I've been coming to Manasquan since I was a kid. Carlson's Corner has been a staple for as long as I remember. Most of my experiences have been of late night ice cream runs, and it's always been reliable. But from what I can remember, I don't think I've ever ordered food from them beyond just ice cream. That is, until this year. During our week long stay down the shore, my wife was really in the mood for chicken tenders and we knew that Carlson's had them. So one afternoon, after a few hours spent on the beach, we head to Carlson's. The wait was longer than I expected for an order of chicken tenders. Besides that, good service from the young staff. But when they did come out, they were hot and fresh. I would never have guessed that some of the best chicken tenders I've ever had would come from here. The breading was perfect. It wasn't excessive, certainly not to the point where there was more breading than chicken. The tenders were crispy and had a sprinkle of sea salt which added to the experience and flavor. We got the chicken tender basket, which included 5 chicken tenders along with fries. We expected fewer tenders, maybe 3, so we were surprised (and dare I say even impressed) by the decent portion. The fries were lackluster, in my opinion. I would've liked them to have been more seasoned, especially since the addition of just fries added $5 compared to if we only ordered the chicken. Some were crispy, which was nice. But would've liked more flavor and more crunch. From that day on, it's hardly an exaggeration to say my wife became obsessed with Carlson's. The next day, she ordered a crab cake sandwich with chipotle mayo. She was a fan of this too, although the chicken tenders remained #1. That night, we came back for ice cream. I ordered the cookie monster flavor and s'mores, while she got the maine bear (raspberry) and the s'mores. We both liked the flavors we got, but agreed that the s'mores didn't quite live up to expectations. I expected a s'mores ice cream to contain marshmallows, but from what I recall the only inclusions were chocolate chips. So a bit of a misleading name. Still good, but there's room for improvement. The next day, our final day of our stay down the shore, we returned for one last order of tenders. Yet again, they did not disappoint. Our only regret is that we didn't start our trips to Carlson's earlier in our trip. My wife is very much looking forward to coming back next year, and to trying their soft serve. read more

I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of the full wrap because it was so delicious that I ate the first half way too fast! There's plenty of seating outside, both shaded and in the sun. Even on a sunny day, the breeze keeps you cool and makes it a really nice spot to sit and enjoy your food. read more

Carlson's Corner - Lifeguard wrap w/bacon instead of pork roll - Salad Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

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Pathetic. $25 for 2 hot dogs and 2 drinks. Not busy at all, but we waited HALF AN HOUR and get 2 little crap kids Oscar Meyer wieners . After a lifetime of coming here - will never go back. read more

Best burger on the beach....and although not the traditional they make a mean fried egg & sausage on an English muffin.

Iconic local spot - tons of seating by the ocean and inlet - gorgeous views. Ice cream, chicken Caesar wrap, great food. Great coffee spot as well for real barrista style coffee! Dog friendly - water bowls and pup treats. read more

Best chicken fingers and burgers. Service was great. The owner came and talked to everyone. Highly recommend!!

Had the chicken fingers this weekend. Delicious!! Cool vibe!! Nice little spot! We will be back!!

Carlsons corner is an inlet staple passed on from generation to generation. The location truely adds to the aroma of that first bite into your hamburger. Today I had a BLT and boy can I say. It was scrumptious. The lettuce and tomato were up to par, however the bacon exceeded my expectations. The white toasted bread made for a tasty crunch. Only downside to this sandwich was its price, yet understandable due to its beach location. Love the service such nice people. - Tom Kim, four out of five. read more

Behold the contents on a $9 Fried Flounder Sandwich. copious bread, lettuce, tomato and what looks like a small fish tender. I've seen bigger fish sandwiches at McDonalds for $1. read more

Carlson's Corner - Fried Flounder sandwich - Salad Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

