or frozen. This places charges top dollar but you are not getting top ingredients. More places should be putting in their food top notch ingredients for the justification of their pricing. read more

Server Michelle was so nice. Recommended the pork Chop which was delicious, cooked perfectly. Will deygo back. read more

Our first foray during NJ's phase 2 and it was a long overdue date for us. We went for lunch and were not disappointed. Everything was clean, our server wore a mask; food was great albeit a bit expensive for lunch. We will definitely be back for a try at dinner but the prices make it cost prohibitive for a regular date night venue. read more

Excellent, impressive spot for anything from a casual happy hour to a fancy rehearsal dinner. The venue itself is beautiful and their food/drinks don't disappoint either. The views are fantastic as well - this is probably my favorite sea bright spot for a drink on a summer day. P.S. Watch out for those Rum Runner cocktails, especially during HH - they'll sneak up on ya! read more

The Rum Runner is appropriately named because we were running to our cars after a disappointing dining experience. Upon arrival the hostess struggled to comprehend our reservation request of 6 adult seats and 2 high chairs and took a lengthy amount of time to have us seated. The beverages were average with the Bloody Mary being bland and the Margarita Mimosa being too acidic however the pear Bellini was light and delightful. The service was decent as the waitress was tasked with being the bartender and server for multiple tables. The food was average as well, but the stuffed French toast was a terrible entree that I regretted ordering. The bread used not challah or regular bread but a tough baguette bread that did not appear to be soaked in the egg wash to soften it up, the filling was barely recognizable as cream cheese as it did not taste sweet and look grey like a sausage link, and the almond glaze had so much lemon juice it was a diluted syrup to be used with the French toast. The restaurant's choice to present fake desserts on a tray rather than a dessert menu is a dated choice that slowed down our dining experience and the cappuccinos served initially were cold and had to be returned for a hot cappuccino to be served. The peach cobbler dessert was warmed up peaches under oatmeal and as a southern boy was a sad dish to be named a cobbler. Overall for the ambience and location which was beautiful and a nice upscale casual vibe I expected higher quality food and better service. I would not recommend or return to this establishment. read more

Staff was very friendly, ambiance was nice although i think given the location on the water they could step up their game on being more elegant. Food was good, not great and they forgot to bring the bread to the table which I'm usually happy about, cause I don't want to eat a ton of bread. Ordered the mahi tacos that came with rice and beans. It came with dried rice no beans and when we asked they said "we ran out." So we ordered a side of fries. Someone, think a manager, stopped by and asked how our meal was we shared the feedback and he offered us a dessert on the house which we kindly passed but was a very nice gesture. Also he gave us a discount for the inconvenience. Good customer service. Overall nice experience and recommend. read more

There's no reason to not come here. Our server, Kaitlynn, was incredible. The food was outstanding. Worth every penny.

My husband and went to The Rum Runner a few weeks ago. The view was beautiful, we sat outside. Our waitress was very sweet and helpful. My husband got the Sampler from the raw bar. He said everything was great and didn't care too much for the lobster. Which we all were looking forward too. I ended up with a lobster bisque soup. She placed a plate in front of me and there was a few small pieces of lobster, she later poured the bisque. I give the soup a 2* to me the soup didn't have any flavor. And the portion was pretty small. I also had Shrimp & lobster cobb salad. It was delicious. It was a nice combination of different things. Bacon, egg, avocado, feta. While we were eating (outdoors) what annoyed my husband and I the most was that there was tons of mini flys. All over our bread so we pushed the bread away and they all sat on it. At some point we wanted to move but since they sat and enjoyed the bread we stayed. Desert, lava cake was pretty good. I would probably come back to try a few other things. read more

Today I thought I'd try something new and visit this restaurant. It had 800+ reviews on Google. The interior looked amazing and clean, so my first thought was this place was going to be great. Boy was I wrong. I sat by 2 pm, not one person greeted us at our table, offered water or even met eye contact. 2:15 I went to ask the host if the server knew we were there. She told me she would find our server right away. 2:20 still no one, I had to get up and ask for the manager. It's 88 degrees, I'm parched and my water glass is empty. The manager was nice, stated she'll take our orders and serve us. However, she gave me a poor excuse stating there's new servers and hard time adjusting. She bought out the oysters first, I topped mine with vinaigrette and cocktail sauce. As I'm trying to get the oyster off it's shell, THERE WAS a black HAIR (I'm a blonde) tangled in the cocktail sauce. I was so appalled by the service that it just topped off my bad experience with hair in my food. SO I LEFT. read more

Amazing view and beautiful building. The coconut shrimp were delicious! Not completely impressed with the lobster roll, it's a lobster salad roll, it was a lot of bread for the amount of lobster but was still good. I got the caramel crunch cake for dessert and it was to die for! Our waitress was so great and friendly. I will definitely be coming back. Yum! read more

We hosted a surprise 70th birthday party for my in laws. Samantha and the staff at Rumrunner were amazing and stayed on top of 65 guests. Drinks from the bar were never short. Accommodations with menu and details were always met! Absolutely great venue to have a party. They did not miss a beat! read more

Horrible!!!!!!!!! Went there for Sunday brunch. You would think that for a place that charges $43 per person not including drinks you will get good food. I was deeply disappointed to find a poor selection of food which in reality was purchased at Costco and served as a fancy buffet. And when I say bought in Costco I truly mean it! It was to the point that you can see it we pre cut and pre made and it is a commercial easy fix food that you would serve at your BBQ. It is clearly not food that you would expect to get at a restaurant, and most certainly not pay $43 for!!! It was extremely loud, the music went out half way. You couldn't really relax and enjoy. There was no service what so ever! I would give this place 0 stars if I could! I guess the only thing that earned them A star is the nice view. read more

