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Bar Anticipation

2.3 (465 reviews)
ModerateNew American, Bars
Open 10:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

Bar Anticipation Photos

BAR ANTICIPATION ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Very loud
DJ
Casual
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Bar Anticipation

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Reviews With Photos - Bar Anticipation

Chastity R.

Unofficially the best place to be in Belmar, I had to see what the fuss was all about. I was meeting friends so that in itself was a puzzle because there's an outside, an outside stage, an inside bar, an inside bar by the stage, and it goes on. The place was large and busy so pro-tip, have your friend meet you outside first. The food was good. Go during Happy Hour. The prices inside were different from prices outside so plan accordingly. Overall, a good experience but the best part was the staff. UNBELIEVABLY, all so kind! Esp the dude that was serving us when we moved indoors. Wish I got his name because he was excellent!

Halle H.

Wait was reasonable! Really something that everyone should try at least once if coming to the area.

a man walking down a sidewalk
Joseph P.

What is there to say about Bar A??? The biggest, happiest, most crowded, most exciting scene on the Jersey Shore. Nothing else compares or even comes close! Legend has it that the Fourth of July crowd was the single largest gathering in a bar in America. Eight bars, all different, sand bars, kiosks, dancing, picnicking , fun food, barbecue, etc. like a family gathering on a massive scale. If you can't have fun here, something is wrong with your life!

Grotto
Monica D.

Very unassuming place from the outside but it's a real fun spot. Reasonably priced drinks, TVs, multiple hangout locations and bars. My friend has the shrimp cocktail and liked it a lot. Would def go back!

Roast beef sandwich
Cathy O.

I loved this place!!! It is absolutely huge, with outdoor and indoor sections. All kinds of wonderful environments for drinking. My in-laws took us here, and I was wowed. There was live music, and it turned out my daughters new in-laws knew the saxophonist (my fav instrument) so I was doubly wowed. The dance floor was crowded, so I was very happy we found seats at the bar, against the back wall, facing the band. We had just come from a happy hour with food, but I was still hungry, and we were able to order dinner at the bar. I got Tuscan chicken with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes. It was delicious but enormous! My husband just ordered a roast beef sandwich and fries. Afterwards, we checked out one of the outside areas. A+ night.

Chicken & broccoli in a cream sauce with brown rice

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2 years ago

Loud. Fun when you're in your 20s. Now everyone is sloppy af haha. Try going to Porta instead

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2 years ago

Went on a Sat. in Sept. very crowded, chaotic. Felt a little out of place, guess I'm too old for this stuff.

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Ask the Community - Bar Anticipation

How is it on a rainy Tuesday? It is worth driving too?

Always

Are you open Christmas night?

I’m sure.., they never skip a reason to party.. great happy hour

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Review Highlights - Bar Anticipation

Went for the Beat the Clock night and it surpassed all expectations.

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Cavé Bistro - Grass-Fed Beef-Roasted Marrow Burger

Cavé Bistro

4.4(233 reviews)
1.3 mi
$$

Drove 1.5 hrs and walked in just past 4pm lunch on a Saturday afternoon. While waited for 5pm…read moredinner, went for a walk in this beautiful town Avon-by-the -Sea. I would imagine reservations are a must during summer months. Was able to be seated without one at 5pm. Wonderful healthy options. Ordered the Vegetable Curry Bowl- 23 with Pasture Raised Chicken- 30. Was amazing. My wife had the Cavé Classic Chicken Veggie Soup- 10. Also very very good. All organic, farm picked & raised & all gluten free. Prices were very reasonable. Was able to park right in front of establishment. It seems menus constantly change. With amazing options throughout the year. Can't wait to try something on the lunch menu. Kudos to the chef.

