LBI's Top 5 Must-Try Restaurants
- The Grub Gazette
- Dec 29, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 5
Long Beach Island, hands-down, is the best beach in New Jersey. At least in my humble opinion. While New Jersey's best shore town may remain disputed, what we do know is that LBI is home to some exquisite dining. Still, there are also many tourist traps, with near unpalatable food and astronomical prices. Whether you're just staying for just a week, or the whole summer, here are the spots that you can't miss.
The Bagel Shack
The Bagel Shack, as pictured above, is the island's favorite bagel store. Making fresh, hot bagels every day, their place is secured on this list. They have a variety of flavors: french toast, rainbow, everything, blueberry, and more. Attesting to their popularity, they have two locations, in both Surf City and Beach Haven. The Bagel Shack is renowned for their phenomenal breakfast sandwiches, and I can agree that they are the best in south Jersey. They also provide bagels for the local bakery Crust & Crumb, found in Beach Haven's Bay Village. If you're looking to purchase yummy donuts or a tasty elephant ear with your breakfast sandwiches, I'd recommend going there. However, Crust & Crumb only makes sandwiches until 12pm, (although they sell the bagels all-day). If you're not in the mood for a bagel, The Bagel Shack has other options. Cheese steaks, deli sandwiches, wraps, pastries, and even tacos to name just a few.
Blue Water Cafe
Away from the stressful hustle and bustle of Beach Haven, Blue Water Cafe is the perfect mid-July restaurant-getaway. Their crab cakes are what they're known for, but quite frankly, you can't go wrong when picking something off of their menu. It is one of those places that you could bring twenty different people, and they would all find a dish they like, (we love the crab nachos!). Blue Water has three sister restaurants: Jersey Girl Grill, Stefano's, and California Grill & Pizza, all of which are excellent. But there are many reasons as to why we chose to showcase Blue Water Cafe. For starters, their decor is some of the prettiest in all of LBI. Their consistent blue-and-white theme is particularly pleasing to the eye. Blue Water Cafe also has lots of outdoor seating, being great for the summer weather. In addition, their abundance of seating means there is rarely a wait, unlike most Beach Haven restaurants. As LBI increases in popularity and tourism, it is nice to have such a classy restaurant that you don't need to make a reservation for. And finally, of course, we love them for their versatility. Blue Water Cafe offers brunch, lunch, and dinner! While the lunch and dinner menus are identical, their brunch menu features all sorts of delicacies. Burritos, french toast, omelettes, pancakes, you name it. In any situation, Blue Water is an immaculate choice.
Holiday Snack Bar
Located in the heart of Long Beach Island, The Holiday Snack Bar is a timeless LBI staple. There is no way that anybody should leave the island without trying it! It is a one-of-a-kind, retro establishment, and has been operating since 1948. You can choose to sit either inside or outside, but we recommend to trying to go inside, where the restaurant's character is best displayed. There are no tables in here, but instead, there is a large, round wooden bar for everyone to be seated at. Customers may seat themselves wherever they find fit. As for their food, they sell the classics. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, shakes, and an assortment of grilled cheeses. Personally, I'm a big fan of their grilled cheese pizza. Oh---and their french fries. Specifically the cheese fries (cheese on the side), which should probably have their own article. A lot of people think McDonald's has the best french fries. I'd take Holiday Snack Bar over McDonald's any day. I digress. And to top it all off, you have to try their dessert. The best options are their homemade pecan pie, chipwich (two hot, homemade chocolate chip cookies filled with ice cream of your choice), and their famous Lady Lord Baltimore cake. Truly, there is no place quite like the Holiday Snack Bar.
Polly's Dock and Clamhouse
If you're looking for mouthwatering seafood, accompanied by a stunning sunset, Polly's Dock is just the place for you. The best thing on their menu is easily their 50 count, freshly caught clams, served up with crisp garlic spears. Honestly, they are one of the best clam pots on the east coast, and are a must-try item. If you go during s unset, you will be rewarded with an iconic sunset over LBI's bay. This is really the icing on the cake. The only issue at the restaurant is that it attracts a large crowd, and the wait can become extensive. Polly's Dock and Clamhouse also serves as a year-round spot for fishing, boat renting, crabbing, and more. It even has a tackle shop! But as The Grub Gazette writes solely on fine cuisine, we genuinely couldn't tell you much about these services. Nonetheless, we highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the island!
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