I wish I could say that we had a great meal here as the menu looked appetizing, but it was far from true. Everything we ordered was sub-par, and the cheesesteak spring rolls made my husband sick almost immediately. Don't waste your money here, it wasn't worth our $100. read more

So I was at the upstairs outside bar. It was busy. I ordered several sushi rolls. The bar tender did pick up the cups and all that were there after about 10 minutes. But 30 minutes later the bar had still not been wiped off. I was asked if I needed anything and I brought up the fact nothing was wiped up. I couldn't repeat my exact words cause I didn't think it was an issue. Next thing I know the manager / bouncer came by to ask me to leave. I was not even asked what happened so apparently the bartenders are always right and because I complained as a customer I was wrong. I have never been asked to leave a bar / restaurant in my entire life because I've been in the service industry and understand stuff happens. So while the food is pricey but decent if you go here just realize that if you make any bad comments you'll be asked to leave because obviously the customer is always wrong. And I've been going to Avalon for over 20 years never had this happen in my life. read more

They can still crank out the wings, but the renovation put me from outside under the stars to inside a stinky dining hall. Their only hope is to have a brat night Hofbräuhaus München style. read more

I had originally rated this with 3 stars, but after thinking about the overall experience, I landed on 4. The view.. you just can't beat. If this place was anywhere but oceanfront, I'd say skip it, for sure. We started with Bloody Mary's that we watery, and weak. A complete disappointment for a place that serves breakfast until 11:30am. I had a great Kale Caesar Salad, and finally a Moscow Mule, which was just right the first time. A second visit for a late lunch and again, the drink was watered down. I don't know if this is by design, or if they just don't have a good ice machine. But paying $10 for watery drinks gets old. With an Oceanside bar, you should at least be able to say "well, let's just go for drinks." Maybe I'll try bottled beer next time. read more

Windrift Restaurant - Can't argue with the view - American Near Me - Avalon, New Jersey

Fine place to party in Avalon/Stone Harbor. Stopped in here for Tuesday wing night. Friends had terrible service with the resturaunt, but I only showed up for the later portions of the evening. Service upstairs at the bars was moderate (probably even decent, considering the number of people packed in the place). Ten buck cover, seven buck Miller pitchers was probably average, but worth it for the cover band, who were quite good. Cleared dance floor was good for dancing, and the outdoor deck seating was perfect for late-night lounging and game playing over some drinks with friends. read more

I have more tenders here are so attentive and provide excellent service especially Barbara the bartender in the Piano bar. She is so friendly and helpful read more

Very friendly atmosphere good food had the Caesar salad with grilled chicken Plenty of seating views of the ocean are terrific read more

By BF took me to this place for drinks after dinner somewhere else and it happen to be "wing night". The drinks were great and the wings smelled so good but we didn't try them. Cocktails were really good though. read more

It's been a few years since my review and we went here for dinner at their sit down restaurant last night and we loved it. Considering the Windrift is a large restaurant, I'll try and break down what you are getting here. 1) Restaurant 105 - this is their sit down restaurant and in the past I avoided it because I thought it was fancy but it isn't. If you are looking for a sit down menu this is the place for you. You can still order the sushi if you want but we went: Shrimp Cargo as an appetizer and then the entrees were the scallops on the menu and a swordfish special. I highly recommend all three. The Shrimp Cargo is delicious. You get 5-6 large shrimp in a butter, garlic sauce topped off with baked melted provolone; it's delicious. The scallop dish on the menu is a winner. You get 6 nice size scallops with the best lobster risotto I've ever tasted. If you get the app and the scallops you will be thrilled. 2) The rest of the restaurant is basically the same thing but on different levels and different views of the ocean. Our favorite is the outside bar; if you can get a seat out there than grab it and stay out there as long as you can. Our second favorite is the Level 2 because it's beautiful. I'm not a fan of the ground level unless you are in the sit down restaurant; however, if you are down there head over to the poolside bar. If you are here for a band, you are on the ground floor which is a perfect use. The food outside of the Restaurant is excellent pub food. I like the pizzas, sushi, and wings. The drink menu is large and the wine selection is even larger. I'm a fan of the Windrift. Just remember if you want a sit down meal head to Restaurant 105. Otherwise, get the outside bar or Level 2 and enjoy the views, drinks, and pub food. One other note: they put a lot of time and effort into booking great local bands. You should always check who is playing at the Windrift. read more

