25 Jersey Shore restaurants to hit this summer, from LBI to Cape May

Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan this month received the national James Beard Award for Distinguished Criticism.

It’s easy to get sticker shock dining out at the Jersey Shore: When you see entrees cresting $60 — and I saw many — the wisecracks about it being cheaper to vacation in Europe no longer seem like a joke.

But if you wade a little deeper into the scene and follow me to a hidden clam shack in Beach Haven, Latino and Caribbean kitchens around Atlantic City, a bayside fried chicken hut, and a new pork sandwich treasure just steps off Cape May’s beach, you’ll find that New Jersey’s coastal culinary magic is still within reach.

Along the way, I visited an elegant Avalon classic that still feels fresh, a fire-kissed Argentinian feast that ranks among my favorite meals of the year, and some posh new seaside perches that are definitely worth at least a nibble and a sunset toast.

Also, stay tuned for a dive into the Jersey Shore’s dynamic new Italian scene next week.

Polly’s Dock and Clamhouse

Moor your dinghy and stroll just a few yards to the clam feast of your dreams at this hidden gem of a seafood shack tucked onto a dock at the southern end of Long Beach Island. It’s been a boat rental since 1941; the Damiani family added a restaurant only in 2014.

The 49 al fresco seats are first-come, first-served, and predictably most prized when rosy sunsets illuminate the western horizon. But this kitchen has an all-day appeal: enormous clam bakes that sail to the table in a large pan brimming with 50 steamy littlenecks in wine-kissed broth with potatoes and corn, ringed by seeded Liscio’s garlic bread rounds to soak it up. The clams are harvested from the very bay Polly’s sits on.

Also try the bacon-y chowder, seared local scallops, and lobster rolls flavored with warm butter tinged with Tabasco. Fun fact: Polly’s cheerful staff of college-age servers all bunk in the original 1925 boat house beside the restaurant.

Polly’s Dock and Clamhouse, 112 Northwest Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008; 609-492-2194; pollysdockclamhouse.square.site.

Tacos La Fe

A growing Mexican restaurant scene is one of the Jersey Shore’s overarching food stories, and the colorful little dining room of this eight-month-old restaurant is another worthy addition.

Chef Ilvia Carmona, who co-owns the taqueria with husband Guadalupe Flores, showcases family recipes from western Oaxaca state, including a beguilingly spiced and reddish mole Oaxaqueño and flavorful marinades featured in a memorable molcajete. The smoking hot volcanic rock bowl comes festooned with plump shrimp, tender flank steak, chile-encrusted pork enchilada, and fresh chorizo tingling with spice and vinegar tang. A bubbling hot salsa ranchera in the bottom brings it all together, along with velvety soft tortillas made to order.

Don’t skip Carmona’s desserts, especially her flan. The couple is soon opening a second restaurant, El Comal, focusing on breakfasts and guisado stews, in nearby Pleasantville.

Tacos La Fe, 6701 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, N.J. 08234; 609-646-7591; tacoslafenj.com.

Gouté Creole

Atlantic City’s growing Caribbean community has a new hot spot in Gouté Creole, where owner Jacky Jean — who operates another restaurant in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti — serves a feast of Creole dishes cooked by his mother-in-law, Clotude DeJean. I overheard multiple diners say they had traveled from across Central and South Jersey for takeout orders of the slow-braised oxtails and stewed whole snapper.

I took a table in the white-and-red dining room and dug into meaty classics like griot (slow-stewed pork fried to a greaseless crunch), crispy goat, and a soulful stew (legume) filled with meltingly soft hunks of beef that I ate with rice and beans radiating Scotch bonnet chile spice. The unsung star of the show is DeJean’s zesty pikliz cabbage slaw, whose citrus-y, pepper-fired crunch helped amplify every other flavor on the table.

Gouté Creole, 2309 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401; 609-783-8981.

