LBI’s eating scene works finest whenever you lean totally into the contrasts: old-school breakfast counters in the morning, dockside seafood lunches in a swimsuit by afternoon, then chilly beers, dwell music, and completely plated coastal dinners at sundown. Some eating places are beloved as a result of they’ve been round endlessly; others as a result of they’ve mastered the artwork of the fashionable seashore city dinner reservation. The candy spot? Hitting all of the above in the identical weekend.
For longtime guests, sure meals on LBI are virtually necessary. Mornings start early at Uncle Will’s, the place pancake stacks and large breakfasts have fueled seashore days forward since 1965. Late nights nearly at all times finish at The Chicken or the Egg (broadly referred to as “Chegg”)—an establishment the place spicy wings, breakfast platters, and nachos style higher nearer to midnight. For basic Jersey nostalgia proper on the water, Dockside Diner stays one of the island’s nice easygoing staples, the place every kind of vacationers overlap over espresso refills and outsized classics earlier than one other day on the surf. LBI Table is one other stellar decide for oceanside omelets and pancake flights. Whether you’re staying at The Sea Shell or not, be certain to go for lunch at The Palm Grill and Tiki Bar for a full of life waterside scene—and a menu with something from sushi to quesadillas.
Elsewhere, the BYOB setup and intimate eating room have made Blue Water Café a staple for dinners with bowls of clam chowder and completely scrumptious Philly cheesesteaks, which you may as well take out to get pleasure from on the seashore. Bird and Betty’s has change into one of the island’s defining nightlife and eating locations, pairing dwell music, rooftop cocktails, and bayfront sunsets with wood-fired pizza, recent seafood, and a full wine record. Tuckers Tavern is one other elevated decide, superb for burgers and a uncooked bar, whereas Skipper Dipper is the place generations of households line up after dinner for towering ice cream cones that soften nearly as shortly as the sunsets over the bay.
Where to remain
If there’s one factor that I’ve realized from years of coming to LBI, it’s to e-book as early as you presumably can. The finest lodging don’t final on the marketplace for lengthy, and by the time peak summer time rolls round, availability tightens quick. If you’re planning on visiting in the hotter months, I’ve discovered that locking in a keep by early March or April tends to open up the finest vary of choices—whether or not you’re after ocean views, walkable neighborhoods, or one thing tucked nearer to the bay. LBI is made up of distinct pockets: Beach Haven with its eating places and nightlife, Ship Bottom as a central hub, and Surf City for its basic, household seashore really feel.