Visited Cave Bistro off the recommendation of a friend, and also DDD (iykyk)…read more I've frequented many DDD Restaurant's in the past, and they always seem to be very crowded. So just to be safe, I did make a reservation right when the restaurant opened. Seems to say I played it a bit too safe, I was the only one i there for the first 20-min.! In any case, then dining area was very bright and open, and I was seated near the window, which I enjoyed. I tried three foods, appetizer-entree-dessert, here's the breakdown: 1) Appetizer: Pan Roasted Achiote Octopus ($22) which has Shaved Pickled Carrots & Onions, Chermoula. For 1 person, this was quite substantial and a delicious start to the meal. The octopus wasn't tough, it was cooked perfectly, with a nice char-grilled flavour. Paired up with the accoutrements, it was a 10/10 way to begin my meal! 2) Entree: Grass-Fed Beef-Roasted Marrow Burger ($26) which has Raclette Cheese, Caramelized Onion-Tomato Jam, Fresh Baked Gluten Free Brioche Bun, & Beef Tallow Fries. Why 4-stars? Because of this item. The day I arrived the restaurant was trying their new "Baked Gluten-Free Brioche" on me, apparently I was one of the first --- the bread was dry AF, lol! I loved the burger --- the marrow taste, the raclette cheese --- I sing their praises, but wrong day to test out the "test bread"! It ended up on a Yelp Review. Hopefully the bread-recipe has been improved on after this review. PS: The onion-tomato jam perfectly pairs with the richness of the marrow burger. 3) Lastly, I ordered for dessert the bread pudding. They don't put their desserts on the menu, but if you ask the server they will let you know what the restaurant has for the day. I believe it's seasonal as well. It was average at best, good ---- but didn't stand-out. Overall, I'd totally recommend a stop-by if you're in the area! It's always awesome visiting these sites features on DDD, and tasting for yourself the hype behind their food!

Photos
Cavé Bistro - Outside view

Outside view

Cavé Bistro - The Bison, The Duck and The Egg (bison burger)

The Bison, The Duck and The Egg (bison burger)

Cavé Bistro - Bison duck and egg burger

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Bison duck and egg burger

The Grand Tavern - Burger with parsley-garlic butter & white cheddar (the delicious fries came on the side!).

The Grand Tavern

4.3(294 reviews)
2.1 mi
$$$

I'm in a mood so I'm gonna go on one today…read more The Grand Tavern is hands down the best restaurant in the area. My husband and I have been going here for years. We don't come as often as we used to because yes it is pricey but I would much rather come here and have a special night with incredible service, food, and drinks than still spend over $100 at another restaurant and get average food. The Grand Tavern is unpretentious, welcoming, entrees offer sizable portions. I have NEVER left hungry. Main complaints I see are price - again, yes it's expensive but it's worth it. Also you can see the menu before you go, how do you not know what you're walking into?? Complaints about the burger. First of all the menu changes seasonally. There's no way their patty is frozen. Everything is FRESH AF. And yeah, American cheese is king on a burger. Again, it's on the menu what did you expect? This is a restaurant that has literally never disappointed. I will always save my pennies for a great night out here. Everyone's entitled to their opinion obviously but entitlement is a hell of a drug. Check out the menu and have a great night.

Terrific food, my cavatelli was great, and the swordfish fresh and tasty. Fun cocktail service…read more (though it's Lent, so I was happy they offer a great NA IPA. The other 5 in my group enjoyed their drinks. Our server took our orders verbally, and all apps and mains came out without a hitch. No menus handed (they ask you to look at their website to choose!) and the menu is small, with specials limited to cocktails. It is dark and quite noisy (they did dial back the loudness after we asked) so keep that in mind.)