Rosita’s Bakery & Coffee

This charming little Oaxacan-style bakery, just a few doors down from Gouté Creole, has multiple varieties of fresh baked conchas, sesame-speckled cemita rolls, and calabaza-stuffed empanadas. There are also cookies, including my favorites, the puerquitos de piloncillo — chewy, pig-shaped gingerbread biscuits infused with anise.

Rosita’s Bakery & Coffee, 2307 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401; 609-246-6699.

Sabor Latino 2

You know you’re at an island eatery the minute you step into this cheerful Dominican diner and hear the pulsing salsa soundtrack, the whir of batido de mamey being blended, and the pom! pom! pom! of freshly fried plantains being mashed to order for mofongo. It just turns out that this island — Absecon Island — is at the Jersey Shore. Explore the selection of empanadas (plus the fried potato balls and beef-stuffed quipes encased in fried bulgur), then dive into a pot of sancocho stew.

If there is one reason to come, though, it is chef Jennifer De Los Santos’ towering mofongo dome laced with chicharrónes, served both inside the crushed plantains and alongside them as supremely crunchy nuggets of deep-fried pork with a garlic sauce dip.

Sabor Latino 2, 3901 Ventnor Ave., Atlantic City, N.J. 08401; 609-293-3093; saborlatino2nj.com.

Kismet Luncheonette

The rapidly expanding Kismet bagel crew from Penn Valley (Fishtown, Rittenhouse, and beyond) has landed at the Shore in the former Water Dog space. The whole wheat-kissed rounds have a softness and light sweetness that gives some bagel purists pause, but also lend themselves to sandwiches that envelope (rather than crush) the fillings.

The execution on some of the luncheonette items (chicken salad, patty melt) was lacking, but the basic offerings were solid enough, especially because Kismet’s fixings feature high-quality Samaki smoked fish. Another bonus: Kismet always offers good gluten-free bagels from Flakely, toasted on a dedicated gluten-free toaster.

Kismet Luncheonette, 7319 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor City, N.J. 08406; 609-300-6577; kismetbagels.com/pages/ventnor.

Remedee Coffee Roasters

Have you ever sipped a Jersey Bloob? Coffee heads at the Shore know this iced espresso drink, tinged with fresh blueberry syrup, as one of the creative coffee shandies from Remedee, the roastery launched in an Atlantic City garage three years ago by sisters Amanda and Nicole Escobar. Not only do they roast high-quality beans from the highlands of Colombia (their father’s home country), all their flavor syrups are made in-house.

Now that their pandemic pop-up project has graduated to a permanent brick-and-mortar window in Ventnor, the business is poised to grow, with approachable roasts that have wide appeal. Their coffees trend darker, but honey-processed beauties like the “Medellín” blend show complexity and terroir, with citrusy brightness and a nutty finish. Also try the refreshingly smooth iced coffees they cold-brew overnight with Brazilian coconut water.

Remedee Coffee Roasters, 5207 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor City, N.J. 08406; remedeecoffee.com.

Betty’s BBQ & Fried Chicken

The team behind Betty’s Seafood Shack has added a barbecue and fried chicken takeout hut just across the deck from its prime al fresco perch in Margate. Fried chicken is the highlight, emerging superbly crispy and juicy from the pressure fryer with thin but crackly crusts that were vividly seasoned (garlicky, with a blush of Turkish paprika) without being oversalted. The same seasoning is used for the hand-breaded gluten-free chicken tenders.

The barbecue was less impressive, as the kitchen hasn’t quite dialed-in the Texas smoker. The pink-edged and supple spare ribs were outstanding, but the overly lean brisket, while tender, was parchingly dry. (Wildwoods BBQ is still my champion brisket pick at the Shore.) No matter what you order, slather it in the tangy-sweet mustard glow of Margate Gold sauce.

Betty’s BBQ & Fried Chicken, 9315-B Amherst Ave., Margate City, N.J. 08402; 609-783-8567; bettybbq.com.

