What a nice surprise! My wife an I really enjoyed this. If you're looking for a cool atmosphere to have fish n chips and beer this is the place! read more

Barnacle Bill's - Bar - Bars Near Me - Rumson, New Jersey

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First visit was Friday night with my brother, and if I was ever going to take a 79-minute train ride for a burger it would either be there or at The Blazer (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-blazer-pub-purdys) Had the burger with cheddar sauce. Ask for it on an english muffin, you can thank me later. The wings were great too, all in all a great little place. Would have been five stars if the bartenders were more attentive, but that's just me being a nitpicky city slicker. Besides, buying 4 beers and getting change on a $20 bill was something I hadn't experienced in a while. I'll be returning, that's for sure. read more

Go to Barnacle bills for the chicken sandwich. It's the best in the area. Nice big well cooked piece of chicken, bun is lightly toasted. Lettuce and tomato on the side. Fries were golden and crunchy not soft. Also, shared a chopped salad with my wife. Turkey, Salami, Swiss, chick peas, Romaine, and chopped tomatoes, with a Dijon vinaigrette dressing. Very good and properly priced. read more

Update: it was AMAZING just as I expected it to be. Barnacles will always be my go to burger place in NJ and other places can only hope to make a burger half as good as theirs. Did I mention I don't generally LIKE burgers? I'm always disappointed but have never been disappointed at Barnacle Bills. Awesome as always! read more

Great place right on the water. They grill big juicy burgers behind the bar, which are usually great. The only concern is to watch out for a "squisher" As your burger cook will vary from time to time, some of them have a fetish for occasionally smashing the burgers with the spatula during cooking, this results in a dry burger. That being said there are only a couple of these grill guys who do this. read more

Heather and the staff were amazing! They were very patient with an unruly customer! Great food and atmosphere!

Fantastic experience at this restaurant. I loved how inviting the atmosphere was and how friendly the employees were. I took my kids here for a quick bite to eat and they enjoyed the food as well and always want to go back. 100% read more

The food was good. Great French onion soup. The zucchini was ok it could have been thinner sliced and it needed some flavor. The burger was great and cook perfectly to order. The service was really good. The bus boys were always moving and taking empty plates and cups off the table. I will definitely go back again!! read more

Barnacle Bill's - Best daiquiri I've had. Strawberry made with ice cream. Yummy!! - Bars Near Me - Rumson, New Jersey

This place is amazing yummy food and good service. Ive been going here for years and my whole family enjoys the food. read more

Barnacle Bill's - Bars Near Me - Rumson, New Jersey

Well, I love the food... but it is not telling of the service you will have. There are some servers that are great (Heather) but the rest are pretty poor. We weren't offered any water or soft drinks after waiting 1.5hr. . I'm disappointed to leave a mediocre review because I truly do love this place but I just want the owners to know their servers are doing them a great injustice and the support staff is pulling all the weight. read more

Nice view, for sure, but everything else is gross. The food is bad. The grilled burgers have no flavor and the accompanying pickles are florescent green. There is nothing fresh about the seafood. The place is dark and dingy, the service is lackluster. It needs a total makeover. read more

@romulus: The burgers are indeed magnificent and have been for years, but so are many, many other things on the broad & varied menu. Some of my favorites include the steamed artichoke, the fried oysters, the chopped salad, and of course the steamers- get a double order & share them! The drinks are good and they pour with a heavy hand: if you order the Long Island Iced Tea, someone else should be driving you home. Service is excellent & friendly, even when they are totally packed. The peanuts and their shells are no more. Too many litigious jerks. It makes the place look neater, but takes away some of its character. read more

Barnacle's you lost a loyal customer today. I have been coming to your restaurant for over 30 years. My family finally got my daughter to feel comfortable to go out to eat by sitting with family and close friends and then your hostess, manager, and waitress treated us horribly after misunderstanding our party size. I can only hope you learn from this incident and treat families better than this. read more

I am so sad to have to write this review. We have been coming here for year and last night was just horrible. We sat down at the bar while waiting for our table. Ordered oysters to start. They came out on the warm side. Which means they are not even being kept cold at all. We tried to eat them and had bits of shell in them . Plus they were so small. We eat them here all the time and they never were like this at all. Next an order of mussels in red sauce. As the mussels itself were fresh the sauce tasted like they opened a can of tomato sauce and threw it over the mussels. A waste we did not even finish them. After we sat down at our table it took forever for someone to come over and take our order. After taking our order we sat for a good 30 minutes before our order even came out. We knew something was wrong because the place was half empty. On a Sunday here it was always packed. My husband ordered a burger medium rare which came out well done . I ordered an open strip steak sandwich rare . My dinner came out at least 15 minutes after my husbands dinner. When it came out it was not what I ordered . It was just a strip steak , but by this time I said to my husband I will just eat it. Well when I tried to cut it ( more like saw it ) it was well done. I chewed on piece that was so tough and dry there was no way I could eat this. I called the waitress over and told her. I asked her to just bring me a plain burger. By this time by husband finished his meal. And we are now sitting another 30 minutes. I have not enough. The waitress was avoiding me. She would not look my way and kept going around the tables to not come near our table. She saw me trying to get her . So I finally had to get up and go get her. I asked nicely " please just get me the check ". I go back to my table , she then brings out the burger . I said I do not want it after all this time please just give us the check. This was our go to place for years. We are so sad that now our love affair is going into a breakup because of lousy food and service . read more

Greatest burger and LIT ever. Love the place wish I lived closer so I could go more often.