For what it is, it's a wonderful little place. A snack bar, some picnic tables, ice cream and a somewhat limited menu (actually there is no menu per se, just a white board with entries listed in magic marker) breakfast sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs....it's so nice to take a bike ride here at the end of the road, beside the Manasquan Inlet, where the ends of the road, boardwalk and river meet the ocean. Stop for a Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich, or a cup of coffee and take your time to enjoy the atmosphere. read more

Always part of my Manasquan day experience. Have been enjoying the burgers,fries, & ice cream here for decades!

carlsons corner is a manasquan classic! for the full manasquan experience i totally recommend getting an ice cream cone or a side of fries and bringing it back to the beach to munch on. read more

Not sure why this place doesn't get reviewed. I guess it's the type of spot you just fall into with your parents and eventually always go back to. Originally fell in here 40 years ago. I live on the other coast now but somehow I always get back here. Now I take my kids for ice cream, burgers etc etc Such a cute little beach place. Reminds me that life can be that simple if you choose. Not sure who owns it? Maybe family owned? Just a great spot and many memories I hope to keep building there. Peace. read more

Carlson's Corner - Salad Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

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Solid food, not too pricey, can't beat the view. Carlson's even got a mention in Springsteen's autobiography-he's seen walking along the Inlet on occasion! read more

Love the Carlson's cheese burger with bacon. My wife ordered the chicken and cheese quesadilla and it was great. You can never go wrong with a fountain Coca Cola with a meal from Carlson's. read more

I like this spot in Manasquan. They have a nice selection of food, including ice cream and breakfast. The pork roll sandwiches here are quality and my favorite buffalo wrap tastes very fresh. Service is also relatively quick, I've had no issues here. This corner is frequented by mostly families, so long lines of hungover people on Saturday/Sunday morning are uncommon. The only issue is that prices are jacked up like any other eatery on the shore -- but unlike those other eateries, the food here is actually yummy. read more

3.5/5 for me here Between the two options at the end of the street by the water, pick this one over Riverside Cafe. They have a better menu selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We did an assortment of wraps, mozzarella sticks and nachos which did the job in satisfying the hunger craze. Tons of outdoor seating also make it more enjoyable. We also finished off the meal with some ice cream. They have several soft serve flavors and maybe 12 or so hard ice cream flavors. A handful of toppings also available to finish off your masterpieces. Prices are all reasonable and staff was friendly. Coming off the boat or beach and looking for a quick bite, pop in here. Buon appetito read more

First off I'm a local and been coming here for 20+ years. For the last 10 years the food has been hit or miss. This year it's been amiss every time I went but there is no other place to get food around here besides the garbage rip off restaurant Riverside Cafe across the street. I am compelled to write a review on yesterday's food because it was so bad. I ordered a crispy chicken sandwich. What I got was chunks of fried batter that was so salty I was afraid that they were trying to cover something up with the salt. There was barely a piece of anything that resembled chicken. It was insulting that they would serve this to me or anyone else. I know they knew exactly what they served, you don't cook something like that on accident. They had the nerve to pass that off to me just to make a buck? I am so mad I wasted my money on such garbage. I was really upset. These people need to be held accountable for what they are passing off as food. I have only written two other bad reviews EVER but I need them to know that this is unacceptable!! Have some pride in your business. Tell your cooks to make decent food! I wish I had got my money back. Never again will I spend my money there. read more

Surprisingly good meal here. I enjoyed the freshly made wrap. The spot is hard to beat. Located right at the southern end of manasquan beach, this is a good spot to grab a quick lunch instead of packing one. Prices are reasonable, service is ok. Popular spot with the locals, there is usually a moderate crowd here. Parking can be tricky if you aren't already at the beach. The spots along the river are one hour only so hang around a bit and one will open. read more

Carlson's corner is one of my favorite spots by the inlet. Food is tasty and I typically get their chicken tenders. The staff has a positive attitude and the ambience is unbeatable (so remember that when you look at the prices). They also serve both hard and soft ice cream. read more

Carlson's Corner - Chickens tenders with some sea salt and fries by the beach, all a girl can ask for! - Salad Near Me - Manasquan, New Jersey

This place is really nice the food is good. I always go here but I do have some complaints mainly two. One is that they are very slow at making food which makes sense because of these times but this is constant . Another thing is sometimes they mess up orders. For example I ordered a chicken sandwich twice and both times got the wrong order. read more

Went here for breakfast. Friendly service but just edible food. Seemed expensive for just ok fare.

