Skratch Kitchen

Our second time back and just as good as the first time and funny enough I just realized we ordered…read morethe same two dishes again. My wife went up having the cowboy wrap and swapped out fries for sweet potato fries. It's worth the two bucks and I went up with the poke bowl, which is the tuna, tartare salad, and it was just extra extraordinary. Everything was so flavorful the staff were so friendly and a good value will be back next time we roll through the area .

Amazing service. Waitress came by so many times to make sure everything is ok. Portion is very…read moregenerous and the price is very decent. We love the French onion soup. It's once of the best I've had in a while. The eggplant panini was fresh, crunchy and very tasty. The Santa Fe burger is ginormous and it comes with fries which are very good. The burger is good but wifey felt it's a little plain. There are also outdoor seatings. Decor is nice and cute. The tables are pretty far apart.

See all

Cavé Bistro

4.4(237 reviews)

0.9 mi

We drove an hour and a half to the restaurant because of the gluten-free food options…read more Disappointed that the bison burger was served with greens only. The brioche bun was nothing special. The bun in the picture on the menu looks so much nicer. The one I got was Undercooked and should've been toasted. Apparently you can only get the french fries on the dinner menu. My wife got the chicken salad wrap and I thought that was good. Nice crispy bacon inside. The brownie was good for dessert not necessarily worth eight dollars Overall, we were happy, probably would not go back

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!

Outside view

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

See all

Bison duck and egg burger

The Buttered Biscuit

4.4(979 reviews)

0.1 mi

This place is yummy! Usually crowded but worth the wait!! I recommend everything lol mmmmread more

Came up to Jersey for a basketball tournament at Hoop Group Headquaters and needed a place for…read morebreakfast. The Buttered Biscuit had high reviews and was extremely close. This place is located on the corner and parking appears to be street parking only. I stopped by around 11:30 and was able to be seated immediately. They have bar seating which is first come first serve as well as tables throughout. Bar seating was much quicker. After about 5 mins my waitress came and took my order. Challah French Toast, Homefries and Bacon. 15/20 minutes go by and my food came. The Homefries are a good portion. They are seasoned well. The bacon was warm and crispy as well. The challah French toast was delicious. I enjoyed my meal overall. Overall this is a good place that met my expectations. The food was as expected and the portion size was good as well. They do charge a fee for using your card as shown on my receipt. A tad bit tacky to me but I understand.

Dining area

Asparagus cheese omelette with home fries and a biscuit

See all

Nice open interior

The Elbow Room

4.0(149 reviews)

0.3 mi

Great locals bar and restaurant Solid food and bar…read moreexperience Excellent service Street parking can be difficult

Went for the music and ended up eating dinner. The Elbow Room is a cute beachy venue. Our service…read morewas excellent. The spicy vodka rigatoni was delicious. Will be back for both the food AND entertainment.

Dining area - opposite bar area

Tater Tachos

See all

The Grand Tavern

4.3(296 reviews)

0.2 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.

Follow-up review to say I'm still a fan of this place. Food and service are consistently good. They…read moreget busy, make a recommendation.

Indoor

Arancini

See all

Espresso martini, brut

Patrick's Grille

4.0(55 reviews)

0.8 mi

Service ambience menu burgers and appetizers A Great place!!…read more Always pleasant, efficient and accommodating.

We have been there many times. Good food. Good service. Good bar atmosphere. One comment last…read moreweek. My husband ordered a hot open face turkey platter. And it came out cold. He sent back. And it came back Cole again. Why. Staff seemed oblivious. So odd for this place. Maybe because it was a Tuesday.

Buffalo Wings - small, well done

See all

Crab stuffed shrimp - need lemons

Marina Grille

3.1(634 reviews)

1.8 mi

Three friends and a lovely day at the beach. We went for dinner before heading back up north and…read moredecided to try someplace we've never been. Plenty of spots in the parking lot and easy to pay for 2 hours on the app - signs don't say what time the "meters" go off, but with 2 restaurants sharing the lot, we figured you probably have to pay until at least 8 pm, and we were early (5:30 ish). Got seated quickly, in a booth near a wide opening out to the beautiful patio on the water. Rather warm in the restaurant and there were overhead fans that weren't rotating, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We'd have had to wait a bit for an outdoor table, and anyway it was a hot humid day and night so indoors suited us just fine. One friend had the lobster bisque, served with a good chunk of a bread that looked tasty (she's not a bread lover but she enjoyed it so it must have been delicious) and she really liked the soup. Then she added another appetizer, spicy garlic shrimp. Generous portion of 6 shrimp. My other friend had the crabcake & shrimp plate, which came with a side salad that our waitress was savvy enough to bring first when our other friend was enjoying her soup. Some crumbled feta on the side salads, a nice touch. When she ordered, my friend asked if the crabcake had a lot of breading and our server assured her that it doesn't; that turned out to be accurate! I also got that side salad with the Ahi tuna bowl I ordered. This was a bowl of dry, bland white rice (might have been jasmine rice but not strong flavor). On one side atop the rice was a good portion of seaweed salad, which I love. Piled sort-of artistically on the other side of the rice mound were several small slices (6? 7?) of perfectly "black and blue" tuna crusted with both black and white sesame seeds. The fish and salad were delicious but not terribly filling. I ate most of the rice. I noticed that there was a marinade at the bottom and began to mix the rice with the marinade that was tasty. They do add 2.5% for credit cards, but that's fair enough these days. Entrées are on the pricey side, I thought ($39. for the crab/shrimp dish, 32 for my tuna, 12 for the lobster bisque), but there aren't any bargains dining out these days. We had no complaints, other than my somewhat dry rice. I'd like to give it 3 1/2 stars but will err on the generous side. We'll probably return next year on our beach day!

