From Brigantine to LBI, 13 super-fun Jersey Shore bars on the beach, the bay, and the mainland

Last year, I went on a Shore barhopping expedition that spanned from Atlantic City to Cape May, taking me from the breezy porch of the Ebbitt Room for elegant cocktails to the red vinyl booths of Tony’s Baltimore Grill for cheap beer and cheesy pies. It was an epic 16-bar tour, but it left some readers dissatisfied: How dare I neglect all the gems up north?

So last month, I took a drive down New Jersey’s Route 72 to Long Beach Island, a part of the Shore that I had hardly stepped foot in previously. (What can I say? My parents rented in Sea Isle.) I plunged into an equally lively bar scene — one so hospitable it has free shuttle buses that drop you off at your doorstep.

» READ MORE: 16 Shore bars, from old-school dives to flashy newcomers and everything in between

Here’s a baker’s dozen of bars in and around this 18-mile-long island (plus a detour to Brigantine), from a cash-only dive blocks off the beach to a hotel bar that’s hopping right up to last call. There were spicy frozen drinks, upscale appetizers, bathing suit-clad crowds, marine tchotchkes, and bayside sunsets that faded way too fast. Best of all? There’s plenty more to check out next year.

The open-air second story of this bayside bar feels like a South Philly roof-deck party in full swing: Fresh-faced patrons lounge on wicker chairs and cushy sofas, making room on their firepit tables for octopus over gigante bean hummus, Neapolitan-style pies, and fried chicken sandwiches. The cocktails here skew sweet, but there’s a lengthy wine list and well-executed food — to be expected from the Tide Table Group, which also owns neighboring Parker’s Garage and the Black Whale. (Taylor Swift hit up all three at a wedding last summer.) Like most places on LBI, the crowd here all seems to know one another, but they’re welcoming, too. A friendly local shared a slice of pizza and explained the Bird’s Cup: a contest to see which boat can ring up the highest bar tab during Beach Haven’s long-running fishing tournament.

📍529 Dock Rd., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008 📞 609-492-3000 🌐 birdandbettys.com

Crowned the best bar in all of New Jersey in 2019, “The Hud” is a dive by price (cash only; $4 for a frosty mug of Yuengling) and appearance. (Wood paneling? Duct-taped Formica bar? Check and check.) But the vibe is almost wholesome: Retirees hog the shuffleboard table while twentysomethings shoot hoops or “bowl” on the old-school arcade games. Inflatable sharks and generations-old beer merchandise decorate the bar, where the crowd gets younger as the night wears on. Who could blame them? With everything from pool to Ms. Pac-Man, this is the best place to hang since the boardwalk.

📍19 E. 13th St., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008 📞 609-492-9616 🌐 instagram.com/hudsonhouselbi

This year-round restaurant in Harvey Cedars upgraded from a BYOB to a full bar when it moved in 2020. It may be the coziest eatery in all of LBI, with string lights, a tin ceiling, and a fireplace in the back. Sure, you could treat Black-Eyed Susans as a nice family dinner spot, but it has everything you’d want for a date night at the bar: good beer and wine, plus cocktails with a little extra effort, like the brown-butter-washed bourbon Fireside; a tempting array of appetizers (crispy artichokes, spicy meatballs, cornmeal-crusted calamari) to share; and a dessert menu built to please — espresso martini and boozy affogato included. Need a breeze? There’s plenty of seating in the tented parking lot patio.

📍7908 Long Beach Blvd., Harvey Cedars, N.J. 08008 📞 609-494-4990 🌐 blackeyedsusanslbi.com

Between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light, you won’t find a bar with a better beach view than this new addition to the LaScala family of restaurants, which replaced the Laguna Grill and Rum Bar, a Brigantine institution. With palm trees, towering sun shades, 21 cocktail options, and a revamped live-music stage, this establishment is literally built to channel all the summer vibes. (This is not owner Rob LaScala’s first venture down the Shore: He owns Chicken or the Egg, or “Chegg,” on LBI.) I would have been all over a spicy margarita and crab Caesar salad, but a storm rolled in shortly after we sat, sending scads of customers inside the already packed marble bar — and me to somewhere less crowded.

📍1400 Ocean Ave., Brigantine, N.J. 08203 📞 609-266-7731 🌐 lascalasbeachhouse.com

A Beach Haven local recommended I check out “The Shell,” a hotel bar just over LBI’s cliff-like dunes — but he urged me to visit in the afternoon, before the crowds flood in for a boisterous evening of live music and dancing. (The Sea Shell Resort’s beach-facing rooms come with a warning: “YOU WILL HEAR AND FEEL MUSIC IN THESE ROOMS.”) Suntan lotion and sea breezes scent the air at this sprawling poolside complex, which has seating on the sand, the deck, the patio, and at the tiki bar. Even before 3 p.m. on a weekday, dozens of customers were already in swimwear, nursing frozen piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris while noshing on shrimp fritters, mussels, and crab cake sandwiches.

