“To know Jersey is to love her… food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.” -Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown.
Food. It’s what makes New Jersey, New Jersey. From juicy Jersey tomatoes, to fresh seafood right from the docks, to the best cheesesteaks in the United States, to delicious corn on the cob, to amazing bakeries, to early morning or late night meals at the local diner, there are no shortage of amazing dining opportunities in the Garden State. Many of my favorite restaurants and eateries are located along the 130-mile coastline of the state I call home.
On a beautiful summer weekend in mid-July, my wife and I decided to spend a weekend down the shore, and what started as a trip to just get away and recharge turned into an unscheduled eating adventure! For two days, we visited some of our favorite dining establishments along the coast!
So come along, then, as we dig into some amazing food. Along the way, we’ll check in on a cool nature center, watch some amazing sunsets, cross a milestone, and have a great time.
Let’s begin!
Jersey Shore Eating
Our mission: a weekend spent visiting our favorite restaurants, wineries, and diners. Challenge accepted!Waking up before sunrise on Saturday, we were out the door early to avoid the traffic of a summer weekend. We encountered so few other vehicles that I was able to set the cruise control and relax – a rare occurrence on the Garden State Parkway!Our first stop? Breakfast at Grits & Grace, a comfort food eatery open for breakfast and lunch in Bayville, New Jersey. Eagle-eyed readers may remember Grits & Grace from our visit a few weeks ago.What a great way to start the day! While I went back to a pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwic, my wife ordered the best meal – corned beef hash with eggs over easy, served with gluten-free toast. It was all I could do to not reach across the table and steal half of the corned beef hash. Full and happy, we were ready for our next destination.We made it exactly one block down the road before immediately pulling over to meet Bud the Bayville Dinosaur!Bud has been in Bayville since 1935. Created as a promotion for a 1920s dinosaur movie, this century-old dinosaur (most likely the oldest dinosaur statue in the United States) has been damaged and rebuilt several times, but still stands watch along Route 9 (via Roadside America).Our next stop was to the town of Stone Harbor, where we visited the Wetlands Institute, one of my favorite nature centers near the shore. The wetlands play a crucial role in supporting bird and marine life near the shore, and also form a layer of defense against flooding.We decided to take a walk through the wetlands – exercise is essential with all this eating! This night heron squawked some words of encouragement as we went by.Compared to our trip to the Edwin B. Forsyth National Wildlife Refuge a few weeks ago, there were far less flies and mosquitos – a squadron of dragonflies were patrolling the wetlands, eating every insect they could find. Thank you, dragonflies!Across the waterway, a dozen egrets were searching for their next meal.As was the case at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, the muddy ground of the wetlands were crawling with fiddler crabs. The male’s large claw is used to attract a mate, but is otherwise non-functional. These little creatures are invaluable for helping to provide oxygen to the soil of the wetlands, as they continuously borrow through the mud.As recently hatched osprey begin to take initial steps toward leaving their nests, the parents remain close at hand to keep a watch over their offspring.Despite the best efforts of the dragonflies, the mosquitos and black flies were still an annoyance. After snagging a photo of this osprey hanging out alone atop its nest, we headed back to the car and set off for our next destination.Before leaving Stone Harbor, we made a pit stop at Coffee Talk for some iced lattes. Coffee Talk has been keeping the Jersey shore caffeinated since 1995.This parking spot might look familiar to longtime readers of this blog…We stopped by Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery in Rio Grande, NJ, just north of Cape May. Hawk Haven is one of our favorite wineries at the shore, and we enjoyed a glass of wine while sitting under the tent, a gentle ocean breeze blowing through the vineyard. It was an A+ visit!For our next stop, we headed into downtown Cape May for some shopping and lunch. Cape May has a large municipal parking lot in the middle of town, but owing to the summer crowds, it was completely full. We ended up parking several blocks away, and the walk into town gave us an opportunity to enjoy the famed Victorian architecture (Cape May is second to only San Francisco for the number of Victorian-style buildings of any town in America).Our first stop was for lunch at the Cape May Fish Market, one of our newest favorite spots.Here at the Cape May Fish Market, there is no exploring the menu, no trying new things. When we sit down, we both know exactly what we want: a lobster roll. Cape May Fish Market makes some of the best lobster rolls outside of Maine (and even serves them on a gluten-free roll, if you ask). Deeee-licious!!After lunch, we walked around the Washington Street Mall in downtown Cape May to do some shopping. Given that it was a mid-summer Saturday at the shore, crowds weren’t as overwhelming as I expected.Although we didn’t do much