Well, I returned with my friend after we had a less than stellar visit previously…read more I think maybe don't have too many high expectations for the food and just come for beers and the view. We ordered the Margherita pizza. It was just okay, not bad but also just not delicious. Sauce was a little bland, like it was missing garlic or seasoning. The mussels were good however we had asked if they could be prepared without the chilies. We were told yes by our server (who was a dear really, she was great I don't really blame her for anything) that they could leave out the chilies. Well we ordered them and there was definitely chilies! My friend could not eat them at all. I like spicy and even my eyes were watering. I just question getting bread rolls served with the mussels when the usual service is sliced toasted bread. So, as I said, I think just temper your expectations. This place does have the beautiful view going for it.

See all

Brandl

2.9(316 reviews)

1.8 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!

Really great service. Becca and the entire wait staff is incredibly friendly, efficient and…read morewelcoming. The meal was delicious and served quickly.

See all

Boathouse Bar & Grill

3.3(190 reviews)

2.1 mi

i love the boat house. I think their football Sunday is something really special. I would really…read morelike it if Kelsey was back on the Sunday day shift. She's. I nice and friendly And all my moron friends love her. Thank you.

The Boathouse is so much fun for live music (every weekend all year long) with great beer selection…read moreon tap. They book quality bands. Super crowded in summer though from Bar A's spillover. All of the bartenders are cool. There's a pool table. For food--very mid. Bar staples that do the job, but won't change your life. French fries are pretty dang good though--very coated and crispy. Boathouse is my go-to for a more low-key fun night out!

See all

Local Smoke BBQ - Neptune City

4.1(377 reviews)

0.6 mi

Food is very good Sides are good too…read moreYou can't go wrong ordering there. Service on take out is reasonable amount of time .

Really great food here! I've had pulled chicken, brisket, grilled chicken, and their brisket over…read moresweet potato fries in the last few months. All delicious. I will make sure to take photos next time! However, I did manage to take a picture of their delicious fudge brownies for dessert. Best part? 2 fairly large sized brownies for $7. Seems like a bargain these days. Service is also fast and the staff is friendly. Go eat here if you enjoy good BBQ food!

Outside

Chicken Bri

See all

Sweet Potato Fries, Caesar Salad, Pitmaster Chili Side

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

5 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

saul g.

2 months ago

Well, I was invited back to this place by a friend and I want to acknowledge everything was much better--the food and service were solid.

Barb S.

3 years ago

Foods is very good but need to change the menu occasionally! Staff is excellent! Ambiance is very nice and comfortable!!

Pamela T.

4 years ago

Casual vibe with great service (Jessica was the best!) and a great menu. We'll definitely be back for more!

Frank V.

4 years ago

Great service. not to loud very very innovative menu. Something for everyone. Can't wait to go back

子恩

2 years ago

Everything tastes so good! Service here is perfect. I really recommend this restaurant!

Skratch Kitchen - italian - Updated September 2026

People who viewed Skratch Kitchen also viewed

Brando's Citi Cucina

3.9

(512 reviews)

Excellent food and service! Great restaurant for couples or family. Thanks for an amazing evening!read more

Went there on a Saturday night, was busy but not too crazy…read more Table for 2 right away, Service was pretty quick too, vast options in wines and cocktails. Food was great , we did to burata as apt and 2 pasta dishes for main course. Espresso was pretty good too, better than most places. Ambience was good not too noisy but not too silent either. Definitely an older crowd vibe (which it's not a bad thing). The only disappointment on is on the bill comes a service charge %(not tip) and a. Cc charge. That's a lot of up charges without being food drink or tip.

Trama's Trattoria

4.4

(199 reviews)

This place is impressive. Staff and service has been great both times we went…read more Some of the best chicken parm we've had. My Frances's dish was excellent and the tiramisu is delicious! Ambience is perfect and outdoors is nice too.