This place is perfect if your looking for a place for really good pizza or sushi. When I doubt we always get takeout from the windrift. The windrift has a very nice and open atmosphere too if looking for a place to dine. I recommend this place to almost everyone I know who visits Stone Harbor! read more

Sorry, The Windrift used to be the spot to go to. I'm sitting here right now realizing it's a disaster ... where are my drinks and what's with this bread ... please clean that bathroom ..., ughh Live Music looks to be horrendous !! read more

Went there with my girlfriend and her parents tonight for her birthday and the service was horrendous. She ordered a Beergarita and it came deconstructed! Waitress was also more concerned about getting her tip instead of providing service past her end of shift. Generally I'm not a critic but this place really needs to work on its amateurish customer service. The predominantly fried food menu isn't exactly quality either. read more

Great drinks and view at rooftop seating. We got rose sangria and cheese board which were great. Gianna was very attentive and sweet as a waitress. Would absolutely return! read more

The view as well as atmosphere is great but the mixed drinks were a bit underwhelming.

Poor front door service at the Windrift. Immediate turnoff. Came here for wing night but left after our bad experience with the man at the front. Will not return here. read more

We stay in Stone Harbor but like going out at the Windrift occasionally. I think it's a good scene for different ages. They have good live music and normal drinks. In some places of the hotel there's a nice view. read more

Great place to have lunch or dinner overlooking the ocean!! The remodel is beautiful and so tastefully done!

Had dinner at restaurant 105 and unfortunately I was disappointed. I have gone here several times I in years pasts and those visits were much better. My wife and I had the crab cakes which were ok, but they charge now $44 per plate which consisted of two average size crab cakes, 3 tiny fingerling potatoes and a asparagus bundle with 6 pieces of asparagus. No salad with entree, no rolls brought to table and restaurant was far from crowded as it was October. We had 2 drinks with no dessert for $126.00 which was way overpriced for what we were served. I realize these shore establishments only have a few months to make money, but if you are going to charge NYC prices at the Jersey shore you better deliver on the quality of food and provide adequate service. Unfortunately this restaurant missed the mark on both counts and I left there really feeling ripped off. I still left server customary 20 percent tip as it wasn't her fault we were gouged, I just will be crossing this place off of my twice yearly visits as it has gone down hill. read more

Nice place for Drinks but Over priced food!!! Went to the "New" renovated WD very nice but it a shame that their bar food sandwiches are expensive & not worth it!!! They charge $10 for 6-inch cheesesteak like a (Wawa shorties size) Burgers are nothing special & again overpriced!! Chicken sandwich is very plain & has no taste... But the worst part is that they over charge for sandwiches and you don't even get fries!!... Come on for real!!! You are already over charging for food/drinks & you cant throw in a side of fries?? And the side of fries are small!! Pizza's are good! Concord Cafe across the street has way better food!! read more

What can I say... Beautiful views. Staff is pleasant. Been coming here for years. Now that the Golden Inns Beach bar is closed for renovations. The drinks are half the size and the same price?!? Is this the way we treat our patrons now. Staff says hands are tied and management is dictating the change. Just 2 days before the drink was twice as big. I have the say the staff was very nice and did their best to make us happy. Very Disappointed. Anne C. I never said the prices went up. The margarita I was served on Wednesday was much larger then the one I was served on Friday night. In fact I do not ever remember having a margarita so small at the windrift before. read more

