We ate there recently and the food was amazing. Unfortunately the hostess was not wearing a mask and was constantly walking past all the tables. When asked if she can put one on, we were told she doesn't want to. This is against all regulations as she is a restaurant employee so she must wear a mask. As guests, we are able to take ours off once we are seated. If you are looking for a place where all employees wear a mask, look for somewhere else. read more

It wasn't in December it was a year ago in August...nice try...still not coming back.

If you care only about the food, this place is for you. Food is delicious! If you care about service and the way a patron is treated, skip it. Waiter who was very obviously wearing his mask under his nose indignantly raised it up when I mentioned it to him. Hostess was not even wearing a mask...AT ALL...and continuously raced in between and around tables. Silverware was not changed in between courses (this is supposed to be a "fine dining" restaurant) and server splattered the tablecloth with food as he placed used utensils back beside plates. As I said, food is expertly prepared in the kitchen, but the front of the house needs a lot more training. read more

A restaurant living in its past. Ate here July 30, 2011 and its like 1999. I've eaten here every year for the past 5 years and it always disappoints. Why keep going back? Because I keep believing the reviews. Shame on me. The waiters are robotized with the snooty opening line "Hello, I'm Bruce your server tonight. And this other fellow is Darren, he is my assistant (does that mean 2 tips or split 1?). Can I start you off with our specials?" The ambience is trying to be hip with music played so loud you can't hear yourself belch. When I asked to have them turn the music down, they said the hostess likes it at this level. Who'd have thought the hostess was paying my bill??? And the music was this junior high playlist that was trying too hard to be cool. The duck was raw. I don't mean rare, I mean still quacking. The fish was so small its should have been in a sardine can. Then came dessert--Darren recommended the banana cream pie, his personal favorite. It consisted of sliced bananas and whipped cream served in a giant taco shell, garnished with roasted cocoanut? That's a pie? That'sa a rip-off. Yellow fin? I say, Yellow fina! read more

Had a reservation for tonight and Yellowfin called to tell us they would be moving us inside due to rain around 5:30pm. We did not have any problems with that- when we showed up at 7pm for our reservation and the restaurant was closed. It would have been nice to have been notified so we could have made other plans rather than showing up at a closed restaurant. Very inconsiderate and rude. read more

The food is out of this world. I've been here twice. Each time, I felt like it was the best meal I'd had in ages, possibly ever. You will likely experience severe sticker shock, but it's your summer vacation so I say let it rip. read more

Only reason I give this a 2 star is because the food-which was fantastic. Pretty over priced, but fantastic. Our waiter, who's name starts with a B, was extremely condescending and rude. (It wouldn't be fair to review without saying that he did pull it together near the end, but realized he probably wouldn't have received a tip if he didn't). Dressed with a dirty black t shirt that was untucked (not that that would ever matter to us, but when you have $100 entrees on your menu, you sort of expect a certain level of service or cleanliness). One of the most uncomfortable table greetings I've ever sat through, because he was so condescending. read more

We stay on the other end of the island, so during prime season don't make the drive that often. But every dinner we've had here has been excellent. This is not so fried crab strips type joint. Really nice fish expertly prepared. Will make a point of having a few dinners here this summer. Really like this place a lot. read more

Yellowfin is our "go to" restaurant at LBI. It never disappoints! Not your typical shore seafood restaurant. It's where to go when you want to eat something that you can't, or wouldn't want to take the time to prepare. Love their tuna piazza as an appetizer. It can easily be shared with 4 people. Their paella is outstanding! Better than any we have had at Portuguese restaurants. Only complaint is how hard it is to get a reservation. read more

Great food! May be the best on the island! I am a die-hard fan of Howard's which is a classic and has been around forever. Their food is always good but there are no frills. With Yellowfin, it's all about the frills! PROs -wonderful food -it's BYOB (as many places on LBI are) CONs -parking is tough -dining room is small -this may sound trivial, but the waiters are all very odd. they never make eye contact! read more

Another overpriced, nothing special service restaurant in LBI. Better options elsewhere on the island.

