First visit during restraraunt week and we were very happy with the ambiance, service and food. We started with mussels and risotto ball with spicy vodka sauce. The vodka sauce had just the right amount of heat. Mussels were tender and the the white wine sauce was delicious to dunk the fresh bread in. The beet salad and Caesar salad were both good, I loved the balsamic based dressing on the beet salad. For entrees we had the chicken cordon bleu and the Parmesan crusted cod. Both were delicious. The desserts didn't disappoint - limoncello cake and chocolate mousse cake. We look forward to going back and trying other items in their menu. This was a great way to try a few different items. Once menu. I loved to small, quaint, trendy atmosphere. Definitely do not try and go on a weekend without a reservation. read more

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My family and I dined there last night. We had a phenomenal time! The food was delicious from appetizers to dessert. The cowboy steak was grilled to perfection. The Cape May oysters were delightful. My halibut with black bean pepper sauce was the best I have ever eaten. Then the key lime pie was just the right size to go with my double espresso. The service was as impeccable and attentive. Oh, and they even had the right glasses for my byob bourbon. Major kudos all around. I can't wait to return. read more

I know Restaurant Week can get very busy but your food still needs standards. 2 of 5 Entrees were as ordered the other 3 not so good. Under cooked, very dry and a sherry sauce alcohol not cooked out. Appys were great as were the salads. Will try again, hoping it was just a bad night. read more

Dinner: amazing Dessert: even better Matt (owner?): A+ Staff uniforms: super duper Hopefully be back tomorrow for 2nds read more

Really disappointed in our experience tonight. This was our first time trying this restaurant. Our service was fine she was sweet and knowledgable. She tried to remedy the situation as best she could and kept a positive attitude which is hard in these situations. We had the rack of lamb and filet mignon specials. The lamb was ordered medium, but came out raw in the middle. They said they'd "get it to temp" which made us nervous that they were going to put the same half eaten lamb back on the grill... that's exactly what happened. When it came back out, it was the same pieces including some pieces my husband had cut off the bone. They were small, overcharred and completely well done. Once meat is cooked and rested it should not be recooked especially for a restaurant as expensive as this one. We would've been fine if they just refired the ones that hadn't been touched but this replating was extremely weird with half eaten pieces and made me nervous for the cleanliness of this restaurant... the filet was fine. For $72 a filet should melt in your mouth. This was not the case. The manager came by eventually and gave us dessert on the house which was nice of him. The sides with the dishes were the highlight. This restaurant is definitely geared toward locals. It's small and the workers seemed to know a lot of tables. It's very loud and extremely cramped. If you're looking for intimate date night with great food I'd try some of the other places on the street. We're tried great restaurants nearby and unfortunately this one didn't make the cut. read more

Loud. Very loud. Overpriced. Especially the long list of server-recited specials (no tent card on table), for which you must ask prices to avoid a ludicrous $75 charge for cioppino entree, for example. I had the duck which was not bad, once you scraped off the sickingly sweet "sauce." But nothing special. Manhattan pretensions with higher-than-Manhattan prices. read more

This was our first time here, and we excited to try it. We made a reservation for 6:30, and were seated at 6:45, which is fine considering it was Valentine's Day. The menu was Pre Fixe, and in my opinion, incredibly overpriced. I had a scallop starter, which was great but only came with two scallops. Second course was shrimp bisque, which was also good but only had one shrimp. The broth contained tiny and few shreds of crab meat. Third course, and main entrée, was the halibut, which lacked flavor and the wow factor, considering I paid $95.00. What really shocked us, was we were asked to leave 5 minutes after closing our tab because they needed the table. I barely had time to finish my wine. We were in and out in an hour from the time of sitting down; it was not the relaxing date night we anticipated. Overall, really disappointed and felt like a waste of money and time. Not sure we'll be back read more

It was a great meal and a great spot to go to during restaurant week, but would seem perfect even outside of that for normal upper-end dining read more

Updated review This restaurant still doesn't disappoint. The staff is friendly and attentive, they know the menu very well and special requests are never an issue. This definitely my favorite restaurant on LBI read more

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Beautiful atmosphere. Food is incredible, and the service is top notch. Can't say enough about this place. Amazing. So glad we tried it. Can't wait to go back. read more

welllllll this was our first time being locals after three years and hearing raves..... Guy in the front (bouncer like) was a bit rude..... Sat us on time but from the moment I waked into a very small room with lovely Edison lights I could HEAR it was extremely LOUD!! They sat us (table of two) in the middle of the room and facing me (behind my husband) was a tiny cubby of there register/office .... I'm very visual and this just seemed out of place to the rest of the room! and did it NO justice! Our waitress was Sofia very sweet so i have nothing negative to say..... Apps came out stuffed artichoke with bre(barley) and tuff (undercooked ) we did not eat the third one and barely finished what we served ourselves... My husband had surf and turf... welll they forgot the surf! But he enjoyed it once they fixed it..... I had the Bronzino and it was very good!!!! We ended up with the cheese cake ... not bad.... We will return but next time we will sit outside and hopefully I wont have to stuff tissue in my ears from the overkill of the sound... PS it's really 3 1/2 stars read more

