While down for the long weekend at our summer share we passed this place and decided to give it a shot. The wait was long and we weren't informed it was byob until we were seated. I was surprised at the lack of healthy options and there's a lot of fried foods on the menu. $22 for a salad? And it was nothing to write home about. The service was slow, the food overpriced even for the shore. Our food took an exceptionally long time to come out and wasn't really hot it was luke warm. With our experience being disappointing we will not be back. read more

Went to the cafe with 6 friends. The experience from start to finish was extraordinary. The seafood apps were awesome, the dinners were prepared to perfection and served by friendly helpful staff... they were excited to serve us. The fresh fish entrees were right off the boat... the deserts tasted like we were at pastry shop in nyc. Everything was great and the view... 10 feet off the water is to dream about.. I cannot wait to return.. heard they have live music on Sunday evenings.. sounds like a fun time...highly recommended! read more

Two visits. Same food order. Same server. First visit attributed to early season and getting routine established. Second visit. Worst then first. Server should stop chatting and get food to the table. read more

We came in tonight with a party of six -- decided to give it another shot after last year going a few times and being nothing short but disappointed unfortunately - we heard that the channel market was under new management this season -- two words ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC !! the waitress (who looked liked Jennifer Aniston) was polite and very attentive !! we had fried calamari, Caesar salad, mussels, and the eggplant flat bread YUMM!!! for dinner we had the crab cakes, two had the fried fish combo, the salmon special, the grilled salmon, and lastly I had the angry lobster IT WAS SO DELICIOUS the broth had such a kick to it ! We will be back for sure read more

First, the food took way too long to get there. Second, I ordered the Ribeye sandwich the entire cut of meat was just fat. It was disgusting. Third, our server as well as many of the others were sitting there eating while we were still waiting for our food. I understand the need for a break but I do not believe they need to be sitting in front of us and eating. Fourth, everyone was slipping everywhere and one of the servers dropped food all over himself. Instead of cleaning up the puddles they just left them. read more

Very disappointing breakfast. We ordered the wharf omelette and it was tasteless. It wasn't even close to what the menu described. The spinach was long and stringy the peppers were not "roasted" as described but bell peepers almost raw. The egg whites where in the shape of a wrap just wrapping the 2 other items. The Tabasco sauce we asked for looked watered down and had a light coloring nothing like the real sauce. My wife left most of her food on the plate. I think we'll head somewhere else next time. read more

First time here with a family table of 12 .. sat outside .. lovely .. took a stroll along the dock while waiting for appy's ... food was great .. service OUTSTANDING (Nico is da man) Neil, the owner took the time to make sure we were happy and .. in the end they deserve more than a 2.5 star rating!!!! I will def be back!! read more

Great experience ~ service was on point and chef Mark, your food was amazing! Started with the crab cake, calamari and the seared tuna~ all excellent! Our scallops,clam strips and shrimp dinners did not disappoint. Thx again for a great Mother's Day meal! ~ Bob J See you again soon! read more

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. Visited Channel Marker last year with friends...very pleased. Came back again tonight with seven other friends... WE WERE ALL SO PLEASED. Service...excellent Food...plentiful and delicious Atmosphere... bayside view, nicely decorated Cleanliness... spotless Highly recommend. read more

Was excited to try this place being we just purchased a summer home near by however it's nothing to write home about. The food was mediocre at best, the decor is dollar store chic and tacky, the silverware is dirty, the bathrooms are disgusting, and there is no bar so you must bring your own and for someone who doesn't drink beer or wine you're stuck with soda from a plastic cup like at the diner. The staff was pleasant but young and on their cell phones the entire time, it just was not a pleasant experience and not worth it. read more

Absolutely the best ! From the salad to the main meal we were all raving about the freshness and taste. And it was my first time there, but won't be the last ! read more

Our breakfast was terrific. Avocado, egg and bacon wrap was delicious and my wife had the French toast (which was the best we ever had). Clean restaurant with a great view. Service is a bit slow, but we are at the shore and can enjoy the view and atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

One of my new favorite places at the shore! The food was amazing, full of flavor with a beautiful presentation. The service was overwhelming welcoming and nice. If anything I recommend making reservations because it is on the smaller size and is pretty popular. read more

We have eaten here 2 more times since this review over the last two years with last night being the last time for us. The glasses/plates/utensils have been dirty each time in our experience. The overall feeling is that it is not a clean restaurant and has a bunch of flies inside. The food is ok but not worth the price and the waitstaff last night was very slow even for the early seating we had. Disappointing since we don't have many local options for OB3. read more

