A huge shoutout to Frankie behind the bar at Ventura's Greenhouse! During one of the busiest times of the year--the Fourth of July rush--he handled the crowd like a true professional. His upbeat personality, great attitude, and effortless way of serving customers kept everyone smiling. Even with a packed bar, the drinks came out quickly, accurately, and with a smile. Frankie is a great example of outstanding customer service. We'll definitely be back! read more

My dad selected the dining room at Venturas Greenhouse for Father's Day. He's pretty selective, so I had high hopes and I love trying a new to me establishment. Located next to Lucy the Elephant, Venturas Greenhouse has one part of the restaurant serving pizza, bar, food, and frozen drinks with a beach bar like vibe while the dining room is the more formal restaurant featuring steak, seafood, and pasta dishes. There was a roasted garlic bulb in olive oil for the bread, but the garlic could have been cut so that it's easier to get the garlic and spread it on the bread. As someone who gets down in the kitchen, I always cut the tops when roasting it for this purpose and it makes it so much easier to work with. My dad and his partner got the beet salad and my husband I shared what was described as dungeoness crab bisque. As a crab bisque lover, I was surprised when it came out like a chowder with large chunks of potatoes and huge pieces of crab. It was very flavorful, but so filling and not like the crab bisque I was used to having. For our entrees, my dad and his partner both got the sesame crusted salmon. I don't eat salmon, but they both seemed to enjoy it. My husband got the shrimp Parm, which I tried and wish I had ordered it instead of the chicken Roberto. My dish was very bland. Described as a chicken francaise with crab meat, the crab meat and chicken would have been dry, but the lemon butter sauce giving it life needed capers and seasoning. The veggies and potatoes served with it on the side were...awkward. A whole carrot, chunk of celery, a few slices of onion just seemed like it was parts of what we throw in a roast for flavor, and lacked effort as a side dish. For dessert we shared the limoncello cake, which was very light and exactly as expected. Our server was very sweet and attentive. Service was definitely not an issue. I would go back and try the bar area, as it seems like that is where this place may stand out the most, especially with their location. read more

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This place was a welcomed surprise! We've visited Margate several times over the years, mainly locals. How have we never visited this restaurant? The photos on Yelp do not do this place justice. The downstairs area is on the casual side, but the upstairs dining area is nice! Not stuffy, but a little more upper echelon than the downstairs space. Cool bar area! We sat at a high-top and enjoyed a few glasses of wine (Sauvignon Blanc...house option). We split the meatball and the mussels in red sauce. That broth was bread-dipping good! Chicken Parm (red sauce), Chicken Parm (vodka sauce), the salad, and the seafood special for me. My entrée was mistakenly delivered to another table, and our server (Nicolette) was upset. They fired another one on the fly and it arrived minutes later. She comped our dessert to account for the error. So not necessary but so thoughtful. Her fun personality elevated our experience! I trust this place is filled to the gills with shore peeps during the summer. I am glad we got to experience it ahead of the season! read more

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Basic food, nostalgic vibes. The ambiance leans into charming nostalgia in the "cafe" section, with its low ceilings, tight quarters, and dive-bar vibe that evokes old-school Jersey Shore memories, though the multiple entrances and confusing layout can leave first-timers scratching their heads. Odd arrangement with two bars (one old, one new), a fine dining restaurant, AND a beach-front tiki bar. Mediocre wings and burger; wings lacked sauce but at least were tender and the burger was straightforward, no-frills with no wow factor. Overall, it's a laid-back spot right off the beach and a has touch of quirky character, go to for simple eats without high expectations. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Buffalo Wings - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

We stopped by Ventura's Greenhouse during the Fourth of July weekend, and even though the place was absolutely packed, Frankie (the bartender with the glasses) never missed a beat. His personality made everyone feel welcome, and he somehow stayed calm, friendly, and incredibly efficient the entire time. Watching him smoothly keep the drinks flowing in such a busy environment was impressive. Great service like that is hard to find. Frankie definitely made our holiday experience even better! read more