OH MAN I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!! I almost forgot I was in NJ here. (kidding! LBI is an awesome place to vacation). So if you are down in LBI - you should come here for dinner, but make sure to make a resevation - it's always packed. Seriously this is my favorite place on LBI. I have to eat here every time I come down. (1-2 times a year, sometimes 3) They have such great food and it's always consistently good. Every night has interesting specials. And I'm obsessed with the panko encrusted flash fried giant NJ tomato covered in avocado. It's to die for. I think I would drive to NJ for this alone. Unfortunately they didn't have the tomato this time around. Instead we had excellent tuna tartar for our app, and mahi mahi and soft shell crab for dinner. We finished it off with the best key lime pie I've tasted outside of Key West. I do think occasionally the staff has been snotty. Like once we made a reservation and a person in our group ended up getting sick and didn't come with us. They were really pissed off we hadn't called ahead and update our reservation. I'm sorry, but if you get sick it's not really like something you know in advance to change your reservation about - no need for the attitude. I feel that the service was excellent a few years ago, but has seemed to go downhill in the last 2 years (maybe because they are so popular now and there's such demand for a table). However - this year service was right back on it's game and was fantastic. Don't forget to pick up your bottle of wine on the way - it's BYOB. read more

I went here with my family and had a good time. The food was excellent but pricey. I had the filet mignon and it was very good. The table was very crowded. Was not the typical 5 stars; I had a the filet mignon and it was really good but nothing special. Still the restaurant is highly recommended. read more

Ate at Yellowfin twice on my vacation in July 2021. Thank god! I couldn't decide what to get so I was glad I got to go back to try another option. So delicious! EVERY BIT AS GOOD as any of the great restaurants I've eaten in in NYC, South Florida snd Europe. Service was super friendly and cute! Very attentive. This is definitely a reason to visit LBI. read more

the five stars is based on LBI dinning only. Regardless, this place is excellent. good food and BYOB. Best food on the Island . read more

Excellent food at yellowfin. No to 3.5 stars (boo). I recently had dinner here and everything was delicious. The four of us ordered different entrees: The best crab cakes ever! (on special). 5 stars Amazing scallops with succotash (on special) 5 stars Great duck and scallops (on the menu) 4.5 stars BYOB! 5 stars Service = good at 4 stars read more

The most horrible, disrespectful, and absurd dining experience I have ever been a part of. Here is a list of things they fucked up: 1. Reservation was for 8:30... we were seated at 10:00. 2. We ordered immediately... food didn't come until 11:00. 3. The hostess (brunette with short hair) was extremely rude and acted annoyed that we were upset about waiting for so long. 4. Wait staff seemed like members of the jersey shore cast, they were unprofessional and we could literally hear them joking around in the kitchen instead of working. 5. 3 out of 6 of the entrees were no longer available. 6. The owner came out to apologize, yet told us that "she can't predict how many people will show up", even though they were taking reservations the whole night. Don't go to this place. It sucks. The service is so bad it is appalling. They seriously need new management. read more

Excellent dining experience last night at Yellow Fin. This has become an annual family tradition and last night did not disappoint. I would estimate we have been going every summer for 20+ years. On every measure Yellow Fin was spectacular: food, service, atmosphere and value. Starting with service, our two waiters (Gabriel and Randall) were superb, friendly, efficient and attentive. The hostess is exceptional: she is consistently charming, welcoming and warm. The food was terrific: from the tuna pizza to the fried tomato stack, the appetizers were fabulous. The mains: tuna, halibut, paella, chicken and the lobster tail were all fantastic. The key lime pie and the cheesecake were the culinary exclamation points to a memorable dining experience. Kudos to the staff and of course, the chef who is a wizard. Thanks for a memorable evening. read more

The food was outstanding but we will not be returning. The manager refused to wear a mask and suggested we wait outside if we were uncomfortable. read more

Being a native New Yorker and a restaurant manager in the past in NYC. I find this restaurant was way over priced . The service was very good, the food was in between , I ordered the fried Calamari and I was expecting quality fish being that I am at the shore . It was frozen calamari and burnt to a crisp, the salmon was delicious , and the scallops were good also, but for $44 not worth it . Everything is Ala Carte there are no sides such as salads or mash potatoes with your meal . I recommend they should update their menu and focus on signature dishes and locally sourced seafood . and include side dishes , such as soup or salads . read more

The real deal no doubt Great creativity Great service Get a good table as some really stink Very good value A real treat in many ways read more