Do not book a party here! I was just informed that the luncheon I was suppose to attend tomorrow is cancelled. We were to attend a small party to celebrate a very special birthday for a life long friend. The Channel marker called to cancel with less than 24 hour notice. Not only did this disappoint all that were to attend but our friend was left last minute to find somewhere to celebrate. This matter should have been handled in a very apologetic manner which it was not. read more

The food and location is great. Staff and service is above and beyond rude. Hours change randomly with no notice. The chef/owner has horrific customer service. Teenage waitresses provide a attitude that's not even worth it. Save your time and money for another restaurant. read more

This was my first time eating here for my parents anniversary and it was less than average. First off, we specifically made reservations for inside due to the temperature outside on a summer day. We sat inside where the temperature was about 85 degrees and when I asked the waitress to lower the air she said this was as cool as it gets. We sat by the sliding glass doors and there was (no exaggeration) 20 or so dead flies on the floor inside and numerous live ones that were flying around and landing on my leg. It wasn't until we were done did the hostess/manager attempt to clean the dead ones up from the second sliding glass door. Pretty gross. Looking back I wish I snapped a picture so you can see i wasn't kidding. I can only imagine how many flies are in the kitchen. The food was underwhelming to say the least. I had a filet mignon and added on shrimp (that the waitress described the shrimp as grilled). When it came out the shrimp had zero grill marks on them and there were only 3 for $12! They definitely weren't $4 shrimp each. Kinda ridiculous. The steak was meh. Complete lack of seasoning and in desperate need of a sauce. My brother had crab cakes and they were not impressive either. The cakes were a decent size but they were borderline burnt on the bottom and again definitely needed a sauce or aioli. They were dry and just topped with corn! My niece had a food allergy and therefore we only ordered plain pasta. When it came out it was dry and hard. The waitress took it back and it wasn't until the bill was paid did we notice it wasn't taken off the check. The waitress seemed like she couldn't be bothered to correct It.... so she didn't. I liked the calamari but everyone else only seemed to like the sauce. Most of the other food was decent. I would definitely try out other places before going back here. read more

Food was good, but not worth the wait. Our party of 3 came in around 12:15 Saturday. We were told it would be a 10 minute wait while they switched over from breakfast. Fine. We were seated around 12:50. Lunch was served at 1:30. Seems if there are any large groups the service suffers. Not likely to try this one again. read more

We have been to channel marker a few times and it's totally hit or miss. This most recent trip we went and I had a fish sandwich we came out completely hard as a rock and brown. Almost to the point if you dropped on the floor it would shatter. The waiter did take it back and I did make a new one which was much better however it took about 40 minutes for another entrée to come out. Which isn't bad if you're just admiring the view. But when you have a two-year-old that's finished and already ate her dinner when the food was first brought out and wants to leave, not very convenient. read more

Had an excellent breakfast (delicious blueberry pancakes & bacon) overlooking the marina & bay...... the service was great & the hostess Claire was awesome!! read more

Great addition to lavallette! Good food- very nice ambience and water front eating a plus. BYOB !

Best service in town. I always stop in when I'm down the shore.love the view of the channel.

Tucked away in a marina is more than a Cafe! Entrees are more like high end gourmet one of a kind dishes. Dined here after Labor day when we were able to make reservations as I have been told it is very hard to dine here during the summer season as the Cafe is on the small size. You have the option to eat inside that has sliding doors that open to the water or outside on the deck for full view of the water. I was especially impressed with the menu from seafood pot pies that were so large you could serve two and their corn seafood chowder was to die for along with the Fish and Chips that also could feed two. Would recommend highly read more

If you have a boat on the dock, I would stick to just apps. If you can go elsewhere don't bother. I got one of the fresh caught fish, red snapper and it was not worth the 26 bucks. I don't mind the price point, but the fish was not fresh or tasty. I got the Caribbean with no mango salsa. The Cajun seasoning was bland and added nothing to the fish. It came with what looked and tasted like bagged, chopped romaine, colorless and bland green beans, and hand cut French fries that were actually pretty good. My boyfriend got the lobster roll. It was a cold French roll sliced and filled with cold lobster meat. No greens, no sauce, dressing, toppings, etc. We did get the Thai calamari with a sweet chili sauce that was great and crispy. We originally ordered the crab balls but the waiter came back to tell us they wouldn't be ready until dinner. We would come back for the calamari and to try those out, especially since they are BYOB. You also get 10% off if you have a boat in the marina here. Much better places to go down the shore otherwise. read more