This is a fun place to go to! It's great for families and kid, very loud environment! The food is good, not great! It's weird because the menu has an Asian twist to it! You can order traditional sea food... and then the next item will be sweet and sour dumplings. The burgers are really good! It's a fun place to go and watch the sunset.. listen to a band or sit at the bar! They have a lot of different food on the menu which is great for a group! read more

Barnacle Bill's is one of my go-tos! The burger is the best in the area (get it with the onions, mushrooms and cheddar sauce!), the steamers are great, and the house salad dressing is delicious (chopped egg mustard vinaigrette). The decor is fun, too - like a sea captain's dive bar. There is also usually great live music on the weekend, but expect a crowd. read more

I used to LOVE barnacle bills, especially when I was younger. I would meet up with my parents and have lunch there and it was so convenient! But in the past 5-10 years, I don't think it's as good. I was there about 6 months ago and the food was good but I had to wait 1 hour to even sit down! I don't think it was worth it. If you're planning on eating there on a weekend, make a reservation for 4:30-5 pm read more

Amazing place!!! The food here is fantastic. It's a hole in the wall kind of place, typical bar, but it's clean and has a great view of the Navesink river. Their wings are INCREDIBLE!!! Omg they are sooooo good. I've never come here without getting them. They are just amazing. Their drinks are STRONG but also delicious. The long island iced tea is awesome. I highly recommend it. The caesar side salad is a generous size and so good. Last but not least, try their burgers! They are perfectly charred on a fresh bun with lots of cheese. You honestly cannot go wrong here. All of their food is just great. read more

Excellent food and atmosphere. Enough said. I come here as often as I can. So many nautical stuff all over

We've been here twice already! Just moved to NJ, looking for good places to eat, since we love going out to eat on the weekends! This place has great food and excellent service! Will be back! read more

This use to be one of my favorite places to go hang out and get some good food. The food almost never disappoints, however it's not really worth it anymore because the service is terrible. The bartender was slow and borderline rude. And it's pretty clear that it's because he really doesn't give a shit about his job. He know this place is always busy and he will make money so he doesn't have to try. Bummer. read more

Heather was very courteous and professional. She handled herself well when dealing with an unruly customer. I enjoyed my time here.

Peanuts and peanut shells on the floor, hard to get a beer some evenings, inexperienced staff.......................what's not to like? welcome to the Jersey Shore..................... read more

Great burgers!! Lots of fun to sit at the bar, eat peanuts, drop the shells on the floor and watch them cook the burgers. Rest of the menu is ok but nothing special and pricey for what you get. The 4 stars are strictly for the burgers!! read more

No more Nuts http://rumson.patch.com/articles/barnacle-bill-s-tradition-is-just-peanuts read more

Very well known place in Rumson, went there with wife for dinner on a weekend, live band, loud and fun atmosphere, very busy. Burgers are huge and very tasty, good cold beer and very casual environment, sit very close to whoever you are with, as it's hard to hear over loud music! read more

THE BEST CHEESEBURGER in the state! I dream of their cheeseburgers that is how good they taste. They are served with chips and an awesome pickle. We love to eat at the bar to watch them cook the burgers. Bar staff is friendly, cheerful, and efficient. You never wait for a drink. LOVE this place. Put it on your list to try! Go early as this place gets packed. read more

Beautiful location, fun atmosphere, pleasant staff and fantastic food & drink prices. Very light hearted atmosphere. Scenic views over the Navesink River & Marina too. The burgers are big, cooked fresh to order - if not a tad bland. Seafood is fresh, but again, not super flavorful. Steaks seem very good for the money. Lively, cramped bar scene. Be prepared to wait 45-1hr+ on weekend evenings. Their live music is better the typical average act for some reason. A solid 4 stars, would be 5 but the food is just a bit bland/average. read more

The atmosphere itself is good especially for the summer time, it is a laid back and happening environment. It is a little dark inside and it is small so be prepared to wait. I heard the burgers are good as per the other reviews and family members. I got the jumbo soft shell crab sautéed in garlic sauce which was not the best choice. There were two crabs that were sautéed in this thick sauce that seemed like it was straight from a can and overpowering.. I do not like crab skin so it was very difficult to cut open the SOFT shell skin and separate it from the crab meat, which there wasn't much (not the restaurants fault). I think if I got it fried it would have been easier to separate the meat from the crab. The sweet potato fries were very good, and I would come back and order something else on the menu, but definitely not this dish again. In other reviews someone mentioned this to be a "dive bar trying not to be" and that is a fitting description as there are many regulars and locals, and it smelled like throwup when I first walked in.. not sure if there was a trashcan nearby. lol. read more

Throwback award! This place is a time warp, in the best way.