Food was good. Service was horrible. We were not checked on at all during our meal and had to constantly try to get a staff members attention to get chopsticks and soy sauce for the sushi that was already sitting in front of me. The person that dropped off the sushi walked away too quickly before I could ask them. It almost felt like the staff was avoiding us after multiple attempts to make eye contact with our waiter to get his attention while other tables around seemed to be receiving plenty of it. We ordered and the only time he asked us if we needed anything was when we had finished our meals because he knew we would be asking for the check. Very disappointed. read more

We have been several times, always right after the season. The food is, at best, average but the service, though friendly, is terrible. No one has a clue about pacing a meal so the service is like a bad diner. Appetizers get pushed out of the way by entrees. At about $35 an entree, they should be better and the experience should be way better. Have been going for five years (because of my parents' memories of the Windrift) but it is really an abomination at the price. When everyone has the same dish and the clueless busboy asks, "Who got the scallops," I hope it tells you all you need to know about the service. Lovely people though. read more

Don't trust the 1/2 off Apps Happy Hour special ... false advertisement!!! Shame...because we were fans of Windrift for years

0 stars! I visited for breakfast today. I vehemently advise that no one else does the same. The staff is inexperienced, the food is flat out bad (pretty sure the "home fries" are chopped french fries which were inedible), and the prices were obscene relative to the service/quality. We did not see anyone on site over the age of 18 to discuss the experience so I am left with having to provide a scathing Yelp review. Do NOT consider this place for breakfast for any reason unless you enjoy tiny portions, slow service, cold food, frozen OJ, $3.00 cups of dish water flavored luke warm coffee. 4 adults and 2 toddlers and the bill was $90 not including tip. Absurd breakfast experience overall. read more

Attended this place for dinner Saturday July 14th. Was seated right away. Good start. There was a total of 5 people in our party (4 adults + 1 child 10years old). Drinks were ordered that was fine. Then we start down hill from there. Three of us ordered soup, appetizers numbered 4 and 5 entrees. At this point the server informed us that the establishment had a open policy kitchen. That sounds very sophisticated. But what in meant was that the servers would throw all of our orders at us at one time. You did not read that incorrectly at one point we had 12 plates on our table at one time. This isn't counting the soup being poured on my hand. OPEN KITCHEN can be defined as here is all of your food at once good luck. read more

Avalon is where I'm from and the Windrift is the only club I'll go to in Avalon to see bands and hang with friends. If you're going for food, the earlier the better in my book because it gets uber crowded at night. I prefer the upstairs to the downstairs as there are bars and a band on both floors. Every single time that I have been there, the band upstairs has been much better than the one downstairs. The prices for drinks could stand to come down a bit but I've never had a problem with the service. I do like the changes that they made to the entire place over the past few years. This is nicer than the other restauranr/clubs in Avalon in my opinion. On a side note, order the sushi. It's delicious! :) read more

The Windrift restaurant is a very modern place to eat with your partner! They have live music! Their sitting arrangements are very spacious with a grand ocean scenic! If you decide to go, order the pull-pork-taco with their lemon drop martini. Jennyffer follow me on www.twitter.com/aboutjennyffer read more

Verrrrryyyyy poor food...Just don't even go here at all! Location is great, right on the ocean, but they out no effort into decent eats whatsoever. Don't waste your time and be disappointed! Go down the street for a much better experience. read more

My wife and I don't get here often enough. The food is great and the cocktails make the whole experience even better! We have been coming here for years and Dave the bartender does an excellent job along with the rest of the staff! Only drawback is they are not opened all year long, that would allow us to enjoy the great food in the off season. Oh well spring will be here soon enough! read more

