Your Guide to Outdoor Dining When You Stay at the Jersey Shore

Looking for beach vacation rentals in Ocean City, or somewhere else along the Jersey Shore? Then you’ve come to the right place. Here at ShoreSummerRentals.com, we offer vacation rentals by owner in Ocean City, Point Pleasant, Cape May, and other popular shore destinations.

Once you find the perfect location and place to stay, there’s still more planning to do to make your stay as enjoyable as can be. One of the most important details of any getaway is finding the best places to eat. Here are just a handful of restaurants we recommend for their food and outdoor ambiance, as far north as Point Pleasant and as far south as Cape May.

Point Pleasant: The Shrimp Box

At the Shrimp Box, there is more than 300 feet of dock space where guests can enjoy drinks or meals (including everything from Alaskan king crab legs to N.Y. sirloins). The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

Lavallette: Ohana Grill

With optional patio seating, the Ohana Grill offers international cuisine, ranging from Thai calamari to Brazilian lobster tail. On Thursdays, diners can order from the “price fix menu,” featuring a choice of soup or salad, entree, and dessert for $30.

Long Beach Island: Blue Water Cafe

Located in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island, the Blue Water Cafe offers sit-in (including outdoor dining) and take-out options, and is open daily for lunch and dinner and serves breakfast on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Specialty dishes include Bananas Foster French toast, lobster roll, and bouillabaisse.  

Ocean City: 701 Mosaic

For contemporary cuisine of the Mediterranean and Caribbean, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, visit 701 Mosaic. Choose from a variety of omelets and other fare for breakfast, burgers or chicken (including jerk chicken) for lunch, and a variety of meat, pasta, and seafood dishes (including shrimp curry) for dinner.

Sea Isle City: Mike’s Seafood

The motto of Mike’s Seafood is “The Only Thing We Overlook is the water” because diners can take in the view from the dock while enjoying seafood that is “seriously fresh.” A menu including clams, crab, lobster, shrimp, calamari, mussels, scallops, and oysters is a dream come true for you if you’re on a seafood diet (when you see food, you eat it).

Avalon: Kudos Grille

Open daily for breakfast and lunch and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, Kudos Grille has Greek-sounding name but offers American and international dishes. With salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, and dinner entrees, the grille earns kudos for quality and variety.  

Stone Harbor: Borghi’s By the Bay

With a covered patio for outdoor dining, Borghi’s specializes in seafood and pasta dishes. In an interview with publication Seven Mile Times, Chef Dino Borghi said the inspiration behind his “signature dish,” seafood Fra Diavolo, is “keep it simple, keep it fresh,”¹. and that he applies the same philosophy to all his cooking.

North Wildwood: North End American Grill

Patio seating and live music are part of the casual dining experience at North End American Grill. Lunch is served, as is dinner, including the three-course dinner special: soup or salad, entree, and dessert for $20.

Wildwood Crest: The Boathouse

A panoramic view of the water from deck seating is one of the reasons the Boathouse Restaurant has acquired a loyal following among tourists; the food is another reason. The restaurant has specialized in steak and freshly-caught seafood ever since it opened in 1989.

North Cape May: 5 West Pub

This bar has an extensive menu for beer, wine, and cocktails, but it also has numerous high-quality options for dining. 14-inch brick-oven pizzas (with fresh dough made daily), soups and salads, burgers, entrees, and more than a dozen house specialties are all on the menu, with patio seating and frequent live music performances to make your visit even better.

Cape May: Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille

Recently named one of “The Best Places to Drink Outdoors in Philly and Down the Shore” by Philadelphia Magazine, it’s also one of the best places to eat. With menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the dining and panoramic ocean views are not to be missed.

There is fine dining all along the Jersey Shore, and far too many restaurants to discuss all our favorites in this blog post. You can explore and find your own dining haven when you stay at the shore this summer with a rental from ShoreSummerRentals.com. Contact us today!