Just a head's up that when you place your reservation for a Saturday night end of July, you may be waiting, but they do call with notice...further review to follow. Follow-up from tip: Tiny, tiny place. We waited with a party of 7, yet realized the wait was worth it and they were wonderful to provide wine glasses for our wait and we had appetizers placed on the table as soon as we sat down. We were starving after a 45 minute wait! Food was wonderful, I of course, got the wedge. Very different with a balsamic glaze laced throughout the dish and I asked for the red onions to not be included. A unique spin on the wedge, however, the classic is always hard to beat! Majority of us got the Chilean Sea bass & Colossal Crab, Garlic Yucca & Preserved Lemon Burre Blanc. The fish was prepared wonderfully, the yucca was a unique spin on the dish and lemon wasn't overpowering as I'm not a huge lemon fan. The colossal crab was only two jumbo lump crab pieces. Being from MD, the crab was delicious, however, not enough to warrant it within the menu selection title in my opinion. Other selections were also raved about. No dessert for us. OH - and a BYO which is great for larger groups...always a fan regardless of party size. Waiters - two to our table - were attentive to all our needs, didn't rush us, continually filled our wine glasses despite how packed they were. I would return, but probably not on such a busy night of the summer to avoid the wait. Looking forward to another return soon! read more

Love this place. It's small and a little cramped, but it's well appointed, great food and service. I was disappointed last Thursday that they didn't have the famous lobster fried tomato tower, but COVID has probably contributed to limited menu. Anyway, I'd give this place five stars, but inexplicably, every staff member we saw was wearing a mask, except the hostess who arguably interacts with more customers than anyone else. So while I love this place, I can't abide. TO THE VERY NICE WOMAN HOSTESS, WEAR A MASK FOR GOSH SAKE read more

Had dinner here tonight. Hands down best dinner ever. Appetizer, dinner and desert. All were amazing. While great food is so important so is a friendly staff. The men that took our order and waited on us all evening were beyond nice and professional! Delicious food and kind people make you want to return to a restaurant and that's what we got tonight. I added a new member to our tribe of friends. Our hostess was so friendly to us and totally welcoming. We will never visit the island again without making our way here. Food is incomparable! read more

Don't bother unless you are a regular. We arrived promptly at 7:45pm for our reservation and were told that they were still seating the 7:30pm reservations. While there were some open tables we were told by the hostess that "they were for regulars with standing reservations." A few minutes later the hostess called our name and proceeded to seat us at a table that was clearly too small for 4 people. We told the hostess that the table was too small and we would wait for a table meant for 4. Her comment was "well you were insistent on being seated." At this point it was 8pm. People came in and were seated ahead of us because "they were regulars." In a discussion with the manager she said people had arrived late and it was very busy but we should be patient and wait. She apologized and offered to comp us appetizer and/or dessert. With no where else to go at this point we waited. And then were seated at 8:30pm which was 45 minutes late. The server was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu but not once did he come over to pour our wine without being asked. The wine was on ice in a separate area. The food was good, not great, but for the prices the portions seemed quite small. 3 sea scallops on some risotto for what I recall as $44. We also ordered dessert. When the bill came it was clear there was no "comp" as promised. We would have let it go but we were still not happy about having been seated 45 minutes late. We asked to see the manager and the hostess came over. She said the manager had left. We told her that we were promised a complementary appetizer or dessert because of our wait but it was not reflected in our bill. She said as she took the bill back "well if you are going to hold us to that....". The check came back revised and we paid and went to leave. And who do we see but the same manager who supposedly left. She apologized again but too little too late. Bottom line. Service fair to terrible. Food ok but poor value. Restaurant does poor job managing the front podium And we will never go back. But if you are a regular maybe you will be happier. If not, I doubt you will ever become one and neither will we. read more