Photos
The Grand Tavern - Indoor

Indoor

The Grand Tavern - Arancini

Arancini

The Grand Tavern - Espresso martini, brut

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Espresso martini, brut

Marina Grille

Marina Grille

3.1(629 reviews)
0.4 mi
$$

Went to Marina Grille last night with my girlfriends as we are visiting Avon by the Sea for the…read moreweek. To start- this restaurant is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Its on the water, so we waited for an outside table. We only waited about 25 mins on a very busy night (we were quoted 45) which I was pleased by. The tuna nachos were my favorite bite of the night. The plate was giant to share and the flavors were delicious. I got the shrimp and lobster pasta and if you are considering that, I would pass. The shrimp had a funny, almost lemon essense flavor. The lobster was tasty (can't really mess up lobster). The pasta however was mucky in my opinion. The pasta itself was broken so it wasn't easy to twirl and the flavor was just very bland. My friends got the salmon and the shrimp. Both looked delicious. I do have to mention that we did love that the entrees came with a side salad. Overall it was a lovely spot. Absolutely beautiful there. Hang at the outside bar as you wait for your table!

I wanted to give this place 5 stars but I cannot. Went recently with my bestie for some post-beach…read moreoysters, drinks and snacks. I should have been suspicious when I ordered a glass of prosecco at the bar and it was just super cheap tasting. It was only $10 so I guess you get what you pay for. There was also a gross dirty napkin just sitting on the bar that was not attended to. At the table, I ordered their peach spritz. It was not spritzy and light as one would hope. It was extremely sweet and gloopy with syrup. Not refreshing. My friend had the strawberry mocktail and had to send it back due to its unpleasant taste. The waitress was pleasant and just took it off our bill. We ordered a dozen oysters. These oysters tasted flat like old gray dishwater. I think maybe the kitchen didn't bother to spot check quality. I think these were Blue Points, but they tasted like wet bathroom slippers. Next we had the clams. These were actually very good, but after the oysters, I was expecting very little. We then tried the crab cocktail. For $30, it was 3 tablespoons of crab on garnish lettuce. The crab was just so so, a bit dry, and totally not worth $30. We both decided to try the lobster bisque. They overloaded it with heavy cream. But the worst part was the garlic bread on top. Hard, chewy and clearly STALE. For the price and low quality, Marina Grille should be ashamed of themselves.

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Marina Grille
Marina Grille
Marina Grille

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Brandl - Shishito Peppers and Mushrooms

Brandl

2.9(315 reviews)
0.4 mi
$$$

Enjoying JERSEY SHORE…read moreRESTAURANT WEEK MENU APRIL 10-19TH! Hubby picked Brandl for dinner with our daughter! When we arrived, there was no one to greet us. We waited a bit before being seated! There was indoor and outdoor seating. Party of 3 and the restaurant week menu had 3 choices for each course! Our daughter had the best idea and we ordered all three for each course and had a fabulous taking menu! Food was really tasty! We didn't realize it was BYOB - wine store around the block. Service was a bit slow. We had to flag down the staff, But staff friendly and smiling. Maybe just an off day with staffing! Food was definitely worth returning! Plenty of parking. Loved the murals!

This is one of our favorite restaurants. It is not a place you can go every week because it is…read morepricey, however, the food has always been delicious. During this trip, we ordered the steak for 2 as an entree; shishito peppers, mushrooms, onion rings as sides; pot stickers as an app; and a red velvet soufflé as a dessert. The steak was perfectly cooked, smoky and the seasoning was delicious. The two sauces on the side complimented the steak very well. The sides were also delicious. I did not expect the sides to be as tasty as they were!! The potstickers had an AMAZING filling but the consistency of the shell was a little chewy, but we are being very critical because of the price. Finally, the dessert came with a marscapone-like cream that we put on the soufflé and it melted into the dessert. We would definitely reccomend the soufflé but make sure you ask for it at the beginning of your meal because it takes 45 minutes to cook! We thought the service was good. We did have to wait 20 minites for our reservation, however, the host let us know there would be a wait and while we were waiting a waiter came out and opened our wine bottle and gave us glasses. We also love the ambiance of the restaurant. It is well decorated, clean, and well worth the trip.

Photos
Brandl
Brandl
Brandl

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Bar Anticipation - newamerican - Updated July 2026

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