Cancel

Open app

Search

The Columns

3.0 (221 reviews)
Closed Closed
Updated 3 months ago

The Columns Photos

THE COLUMNS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Live music
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating

You might also consider

More like The Columns

Recommended Reviews - The Columns

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Lobster Roll
Molly F.

Been coming here since I was a kid and it never disappoints. It's right off the Avon boardwalk so views of the ocean are great. Highly recommend the lobster roll!

Tuna tacos
Joanne T.

Great experience from start to finish. What's not to love about sitting right near the beach with stunning views? Started the evening with a few aperol spritz, wings, calamari and coconut shrimp. All were tasty and good portions. The calamari had a great spicy kick to it! Enjoyed! We then had our entrees. I had a lobster roll which was delicious! It came with fries on the side. My fiancé had tuna tacos, my future sister in law had shrimp tacos and my future cousin in law had crab cakes. I enjoyed mine, I know a few others thought it was average. Overall the food is good, however the views make everything that much better. I'll be back again!

Coconut Shrimp
Jim S.

Good bar with live music. Typical bar food with shore type specials like steamers and lobster rolls. For me I prefer lobster rolls with drawn butter over the rolls with mayo. I wish they had the choice. Definitely a better spot for lunch than the Pavilion on the beach!

Lobster Roll and fries
Irene S.

Great outdoor seating area for our party of 11, where you can see the beautiful beach. If you want to get seats for a large party be sure to arrive early. So we got there at 11am on Sat, thinking it was when it opened based on what's posted but it turns out it's opened at 11:30am and didn't take reservations. We did get seated right away at 11:30am so that was great. Enjoyed my fish tacos and my friends also liked their meals too. Keeping in mind food was not our focus this was a great meet-up spot to grab a bite and head to the beach just across the street!!

Outside Sign
Amanda S.

The Columns is right on the shore which makes for a beautiful view. It is in an old family home and I was surprised how much space there is on the first floor. We attended a graduation dinner and they added cute little details for the grads around the room of the party (and the menu). So sweet of them! The food was decent. We had the steamers and calamari for an app and then I had the shrimp scampi for my meal. The steamers were cooked well and there was plenty of them. But the dipping sauce (usually just butter) was rather bland. The calamari was cooked well!! The shrimp of my meal was the best part. The sauce on the noodles were also bland. The drinks were also well but there is not draft beer which was off to me since there were full service bars around the restaurant. But the wine was delish and highly recommend if you dine at The Columns. The servers get 5/5 stars. So quick to get orders and were on it even with a group of 40+!

Bruna S.

Went there after spending the day at the beach, service was efficient and food was delicious! The drinks were on point too. Place is also very accommodating!

Peel shrimp, seafood chowder, and a hot dog from the "outdoor grill" in the summer.
Karly K.

Love this place after a long beach day! The no-frills outdoor grill/deck has self-serve seating (cash only) with causal fare consisting of peel shrimp, clams, whole lobster, mini burgers, hot dog, etc. Cheaper prices but continually goes up each year. Can't beat that ocean view (if you're lucky). For actual dining, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food was. Bacon wrapped scallops usually underwhelm me bc the scallop is too small or dried out and is overpowered by bacon flavor... not here!!! Juicy, sweet, tender scallops and the crispy bacon complemented nicely. Orange marmalade for dipping. The octopus special was sooo good, seasoned with olives/ & capers. Side salad was perfect. Waitress was very sweet and attentive. Be warned the floorboards do shake when folks walk by--it's an old house. Always expect a wild time here, as they have live bands around the clock. It gets packed, but plenty of standing room away from the stage. Cover charge by a certain hour at night. Depends on time of day for what age group frequents, but overall seems to be getting younger as years go by.

Aperol spritz
Kimberly C.