My husband and I came tonight for a nice romantic dinner out. The wait staff was friendly. My appetizer which was the special heirloom tomato was very good. My husband got the tuna pizza. Average at best. I ordered the halibut and it was good. Not great but good. My husband had the scallops. His dinner was a pillar of salt. Inedible. We spoke to the wait staff, they took it back, and gave us a second halibut entree. The manager came over and told us that because scallops come from the sea they are salty and there is nothing they can do about that. Seriously? I am not a three year old. My husband is an accomplished cook and we both almost laughed out loud at that absurd excuse but chose not to say anything about how scallops should be cleaned and chose to see what they would do to compensate. At the end of the meal they made a point of telling us that we were not being charged for the scallops. Really? We are not being charged for an inedible dinner? Wow. The bill at the end of the night had both $52 halibut entrees on it and no offer for compensation such as not charging for the second entree or offering complimentary dessert. We paid the bill and gave a 20% tip as it was not the waiters fault that one entree was so terrible. My husband left a note on the bill that this is not a NYC quality restaurant given the quality of the food and the fact that they did not compensate for the terrible meal. On the drive home we got a call from the restaurant and the manager was on the phone. She actually called me a "c--t" because of the note we left for the restaurant. She was screaming at me and told me to go f--k myself twice. I am a physician who lived in NYC for over 30 years. I have had good meals in NYC and not so good. Almost every restaurant that I have frequented where we had a complaint was apologetic, kind, and wanted to please us. Typically, we were compensated for the meal or at least offered something in exchange for whatever it was that we were less than satisfied with. I must say I have never been told to f--k myself nor have I been called a c--t after paying exorbitant fees and leaving a 20% tip for less than average food. This place should be shut down and the manager arrested. It's an abomination. read more

Save a dollar or two and head to Black Eyed Susans in Harvey Cedars a tad bit farther north...this restaurant is not what it's chalked up to be. So much hype about this restaurant so i was really excited to try it. Unfortunately i was disappointed. Its crazy claustrophobic and loud. I literally couldn't hear my date speak over the worst restaurant music ive heard-"welcome to miami" by will smith and some beyonce song while i'm eating a $100/head dinner? Partner waiting provided a bit of confusion for us. We had two bottles of wine with us on our very tiny table and both were opened in the beginning for aeration. I had a quarter glass of my less expensive, first wine in my glass and the second, partner waiter unknowingly filled my glass with the better wine we had not begun drinking yet. so there went a nice glass of cabernet mixing with a reasonably priced pinot noir. The partner also asked us what we were having before the primary waiter had even specialed the table-which makes up most of your choices since the regular menu is small. The specials are all priced way higher than the menu choices, because of course, the prices are not announced with the descriptions. So surprise! at the end of your meal when you get your bill and your fish was $80 compared to the $40 fishes on the menu. They were out of tuna pizza and the waiter told us that they had less specials than normal this night because it was right before labor day weekend. The tuna pizza is what everyone raves about so that was unfortunate and we had to go with a less interesting appetizer. I got the halibut and there was nothing remarkable about it. This restaurant just did not impress me. The atmosphere, the food, the service were all below my expectations at the price. I understand its a nice byob on the island for special occasions and maybe i just had a poor experience but I'm in no rush to be back. read more

Great restaurant and food , not good for kids - pricey but food is amazing , had the paella awesome and scallops , also the short ribs were great read more

Yellowfin - Whole red snapper - New American Near Me - Surf City, New Jersey

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I took my family here, there were nine of us at 5:00 on a Saturday. We had two male servers that provided excellent service! The food was very good. Our favorite appetizer was the panko fried tomato topped with lobster meat. It was awesome! The paella was great, topped with a good mix of seafood, including lobster. There was a monkfish special that had a light sauce with capers, it was wonderful. And a few of us ordered the halibut, it was good, however it could have used less butter. Over all we had a great meal and we will return. read more

I decided to bring my wife to Yellowfin for a nice meal and unfortunately, it was reduced to a despicable display of poor food and a single angry staff member who I think was the manger. We ordered halibut and scallops. The halibut was edible although a bit salty but the scallops were over salted. To give u an example of what I mean, after eating one and sending it back, my mouth was still oversalted after eating the replacement halibut and drinking a glass of wine. All i could taste was salt. The person, whom i think was the manager, told me they were so fresh, that the saltwater made them oversalted. What????? Desert was definitely out at this point. After that, the bill was dropped and the waiter ran away. They picked up the bill and card and ran away, and dinaslly dropped the card and bill and ran away. No one asked me how i felt about the meal. I was given no opportunity to provide feedback on the meal. I paid for 2 entries and appetizers and left 20% tip. I left a note on the bill at this point stating, as they do on their web site, that this is not a NYC quality restaurant in LBI. My wife, a physician, and I lived in NYC on 89th street for many years and we can state without a doubt, this is not a NYC quality restaurant. T This is especially true when charging $52 for a small piece of halibit that is slightly over cooked. After we left, someone, potentially tyher manager, called from the restaurant to scream at my wife, who happened to answer my phone. She called her a c***. Yes, exactly what u r thinking. I called back to inform them i left the message and the same peraon said i had no B****. Yes, again exactly what you are thinking. I guess before booking a reservation at Yellowfin you need to ask yourself do you want oversalted food and be verbally abusedand harrased after expressing your opinion. read more