Had a memorable dinner at Trama's Trattoria last night. The best Italian food in Long Branch for…read moresure! Went on a whim and they kindly seated us with no reservation. We ordered the calamari to start and I'm shocked to say the marinara and side of tomato salad outshined the calamari itself. The tomatoes were perfectly dressed, and the marinara was TASTY - I could drink it on its own (and I did lol)! For our mains, we got the bolognese and carbonara. Both delicious and rich. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Service was top notch. We were tended to by multiple servers throughout our dinner, even after we paid the bill. Incredible hospitality! There is no parking lot. Street parking was ample when we went, but it's currently winter. I imagine it would be a nightmare to find parking during peak season.

Amelia’s By the Sea

3.8

(233 reviews)

Over priced chicken dish was so sweet. Tasted like it was made with soy sauce. Ate it because I was…read morehungry and didn't want to waste the $46 I paid for entree. Was much better a couple of years ago. Music was ok but not for a very expensive restaurant. Will not be back

We went back to Spring Lake for the day and enjoyed the beach! We decided to go back to Amelia's…read morebased on how delicious our last meal was! I got the meatballs again and they were as good as before. I ordered a new entree - Lobster Ravioli! It was heavenly - perfectly cooked pasta with a good amount of lobster! The sauce was so rich and creamy - my partner and I loved it! She got the Lobster Capellini again - it, like the meatballs, was as good as we remembered! Of course the view from the enclosed veranda was as gorgeous as ever! Amelia's will be our 'go to' restaurant whenever we visit Spring Lake.

Olea

3.8

(53 reviews)

TLDR: Gorgeous space, great service and good (but not incredible) food…read more My mom and I went to Olea for dinner over Labor Day weekend. We had a nice meal and it does feel like a special occasion restaurant though the bar was crowded and more casual. Drinks: She had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and I had a filthy vodka martini with blue cheese olives. My martini was absolutely perfect and ice cold. Starters: I had the Dressed Oysters which were very interesting and absolutely tasted like a bloody mary. My mom had the burrata salad which was large with 3 balls of burrata. It came out with sharing tongs but we didn't plan to share (though I did sneak a few bites). Entrees: We were in the mood for pasta. My mom had Chitarra, which had a little more a kick than she would have liked but was good. I had the Limone and our server warned me that it was VERY lemony but it wasn't crazy to me at all (though I do love lemon). I was picturing something a little more silky and less oily but it was tasty. You can tell the pasta is freshly made because it has that great chewy texture. We didn't go for dessert but did have decaf cappuccinos which were the perfect way to end the meal. The service was great. We had a very personable server (his brother is one of the bartenders) and there was plenty of staff for refilling water, cleaning plates, and assisting with anything very quickly. I'd love to go back and try some other dishes, it's a great spot.

Food was good , not great, service was just ok.apps and sides were good.brussels , crab cake ,…read morepotatoes. The pork chop was very good but the steak we ordered was not cooked properly and came out cold.It was rare like I ordered but the problem was that fat on the side was raw , still white,,I love to eat the fat with the meat but not cold and raw and when fat is raw its hard to chew or cut.That steak needs to be turned on its side to render the fat.To make matters worse we ordered a sauce with the steak that we asked twice for and when it did come out that was cold as well. The deserts we ordered,chorros and bread pudding, would have been great if not for the salt they put on both.if you are gonna put salt on something you should put it in the description,i know this is popular but im no fan of salt on desserts.,ruined it for me

SeaGrass

3.9

(571 reviews)

Excellent experience at SeaGrass! The service was polite and comprehensive. After ordering, our…read moreentrees came in a matter of 10-15 minutes (super quick)! I got the crab stuffed flounder, which came with mashed sweet potato and sautéed spinach. All seasoned very nicely while the fish had a great tomato base. Parking wasn't too bad as there is a lot available on the street, even in the summertime. Great spot to meet up with old friends or have a date night out!

Great food, unique specials, always delicious…read more I especially like eating outside. In all the years I've been going to Seagrass, I have never had a bad meal. You won't be disappointed.

Origins Bistro

4.6

(55 reviews)

Delicious! One of the best meals I've had around here. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered. Highly…read morerecommend. BYOB.

Unfortunately this little restaurant has been off our RADAR screen for the past couple of years…read more But, returning a month ago we've now been here twice and our original 2022 review still holds up as their food, service and ambiance are all top notch. Only seven tables so the noise level is nonexistent, which is much to our liking. Terrific soft background music adds to the dining pleasure as well as their no rush service delivery. We've had chicken, steak, pork and seafood dishes recently as wells as several of their creative delicious salads. We are already planning our next visit, but they are on winter hours and only open Friday and Saturday with reservations required. Bottom line: Very decent dining experience and value as well.

Spano's Ristorante Italiano

4.4

(705 reviews)

Everything was outstanding. The setting, the menu, the service, the atmosphere is the best!read more

Delightful dinner tonight. Service was fantastic. Chef stopped by with complimentary appetizers of…read moreeggplant meatballs & zucchini fritters. Entrees were delicious & portions ample. Choice of salad or soup included. BYOB!! A favorite in the area.

Porta

3.5

(1.2k reviews)