Went 6/16/18. Was fairly busy with some wait for those without reservations (fathers day weekend, graduation weekend, first weekend with a good forecast) Took a boat ride with 2 other families to dock and dine. We had a party of 11, which nearly half of was kids under the age of 15. Despite being a little late for our reservation and coming in like the unloading of the Ark, the staff (and other diners) were gracious and accepting of our arrival. One of the waiters also assisted with our tie up and was knowledgeable with the routine. We were seated outside and the waitress took care of us right away, explaining the specials and asking if we needed anything while we reviewed the menu. We ordered 6 or 7 apps that included wings, calamari, mussels, an ahi tuna tower and a few other things. Our entree order was taken shortly after we placed our app order and reasonable special accommodations were accepted with no problem. All apps were enjoyable and that order was fairly prompt. Entrees were perfectly timed for us, as we were there to relax & enjoy the company, the view and the food with no rush. Most of the party felt there dinner was really good with the remainder feeling it was good/above average - all prices were reasonable for the portions and the ambiance. We'll definitely go back... read more

Channel Marker Cafe - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

Love the convenient location, friendly service and good food. Ride up on your boat and BYOB...easy, casual, family restaurant.

Waited for 30 minutes with hostess constantly disappearing and clueless about the ability to sit us. There were only 3 of us and there were several open tables. Eventually she came back just to tell us that the kitchen cannot accommodate the number of tables in the restaurant. What a disorganized joke. read more

To say this was a disappointment would be an understatement. Sorry this review will be long, but I wanted to let people know what to expect and not to waste their money at this restaurant. The only good things about this restaurant were the ambiance being right on the water and that the waitress was a nice young lady. We called for a reservation for 4 Sunday night, the girl who answered the phone said we only have 1 table available for the night, at 6:15pm. I said great we'll be there. When we walked in the restaurant wasn't even half full. There were many tables available in and outside. We were immediately seated outside , with a great view. The only issue though was one of the tables near us had 2 couples who were very loud and obnoxiously drunk making inappropriate gestures and conversation. Not a good family environment. Fast forward we see them jump into a boat! I hope the driver of the boat was not drinking, but I doubt it. We order our meal , appetizers came pretty quick. But for a restaurant known for its seafood, I was very disappointed that my raw clams which cost $1.25 each, were the size of half a penny, served on a HOT plate, no ice and no little fork to eat them with. Waste of money to say the least. The rest of the meal came out in a timely manner. My husband and daughter both ordered the filet mignon $28each. My daughter ordered hers MEDIUM AND IT CAME OUT WELL DONE, but she ate it anyway. My husband ordered his filet MEDIUM RARE AND IT CAME OUT RAW AND LITERALLY COLD INSIDE! It took a long time for the waitress to come around and check on the meal. By the time she did, we showed her and she said oh yes, let me bring it back to be cooked more. She returned with the same piece of meat a while later, when my husband cut into it again it was STILL RAW IN THE MIDDLE! The owner/ manager stopped by our table, not knowing we sent the filet back and asked how our meal were. We said not so good, my husband explained the situation, told him we already sent the filet back and at this point we don't want it. (My husband literally took 1 bit out of it when he first got it) The manager apologized and offered him a free dessert. The waitress brought out a dessert tray of 3 items that did not look appealing at all. We passed on dessert and when she brought the check THEY STILL CHARGED US FOR THE UNEATEN RAW FILET MIGNON! When she came back we told her we shouldn't have to pay for the filet and she said OH I CANT TAKE THAT OFF THE BILL, WE OFFERED YOU A FREE DESSERT!!!! She then went back to the manager/owner and he finally ended up taking the filet off, but he never returned to our table or anything. BOTTOM LINE, WOULD NOT GO BACK AGAIN. The only way this place stays in business is because of location. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND QUALITY OF FOOD!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR $$$$. read more

We really love this little place which is just a few roads down from our Beachhouse. It's quaint and I like the waitstaff. And I love the fact that We can walk or ride our bikes or take the boat there. We've recently had a couple dinners which were good but frankly, not as great as the breakfast. Love sitting outside with the water 10 feet away while enjoying coffee w my fam read more

This is my absolute favorite breakfast and dinner place in lavalette. The service is very friendly and the food is fantastic. Every single meal I have here is amazing! They have daily specials too! I recommend the crab cakes, the blackened scallops and the captain crunch french toast for breakfast! Make sure you make reservations and ask to sit outside. The view is breathtaking! read more