3.5 stars. OK, so my review is based on going here on a cool, rainy June day so it was empty and quiet. I know it gets super packed normally, so my experience was different. I'm pretty sure that the columns used to be an old Victorian home at one point and it's probably needs the columns because of all of the different columns throughout the former house. It is a large bar/restaurant with different sections inside and outside. Since it was raining we were inside and obviously had the entire bar to ourselves. Aperol spritz FTW and a glass of water before heading on the road. It does smell like bar in there, but that's expected for a popular place like that. I wouldn't mind returning but only during quieter seasons.

1.25 lb beaut
Cathy O.

I don't know how anyone could walk away without awarding a five star rating. At least not on a Thursday night...LOBSTERPALOOZA night! I'm going to quite a bit straight from their website: Calling all lobster lovers! The Columns bar and restaurant has its popular LobsterPalooza special every Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. You get a 1.25-pound whole steamed lobster, plus vegetable of the day and choice of mashed potatoes, rice or French fries, for just $19.95. In addition, live musical entertainment is provided by the Guns 4 Hire acoustic trio on Thursday nights starting at 6:00 p.m. end of quote. You definitely have to make reservations. I'm not sure if we had them, I forget, but we did have to wait. We had some wine and watched the beach waves, as the Columns sit right across the road by the beach. We also had drinks inside the bar,and the band was great. They kept giving away lobster dinners, but none of us were so lucky. But we sure felt lucky when seated with a view, wearing our lobster bibs, and taking photos to determine the winner of who had the best looking dinner. We had some calamari and pretzel bread before dinner. The veggie of the day was green beans, yum, and the potatoes were awesome, and the lobster divine. There was absolutely nothing not to live, other than our wait (which we made fun) for a table at this packed quaint dining spot. As soon as we plan to go back to the shores, I'll be marking in every Thursday night on the calendar with: call Columns!

Stuffed whole lobster.

See all

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

11 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 1

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Jim S.
9
294
1179

11 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ivette M.
22
38
10

11 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Anna R.
0
100
0

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 3

4 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 2

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Anna H.
96
1026
14617

7 years ago

Helpful 15
Thanks 0
Love this 16
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 11
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 2

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 2

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

9 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 1

2 years ago

There was a huge line of kids just not willing to wait in line for a cover band and a beer

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Donna R.
702
816
12102

7 years ago

Helpful 7
Thanks 0
Love this 7
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 6

Ask the Community - The Columns

Is there anywhere nearby to stay overnight?

The Columns has rooms.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Review Highlights - The Columns

After dinner, stroll on the boardwalk along the ocean and enjoy the peacefulness of Avon by the Sea.

Mentioned in 33 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Seafood 1,529 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

Mr Shrimp - Lobster dinner

Mr Shrimp

3.6(399 reviews)
1.7 mi
$$

We don't get to Mr Shrimp that often but when we do it's always a fine meal. This visit was more…read moreenjoyable then most as we caught them on a night they were not packed with people. They were barely half full and the noise was not extremely loud. I had the New England clam chowder and as usual it was a great start to the meal. Plenty of clams and potatos in a creamy white sauce. To start the meal they also provided bread sticks with sesame seeds which is a real nice alternative to dinner rolls. With the sticks they also providing a dipping sauce that really tasted great. This the only place I can remember having breadsticks during dinner and loved it. For dinner I had stuffed flounder with rice and vegetables. The fish was prepared real well and came with plenty of crabmeat and stuffing. Inside it was real moist and tasted great. Along with that was rice and mixed vegetables. In the restaraunt the vegetables were a bit harder then I would prefer but when I reheated the meal at home they were perfect. But if you you are an al dente vegetable they would be fine for you. My wife picked something off the specials of the day. Shrimp, Mahi, broccoli, mushrooms, pine nuts all over rice. She felt this was a great meal and would definitely get it again. It was a nice blend of a bunch of tastes and textures, and the pine nuts are always a great addition to a meal. With less people to deal with the service was right on point, with several returns to our table to make sure everything was well. I feel you will always have a great meal here. But at times there will be a wait to get a table and it will be a bit loud... But in my mind you will always walk out smiling

Local spot that caters to older local crowd. Hold tables for special customers vs new customers…read more Food is good but service seems overwhelmed when busy. Reservations don't always matter.