Visiting family on LBI. Had reservations for dinner at 6:00. My first time here. Baked clams, house salad and cod puttanesca were my choices. Outstanding. I'm a retired chef with over four decades in fine dining. Everything was exceptional. The staff missed nothing. This is a very well-run operation. I can't thank you enough. Nicely done! read more

Absolutely amazing food. The staff is incredible. We had a rehearsal dinner here, and they were absolutely wonderful.

Always a wonderful experience. The food and service are equally excellent. Quality ingredients become obvious when taking your first bite. Sofia, Alysa, and Tessa were on point and very attentive to our needs. All overall great time. read more

Always a great meal. Friendly and attentive staff. Big fan of the place. Love that it's open in the off season. The best time on LBI.

Really overrated and over priced! The menu was completely unimaginative and lackluster...well maybe not if it was the year 2000. Mussels were horrible and slightly gray with a jarred garlic taste and the pappardelle tasted like egg noodles. What a complete rip off. Only the service made up for this abysmal meal. read more

Every year when we are on LBI Dune 18 is a must to visit. Always an exceptional meal. Service was great too. Appears they do get summer help and they train them well. Always curious and helpful. read more

Food. Service. Atmosphere. All excellent! Owners and restaurant are top notch! Check it out for yourself! You won't be disappointed!

Had the pleasure of dining at Dune 18 last night. So sorry I didn't take pictures. Food was absolutely amazing. We chose to dine inside, but next time I think I would like to sit outside. We started off with a special that was a flatbread with Burrata, tomato, arugula and drizzled with balsamic. It was delicious. We also opted for the cauliflower appetizer, which was on the menu. Another winner. Our main courses consisted of all options on the menu. I had the Bronzino. It was prepared in the most delicious sauce and was so fresh. We also had the Pappardelle pasta with short ribs, And also the pork chop Milanese . Everything was scrumptious. Our waitress... Sophia... Was an absolute doll and so friendly, and so knowledgeable about the menu. When I go back, I would love to have her be my server again. She is fantastic. This restaurant was a recommendation from a friend of mine, and the food was top-notch. It is BYOB but they do also have some wines that you can Order as well. Fantastic dining experience. Highly recommend. read more

Great food, menu and waitstaff. Enjoyable experience, same owners own Mario's in Surf City

Visiting LBI from Staten Island. We were very pleased with our recent dinner at Dune 18. The food was delicious. Our waitress Nicolina and busboy Brody were exceptional and very attentive. We appreciated a warm welcome from Mark. We will be back. Thanks for a great evening. read more

Dined at Dune 18 last night with the Mr. Wow best dining experience we have had in quite some time. The ambiance is modern & the Edison bulb lighting gives the dining room a warm glow. We had the prix fixe menu w 4 courses & enjoyed every bite. Exceeded our expectations on every level. Staff are professional courteous & ensure you are happy with your experience. Owners greeted us we were able to thank them & their staff for the stellar experience! read more

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Although we have not been to this restaurant yet this year the previous times we were there, waiter great, food and restaurant itself is comfortable. read more

Update, having had a reservation at 8pm and getting NOTIFIED that an earlier reservation was available we changed the reservation to 5:30pm. I come to find that the restaurant charged a $100 fee for "canceling" the reservation at 8pm. This restaurant, while the food was good, seriously needs to restructure whoever is running this aspect of the business. I was prompted to change my reservation time and after agreeing I'm getting charged? So far it's been over 24 hours with multiple calls and not so much as an apology from the restaurant. read more

The food was excellent. I had the salmon and it was cooked perfectly with sticky rice to sop up the sweet green curry sauce. My wife had the sea bass and my son the cod. Both were delicious too! The service from Gabrielle was top level. I would highly recommend. read more

The food, ambiance and service is outstanding. My boyfriend and I always go there for special occasions and every dish we've had is so yummy. Recently we had the pork chop and Icelandic cod. read more

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Food delicious and staff great!!! Owners very nice people!!!!! Always helpful with my husband and getting him in the building!! read more