📍10 S. Atlantic Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008 📞 609-492-4611 🌐 theseashellresort.com

Another cash-only affair, Baker’s Port Hole was described to me as a dive, but the Baker family has kept this 88-year-old year-round bar/liquor store in basically pristine condition. Bouquets of conversation flourished in every corner: around the pool table, in the booths, at the high-tops. As at Hudson House, you might see whole families drinking together early in the evening, but not long after the kitchen closed, the just-21 set started ordering shots of Pepe Lopez. Another note: LBI attracts Philadelphians and New Yorkers alike, and each bar’s sports allegiance breaks a different way. Here, a humdrum Yankees game took precedence over a Phils game that went into extra innings.

📍 1620 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, N.J. 08008 📞 (609) 494-4242

Head up the outdoor stairs at Tuckers Tavern and you’ll find this colorful rooftop scene decked out with lobster buoys and orange umbrellas. Owned by father-daughter duo Marty and Sydney Grim of Fearless Restaurants (White Dog, Moshulu, Autograph Brasserie), Tuckers added Buoy Bar in 2019, giving it second-story views that rival its next-door neighbors. The breezes can get strong up here, but the staff is prepared with a full range of plastic glassware to serve up blueberry coolers, mezcal mules, and a smooth, perfectly balanced Italian spritz on draft — arguably my favorite cocktail of the trip. To eat, you’ve got the full range of Tuckers’ gastropub fare (red pepper “sunset” hummus, bourbon baby back ribs with green papaya slaw, lamb tacos).

📍101 Southwest Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008 📞 609-492-2300 🌐 tuckerstavern-lbi.com

When you’re burnt out on sunshine, head to the shady wood-paneled bar inside this Beach Haven standby. (There’s a light-filled atrium and a garden patio, too.) Owner Jay Cranmer transformed this onetime fishermen’s hotel into a polished tavern in 1996, and he built it all back after Hurricane Sandy swept through in 2012. Buckalew’s has neither bay nor beach view, but loyal islanders have kept it in business year-round, seven days a week, for decades. No surprise, then, that the bartenders are chummy with customers, trading stories of Saturday-night escapades. I’ll be back in cooler weather for she-crab soup and pizza.

📍101 N. Bay Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008 📞 609-492-1065 🌐 buckalews.com

Don’t be deceived by the goofy fiberglass shark bursting through the eaves; Allen’s Clam Bar is a serious seafood house that has been a favorite since it opened in 1966. The price of expertly broiled/fried shrimp, scallops, flounder, and lobster here can add up quickly, but the Allen family strikes a balance with its bar menu, which offers $7 house wines, $13 cocktails (including mules, martinis, and margaritas) and beers for $8 and under. There’s only a handful of bar seats here, but on a busy night — and I’d wager that’s most of them during summer — they’re your best bet. The dining room was full at 5 p.m. on a Friday, and there was a line out the door 45 minutes later.

📍5650 US-9, New Gretna, N.J. 08224 📞 609-296-4106 🌐 allensclambar.com

This year-round Ship Bottom bar and restaurant introduced very good craft beer to LBI when it opened a decade ago. It still has an impressive tap list — including Forest & Main, Kane Brewing, and Stillwater — but its purview also includes natural wines and more complex cocktails than what most Shore bars sling. (Think G&T with house-made gentian-root tonic.) Don’t wear your swimsuit here. Good drinks and the Arlington’s refined modern American fare attract a posh crowd: One family sharing dinner at the bar debated which international locale to visit next, and the U.S. Open edged out the Phillies game.

📍1302 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, N.J. 08008 📞 609-494-8848 🌐 arlingtonlbi.com

I nearly skipped a visit to this hotel bistro, but a nightcap was called for given I was sleeping above the still-bumping bar. I was rewarded with a glimpse of the Surf City crowd — everyone seemed to wash in here an hour before the bar closed. I saw older couples dancing hand-in-hand to a live cover of “Harvest Moon,” parents drinking with their adult children, and a spontaneous surge of college-age customers clamoring for vodka cranberries and light beer before last call. As groups reluctantly dissipated one by one, the bartenders bid a reassuring farewell: “We’ll be here all summer.”

📍800 Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, N.J. 08008 📞 609-494-7281 🌐 surfcityhotel.com

It doesn’t get much more out-of-the-way than Oyster Creek — watch out for the turtles crossing the road! — but watching the sun sink into the salt marshes makes the detour worthwhile. Many customers at this expansive, family-friendly hideaway arrive by boat, but even if you drive, the nautical vibes are inescapable. You can pony up for a drink at a repurposed wooden rowboat, but your knees are less likely to knock the bar at the screened-in Crab Room. The Boat Bar was nearly empty on our stormy-weather visit, but on clear days, it overflows with customers year-round.

📍41 Oyster Creek Rd., Leeds Point, N.J. 08220 📞 609-652-8565 🌐 oystercreekrestaurant.com

The bartender at this roadside stop on the way to LBI explained it’s named for being halfway between Philly and the Shore. I had assumed as much, but “we get calls all the time...” he said. Not for families or the faint of heart — there’s a lot of taxidermy on display in this 1930s log cabin, including a stag in sunglasses — this rough-around-the-edges biker bar is great for breaking up the drive. The jumbo mozzarella sticks and five varieties of fries are made from scratch.

📍112 NJ-72, Chatsworth, N.J. 08019 📞 609-726-1360 🌐 instagram.com/mayoshalfwayhouse