Photos
Mr Shrimp
Mr Shrimp - Oysters

Oysters

Mr Shrimp - Inside

See all

Inside

Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Cafe - Crab cake sandwich with SUPER HARD waffle fries. Only 2 pieces worth eating; the rest are garbage. $25

Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Cafe

3.0(673 reviews)
1.0 mi
$$

My husband and I had lunch here while visiting the area, and it was a positive experience overall…read more We ordered oysters, tuna tartar, grilled sea bass, and a steamed lobster. The tuna tartar tasted fresh, and I liked that the tuna was in chunks rather than minced. It came on a bed of rice and avocado and was served with fried wonton skins. There was also a sweet sauce drizzled over it (like eel sauce), which I didn't really think was necessary, but it was okay. I enjoyed my lobster very much, although I was surprised to see that there was roe in it (which I thought was forbidden from an eco standpoint). My husband liked his sea bass, but he struggled with the oysters since none of them were properly shucked (he had to take a knife to them to properly remove them from their shells). That was pretty disappointing for a seafood restaurant. Our server was very attentive and friendly. Overall not a bad experience but there is definitely some room for improvement.

Klein's Fish Market sits on the water in Belmar, a place that wants to be charming. The view is…read morepleasant enough, tour boats transiting through the inlet, gulls doing whatever gulls do when they have no better ideas. It is not a scene that stirs the soul or quiets the mind, but it is fine for staring at when there is nothing else to do. I came for lunch on a weekend, early enough to avoid the mob that usually descends later in the day. Getting a table was easy. Finding a parking space was not. It is always the same story there, a little game of musical bumper cars. When I made it inside, I found the tables to be sticky in the way that suggests they had been wiped down but not really cleaned. The servers moved with the slow grace of people who had already given up on the afternoon. They were not rude, just absent in spirit. I ordered the fried oysters because it seemed like something they ought to do well. They were fine, in the way that lukewarm applause is fine. Not offensive, not memorable. The breading was heavy, the flavor lost somewhere between the fryer and the plate. For the price, one expects a little magic, or at least a spark of care. Neither arrived. Klein's feels like a place living off its own legend, a faded postcard from better days. People go because they have always gone. The fish is there, the view is there, but the heart of it seems to have gone missing. It is not terrible, but it is not worth the time or the money either. Three stars, mostly for nostalgia.

Photos
Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Cafe - Bar

Bar

Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Cafe - Crab Cake Sandwich

Crab Cake Sandwich

Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Cafe - Outside views

See all

Outside views

Spring Lake Seafood

Spring Lake Seafood

4.0(131 reviews)
2.8 mi

This was hands down one of the best meals I've had all year! Firstly, I really like knowing that…read moreeverything is sourced from local farmers and fisherman to make sure all of their ingredients are fresh and clean. Everything here is intentional. They use olive oil over seed oils for example, and ingredients that actually make you feel good after you eat. We started off with the raw bar--fresh clams that tasted like the ocean in the best way. Then we had to try the famous tuna pizza, and wow! I get the hype now. It was the perfect combo of crunchy, creamy, and salty and I'll be dreaming about it for days to come! The garlic shrimp was delicious and had a savory juice, something you'd find in a Spanish tapas restaurant which was perfect for bread dipping. The spaghetti with clams was a classic but elevated dish and came with a generous portion. We tried the ahi tuna lo mein from their specials and that was a fun addition. It doesn't taste greasy so don't expect takeout quality. Their sushi was seriously impressive and some of the best I've had in NJ. We got the kamikaze roll, ninja roll, and chef's nigiri. Totally fresh and easy to eat. Even the mocktails were next level. We tried the Heat Wave and Chicha Sour. Both so unique and had us feeling refreshed after, not sluggish. Of course we ended with dessert. The banana bread pudding made in-house was a huge treat. So delectable and moist. The lemon sorbet was a great way to cleanse our palate and was very refreshing. This place is where high-quality meets creative! Even the ambiance reflects their sustainable beliefs. They have a beautiful coastal inspired design in a minimalist way, using lots of natural textures in the designs. The service was fantastic and attentive. I will be recommending this to all my family and friends!