Bay Buzz Coffee & Snack Shack

Vanessa Wong and Ryan Slavin reopened and rebranded their Dorset Avenue cafe and market Fish & Whistle in Ventnor this spring as Bay Buzz. More intriguing, though, is this new location, which is on a Margate dock actually overlooking the bay. It has bagel sandwiches and pastries, small-batch coffee from Arsenal Coffee Roasters, and cold brew from La Colombe — but really, it’s all about the location. Grab a fizzy espresso tonic, park yourself at an awning-shaded deck table, and savor your morning wake-up with a whiff of ocean breeze as the marina boats and gulls drift by.

Bay Buzz Coffee & Snack Shack, 9511 Amherst Ave., Margate City, N.J. 08402; 609-855-9793; baybuzznj.com.

Doozie’s Place

Ocean City is flush with breakfast haunts, but local Devon “Doozie” Raab has given a bright makeover to the genre at her charming year-old bruncherie on the northern end of the island. With nine of her family’s well-used surfboards hanging from the ceiling, the beach vibes are strong. So are her updates to breakfast staples, including the meaty Seabright omelet filled with turkey bacon, peppers, avocado, and pesto, plus old-school items such as creamy chipped beef and multiple Benedict variations.

The piña colada French toast layered with cheesecake is a favorite, but the pancake flight of three “lil’ cakes” is my preferred dessert. Extra points for careful attention to gluten-free options, and also real maple syrup upon request.

Doozie’s Place, 100 Asbury Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-938-1126; dooziesplace.com.

Brenda’s Cafe

Breakfast comes with a soulful Mexican spin at this cafe and al fresco patio on the ground floor of a motel just off the boardwalk. Go for the huevos rancheros served over handmade tortillas as breakfast tacos with egg, crumbled queso fresco, and black beans. I also devoured the zesty charro beans with chips and a perfectly built breakfast burrito — scrambled eggs, beans, chorizo, and rice — tightly rolled inside a toasty flour tortilla.

Brenda’s Cafe, The Atlantic, 801 Atlantic Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 856-462-2730; on facebook.com.

Buddy Love’s Restaurant

You can taste 100 years of tradition in the smoked meat recipes that have descended through the generations of this family business. Buddy Love’s has roots in Lawnside, the one-time epicenter of South Jersey’s Black barbecue culture. Its foothold on the Ocean City boardwalk expanded this year to a second location in a motel restaurant a block away from the original.

The baby backs were hands-down my favorite menu item, and I love the zesty tang of Buddy Love’s sauce. (I’d ask for it on the side next time I order the pulled pork, though, because it came with too much mixed in, obscuring the deep fruitwood smoke.) The fresh slaw and firm mac ’n’ cheese are essential sides. A new breakfast buffet is also drawing crowds.

Buddy Love’s, 709 E. Ninth St. and 728 Boardwalk, Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-399-0486; buddylovesbbq.com.

Patroni’s

The closing of Voltaco’s after 68 years was a blow to the Ocean City sandwich faithful, including myself, who regarded that hoagie — er, “sub” — as one of the Shore’s finest. How lucky we are that the Patroni family, led by a pair of brothers who are newcomers to the restaurant industry, has stepped into this classic West Avenue takeout space and begun turning out Italian sandwiches a traditionalist will covet.

The distinctively unvarnished, deeply slashed Atlantic City rolls from Rando’s Bakery anchor the Italian, while more pliant seeded rolls from Formica Freitag are used for meaty cheesesteaks oozing with Cooper Sharp.

Steaks are the most popular order here, and they’re good. But the sub is my choice, carefully built with hot capicola, Genoa salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, and oregano-dusted onions with ripe tomatoes that add juiciness. Cutlet lovers should go for the Capri with crispy chicken, roasted peppers, fresh mozz, arugula, and a sweet balsamic drizzle.

