5 Point Pleasant Beach eateries locals swear by — no summer required

🔴 Point Pleasant Beach boasts top restaurants open year-round.

🔴 Local favorites continue to draw crowds with signature dishes and Jersey Shore charm.

🔴 From steakhouse indulgence to BYOB seafood shacks, these five must-try Point Pleasant Beach restaurants remain staples for locals and visitors.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The Jersey Shore has no shortage of great restaurants. Just because it’s not summer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of a beach town’s great eats.

Year-round dining in Point Pleasant Beach

Take Point Pleasant, for example. There are some fantastic restaurants there that are open all year round. Some, however, close after the holidays for the winter and reopen around March for the springtime rush.

ALSO READ: Check out these holiday-themed pop-up bars in New Jersey

Nevertheless, be sure to put these five must-try restaurants in Point Beach.

Sinner’s Steakhouse

20 Inlet Dr, Point Pleasant Beach

Steak lovers will be in heaven at Sinners, located in the Point Pleasant inlet, overlooking the water and the boats.

F.A. DeRosa’s butcher shop in Westfield personally selects and hand carves every cut of prime 28-day dry-aged beef that comes through the restaurant’s doors.

There are plenty of appetizers to choose from, like filet tips with mushrooms, beef carpaccio, lollipop lambchops, and firecracker shrimp, to name a few.

Enjoy the raw bar, and indulge in Sinners Seafood Tower that includes a chilled lobster tail, oysters, shrimp, littleneck clams, crab cocktail, and seafood ceviche.

Of course, for the main meal, steak is the way to go. Enjoy marinated skirt steak, filet mignon, American Wagyu Strip, Delmonico Ribeye, Cowboy Ribeye, and Tomahawk Ribeye for two. Each dish is served with house-made Sinners steak sauce.

There’s an extensive wine list, house-made cocktails, local craft beers, and more. For a fancier touch, Sinners also has a wine locker. Store your favorite wine or premium bottles in your own personalized wine locker. They’ll even engrave your name on the plate.

Point Lobster Bar and Grill

521 Arnold Ave, Point Pleasant Beach

This popular seafood restaurant and bar is known for its fresh seafood, Portuguese-influenced dishes, and casual dining vibes. There is also a great bar with good cocktail selections, too.

Popular menu items include their lobster rolls and lobster bisque, fresh oysters, and paella.

The Point Lobster Bake is a 1 ¼ pound lobster, served with Old Bay butter potatoes and Jersey corn.

Whole Maine lobsters range from 1.5 to almost 4 pounds, and you can choose your style (Angry, Green, or Stuffed).

Red and white sangria are made fresh daily, served by the glass, half-pitcher, and full pitcher.

Half Moon Point

2154 Bridge Ave, Point Pleasant

Open 7 days a week all year round, Half Moon Point is a great place to meet up for dinner and/or drinks, and enjoy live music.

Enjoy appetizers, hand-helds, filling entrees like Rustic Open Short Rib Lasagna, Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Norwegian Salmon, and Shrimp and Risotto.

Every Tuesday is Burger Tuesday. For $25, you get a choice of beer or wine, a choice of soup or salad, and a choice of three burgers. These include the Bridge Avenue Burger (lettuce, tomato, pickle, and choice of cheese), Fork and Knife Burger (grilled 8 oz burger, shrimp, grilled asparagus, roasted butter garlic, and matchstick potatoes), or the Half Moon Burger of the Month. Add a seasonal dessert for $4.

Enjoy their specialty cocktail and martini menu. Their Bloody Mary drinks are very popular with patrons.

Watch sports or enjoy live music on weekends, too.

Spano’s Ristorante Italiano

719 Arnold Ave, Point Pleasant Beach

On Dec. 10, 2001, Chef Joe Spano opened Spano’s Ristorante Italiano in Point Pleasant Beach, which has become a longtime favorite spot among residents and visitors. Most of the staff has been there since the inception.