My friends and I were down the shore for the weekend and were recommended to try this place for dinner with a view. I have mixed reviews. The good: the food was delicious. We got the calamari, mussels, and tuna for an app and all were VERY good. For dinner I got the crab cakes while my friends got salmon, filet mignon and snapper. We practically licked our plates clean...everything was delicious & VERY fresh, from the apps, main course and down to the vegetables. The view was also beautiful overlooking the sunset. It's also BYOB. The negatives: we had an 8 pm res and preferred outdoor seating but almost sat inside due to there being a wait for outdoors and us being hungry. We immediately changed our minds when seated inside once we realized how small, overcrowded and loud the area was. We were seated for not even 5 mins and the waiters ran into my chair/purse 3 times. While they accommodated us sitting outside, the service was very bad and unorganized. For starters, they told us they didn't have enough clean glassware... they ran out of their normal wine glasses and we were given whatever random round glasses they could find. We were also given dirty glassware, one of the water glasses had lipstick smudges on it. The service was also very slow...we sat for an 8 pm res and didn't receive our entrees until 9:30 pm. For a Saturday night down the shore this place really wasn't THAT busy but the staff seemed like a hot mess. I don't know if they were short-staffed, had a small kitchen or what but I'm going to blame the negatives on bad management as these issues could easily be fixed. This is a pricey restaurant so there is really no excuse for subpar service. The food and view saved the night. read more

Channel Marker Cafe - Sunset view over the bay - American Near Me - Lavallette, New Jersey

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***updated review**** My mom wanted to give this place another try so we went this Saturday all I could think was oh my God it's going to take forever but who am I to say no to my mom. When we arrived the dining room was full, we were greeted by our sever promptly and after ordering and Appetizer that took only 4 minutes to arrive at our table I realized something in this place had changed. Our food arrived not too long after we were done with our Appetizer and every single dish was delicious. The plates looked amazing and you could tell something changed in there kitchen. The end of the perfect meal was an amazing cheesecake that had blueberries and crumbs. Whatever this restaurant changed is definitely working. I'm how a huge fan of this place and will be back. *** original review *** Saturday evening my husband and I met up with another couple for a 6pm reservation. The views outside are really pretty and all the boats really add to the ambiance. Our waitress was really nice and attentive we ordered appetizers and those came out fairly quickly however it was all downhill from there. After waiting an hour and a half for Entrées my husband asked the waitress how much longer the food would be she said she would check and came back and said the check said 5 minutes well 30 minutes later we still didn't have food, our friend went inside to see what was going on here met Alison the manager she apologized and said she would be right out to talk to us, our friend came back to the table and informed us he spoke to the manager and she would be out in a few minutes to talk to us he also said pretty much everyone in the restaurant was screaming about food and tables around us were literally just walking out. Alison came to the table and informed us for a fact that the kitchen was playing our food and it would be right out, she was apologetic and really sweet she offered us dessert and coffee at the end of the meal for any inconvenience, and out food was at our table seconds after she walked away. My husband had one of their specials and said it was good however what they claim is risotto is not risotto it's rice with fake vegetables in it. I had a salmon dish that had petrified hollandaise sauce on it that looked disgusting and had to be from a can. My one friend got fish and chips and his fries were burnt, and my other friend got a burger that was supposed to be medium rare and arrived well done. We informed our waitress of the issues and she offered to have everything remade but we didn't feel like waiting AGAIN. The actual wait for food wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the horrible singer they had there that screeched into the microphone like a woman and the owner of the plane who sat at his table singing as well. If I owned the place I would like to go and have a good time too but to sit there and sing is a slap in the face to your customers. The chef in this place is pure garbage and hopefully was fired that evening so no one ever has to deal with waiting 2 hours for food. I hope that the owner monitors yelp and realizes what a putz he is. In retrospect the free desserts we got were so good and fresh I had something called an Exotica bomb and it is to die for I highly recommend if you go there that you try one. read more