Extremely average food (I got a chicken ceasar salad) at mid price range but it's exactly what you'd expect for beach lunch. Drinks are great, you come here for the vibes. The restaurant itself is right on the beach so it's extremely easy to get food and go to the beach in/out. The bathrooms are a major plus for this reason. Tiki bar on the sand with cornhole games and chairs and music!! And a deck patio bar as well. 100% would recommend if you want a quick lunch or drink with your friends during your beach trip. Right next to Lucy the Elephant too. Parking is an issue but that's an issue anywhere in this town on a nice summer day. Would definitely come back read more

We ate at the "fine dining" area of Ventura's over the weekend and it's a bigger restaurant than when we last ate there (before the Pandemic). They made the upstairs area much bigger than before but I wish they spent more money teaching the chefs how to make their food tasty. We were a triad of diners and two of us ordered a chicken dish, which was very bland. Like not even salt. The service was terrific, which is why they got 4 stars instead of three. Don't think we would return though. Prices are high and we do very much enjoy dining downstairs instead. read more

We stopped in to the downstairs pub for a quick bite after a HS football game. The food was great. The shrimp Caesar salad was the best! We meet a new bartender Shannon, she was awesome and made us laugh. Our waitress was a sweetheart. Really nice pub friendly place. The food is always really good. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Shrimp Caesar Salad. - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

The waitress and staff were great, and the restaurant is nice, slow and relaxed. The food could have been a bit bigger in quantity, or come with soup/salad in order to justify the price, but overall pretty good. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

Stopped by Ventura's after a day on the beach. I have to say I was very underwhelmed at my experience here. The 3 stars is for the ocean views, as that is always a nice feature. We had an older server who unfortunately was very unfriendly. The food was not worth the price. The french fries were decent. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

We recently ate at this restaurant and given the prices ($35-65 per entree), I assumed this was a nice, high end restaurant. It turned out to be very mediocre, but a very expensive one. I ordered Ahi Tuna sashimi for $35 hoping for something special. What I got were the cheapest wooden chopsticks, a couple pieces of tuna and cole slaw. This should have been an appetizer for ~$10-15. My wife had chicken with peppercorn and mashed potatoes, which was very bland. Restaurant has another section serving pizza. I didn't check the prices, but at least they looked appetizing. The only good parts were the service and a nice view of the ocean. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Ahi Tuna Sashimi - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

The food was what you'd expect of a beachside bar - large portions, crispy fries, standard bevs. We were disappointed in the waitress we had. She was the older woman which wasn't a problem. But she didn't bother to chat, make eye contact, and was short and snappy. My grandmother told her she had a garlic intolerance which must've gotten overlooked because she ended up with related stomach pains afterwards. We were bummed because all the other servers seemed eager to be with their tables and work at such a cool establishment. Lastly, this place was very family friendly on a weeknight. If you aren't a fan of other people's kids when you go out - probably not the spot for you. The open floor plan made it so you were close with everyone. We were shoulder to shoulder with some families kids slamming playdoh on the table. I'm sure the vibes are different on a weekend night. read more

WoW!!!! (It's December and still open) The style of this place, is a throw back to the TV show Cheers, quaint and local, clean, with a great variety of drinks and food. They have Gluten Free pasta, Cauliflower pizza, and the Shrimp Chowder soup was made GF as well. OK- now after sharing our initial impression, the taste of the food comes next. Impressive flavor w/o to much spice, and the 1/2 sandwich w/ soup was just the perfect match. Both our server Kaleigh and the bar tender Scott were friendly and helpful, to ensure we enjoyed ourselves. Strongly suggest trying the Ventura's GreenHouse any time of year. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - GF shrimp scampi and 1/2 -1/4 :) -sandwich and soup. - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

Great time with friends- Amazing fresh food with great flavors. We had cauliflower pizza, blackened chicken salad and crab cakes Service was fast, kind, and the vibe was chill with music present but not too loud that you could still hear the people you were with read more

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We had a lovely time dining at Venturas restaurant. The atmosphere has an old school vibe. The wait staff was attentive. I've eaten on the Deck ( the outdoor area) often over the years, and it's always very casual). This is an upscale option, decor reminiscent of days gone by. Also, there is an Off-Shore Venturas in Linwood. So this clearly is a well-run business with many dining options. We always have a fine dining experience here. Would definitely recommend! read more

We had their Meatballs with Pappardelle pasta AMAZING, and their Veal Milanese also AMAZING. Staff and food get a 10 out of 10!