“Joseph still cooks for many customers from his Jackson days, 25 years later, who travel into Point Pleasant for one of his wonderful home-cooked meals. Spano’s never advertises; all of our advertising is word of mouth,” according to the restaurant’s website.

Chef Spano loves to use seasonal ingredients along with fresh, local fish, other seafood, and produce to create wonderful specials.

Some include Wild Mushroom Lasagna (sauteed wild mushrooms with gruyere, cacio cavello, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and bechamel sauce layered between homemade pasta sheets), Potao Encrusted Grouper (grouper seasoned with shredded potato topping, broiled, and served over a lemon emulsion), or Lamb Shank Osso Bucco (16 oz. bone-in lamb shank slow-roasted with celery, carrots, and onions served on top of homemade pappardelle pasta in a brown demi sauce).

Even with the rising costs of doing business, Chef Spano strives to keep his prices reasonable so everyone can enjoy a special evening out.

It’s a BYOB, so grab a bottle and some friends and let the good times roll at Spano’s.

The Shrimp Box and Outside The Box Patio Bar

75 Inlet Dr, Point Pleasant Beach

Situated on the Point Pleasant Beach inlet is The Shrimp Box, a great place to grab a classic seafood meal while overlooking the water.

While it will close for the season on Dec. 14, the restaurant will reopen in March to usher in spring.

The Shrimp Box began as a small, take-out seafood stand. After several years, the stand was so successful, it moved to the retail fish store (the current lobby) and expanded its seating to 36 from the four original counter stools.

The restaurant became so popular that a harbor-side outdoor patio was built, along with a revamped menu, and voila, the restaurant is now a Jersey Shore institution. The Shrimp Box underwent a final renovation after Superstorm Sandy.

The Shrimp Box offers a menu foll of succulent goodies like a raw bar, Maine lobster roll, coconut shrimp, spicy pretzel crusted calamari, blackened Mahi Mahi, truffle day boat scallops, flounder, and the famous Broiled Captain’s Platter (three broiled shrimp, three broiled scallops, three clams casino, one South African tail, and crabmeat stuffed flounder topped with a lemon butter dill sauce).

There’s also plenty of food for the landlubbers.

Bonus Restaurant

The Wharfside Seafood and Patio Bar

101 Channel Dr, Point Pleasant Beach

It’s hard to go to Point Pleasant Beach and not visit The Wharfside. This place is really hopping in the spring and summer months with live music from the best local bands around, outdoor seating for lunch or dinner, and of course, the packed bar area.

The Wharfside Patio Bar has been a Jersey Shore staple since its inception by Jack Baker in 1963. Dedicated to fresh local lobster, the restaurant is open year-round.
There’s tons of great finds on the menu from the land and sea.

Every Wednesday starting at 4 p.m. is the Steak and Sip. Choose an appetizer (chowder, wedge salad, or crock of onion soup). Choose a steak (flank, filet mignon, or NY Strip). Choose a sauce (veal demi-glace, bernaise sauce, rosemary compound butter, or peppercorn cream sauce). Choose a side (mashed potatoes, french fries, crispy brussel sprouts, or creamed spinach). Choose a dessert (ice cream sundae or crme brulee). Each meal runs between $27 and $40 and includes a glass of wine.

Every Thursday is Shrimp Fest starting at 4 p.m. Choose between breaded shrimp, coconut shrimp, shrimp pasta, shrimp Caesar, shrimp rigatoni vodka, buffalo shrimp, or spicy, garlic shrimp dishes.

The Wharfside is also know for its legendary rum buckets. The Sneaky Pete (Bacardi coconut rum, Bacardi spiced rum, Bacardi gold rum, light rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine) or Patio Punch (Bacardi mango, banana, pineapple, and coconut rum, cranberry, and pineapple juice). Both are $15.

Enjoy what Point Pleasant Beach has to offer.

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