So I have been in Florida the last 8 years. I finally moved back home to manasquan where I was raised. I orders a cheese with aka a cheeseburger with lettuce tomoato and onion. This was what carlsons was known for. What came out was a cheeseburger with nothing on it. The lack of lettuce and tomato was not the problem. The tiny small burger was. How can this owner look him self in the mirror and charge 7 dollars for a burger that is not worth 3 and go to sleep happy. McDonald's has a better burger and that's sad. This place used to be my go to place on the beach it was friendly good spot. While ordering the last taking the order was clueless had no idea what a cheese with was and must have said multiple times I typed in th wrong thing sorry..... I would not recommend anyone spend any money to a place that has gone so far down hill to where it once was. read more

Last night we stopped by for fried Oreos as we waited for the fireworks to begin on the beach....we placed our order of fried Oreos & as we waited watched multiple people come and go whom order after us. After 10 minutes of waiting waiting we asked what is taking so long ...the cook told us "we do all the dinners before the desserts...once all the dinners are made we will move on to your desserts"....which is absolute bullsh**. The orders should be made in the order they were received ... When we asked to speak to a manager he told us "what do u want do u want the Oreos or your money back ...what he told you is the way it's run here"....with that being said we took our money back and will never be seen there again ...i have never wrote a yelp review before but had to make an account to show how terrible their customer service is! read more

This review is based on the grilled tilapia wrap alone, which should be a staple of everyone's shore diet! Simply put, the wrap is stoopid-good. It's not battered (like many fish wraps) which makes it taste infinitely better. It's not terribly unhealthy for you, but does clock in a bit pricey at just over $10. Overall, Carlson's is an iconic hot-spot at the Manasquan inlet, and it should not be missed. Buy a sandwich (a burger or wrap as it were), chill out at the picnic tables, or take your food across the street for a closer view of the water. Blows the completion away (directly across the street) in every category. read more

My kids are at camp again this year in Sea Girt. Definitely stopping by Carlson's Corner at drop off and pick up! Also giving them a shout out via my daughter who is a jr counselor. The teenagers are allowed breaks from camp food and I highly recommend Carlson's Corner. read more

Have been eating there since they opened up. Went there last week and was disappointed. The hot dog was under cooked and the roll wasn't toasted hardly at all. French fries were good and the counter help was nice. In the previous years, they would really toast/grill the roll almost flat and roll the dogs until they were really cooked well done. Guess I could have requested that but just wasn't the same. 1962-1963 time frame until now. I came from ortley beach area up. Used to be worth the ride. Between fishing and surfing at the jetty, they were the best around. I will try one more visit. Rod read more

Yeah, it's an over priced Benny Trap but it's either this or GeeGees.

The staff is friendly they make you feel like family. The ice cream is refreshing and a good selection too. The food is always cooked well and the view is amazing. If you are in the area you must In or you are going to miss something special! read more

What's good here? EVERYTHING. The best food, the best ice cream and a killer view. The staff is great (particularly the one with the bandana, and you can tell how hard they work. Carlsons Corner is the best restaurant on the shore! read more

Came for breakfast, hash browns are crispy and the breakfast sandwiches are huge and yummy!! They have a lot of out door seating, which is dog friendly ( it's very close to the dog beach ) read more

Absolutely love this place! Give the owners a ton of credit for suffering Sandy's wrath two months after purchasing the business. Place looks great, pictures posted in store show all the work they put into it to get it ready for summer '13. Food is fantastic, can't say enough about the Lifeguard Wrap, Original Carlson's Burger, and Cheesesteaks. Staff and counter girls are great, owners very friendly. Can't beat the location. read more