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Belmar, NJ - anyone been?
Has anyone been to this area of the Jersey shore in the summer? Staying there in July for a family vacation and was wondering if anyone had tips or recommendations on good places to eat, ice cream, things to do, nightlife, etc. I have never been to the Jersey shore at all so any insight or tips are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!! = )
Married 
8.31.2008<br>
8.31.2008<br>
Re: Belmar, NJ - anyone been?
I lived there for 8 years and have lived in the general area my entire life. Belmar is a younger resort and is known a bit for it's nightlife.
Favorite restaurants in no particular order (all within 10 minutes of Belmar):
St. Stephen's Green is my favorite. Rt. 71 in Spring Lake (great bar too). Actually, any of the restaurants/pubs down Rt. 71 in Spring Lake are good & have good bars.
Sunsets, Rt. 35 in Neptune for the view / boatside dining (right across the bridge from Belmar) . We usually go for lunch b/c it's a bit pricey. We go for atmosphere more than the food (which is good, just not great)
Rod's Tavern, Washington Blvd in Sea Girt. Very popular. Go early or expect a wait.
Klein's Fish Market, Main St & River Rd in Belmar. I don't like seafood at all so we haven't eaten there but it's a very popular, very casual (i.e. paper plates) restaurant
Hoffman's Ice Cream is a local icon (Church St. Spring Lake)
Maccanico's Ice Cream & Italian Ice on Main Street in Belmar is good too
Surf Taco - casual mexican on Main St. Belmar
Due Amici for nicer Italian - in Brielle
Casual Italian - Federico's on Main St. in Belmar
Pastries from Freedman's on Main St in Belmar!!!
If you don't mind driving a little bit further (15 minutes), there are awesome restaurants in Asbury Park. Asbury Park has been going through a renaissance and is really coming back with awesome restaurants and shopping. Trinity & The Pope (Cajun) is my favorite restaurant and does small portions so it's fun to go with a group and sample a bunch of stuff. Old Man Raffertys is also good. Moonstruck is one of highest rated restaurants in NJ. Then if you hit the boardwalk in Asbury Park all the restaurants there are great but I especially like Langosta Lounge (same owner as Trinity & The Pope).
Things to do:
The beach!!! Depending on where you are staying in Belmar, I prefer the beach in Spring Lake. Free parking and more of a quiet crowd.
Boardwalk in Belmar for strolling.
Boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant for more to do. If you have young kids, the aquarium is great.
Six Flags Great Adventure is about 30 minutes away in Jackson
Rent a bike and cycle through Spring Lake & Sea Girt. The houses there are amazing! Avon (town north) is nice too.
Fishing boat excursions from marina on Rt. 35. I just enjoy relaxing on boat while DH fishes.
Riverboat cruise from Pt. Pleasant or Brielle
Shopping: Jersey Shore Premium Outlets in Tinton Falls. Make sure you print the coupon book from their website.
Bars/Nightlife:
The bars in Belmar are very popular. D'Jais on Ocean Blvd and Bar A on 16th Ave attract a younger crowd. Asbury Park boardwalk bars are very good too plus they have a lot of entertainment there.
Hope that helps!!!
finally:) - wow, thanks for all of the info! I appreciate it.
littlejen - We are renting a house for the week. I am not sure of the street as my in-laws booked it. But I do know that it is near Main Street and 3 blocks from the beach. It will be my mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, her husband and two kids (ages 6 and 3) plus my husband and myself. We are in our late 20s. SIL and BIL are mid 30s. We prefer a place with good drinks and music (DJ) over a place with a band. Hope this helps for suggestions! Thanks = )
Finally gave a lot of great info. We really like St. Stevens but I am not a fan of Kleins although it is VERY popular, DH and I only went once and the food was very overcooked but our friends had the same food and were happy with it.
As for going out, I would recommend the same places, but I will say that in their 30s and parents I would expect your ILs to feel out of place in Bar A or DJs, in your 20s it will feel much more normal. I was never a fan of DJs b/c I am more of a band person but it is a very popular place. I used to really like Bar A and hanging out outside.
I also used to hang out a lot at Headliner, they have a DJ on Saturday nights and they have bars inside and out...not sure if Finally has any newer info on it but you might be able to walk to DJs and Bar A so you might not want to go farther.
Oh, and there are a few pizza places across from the ocean, I like the one on 18th best, across the street from DJs...I think it is something like Gunnys.
I grew up there so I have a few more things to add.
Check out The Circus Drive In Restaurant in Wall. It's less than 5 minutes away.
http://circusdrivein.com/Home_Page.html
Also there is a GREAT vegetarian restuarant in Belmar called Kaya's Kitchen. It gets very busy and the wait can be long but the food is very good.
I totally forgot about the Circus Drive In. I love it there!!! We live about 30 minutes north of Belmar now and make at least one annual trek down to the Drive In every year.
I live in the Jersey shore area...I agree with everything EXCEPT Freeman's Bakery. They were recently closed down (once again) by the board of health. I believe they found rats! GROSS!
Del Ponte's in Bradley Beach is a much better option.
I hear Cubacon in Asbury Park is a great Cuban Restaurant...