Worst Experience EVER! Thirty years ago, my wife and I arrived in Atlantic City for our honeymoon only to find out that our Resorts hotel room reservation had fallen through and we found ourselves without a room at midnight. My new bride was so distraught and crying, I had to rectify the situation ASAP. We headed back up the parkway and ended up staying at the Windrift. Thirty years later, for our anniversary, we decided to revisit the Windrift for a long weekend. We booked our room in advance and I was a little shocked to find out that the cost for a bedroom for the night was $400. I checked out their website and quickly figured that the hotel had been recently renovated and now included not just one, but six individual restaurants. Very swanky indeed. A top notch job to say the least. When we arrived, it was a bit overwhelming. No valet was around and we were faced with a completely overcrowded parking lot. We finally found a space parked next to the dumpsters on the north side of the building. The stench of raw garbage was overwhelming. If you still decide to stay here, make sure it is not a room over the dumpsters!! This is also next to the back door to a kitchen and many of the staff/help were outside smoking. I was informed by the manager that although the hotel stresses the fact that all of the hotel grounds are smoke free, it is perfectly acceptable for the staff to smoke. We had a room on the south side of the building overlooking the parking lot and the pool with very little view of the ocean if any...the smell of cigarettes was constantly in the air when we sat on the balcony. A trip to the beach revealed that the hotel does NOT provide beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. Next door, at the less expensive Golden Inn, all such amenities were provided. In fact, they have employees on the beach to assist with setting up chairs and umbrellas. How nice? Windrift offers nothing. After lunch, we retreated to our room for a break from the sun. My wife was taking a shower, when all of a sudden there was someone banging relentlessly on our hotel room door. I answered the door to find a young employee with a spray bottle spraying the perimeter of our door with some sort of disinfectant. He informed me that he believed we were smoking cigarettes in the room. I told him he was mistaken. Five minutes later, the manager on duty came to our door and started actually pounding making the same claim that someone was smoking cigarettes in our room. I told him through the door that I had already told the last staff member that no one was smoking in our room. With my wife still in the shower, I shouted back to come back in a 1/2 hour because we were indisposed at the moment. The manager then hollered back that if he had to return in a 1/2 hour, he wasn't going to be so nice! A threat! I immediately opened the door and informed him that he was making a mistake and that no one was smoking in our room. I invited him into the room and asked him if he smelt smoke. He said that he could not smell anything. Mind you, staff members were constantly underneath out balcony smoking cigarettes. I told him that my wife and I were not smoking in the room and that he was making a huge mistake. He retorted that if he was making a mistake, it was not his FIRST! Indeed. He then, in a threatening manner, suggested that he was going to evict us from our room! He then retreated back to the hallway and I went to shut the door at which point, Pete shoved his foot in the path and told me not to slam the door on him. I had no intention of doing so and in unison, we both told him that it was apparent he had left the room and I was simply closing the door. I have worked in sales and marketing for many years handling customer service for a Berkshire Hathaway company. I have to say that this was beyond the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. We called the hotel next door and booked a room for the rest of our stay at the Golden Inn. The difference was night and day in regards TO SERVICE. The room cost was half the price too. When we checked out of the Windrift, the management had the audacity to include a $100 surcharge for cleaning the room with the stipulation that the smell was not cigarettes but now the odor was marihuana or "weed smell" as was stated on the bill. Please take my advice and avoid staying in this overpriced, family owned hotel that has lost sight of what is most important--good customer relations. The Golden Inn is in the process of completely revamping the entire hotel. I would avoid staying at the Windrift Resort Hotel in Avalon, NJ at all costs. You have been warned. read more

I'm not sure why everyone rates this place so highly. Tuesday "wing nights" in the summer involve: *getting interrogated by bouncers before you enter *being charged a $5 cover as early as 5pm, and then being forced to wear a wrist band *having to put up with families (with small children) eating right next to you *ordering wings that are average at best *dealing with obnoxious drunken crowds. I've been there many times so this is not just a rant about one bad experience. Can someone explain to me why are they carding at the door if they let small children in? I will not return until they address the issues above OR re-title "wing night" to "cheap beer in a plastic mug night". At least that way I know what to expect. read more

$600 a night?!?! What a complete travesty. Our room was small, beyond small. No lighting, no mirrors in the room, and once again, SMALL!!! If they charged me $200 a night I might be ok with the accommodations, but $600 a night. What a rip off. Wait, did I mention there's no closet in the room. Wtf!!! Stayed in 1000's of rooms, worst room ever! $600 a night. Disgusting!!! read more