Dylan the manager disappears from clients, coworkers and responsibility like it's his job. I'm so curious what he actually does at this place. read more

One of my favorite places to dine in the summer used to be The Rum Runner in Sea Bright. In case you haven't noticed I said: "used to be". An escalated price tag came along with the elevated rebirth of the old McLoone's. I don't mind paying a hefty price for a good meal and as much as I appreciate the restaurants' desire for a fine dining experience, it just doesn't cut it. Let's talk about the staff. Well, the staff looked like spring break revisited. One young boy brought bread to the table and gave us one bread plate for four people. Needless to say, we had to ask for more plates. While the bread came with a very tasty oil and tomato dipping plate, they did not offer us butter for our bread, again we had to ask for it. My friend inquired about how a particular entree was prepared because she was thinking about ordering it but our "waiter boy" had no idea and was of no help. He didn't even offer to go back to the kitchen and find out for her. My thoughts on this? Fine dining is about the whole experience. The wait staff should be ready to answer any questions and be attentive to the tables needs. Another guest ordered a specialty drink and our waiter informed him that it was unavailable and couldn't even recommend something else. It seemed like our waiter was a high school student who had no clue about being a professional. Not good. I ordered the Seafood Risotto and the ratio of risotto to seafood was off. When I think of risotto, I think of a warm steamy bowl of creamy risotto with add-ins and what I got was a small, and I mean small clump of risotto in the center of the dish that stood up on its own surrounded by 3 shrimp, 3 clams and 3 mussels. It did, however, have a scrumptious juice that surrounded the risotto, but nothing to soak in all that deliciousness. Another at our table ordered the pork chop and it came out raw and had to be sent back. The salmon was overcooked and the Mahi was so-so. Overall, the food execution was inconsistent. Let me summarize by saying, I felt that this restaurant takes advantage of its fabulous location and views of the water and it is not ok to serve mediocre food and employ a young inefficient staff that does not know how to serve. Train your staff! I will finish by saying overpriced and underwhelming. No plans to go back. read more

I am furious with Rum Runner. I have had parties there and eaten there many many times. This PAST Saturday we had a reservation at 7:30 and could not park. The girl there tells me to walk half a mile to the municipal lot. Was she kidding? I had a reservation that I had to cancel because I had no place to park. That's completely unacceptable. How about not allowing patrons who don't have reservations park there. How can toy tell me to park a half a mile away! Very dissatisfied!!! read more

Me and my wife had reservations for 5:15 for outside seating we got there 15 minutes late because of heavy traffic we came from Staten island and they wanted to seat us inside there was over a dozen tables empty on the deck we asked to speak to the manager and she wanted to seat us 2 feet from the bar inside they have kids that look like this is there summer job we walked out this is not away to run a business especially in these times read more

It took a half hour to be seated. Another half hour to get appetizers. All of this after asking various servers multiple times after asking where our food and drinks would be coming to the table. Ordered the lobster Mac n cheese which tasted like hamburger helper and the lobster was fishy. However, if you are going for a drink at the bar, the restaurant has an amazing view and it is beautiful. read more

This is our 5th time for brunch . We have seen a gradual degradation of the quality of food and service over time . Today was just bad . Apparently it was not busy and by the time we arrived at 1:30 , the food buffet food had grown dried and old. It was like a bad visit to cracker barrel . We will not return. There is very little supervision of the 16 year olds staffing the restaurant, and that leads to things being missed . They were breaking down the buffet , as our old plates stacked up and our glasses stacked up . It's a shame, as the location is fantastic and the ambiance is nice . The cost for quality just doesn't add up. read more

Had a reservation for our 1 year anniversary at 6:30pm. Showed up at 6:30pm. We were sat immediately but waited for 15 minutes for a server to take our drink order. We ordered a bottle of red wine. 30 minutes later - no wine. I asked the hostess if we still had a server. They said sorry our waitress was confused. 45 minutes after waiting we decided to leave. The menu looked good not that we ever got to try it. Horrible service. I do not recommend. read more

The hostess Kinsley was very respectful and a very good hostess and made it much better experience at rum runner.

What a magnificent spot to meet up with friends and have a meal! Best view around because you are up off of ground level and can see the marshes at the entrance to the navesink and at sunset there is no better spot. Highly recommend going to happy hour- prices are great and it goes til 7! Piano player a big plus and very nice staff. read more

Stopped here after a long but wonderful day at Sandy Hook beach. Great view and food pretty good. Service was ok, really good (large) burgers and good drink special. Really nice date night. read more

Got off the plane at Newark and headed to the coast for some great seafood. Rum Runner did not disappoint! Being from Minnesota, we were treated to the best meal I've had in quite a long time. Coconut shrimp that actually tasted like coconut, with the most delicious fruit salsa. Yum! I especially loved the shrimp & lobster bisque. My son ate every bite of his Cajun mahi sandwich, said the sauce was awesome. Gorgeous views and the service was top notch. Wish we could go back more often, you have spoiled us! read more

Abysmal experience. The location is beautiful, but it is not enough to compensate for the subpar service and food. There was film floating in the drink, a cold (then over cooked steak), forgotten drinks, and a very delayed apology. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more