Between Point Pleasant Beach and Manasquan is Brielle, NJ, a lovely residential town along the Manasquan River. It also has some great restaurants and is known as the charter fishing boat capital of New Jersey.
My top recommendations include:
The Shipwreck Grill, at 720 Ashley Ave., has excellent food and is on the river and near the boat marinas. I recently went back for a fun dinner with my nephew. I enjoyed the raw clams and the shrimp bucatini, a pasta with shrimp, plum tomatoes, garlic, capers, Thai basil and a shaved riccota salata. It is more of a fine dining experience compared to many of the more casual venues nearby.
One of the old standards, Union Landing at 622 Green Ave., closed and has been remodeled and re-opened as Waypoint 622. I enjoyed a lovely dinner in the inside dining room of spaghetti and clams. I went back with guests on the 4th of July, 2024 for lunch. We sat in the covered portion of the outside terrace and loved the views of the boats. I highly recommend the lobster and shrimp roll along with the fried calamari. It is very popular, so I suggest making a reservation before you go. They also have free parking.
Mariner’s Cove Restaurant is known for its wonderful breakfast menu with over 200 omelette combinations, a good choice of waffles, pancakes, crepes and French toast. You might try going during the week, as weekend mornings can be crowded. 712 Union Ave.
The former Sandbar is now The Pig & Parrot. Several of my local friends highly recommend it so I had to try it on a recent trip. It features tacos, sandwiches, burgers and seafood with river views and live music. It has a Key West vibe and a tropical menu featuring classic coctails and excellent seafood. I highly recommend the coconut shrimp salad and the salmon with a mango salsa. It is located along the docks with great views of the boats. 201 Union Ln.
My family just went back again to La Modina for great Italian food. It is located in Brielle, away from the docks, at 110 Union Ave. I will definitely try it on my visit next summer.