Had a an amazing meal here; but after our meal our experience was ruined when we went to walk outside to leave. An older gentleman, identifying himself as Mr. Jones, stopped my friend Eugene and insisted on checking his ID so that we could walk through the "club" section of the restaurant. Eugene politely complied, and handed the old man his ID. The man told him "You're not walking through here, Fuck Nut, your ID is expired." We had no intention of staying, but after being treated so rudely, we will certainly never return to this incredibly rude establishment. When I asked the guy for his name, said "Mr. Jones" - which I am assuming is a fake name, but if you are a manager reading this review, this man was posted next to the dining room tonight; near the live piano player, above the area where they prepare the sushi. read more

WING NIGHT, WING NIGHT! $7 miller light pitchers... $5 for 12 wings.... live music, see you every Tuesday night this summer around 9!

My posse and I decided to eat at this restaurant because of its beautiful view of the ocean. Because one of my friend's wore Nike slip-On sandals, we weren't comfortable to eat in the fine dining with such a putz. The food and drinks in the casual section were good, but a tad over priced. Our waitress, Ann-Katrin, was one of the most passive-aggressive wenches we have ever had the displeasure of having serve us. As you read this, I know you, the yelper, are thinking that the aforementioned statement has to be extremely too harsh. I will give you an example of her dubious character. After having shown her face twice at our seven person table. She brought the bill for our meals on one check. I kindly asked her if she would be able to split them up individually. She responded with a grimace and shoved the receipt back at me, requiring me to write down what each person at our table ordered. I was perfectly fine with such a request, knowing that she is a busy waitress and most likely doesn't have the memory of an elephant. I took the time to write everything out. I returned the list to her and ten minutes later she returned with all seven of our checks. Instead of handing them to us, she piled all of them together and pitched them on our table, walking away hotly. Most paid with credit cards and after swiping all of them, she again brought our receipts and cards back, abandoning them on the table with a light toss. No "goodbye" or "have a good night". Her ill-mannered service led us all to promise to never return. I gave the restaurant four stars because I have a merciful heart and didn't want the seemingly gracious crew of other servers to suffer. The meals themselves were large portioned and delish. Yelpers at this restaurant be weary, server Ann-Katrin is not very cheery. -MARC P. read more

I had a meal for lunch on Saturday for lunch. I just wanted to say that my server, Jack, was a fantastic server. He was kind and attended to all our questions. read more

I've never actually had food here. I've only come here late night for drinks. The only thing that bothers me about this place is that they usually have $10 cover charge in the summer to get in. read more

The rooftop deck is a great spot to go to grab a late afternoon drink after cooking in crisco all day. Breakfast in the morning is good, food in the evening is bad. Stay away from their tuna, any of their pizzas and their nachos unless you are completely starving. Night life is good, but most nights there are a massive amount of dude bras acting like dude bras. read more

Went for wing night, I think they were the worst wings I have ever had, cold prebreaded wings....just nasty!

Well, I'm not sure why you'd go to a place like the Windrift and expect a gourmet dinner. I don't THINK you'll get that. But DO go there after the beach - Avalon on the left of the restaurant, Stone Harbor on the right - and go upstairs to their big outside bar/restaurant and have a cocktail or two, or three and enjoy BEING AT THE SHORE. Overlooking the beach. In your bathing suit. Sit at a table or at the bar, meet the folks next to you. Share one of their pretty damn good appetizers. We shared a few apps: steak egg roll thingies, nacho's and mozz sticks. All pretty good. A step above what we expected. Enough to get us all through til dinner. Our server was very attentive.The prices were right. The only criticism is I wish they had some sort of music upstairs (there were 3 guys playing downstairs in the inside bar) I can't say if their dinners are good or bad . . . but I can tell you it's a fun place to spend a summer afternoon. Another cool little beach bar is on the Avalon side at the Golden Inn. What a great time we had there too. I don't know why it wasn't more crowded to tell you to truth. 3-6 drink specials, right on the beach. read more