Great food. Zero for service. Hostess rude. 4 tables were free when arrived, one in full sun. Were given that table. Asked for another as we had a child with us who couldn't be in sun. Were given some lame excuse including "this is restaurant stuff". Water not refilled even once. Worst service on LBI. read more

We've been to Yellowfin at least twice a year for the last several seasons. Ambiance and food are great - always. But always walk out sorely disappointed - latest visit they actually got it down to less than an hour. Wine was opened and poured before the water came. Specials were shotgun rambled off quickly....and from what we heard from surrounding tables, our server missed telling us 2 of them. Because we toasted and took a sip of our wine, we had not yet opened our menus, so server assumed we were ready to order since we " had closed them". After ordering, the server told us the appetizers would be out immediately.......he was right...in less than 4 minutes! After the main meal, we were asked about dessert and coffee. Despite still having full glasses of wine, we ordered dessert and coffee, but expressed we would like to finish our wine first. ( big mistake)! Dessert came within 2 minutes flat (along with my glaring look at our server.) ...coffee came a couple minutes after. Its really too bad - this could be the best place ever. Wouldnt surprise me at all if they wereconsidering a drive thru window. read more

This was one of the finest meals I've ever had; the service was terrific (ask for Randy as your server), the food was artful in it's presentation, and absolutely delicious!!! Can't wait to go back! read more

We came here Saturday night off season (Chowderfest weekend). I had called at 9:30 to see if we could get a reservation for the same night and the sweet hostess said, "Yes, but it will 9:45 or closer to 10." I could not be happier to find that their kitchen is open till eleven. When we arrived we were escorted to a table set for two, side by side on the banquette seat. Perfect! This was the only available table and I don't think there was a bad seat in the house. The environment is clean and cozy. I loved every bite. We ordered the special fried heirloom tomato topped with lobster salad appetizer pricey($21) for one tomato but so good. The tuna steak is perfect, accompanied with wasabi mashed potatoes and charred bok choy. The lemon butter sauce with the halibut topped with crab atop spinach and crisp yucca is so good. Dessert!!!! Banana sweet cream whipped cream chocolate toasted coconut What! all in a bowl made of crispy cinnamon sugar pastry. Get it. read more

Every mea here has exceeded expectations. And love that it's a BYOB. Halibut was out of this world.

The only word I can think of to describe this terrible experience is bizarre. The fact that we had to wait an hour after having a reservation, I can get over. The fact that they were out of 4 of 7 items on the menu I can also get over. I appreciate the fact that their food is fresh daily and it makes sense that you would run out. What I can't get over is the management of this place. If you know you're going to run out of most of your menu combined with knowing you're so crowded that you can't honor reservations as the night goes on, wouldn't you stop taking reservations at a certain point? Why would you continue to take reservations only to make people wait an hour when you know you're out of most menu items? You don't need much of an education to understand that this literally makes zero sense. At least tell your customers in advance so they can make the decision to stay or leave before waiting for so long. The staff at this restaurant is that of a creepy cult. Everyone claimed to be "in charge" and they all had the same view points, so there was literally no one to speak with to voice your concerns. The whole staff would huddle in the back, have a little pow wow and then take turns coming out to deal with angry customers. Again, the only word I can think of to describe this experience is bizarre. This place only cares about making money and will go to extremes to do so at the cost of making customers extremely upset and will not care one little bit. I will never return and I strongly advise anyone who considers going to think twice. You will wait a very long time even if you make a reservation and you will be dealing with the most creepy cult-like, inexperienced, rude, condescending and immature staff you will most likely ever encounter at a restaurant. Instead try Black Eyed Susans, Raimondos, The Gables or Stefanos to name a few. All have great, seasoned management with superb food and friendly staff. read more