I remember when this location was a little luncheonette. They made a killer grilled cheese. Last…read moreyear was the first time we went as Spring Lake Seafood and the food was really good. This year it was not really good...it was great! We started with grilled calamari and scallops that were resting on a creamy lobster sauce with a small amount of caviar garnishing the top of the scallops. Both dishes left us wanting more. Fortunately the entrees that followed were equally beautiful dishes that tasted amazing. My wife had a salmon special that was served with broccoli rabe. She was raving and so was the gentleman at the next table...like a chorus of praise! I had the fjord trout, served on a bed of perfectly cooked lentils. I have had, and very much enjoyed, trout in the past but this was my first fjord trout. It was so good. One of those meals you close your eyes and smile reminiscing about. We capped the meal with tres leches cake...one of my favorites. It was done perfectly moist but not mushy...sweet but not too much. Our waitress was a sweetheart! It's kind of a small place so it was a little noisy but not in an overbearing way. Quite frankly the food was so good Slayer could have been playing a set in the middle of the room and it wouldn't have distracted from the meal one iota. Spring Lake Seafood is a gem. Well...well worth the trip.

Photos
Spring Lake Seafood
Spring Lake Seafood - 1/2 Lobster Roll

1/2 Lobster Roll

Spring Lake Seafood - East Coast Oysters

See all

East Coast Oysters

Hooked Cafe - Shrimp Po' Boy with Macaroni Salad and Fried Tortilla Chips

Hooked Cafe

4.4(126 reviews)
1.2 mi
$

Stopped here for lunch during our first trip to Belmar, NJ and did not regret it! The menu is small…read morebut the flavors are huge! I ordered a Shrimp Po' Boy and it was by far the best Po'Boy I have had outside of New Orleans, and might have even been better than the one I had there too. My daughter ordered the Fish and Chips, which she loved despite it being her first time trying it. The interior has that "hole in the wall" vibe with just a few tables and a few stools at the counter. The food is being made just feet away from wear you're sitting and it creates a homey vibe. The locals seem to love the place as several stopped in to either eat or chat with the two women working. I do believe they have outdoor seating at picnic tables. Overall, this place is an absolute gem and i'll definitely be back when we return to Belmar, NJ.

Happy Wednesday Adventurers! While in the area I saw this place for breakfast and decided to stop…read moreby. I grabbed a to go because I had somewhere to be. It's cash only or Venmo, which I find its pretty normal for smaller local spots. The thing about this location was that it reminded me of Maine, the walls are painted this beautifully brilliant blue with nautical inspired decor. My favorite was the fishies above a fishing boat, which I had to take a snap of. I ordered 3 eggs over medium, with rye, and a side of bacon. The eggs were still a bit too runny, but its a standard breakfast. I want to go back and to sit there because the staff were super nice. If I lived closer then I'd prolly be here all the time. I saw a reviewer complain about the sign showing open, but they weren't. Honestly businesses making that mistake all the time, but to point it out is just whatever. Highly recommend stopping by here early because I have a feeling they're super busy with the locals.

Photos
Hooked Cafe - Loved the decor! Reminded me of Maine  | #intenselypassionatephotography

Loved the decor! Reminded me of Maine | #intenselypassionatephotography

Hooked Cafe - Off season hours

Off season hours

Hooked Cafe

See all

The Columns - seafood - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...