shopping, we did check out something interesting – hidden away in an alley is the Museum of Fine Arts & Pop Culture. This small museum, which is free to visit, has almost 200 pieces of Victorian and contemporary artwork on display. If you do stop by, be sure to ask about the artwork of Congo the Chipmanzee – you won’t be sorry!Our last stop of the day was for dinner at Harpoon’s on the Bay, a casual restaurant and bar that sits overlooking the Delaware Bay in North Cape May. Despite my many years of coming to this part of the state, and having heard several good reviews Harpoon’s, this was my first visit!Although Harpoon’s offers indoor dining, we chose to eat outside and to soak up as much of the beautiful weather as possible.We started our meal with soup – I had the New England clam chowder (quite tasty), and my wife had the Maryland-style crab and vegetable soup.After some heavy meals earlier in the day, we each went with a lighter choice of a taco salad (chicken for me, shrimp for my wife). The vegetables were fresh, the chicken and shrimp were both cooked perfectly, and the dressing was spot-on. It was a refreshing end to our day!We made it back to the shore house in time for a gorgeous sunset over the Delaware Bay.Did I mention it was a beautiful sunset?The next morning I took advantage of beautiful skies for a quick glamour shot of the Accord (of course) near the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal. Photo taken, it was then time to get some breakfast!!I’ll give you three guesses where we went for breakfast… and the first two guesses don’t count.We got takeout from Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in North Cape May – breakfast of champions! That’ll be a short stack of gluten-free pecan pancakes (pictured) for my wife and a stack of buttermilk pecan pancakes for me – it was a great way to start the day!After packing up the car, we began our long drive home. We had some errands to run in nearby Sea Isle City, and so stopped for coffee at Red, White, and Brew, one of our favorite independent coffee shops at the Jersey shore.Coffee in hand, we began the return journey home. The northbound Great Egg Harbor Bridge on the Garden State Parkway offers amazing views, but is also a sad reminder that my time at the shore is coming to a close.Fortunately, we had one more stop before we went home – Lucille’s Country Cooking, a mainstay in the Pine Barrens. Lucille’s has been in business since 1975, providing comfort food in a small diner alongside Route 539. Chef and TV celebrity Anthony Bourdain highlighted Lucille’s during an exploration of New Jersey for the TV show Parts Unknown.Given that temperatures were not oppressive, we opted for a table on the restaurant’s patio. This was our first visit to Lucille’s since the pandemic, and unfortunately, the restaurant has experienced one significant change. Lucille’s iconic Jersey Devil statue, which as long stood in the parking lot, was recently stolen and heavily damaged. The perpetrator was arrested, and a new statue has been commissioned to replace the now-lost original. Local residents took up a donation to help fund the new statue, but the restaurant owners have instead donated that money to a local charity that supports cancer research (via Asbury Park Press).Our meal arrived, and Lucille’s remains as terrific as ever. While I chowed down on a burger, my wife enjoyed a stuffed tomato, served with chicken salad. Fueled up, we were ready for the drive home.Although the actual odometer reading of the trip was 222,266 miles for my Accord, the real fun came about an hour before we reached home, when my car saw all 2’s across the odometer. It took a little planning (and a little more math), but it came out perfectly (and, for added fun, it happened near mile marker 22 along Route 539). The Accord keeps chugging along. Onward!!
Wrapping Up
There are many reasons to visit the New Jersey shore, but great eating is certainly at the top of my list! From fresh seafood, to fluffy pancakes, to juicy tomatoes, to perfectly brewed coffee, the shore has something for everyone’s palette! Come to the shore for the beautiful beaches, but stay for the great food!
Thanks for coming along on another Jersey shore adventure down the open road ahead!
That lobster roll had some big chunks of meat in it! Everything looked delicious. And those sunsets looked incredible, It looks like it was a fun weekend on the shore.
The Open Road Ahead 
Oh my goodness, all this food!!!!
If you go to VT to go to the American Precision Museum in Windsor, be sure to ask us about places to eat.
See you Friday at the FP!
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So glad you enjoyed the post, Muffin! And I’m looking forward to someday visiting the APM in Windsor, based on your recommendation!!
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Looks like a perfect trip! Great food is always the best!
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I agree – good food is worth the journey! Thanks for reading!!
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That lobster roll had some big chunks of meat in it! Everything looked delicious. And those sunsets looked incredible, It looks like it was a fun weekend on the shore.
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It’s hard to have a bad meal at the Jersey shore (as long as you stay away from the tourist traps). Thanks for reading!!
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