Patroni’s, 957 West Ave., Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-938-1568; patronisoc.com.

Holiday Coffee

This stylish corner cafe is Damon and Melissa Brown’s sequel to the coffee stand they ran on the boardwalk until Wonderland closed down last fall. The La Colombe coffee provides reliable caffeination, but it’s the butter that lured me back — several pounds of it, whipped fresh daily into a mound with extra cream and flaky Maldon sea salt, beckoning from beneath a glass bell on the counter.

Damon, who got the idea from his travels in Europe, serves a dollop of the butter alongside warmed pastries. (“More is more,” he shrugged when I noted croissants were already full of butter.) He’s found a true purpose for that dairy goodness with a classic jambon-beurre, a crusty Le Bus baguette lathered with butter and stuffed with folded ham for minimalist sandwich perfection. Served with two side salads of arugula and sweet tomatoes, it’s a deal for $8.

Holiday Coffee, 801 E. Eighth St., Ocean City, N.J. 08226; on Instagram.

Kizbee’s Kitchen

The opening of an Ocean City branch of Kizbee’s Kitchen, one of region’s best gluten-free bakeries, is cause for celebration in my house. Jenna Kisby’s gluten-free pop-tarts, cupcakes, doughnuts, brownies, and savory scones are an absolute gift for those with celiac disease. Kizbee’s outstanding gluten-free baguettes are also among the best you’ll find, full stop — with craggy, rustic crusts — that made my daughter Alice’s post-beach sandwich (layered with prosciutto and mozzarella) the envy of our cold-cut lunch.

Kizbee’s Kitchen, 611 E. Eighth St., Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-618-4528; kizbeeskitchen.com.

Kilhaney’s Pickles

Pucker up for this year’s most talked-about addition to the Ocean City boardwalk, because Kilhaney’s Pickles, based in Hackettstown, N.J., is an all-out brine show. Pickled garlic. Pickled cauliflower. Pickled okra. Classic dills. Trendy pickles with pineapples and spice (the “Freaky Tiki”). Even pickle-shaped lollipops for the sweet tooth kiddos.

Savvy beach-goers (and Eagles fans) also know pickle juice does wonders for hydrating in the heat, so don’t be surprised to see single-serving “Big Dill” pouches stuffed with one giant cuke and a sippie straw for slurping all that pickle juice striding the boards. Kilhaney’s landed in Cape May this year, too.

Kilhaney’s Pickles, 1358 Boardwalk, Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 908-619-4913; kilhaneys.com. (Also: 711 Beach Ave., Cape May, N.J. 08204.)

Crunchik’n

Philly’s quick-serve Korean comfort food haven Crunchik’n got its start on the Ocean City boardwalk when John and Jen Choi opened their food stall in 2017. (The Center City location arrived two years later.) It still makes what I consider some of the best Korean fried chicken (shatteringly crunchy, spicy, and not too sweet) as well as a fried Korean crunch dog with a cheese pull worthy of the carnival setting. I’m also a fan of the spicy japchae noodles and rice bowls topped with bulgogi, or the spicy raw tuna option available only at this location. Crunchik’n, 1136 Boardwalk, Ocean City, N.J. 08226; 609-938-1896; crunchikn.com.

Cafe Loren

Joshua Romano, 35, and Ryan Macey, 38, were not yet born when Cafe Loren opened its white-tablecloth dining room in 1979, but they’ve cooked there most of their careers. As the stewards of this Jersey Shore classic for the past nine years, they have managed to cultivate a sense of continuity and tradition while keeping the menu fresh and relevant.

Signature dishes remind you why they became standards to begin with, from the richness of lump crab in cream piled over tender medallions of veal Loren, to the ‘90s-style swoosh of gingered carrot puree curling around a luscious hunk of seared halibut. Two entrees — a braised short rib over truffled polenta and a “BLT scampi” with lobster, shrimp, and bacon tumbling over fettuccine — would be hits at any Center City table.