I was hesitant to write a review as I was afraid once word got out, we wouldn't be able to score a reservation at this gem of a restaurant, which became our fave dining venue on LBI from our first visit. When we are on the island, dining out is part of the fun and we've consistently fit Dune 18 in twice each week we've visited (May, July & Labor Day week). There are many elements that contribute to my 5-star rating, but let's start with the little stuff and work up to the most important, the food. The owners of Dune 18 are very much hands-on in running the place. Mark works the room, mingling with guests and proudly answering questions about the place, the food, how he and his wife came to establish it. His wife typically handles reservations and check-in's at the hostess station. You do need a reservation here -- getting a table via walk-in is unlikely -- and you should book in advance, which is an easy process via Resy. On to the space. The dining room isn't very large, so some of the tables for smaller parties are a bit close together for my liking, but not moreso than any other popular eatery on the island. If you have a large party, try to score one of the round tables near the front windows as those feel a bit more private. If the weather is nice, there is outdoor seating along the side of the restaurant. We've eaten in all the areas at this point and have had enjoyable experiences regardless of location. The interior design is understated and the place is lit by Edison bulbs, which lend the space a nice glow and feel like a nod to the hip eateries in Brooklyn. The service is solid, with some servers being more experienced and sophisticated than others. We've been lucky to have had Kayla taking care of us all but two visits. I can't rave enough about her -- she is professional (clearly very experienced in fine dining), friendly and knows the menu like the back of her hand. One of our nephews has celiac, his system cannot tolerate any cross-contamination. He was with us on two visits. The first time, we had Kayla tending to us and she knew exactly which dishes would work for him as well as those that could be slightly modified to accommodate him. The second time, we had a younger, less experienced server who wasn't super familiar with the ingredients in the dishes and didn't seem to understand the whole gluten-free thing. I located Kayla and though she was slammed with a full outdoor area of tables, she came in and helped our nephew with his selection. She is that good. On to the food. I rate a place based on whether the food is crave-worthy and Dune 18 has hit the mark every time. We've brought a handful of family members with us on a couple of our visits and they loved the food as much as we do. For me and my husband, Gables used to be the place to beat in terms of food, but Dune 18 is at the same level, and that's really saying something. Everything we have tried has been delicious, but the absolute stand-out dish -- if seafood is your jam -- is the Atlantic Halibut entree. At $58, it's a pricey dish by our standards, so I was hesitant to order it the first time around, but it is worth the splurge (you're going to pay nearly as much for the seafood combo at Howard's which, while tasty and the tops for what it is, isn't particularly inspired). The dish is comprised of a good size piece of perfectly cooked halibut atop a delicious risotto with lobster cream sauce. The halibut is surround by mussels and clams and tucked under it are scallops. It's All The Things in one dish and it is absolutely crave-worthy. The star appetizer, in my opinion, are the crab cakes. A completely different preparation than our other fave crab cakes on the island (the jumbo lump ones at the group of restos owned by the Black Whale people), but just as satisfying. These are lightly fried and come with a delicious smear of remoulade. There are three of them, so definitely large enough for two people to share. As you can see from my photos, we've tried a good assortment of the menu items this summer. All of them have been good; it's a solid menu and there are often additional specials. This is our last week at the beach for the year. We ate at Dune on Tuesday and we are going again on Friday, our last night here, as it feels like a fitting send-off. read more

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Excellent. Celebrated birthday dinner tonight and boy was it a treat. Loved everything about it. Excellent service and food. Did the prix fixe menu on a Wednesday and mmm so delicious and not too crazy on the price. Will def be back. Thank you!! read more

Dune 18 - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

I just had one of the best meals of my life at Dune 18 tonight. From the food to the service, Dune 18 offers a fine dining experience. Be sure to make a reservation. I did and they seated me early. The restaurant is run like a fine oiled machine, from the host and the owner to the servers and bus boys. I didn't have to ask for a thing. I noticed a lot of regulars coming in and they were recognized by name. That speaks volumes. The food, my goodness, amazing! Gourmet, yes! Creative, yes. Delicious, yes. Don't hesitate to give it a try. read more

Sucked from the beginning to when we walked out the door. Cold food which came from a freezer, uncooked chicken which made my daughter sick. Just gross. If I could give it no or negative stars I would. read more

OH DANG! This place exceeded expectations in every way! The atmosphere was perfect for a cooler evening on the patio! They had heaters and lights, it was beautiful. The service- hot damn. Best service I've had since covid. Honestly! It seems like service everywhere has went downhill, but not here! Jessica was so great. Everyone was super attentive and helpful. The food was bomb. From the bread to the apps to the entre I would recommend every item we had! We had the burrata, crab cakes, filet, Caesar salad and extra bread :) I really loved everything even the croutons were perfect and the twice baked potato as a steak side were just great! Definitely come here- and make a reservation- the secret is out about this spot! read more

Dune 18 - an outdoor patio heater - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