Love the Fine dining restaurant upstairs inside! Delicious and so nice! How come they don't mention it at all on their site ? It was the best ! read more

I went to the cafe (which is separate from the other 3 restaurants within the green house) and the food was good! I went with the steamers which had great flavor. The food is over priced but hey, it's the shore. The daily specials are where the real value is at, I just wasn't in the mood for a wrap or sandwich. I recommend heading over to the tiki bar to get some air after the claustrophobia of the café but I am still giving 5 stars bc this place is solid. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Steamers - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

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Got here at 2:35 on a Sunday afternoon, we had a party of 6, 2 adults and 4 kids. The place was busy, but not packed, and we got seated immediately at the outdoor bar directly across from Lucy The Elephant. The breeze was constant on the covered outdoor deck and was a welcome relief from the afternoon sun. There are plenty of T.V.'s with baseball games on so the boys were very happy to watch the Phillies. The menu is not very big and we order 6 Burgers and 1 cheesesteak. The Burgers are 1/2 lbs. patties and very filling. We all enjoyed the Burgers, the do not come with fries or chips, our waitress told us an order of fries are pretty big so we had 2 orders for the table. The waitress was correct, with the Burgers being so big, 2 orders of fries was plenty for our table. The cheesesteak was just, OKAY. Not bad but nothing special. Overall the service was a 5, atmosphere 5 and food 4(on the bar scale) read more

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Wow. This place has the best pizza at the shore hands down! The best value on the menu as most things are quite pricey --/ jeez-- really?? Anyway service is usually okay with special shout outs to long-time staff Hector and Linda. There is a new bartender - "Roma" - beautiful name right? She is so attentive with a sweet smile and really takes care of you. Big tip!!!! Yay Roma. Thank you for making our time so great and not paying attention to the crazy prices! read more

We had a fabulous lunch there for my birthday in July. Everything was delicious. Service was very attentive. Love the beach vibe. read more

Great bar with open air/rooftop patio seating next to Lucy the elephant. I don't know if you come here for dinner vs the bar scene but to each their own. If you need a HH, especially with a large group and coming from right off the beach/you don't want to be near the boardwalk, but still beachside - this is it. read more

I went here after looking at the dining room menu and thought it was worth a try, however, there are no notices or explanations of the dining areas on site. I walked in and was immediately sat in the downstairs bar area. It's not clean or well lit at all (although I went during daylight). The menu was not what I saw online and when I looked up to ask the waitress about it I saw her using her bare hands to grab ice from a large bucket. To my horror, she put the ice in cups, filled them with water, and came to my table. I asked for the menu I saw online and she said that was the dining room which was upstairs. I said sorry but that's what I came for and proceeded upstairs. The hostess there greeted me nicely but immediately said she couldn't let us in. I asked why and she said there was a dress code. I was only coming for the menu so I said anywhere else to sit since I saw people dressed casually on the deck but she told me the menu was only served in the restaurant (it's all one establishment so bringing a plate to the deck doesn't seem hard). I understand having a dress code but that was not stated anywhere online when I found the place, not on the door or anywhere at the place, and afterwards I checked again but still no dress code on the website. At least make it known. I wouldn't go back because of the lack in communication and unsanitary habits I witnessed. The menu wasn't that worth it. read more

This place is always consistently great and our service was amazing! Caesar salad was the best we had all weekend (we were on a Caesar salad kick for some reason and tried about 5 different ones). The citrus Jalepeno drink is top notch. **Edameme is only $5 when it's happy hour and it's legit life changing! read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Caesar Classico Nuovo Salad - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

Tiki Deck: $17 small plastic cup of ice and splash of margarita with nothing on rim. Bathroom is beyond gross, think porta-jon with running water. The view was nice, but I will never go back there. read more

Overrated for years, this oceanfront restaurant is filled with the superficial people who visit Margate in the summer and are willing to pay $80 for a mediocre lunch for two. And that's with no alcohol. The tasteless sandwiches and poorly-cooked burgers come with nothing; fries and sides are extra. Did I say oceanfront? If this sounds like your place then hurry in. If not, try someplace that rates at least 4 stars. read more