now all these negative reviews are from stuck up foodies who cant get the fact that your at a beach restaurant paying manhattan prices for top shelf prepared food! So yeah, you might not be attended to like your dining at Veritas with 6 people flanking your table refilling your perrier every 5 minutes but take a step back people!!!!...your on LBI! I have been here 4 times (each a different summer and the diversity of the menu and the qualityof the food is bar none!) Think Mesa Grill NYC meets The Sea Grill in Rockefeller center. I've always had great service...the ambiance is lets say "quiant" but very homey. I think this place is hands down the BEST restaurant experience on the island. read more

I have been coming to LBI since I can remember, yet I had never eaten at this restaurant before. I can't believe I've been missing out all these years! We went for the first time a few days ago and it was fantastic! We live in NYC and our dinner rivaled dinners we've had at some of the top restaurants there. They had a list of specials that was longer than the menu. We ended up ordering all specials, although the regular menu looked great too. The food was wonderful and the staff was really good and attentive too. We'll definitely be going back and have already told the rest of our family to check it out. Definitely make reservations though! read more

We went to Yellowfin two weeks ago. Two couples and 4 bottles of wine, naturally. We had a 6:45 reservation on a Monday evening. I was incredibly impressed by the menu. I'm a HUGE fresh seafood person so I wanted to order EVERYTHING. As a table we ordered the tuna pizza and the fried tomato with lobster salad appetizers. GONE in no time. AMAZING. Our servers always made sure our wine was full and somehow they remembered which wine each of us was drinking. My friend and I split the rare seared tuna with wasabi mashed and bok choy entrée. DELISH. The guys ordered the duck and the seafood paella. I don't think I've seen scallops or shrimp that big, ever. Everything was fabulous. Then they came by and cleared everything and told us the desserts. Well, the guys love good food and they were still a little hungry. The portions are not large, but not too small either. But for a grown man, it might not be enough. We had asked the server to give us a few minutes to finish some wine and we would let him know. So while we were waiting the guys were deciding on either another seafood paella or a tuna pizza. The waiter then came back and told us that if we wanted to stay we had to move to a different table. HUH?! By now it's like 8:30 on a Monday night. There's no one waiting to be seated and there are a couple empty tables. I asked why we needed to move. He said that because a party of 4 was coming in and had specifically asked for that table (the one we were already seated in). I pointed to another 4-top and said can't they use that table? He said that table was too difficult to get around to serve. Another HUH?! Well then why put a table in a spot where it's too difficult to serve?! I'm sorry, if it were a Friday night with tons of people waiting to be seated, then I completely understand. But it's a Monday night with NO ONE waiting. I've NEVER been asked to move to a different table just so we can finish our wine and order dessert. Anyway, we moved. My friend and I decided we wanted to order dessert and the guys decided on the tuna pizza. My friend and I ordered the "banana-coconut cream pie". Well it wasn't exactly a pie. More like a filo dough bowl with sliced bananas, a TON of whipped cream, and coconut shavings on top. Yes it was good, but basically just bananas with whipped cream. Nice presentation, not a lot of substance. Once we moved they kind of forgot about us for a little bit. Not sure if they were angry that I questioned them as to why we were being moved, but needless to say we were able to stay a while longer and were not asked to move a second time. I did give 4 stars because the food was DELICIOUS. Meals that I could eat every day. BUT they portions are small, the menu is pricey (but the seafood is FRESH!), the restaurant is VERY small, and the parking is mainly on the street, except for maybe 5 spots in the lot. So if you want a nice date night or a light dinner, or even just some apps, go for it! And don't forget to bring your own vino :) read more

Was very excited to come here. Had a 9pm reservation. Sat us at 10. Ran out of everything on the menu. Waiter said they were out of everything by 8. Asked them a pretty basic question as to why they didn't tell us when we arrived and let us wait an hour. They were rude and acted like it was our fault. Guess I'm the jerk. Terrible unprofessional staff - will be out of business soon. Dime a dozen fish restaurant on lbi read more