The BYOB status is appealing for tony Seven Mile Island’s wine-collecting crowd, while excellent accommodations for gluten-free diners are yet another example of how this Shore standby has maintained gracious hospitality as well as its food.

Cafe Loren, 2288 Dune Dr., Avalon, N.J. 08202, 609-967-8228; cafeloren.com.

La Porteña

Lucas Manteca, one of the Jersey Shore’s brightest culinary stars over the past 20 years at Sea Salt, the Red Store, Quahog’s, and the Ebbitt Room, has come full circle to his South American roots at La Porteña, an elegant tasting menu destination fueled by live fire and the Argentinian food of his youth. The blazing open kitchen is the centerpiece of this Stone Harbor space, the former Marabella’s, which has been gracefully transformed into a moody suite of lamp-lit rooms by Manteca’s wife and partner, Deanna Ebner. An array of excellent steaks dry-aged on site, from local cuts to grass-fed beef imported from Argentina, are reason enough to go.

La Porteña is so much more than a steak house, though. There are options for seafood and vegetarians, and it is almost entirely gluten-free. The other courses tell the story of a chef with broad culinary interests, from the waves of fresh empanadas stuffed with picadillo to a shrimp and razor clam ceviche with blood oranges to a Spanish tortilla with caviar. The offal — pickled tongue escabeche, tender grilled sweetbreads, and house-made links of tangy chorizo and blood sausage — is bound to push some comfort-level boundaries in this posh Shore enclave.

But Manteca is at his best when he’s bold. By the time you get to the meat course and dulce de leche rice pudding for dessert, $90 is an undeniable value for this seven-course feast, one as memorable as any I’ve eaten this summer.

La Porteña, 9426 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, N.J. 08247; 609-796-5009; laporteña.net.

Scallop Shack Farms

Scallop boat captain Brady Lybarger and wife Amanda Axelsson, who began selling seafood direct to customers from the back of their truck during the pandemic, now have a brick-and-mortar market at the Cape May airport that’s one of the finest sources for local seafood at the Shore. The scallops are flash-frozen the day they’re landed — they freeze well and are easily defrosted — and sold at very fair prices (currently $28 per pound). The market also has excellent specialty food products and a prime selection of other local seafood, from fresh tilefish and clams to prepared food specialties like monkfish chowder, crab cakes, and smoked bluefish dip.

Scallop Shack Farms, 1288 Hornet Rd., Rio Grande, N.J. 08242; 609-435-5808; scallopshackfarms.com.

The Bagel Shop of North Cape May

Between Kismet and the glassed-in production show kitchen at this newcomer, the Philly talent upping the bagel quotient at the Shore this summer is considerable. Aaron Wagner, who owns this spacious new store near the Cape May-Lewes ferry with wife Julie, is a fifth-generation bagel maker whose family ran South Street “Hot” Bagels and several other locations before the couple moved to Cape May in 2023.

The bagels are traditional New York style (shiny water-boiled crusts, good chew) with some chef-y flourishes (black sesame sea salt, rosemary-black pepper). The most ambitious composed sandwiches were underwhelming (skip the $20 wagyu pastrami special), so just stick with the very good basics — bagels, Samaki salmon, and smoked whitefish spread.

The Bagel Shop of North Cape May, 3845 Bayshore Rd., North Cape May, N.J. 08204; thebagelshopcapemay.com.

Port Marina and Restaurant and Fish House

Ross Hammer and Lauren Cavallo became accidental restaurateurs in 2022 when they acquired the building occupied by Tacos Caballito Tequileria. Three years later, they have opened another pair of splashy new restaurants, which happen to boast the most spectacular views at the Shore. They’ve also gone deep on sourcing: Hammer has acquired a small fishing fleet to harvest black bass and lobster and a ranch with 3,000 egg-laying chickens, Black Angus cattle, and pigs, while consulting chef Andrew Steiner’s Stone Circle Farm is providing local vegetables. This is as ambitious as a new restaurant group can get, and the venues are worth visiting — even if the food at both is sometimes still playing catch-up.