Why bother? the help are robots afraid of their jobs. Food is mediocre at best in all 3 dining areas, prices are outrageous, go somewhere else read more

This used to be our go to restaurant-- good food and reasonable prices. Unfortunately they have to decided to become up-scale. New York strip $62. Filet $64! Trying to be a Morton's or Ruth's Chris type steak house. But the food is pretty much as it always was except for the prices. Parking is challenging during busy times and the service is sometimes very slow. As a result we're not going here as much as we used to. read more

We ate in the upstairs restaurant @ Ventura's in Margate. Our waitress was very nice but the food was sub-par. Prices are high for the quality of food served. It was very disappointing. We won't be back. read more

This was a great vibe for an after the beach drink. The live music was awesome and everyone working there is soo sweet. It's exactly what you want for a beach bar. read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Chicken tenders and season fries - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

decent service, but one of the worse meals I've ever had. salad was just a bowl of iceberg lettuce and chicken was awful

The food is amazing, and the service is fun and attentive. It's a fund place to hang out downstairs in the cafe. The find dining room upstairs is outstanding! read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - Shrimp wrapped in bacon - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

Food was amazing, the individual pizza I had was absolutely amazingly tasty! (Cauliflower dough Margarita pie). Service was awesome. Ambiance, well, it was quite noisy and busy. It was also inconvenient to have to run downstairs to the Cafe for the restroom. Overall, I'll definitely go back, but at a less busy time! read more

The white pizza with spinach and tomato is by far the best pizza I've ever had (if you can't tell from all of my pictures). This pizza is worth the visit to the greenhouse alone. It is unbelievable and the crust is so buttery it is truly worth the indulge. The plain pizza from here is just alright but you absolutely cannot go wrong with any white variety. Also some other favorites are the Buffalo tenders, steamed clams and mussels. Do not skip this pizza in margate!! read more

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In the summer this place is an epic scene. In the off season it is cozy and I am grateful to have found it.

We ate upstairs in the restaurant 3 of us ordered the special, Pecan Grouper it was so bland it had no flavor at all. The risotto was not good either. For 44.00 the fish should have been amazing. The waitress saw that the 3 of us didn't eat it and one in our party told her that it wasn't very good! No offer to take it off the check or replace for something else. Very disappointed will Not be eating there again..... read more

Making a reservation was easy when the hostess was back in the restaurant. This was the only smooth part of this adventure. We arrived for our 8:15 reservation, it was packed like a can of sardines. Not a single place to wait. Rude groups of people walking right past us clearly waiting for the hostess to show up (who was MIA). It's Father's day weekend and the restaurant was unprepared. Crowd control is necessary. Cutting off people entering the building is necessary. There would have been zero peace trying to eat dinner with these crowds. Ended up walking out and leaving. I understand lack of staff -- if that is the case, don't take so many reservations and take absolutely no walk-ins. It really is that simple. It was evident that wait staff and servers were extremely discontent with the amount of people present. read more

You've been there for a long time! Whether it's a late night slice of pizza or meeting friends for a football game in September to have a cold beer. And who doesn't remember the Sunday dance party on the deck. Great food, great staff and a great location. Thank you keep up the good work! read more

Ventura's Greenhouse Restaurant - tables and umbrellas - Seafood Near Me - Margate City, New Jersey

Apparently 2 menus- Upstairs and Downstairs. Unfortunately the downstairs was booked up so sat upstairs not knowing you get a different menu. I wanted steak but had to settle for an ok cheese steak. Now I now! read more

To be quite honest, I didn't have high expectations for this place. Always viewed it as a beer and tank top place. Never knew until today there is an upstairs dining room which is very nice and definitely for tank tops. The service was also very good, another unexpected surprise. Started with clams on the half shell, wow...delicious. At this point in the dinner, I am beginning to wonder if I walked into a different place in error! The lobster bisque was a bit better than meh. The entrees were equally impressive. The stuffed Chicken with Crab meat along with the portion was excellent. The Veal Ventura was perfectly cooked, and the Shrimp was spot on. Would I ever come here in season, heck no! But, during the off-season, yes absolutely. read more