Very pleasantly surprised! This place opened briefly before Hurricane Sandy and then was destroyed. They rebuilt it and opened in June '16. It's at the Ocean Beach Marina so boating up to this cafe is very easy. They have quite a few slips and the deckhands are helpful getting you in. Inside atmosphere is modern with a beachy feel. Very nice. On to the food.... Menu has a lot of variety. Everything from burgers, salads, chicken dishes, salmon. Started off with crab cake appetizers. They were wonderful. Lots of crab meat and not so many fillers. Highly recommend. I ordered the mako special. It was grilled with a mango shallot sauce. Excellent. Others had the chicken Marsala special; the mushrooms were perfect and the Marsala sauce was excellent. Big hit! Burgers were juicy and had a nice char taste. The fries were also excellent and we couldn't stop eating them! It's byob, so bring a nice bottle and enjoy the view of the Barnegat. Waitstaff was new and getting the hang of things. Overall an excellent dinner. Plan on going back! If they keep doing what they are doing now, it will be a very successful, busy place. Ps- they have a yappy hour where you can bring your dog. Cool! read more

Can't say enough how wonderful the food is. I've been passing this place for years thinking it was just another breakfast place. Well, it is a breakfast place, but also a lunch and dinner place! Dinner was great - awesome setting, attentive staff and excellent food!!! I will be back again and again for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Happy to have found you. read more

Tried to try this place last night after hearing very mixed reviews. The decor is very nice, and we, and everyone in the lobby, loved the barn doors. Arrived to find no hostess to greet us, and a few people waiting, while multiple staff members walked by. It was 5 minutes before the hostess arrived, and she did not greet new guests. We inquired about the wait, and were told 45 minutes for outside, or 'right away' for inside. We chose inside, and were asked to give her a minute. After a good 20 minutes watching her run back and forth, and disappear, we inquired again about our table, she seemed surprised by this and asked to give her another minute. She then sat our party of two at a large table for 6, which was ridiculous. At this point we gave up and left. read more

Unfortunately I feel the need to write a review due to the disappointing experience my dinner party had this past Saturday night. I write it only in hopes that management uses it as feedback to make this restaurant a fabulous place to eat at the Jersey Shore as it is a gem of a location, the atmosphere outside is wonderful and the sunset at dinner is incredible. My dinner party had a reservation for 7:45 p.m. we were seated within 10 minutes. Our waitress opened our wine and left us with menus. When she returned to the table to take orders I asked for a chill bucket for the wine and the beer we had with us. She said they were all being used. So we drank quickly warming beverages through the evening as we saw other wait staff bringing other tables chill buckets upon their arrival. The five of us ordered our dinners and began to wait. And wait. And wait. After an hour I stopped the waitress and asked if it would be much longer. She said they had a large party of 15 and it backed up the kitchen. No bread brought to the table to tide us over. Other tables all had bread on the table. After almost an hour and a half our food was served. Cold. Scallops tasted like they were cooked and then reheated. Fries and potato sides were stale and cold. Salmon was nice, crab cake room temperature. When our waitress asked how the food was we all politely stated that it was cold and disappointing. Her response was awww sorry about that. As she her hurried off. We paid our bill and left dissatisfied. The sunset on the bay was beautiful but would have been much more enjoyable with a delicious dinner and nice chilled wine to go with it. read more

Could not have been more dissapointed with our first visit here. Not only did it take over an hour to get our food. But our waiter, who was also the manager could care less. Never checked on us and when we asked about our food he made us feel like we were a nuisance. When our food finally came out I was brought the wrong dish, I wasn't even given an apology, and when they brought out my scallops my dish wasn't even made correctly. Yes the food was hot and tasted okay, but nothing to write home about. The only positive part of my experience was making friends with people at the surrounding tables who were also waiting for their food. This is one unimpressed girl. read more

Was willing to give CMC another try because it is lovely and conveniently located. However, waiting to be seated for 15 minutes when the place is half empty and waiting 35 minutes for breakfast because the "kitchen is backed up" is not acceptable. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the breakfast wrap was hard on the outside and lukewarm on the inside. Cold and soggy home fries and strong/old tasting coffee topped it off. This is the last time we will come here. With all the better places on the island we don't need to come back. Staff while friendly enough seemed clueless. read more

Best cioppino ever experienced. I have traveled extensively and always enjoy this dish whenever near the ocean. Was completely surprised by the magnificent swordfish amongst the shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari. Asked for a bit more garlic and spice and couldn't have been more thrilled. Congratulations Chef Mark!! And thanks to Julie Ann our excellent waitress! Cheers!!! read more

Beautiful atmosphere -right on the water- and awesome music and has a lot of potential... However, I honestly feel a little bad for the waiters and waitresses here because it seems the kitchen is all over the place. I ordered eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce and was served eggs with a greenish/yellow watery sauce that tasted like liquid cilantro. My sister, a vegetarian, ordered scrambled eggs and was served and omelette with sausage. The kitchen staff seems to have a difficult time reading the order tickets. read more