8 Best Restaurants in New Jersey Shore, New Jersey

This six-table, deli-style café sells fresh, high-quality food, such as salmon encrusted with pistachios, crisp salads, sandwich wraps, and baked goods. Although the chef is Italian, he sometimes cooks thick, tender Irish pork chops smothered in a secret sauce and sauerkraut, which is excellent. Eat in if a table is available, or buy food for a picnic or to take back to your room.

It isn't fine dining, but for fast meals and late-night cravings along the Boardwalk, those in the know turn to this lilliputian food counter where dollar bills stand in for wallpaper. They sling burgers and dogs, but simple Greek food is where they excel. Grab a gyro on the way to the beach or back from the casino, or opt for a quick breakfast, which is served all day long. In the summer, they're generally open 24 hours a day.

Watch the boats come and go from dockside in Gardner's Basin as you linger over a breakfast of Frisbee-size blueberry hot cakes or omelets and grits---some think it's the best breakfast in town; for lunch, there are sandwiches, hot dogs, and crab cakes. The food is obviously just as good inside, but it's worth a wait for a seat on the dock. There's another location at the Tropicana, as well as two other New Jersey locations. 

Steps from the Boardwalk, you'll feel like you stepped into a time capsule at this former speakeasy turned Irish pub. It's a great spot for lunch away from the casinos serving traditional pub fare like sandwiches, salads, and burgers, and there are numerous beers on tap as well as an Irish gift shop.

Whether you're in the mood for Thai, Japanese, Chinese, or Korean food, you'll find numerous options—noodles, stir fry, pho, or classic favorites like spring rolls, pad thai, and fried rice—that will soothe your Far East-food cravings. Drink options (in addition to the regular American offerings) include Vietnamese Iced Coffee (made with condensed milk), Thai Iced Tea, coconut, mango, and aloe vera juices, a range of sake, and imported Asian beers like Asahi, Tsingtao, and Kirin.

Head to this butcher shop and deli and get in line for take-out. Tom Bailey's functions like a New York-style deli, churning out sandwiches, wraps, and salads for a steady stream of locals and summer residents. You can also pick up prime cuts of meat, homemade sausage, and even a selection of cheese, fruit, and desserts. On summer evenings from Thur.–Sun. waitstaff services the outdoor garden patio. At other times, you can take food to go or seat yourself.

Evening meals in this renowned 40-seat, Victorian restaurant are perfectly romantic. Sink into red tufted chairs under ornate crystal chandeliers and relax. The owner personally handles reservations, welcomes diners, and oversees the staff. The contemporary menu changes weekly, but always emphasizes seafood, especially New Jersey sea scallops when they're in season. A full sushi menu is available year-round. In addition to fish, consider the lamb shank, the pork tenderloin, or the grilled, barrel-cut filet mignon. BYOB.

The place claims to have made more than 23 million overstuffed sandwiches since 1946. Make sure you grab a sub (don’t call it a hoagie, hero, or grinder) to enjoy on your trip home; there's also a location at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. You’ll probably need an Italian sub or a White House Special (similar to the Italian sub but with more of everything) to help you recover from all the fun you’ve had. Celebrities seem to love it too; check out the walls of photos and memorabilia, where even a framed towel used by Frank Sinatra during his last Atlantic City performance doesn't seem all that odd.