Fish House is a dreamy new beach bar with an unobstructed sunset vista from its terraced perch at the southernmost tip of New Jersey. It’s open all day, with breakfast burritos and tiramisu French toast rolling at 9 a.m., then salads, seafood, and festive drinks riding into the night. The cocktails are beautiful — try the frothy Blackbird — and service is outgoing. The cooking, however, is uneven.

My carelessly built lobster roll was a bummer to eat, piled high over a bread-y brioche roll that was barely split open. The swordfish salmoriglio was overly salty. But the setting is too special to ignore. So keep it simple with some grilled chili-garlic shrimp and a fried black bass sandwich riff on the Reuben. Put your toes in the sand at your picnic table with a rummy Cape May diamond cocktail in hand (and doggie in tow).

Panoramic views from the Port’s swanky new second-floor dining room are also stunning, with picture windows overlooking Cape May’s sprawling marina and a bustling crowd at the casual deck bar below. The prices upstairs are also lofty, with several entrees in the $60-plus range. Fortunately, the big menu has plenty of smaller, more approachable grazing options.

Stick with plates showcasing the locally sourced bounty: Sweet Amalia oysters grilled with garlic butter; deftly grilled skewers of lobster with nuoc cham aioli; sweet seared scallops with corn and edamame succotash. The sushi menu is wildly popular, but I wasn’t impressed with the mall-grade rice and ordinary fish. The spice-encrusted steak sourced from Hammer’s uncle in Virginia was the best of the big ticket plates. The cloud-like blueberry cheesecake from The Bake Works in Northfield is a dessert that shouldn’t be missed.

Fish House, 502 Sunset Blvd., Cape May, N.J. 08204; 609-699-5696; fishhousecapemay.com. Port Marina and Restaurant, 954 Ocean Dr., Cape May, N.J. 08204; 609-884-5444; portcapemay.com.

Wild Roots Provisions

Candace Carpio and Jamie Merlino are two Cape May restaurant vets who built a specialty food market inspired by the local bounty and their travels abroad. You’ll find Balinese sambal, algae cooking oils, chamoy candies, and Jawndiment sauces on their well-curated shelves. The couple is also cooking prepared foods that should become Cape May’s takeout stars of the summer, such as a shrimp salad bright with fennel and an irresistible chicken salad seasoned British-style with curry and apricot.

The “Daddy Tom” pork sandwich is worth a trek: Merlino’s homage to her family’s South Philly roots, it features juicy pulled pork piled onto a seeded roll with sharp provolone, broccoli rabe, and long hots. It’s so good that I took one bite and understood immediately why an ex-pat Philadelphia chef at the Shore told me it made him so homesick “it almost made me cry.”

Wild Roots Provisions, 316 Beach Ave., Cape May, N.J. 08204; 609-551-4912; wildrootsprovisions.com.

Hot Dog Tommy’s

Given the cost of eating out at the Shore, it’s reassuring to know Cape May still has a destination-worthy hot dog stand. You can’t miss it, since co-owner Bruce Carlino (a.k.a. “Hot Dog Tommy”) is usually standing out front of the takeout window directing traffic in his hot dog hat. The dogs are familiar Berks brand beef and pork links from Reading (with vegan or carrot weiner options, too), and the topping variations are vast (from Chicago-style to myriad international flavors).

But Tommy’s may be most notable for its commitment to gluten-free offerings, including an impressive gluten-free bun and a unique fryer equipped with special filters and guards to assure that those crispy french fries are free of any gluten cross-contamination.

Hot Dog Tommy’s, 319 Beach Ave., Cape May, N.J. 08204; 609-884-8388; hotdogtommys.com.