Was referred by a local. Very nice local seafood bar and restaurant. Good food and drinks. Will return. Bruce Springsteen is a frequent patron here. Ha Ha but true! read more

Now the real old timers will remember when the restaurant was on the dock, on the water! However it still has so much charm and great vibe coming from the kitchen. Keep the menu as it is, I love the flaaava. read more

My girlfriend and I just left this disgusting establishment and I cannot believe that this place got 4 stars on yelp. I will say that it was packed and had a nice feel to it, but that's as far as the positives about the place go. Now, I'll tell you about why it's disgusting. We found 2 seats at the end of the bar, and upon sitting down, the first thing I noticed is that there is a grill behind the bar. Ok, no problem there so far. Interesting concept. However, the person making all these "great, juicy burgers" (forming the raw meat patties with his bare hands) is the same person that is collecting your money and pouring your drinks. Yes, the bartender. After touching the meat, I noticed he did not wash his hands one time. NOT ONCE! He would go from forming the patties, to throwing them on the grill, to grabbing a handful of potato chips from a bucket onto your dinner plate, to collecting patrons money back to the grill to put cheese on your burger, all with the same unwashed hands. It doesn't end there. Once the burger is on the plate, it sits on the end of the bar waiting to be picked up by the server to bring to the table. There were people sitting directly in front of where the burgers were waiting, touching their hair, leaning over the food, talking, probably sneezing at some point or coughing. Then these same burgers get brought to customers at a table somewhere in this s--t hole. I was honestly getting angry watching all this happen. I think it is irresponsible of the owner to allow this to be the way his food is handled. I can go on and on some more about how grossed out I was during my short visit here, but I think you all should get the point. Please never order food or a drink other than bottled beer from this place. It's for your own safety. read more

Great burger and view. Ordered muscles and they put the marinara sauce on top horrible. Worst mussels i ever had

This has to be one of the best restaurants in Monmouth county. The view of the Navesink River is amazing and the food is even better. The burgers and hot dogs are amazing and I will never get enough of them. I constantly come back to this place because of the amazing food. The crowds show just how good it is, with people just lining up to get in. read more

The wait to be seated was a little long, but that's because it's a quaint little place with a pleasant at home feel. The server was delightful and kept our drinks filled the entire time. I ordered the burger because word of mouth and boy it did not disappoint. This place is a definite slam dunk if you are looking for a delicious burger and some good drinks. read more

I've lived near Barnacle Bill's and have been going there with family since I was little. As a kid, I loved eating peanuts while waiting for a table and tossing the shells on the floor, but they've stopped this. The building is located on the Navesink river, but there aren't a ton of tables that actually provide a good view. Most of the space is dark and cozy. I've not bothered to go to Barnacle's in recent years. The food is just okay, and there are plenty of other restaurants in the area - including restaurants with river and ocean views - that serve much better food. The burgers are decent, and the seafood is generally just okay. None of the food is bad, but it's also not spectacular. There isn't anything that I "just HAVE to go to Barnacles" for. It gets very crowded very quickly on all nights of the week. It can be a bit of a challenge to find parking in their lot at peak times. The bar is usually too crowded for it to be worth standing at. This summer, I brought a friend to grab a quick burger, but we left and went elsewhere after hearing that there would be a 45 minute wait at 5PM on a Wednesday. Barnacle's is a good place to bring family and kids, or just to grab a burger and a beer. It's also likely appealing to tourists, as it's not too expensive, offers a bit of a river view, serves seafood, and looks cute decorated in nautical decor. As for me, there are plenty of places in the area that I'd rather go to. read more

I've been coming to Barnacles for likely over 30 years. I remember riding my bike with my family from a few towns over to feast on a great burger and play space invaders. Fast forward to today and I now live on the other side of the country. When we stop back to NJ for a few days I will always return to BB. The bucket of Steamers have always been a family tradition and I have to say this is about the only place I can find them. They are served correctly with the perfect broth which I actually take sips of when it cools. It's always best to get one of the fishes on special. The salad with "the house" dressing is spot on with chunks of chopped egg and great flavor. Good bar with good tenders and the service in the restaurant is always good which is not easy for a restaurant that gets so busy. read more

First and foremost, the place is worthy of every accolade including best burgers it has received. The burgers are second to none in a way every a perfect burger should be; big, juicy, tasty and not to mention the mushroom and onions they are served with make them even better. They cook them perfectly. It isn't everywhere you can order a medium-rare burger and actually get it medium-rare. Looking at every table, I can't say I haven't seen at least 1 burger on each. The prices for the burgers are very reasonable as well. $10.95 for a good, I'd guess, 10 oz. burger. Some of the other things I've tried there are their mussels marinara (also delicious), their reuben, french dip, and side house salad with and egg vinaigrette dressing. Sides: must get the sweet potato fries - they are good side wedges and if you've got a hankering for onion rings - YES! Delicious, homemade, not greasy. The service is always on point, for as busy and crowded it ALWAYS is. Along with the great food and service, the views of the river are beautiful, especially on a night sunny evening. Barnacle Bill's definitely has that small, pub, homey feel. It's a must try if you love great burgers! read more

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