Had dinner at Dune 18 last night and the food was delicious and the service was great. We've been there a few times and we've always enjoyed our meal. The menu has a nice variety and the specials never disappoint. It is a BYOB, so grab a bottle of wine (or choice of beverage) and enjoy! . I have read that restaurant had trouble with credit card machine last night and expected cash, however that was not our experience. They explained the situation and provided alternative solution and cannoli's on the house. read more

The food was wonderful. Really wonderful! Very nice place but the noise level is the loudest we've experienced. Be sure to ask the prices of the specials before ordering. $74 for my rack of lamb was sticker shock when the bill arrived. It was amazing but not sure I would have ordered it if I knew the price up front. We will be back for sure. read more

Had a delicious dinner tonight at Dune 18 Mark and Virginia are incredible they are always working hard and very social! We had stuffed shrimp and filet Mignonetabsolutely delicious! Kayla was an Amazing server she is always amazing! Joey the bus boy also a hard worker with a big smile ! The children of owners are so amazing! Thank you again for a great dinner !! Sue Jack. read more

Dune 18 - Dinner at Dune 18 tonight - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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Way overpriced for value Portions small priced way to high This isn't NYC never go there again check this one off.Could of went to LBI hotel had a much better meal for half the price save ya money read more

What a fantastic dinner. We dined here For restaurant week and werr expecting small portions and dispassionate service. We experienced the complete opposite. The service was absolutely spot on with sincere interest in ensuring diners were attended to. The food was absolutely fantastic and zero shortcuts were taken even tho it was a promotional experience. The ceaser salad was about as good as I've had and thank u for the anchovies on the side. The tempura rock shrimp incredibly light and the spicy aioli was indeed spicy but incredibly tasty and fun. The salmon was rich buttery perfectly cooked and so rich we took the dessert to go. This is truly a go to place. read more

We always come to LBI in September, and it can be tricky to find fine dining options in the off season. Raimondo's is always our favorite, but this year we wanted to try some new (to us) spots as well. For the off season, Dune 18 is not open every day. However I left a message to make a reservation and they called back promptly (less than 24 hours later) to confirm. They are BYOB, as most restaurants on the island are. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for indoor on a chilly night and it was cozy and inviting (yet sufficiently spaced). Our server, Axel, was on point. Quickly opened our wine, brought an ice bucket for the white and a second set of glasses for the red. He answered questions, gave recommendations, and was very friendly. Food was amazing! We were going to get two salads, but we were intrigued by the prime rib pot sticker appetizer special. So we opted for that, along with the burrata. I loved the freshness of the burrata and the grilled peaches are a perfect complement. The lemon herb oil was so flavorful but so delicate at the same time. The pot stickers were a fun appetizer, very flavorful and I loved the creamy horseradish sauce that accompanied them, along with some dots of sriracha for a little added heat. Entrees were also fabulous! I ordered the sea bass special. They were out of the side dish it was supposed to come with, so they substituted seafood risotto. That was fine with me because I originally planned to order the halibut with the seafood risotto. The sea bass was a huge portion, and cooked perfectly. I ate the whole thing, because you cannot waste perfectly cooked sea bass! But I was stuffed. The risotto was good but very filling, so at the end I found myself picking out the seafood and leaving some of the rice. My husband ordered the scallops entree and loved the sauce on the scallops and the flavor of the rice. He had been debating between scallops and a steak special that came with lobster Mac and cheese. He opted for the scallops, but the chef accommodated our request for a side of the lobster Mac and cheese. It was huge! Creamy and rich, and full of lobster. We ended up taking most of that home, because it was just too much food. I ate it the next night - it reheated very well! We unfortunately did not have any room left for dessert, so that will be something to look forward to next time!! It is clear that there is passion here, from the chef to the staff. The nuances of flavor show time spent designing a well thought out menu. The staff understand the food and also have excellent service skills. It makes for a fantastic overall experience! As far as pricing, it is worth every penny - maybe slightly more than some of the other spots on the island, but one of the top two on the island as far as food quality and service. We will definitely be adding Dune 18 to our "must do" list every time we are in LBI! read more

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As annual visitors to the island, we're always excited when a new spot opens up. We drove by Dune 18 and it caught our eye for its cute outdoor seating, so we looked it up. The menu was inventive for the island, merging sea food classics with bright Thai flavors. When we went, the atmosphere was great, and food as good as it sounded on the menu. The location is BYO, so bring your own bottle of wine for the perfect setup. The staff was incredibly friendly, and on top of everything. We also had an opportunity to speak with the chef who was excited for the new menu and future to come. If you're looking for a new spot to try, this is the place to go! Looking forward to returning soon! read more

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Food was one of the best. Found by accident. Can't wait to go back again. Very cute place. Server was wonderful read more

Dune 18 - Atlantic Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Ship Bottom, New Jersey

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