When you're looking to meet up with friends for appetizers and adult beverages, you'll find plenty of options for casual fare and cocktails in Belmar, New Jersey. Here are the Belmar Beachcomber's top picks for happy hour dining.
1. Flames Brazilian Steakhouse
1000 Main Street
Belmar, New Jersey 732-681-7680
At Flames Brazilian Steakhouse in Belmar, you can enjoy happy hour at the full-service bar Monday to Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and all day Sunday. Happy hour specials include half-price appetizers and $5.00 cocktails and house wine.
Try a refreshing caipirinha cocktail made with Brazilian rum, Sao Paolo Tropical with Grey Goose vodka, or a pitcher of Portuguese sangria. For appetizers, half-price small plates are perfect for sharing.
2. Klein's Seafood Restaurant & Waterfront Café
708 River Road
Belmar, New Jersey 732-681-1177
With its tranquil views of the Shark River, Klein's Tiki Bar is a popular spot for happy hour dining. Outdoor seating during happy hour time is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Happy hour specials are currently available between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
The bar menu includes $5.00 Tito's cocktails, $6.00 Tito's martinis, half-price wines by the glass, and frozen/well drinks, as well as specials on both draft and bottled beer. Happy hour prices include discounted raw-bar specials, and you also can order from your choice of the all-day menu or the riverfront bar and grille menu.
The Belmar Beach and Spicy Mama sushi rolls and the boom-boom shrimp are some of my personal favorites.
3. La Dolce Vita Italian Seafood Grill and La Terrazza
400 and 408 Ocean Avenue
Belmar, New Jersey 732-749-3177
In addition to specially priced appetizers ($5.00 and $7.00) and drink specials, you'll enjoy the people-watching and ocean views during happy hour at La Dolce Vita on Ocean Avenue. Just next door, the bar at La Terrazza ("The Terrace") also serves casual Italian fare, flat breads, pizza, and cocktails.
During a recent visit, we enjoyed half-price house pinot grigio, meatball sliders, filet mignon tip sliders, and mozzarella towers. Happy hour specials are currently available Sunday through Friday, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., but this is subject to change, depending on the season.
4. 10th Avenue Burrito Company
801 Belmar Plaza
Belmar, New Jersey 732-280-1515
Happy hour at 10th Avenue Burrito Co. in Belmar is available Monday to Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the inside and outside bars. Snack on $5.00 nachos and $5.00 Mexican corn bites, while sipping on a happy hour drink special. Happy hour cocktails include $3.00 domestic drafts, $5.00 well drinks and wine, and $7.00 la casa margaritas.
If you're ordering off the regular dinner menu, our favorite appetizers are the pork molé nachos with guacamole and sweet chili chicken wings served with avocado ranch dressing. The sweet and spicy corn soup is also terrific!
5. 801 Craft Kitchen At Beach Haus Brewery
801 Main Street
Belmar, New Jersey 07719
732-202-7782
After acquiring the liquor license from the former Jack's Tavern in 2019, the owners of Beach Haus Brewery introduced a full-service bar with specialty drinks, wine, beer cocktails, craft spirits and, of course, beer flights (four samples per flight). Happy hour specials are available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the brewery's second-floor restaurant, 801 Craft Kitchen & Spirits.
Monday night is industry night at Beach Haus, with 50 percent off your check with proof of employment in the restaurant or bar business.
Just outside the taproom and restaurant, a palm-lined deck with umbrella tables is the perfect spot to take in the sweeping views of the Belmar Marina and downtown Belmar. Seating is first-come, first-served, so it's best to get there early to avoid long waits, especially on the weekends.
6. Anchor Tavern
713 Main Street
Belmar, New Jersey 732-280-2266
Anchor Tavern, a Chef's International dining establishment, has happy hour specials at the inside and outside bars every day from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., making it a popular place among locals and visitors alike. Some of the drink specials include $3.00 domestic drafts, $4.00 domestic bottles, $4.00 well drinks, $5.00 White Claws, and select wines for $5.00. A selection of small plates is available for happy hour dining at Anchor Tavern. The choices includ wings, ricotta toast, a crock of chili, onion rings, empanadas, nachos, and pulled pork tacos.
Other Popular Places For Happy Hour
You'll find lots of other choices for happy hour dining in Belmar, including the Boathouse Bar & Grill at 1309 Main Street, Marina Grille at the Belmar Marina, and the seasonal 9th Avenue Pier waterfront bar at the Belmar Marina.
In nearby Lake Como, New Jersey, Bar Anticipation (Bar A) is a year-round destination for Friday happy hour, as is Salty's Beach Bar on Main Street in Lake Como (the former Paul's Tavern), which has a free happy hour buffet along with drink specials.
Outside of Belmar, we recommend the happy hour at Pagano's UVA Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, 800 Main Street, Bradley Beach, New Jersey. Happy hour at UVA is Tuesday through Friday, noon to 7:00 p.m.; noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday; and all day on Sunday (noon to 10:00 p.m.).
The bar menu features pasta dishes, salads, pizza, grilled sandwiches, and other selections. Also, Tuesday is specially priced pasta night with $4.00 house wine by the glass at UVA in the dining room and at the bar. Enjoy a discounted pizza menu all day at the bar on Thursdays at UVA, or half-price pasta on T We've also enjoyed happy hour at The Elbow Room, 416 Main Street, Bradley Beach. Their bar menu includes appetizers (try the hummus platter with veggies and warm flat bread), small plates (fried calamari with sweet chili sauce is good), quesadillas, burgers, sides, sandwiches, and house specialties.
Finally, in Neptune City, New Jersey, AlPonte Italian Restaurant (in the former location of Simko's, nearby Sunsets and the Headliner) has all-day happy hour on Sundays, in addition to weekly happy hour specials Monday through Friday, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The happy hour bar menu includes Wine Wednesday, $12.00 pastas on Tuesday, or $10.00 pizzas on Thursday.
Cheers!
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Day trips down the shore are fun, but it's even better to rent a beach house for the week to experience everything wonderful about the Belmar area. For couples, single adults and small families, the two-bedroom Blue Hydrangea Cottage rental in Belmar, New Jersey, is the perfect getaway place. The home sleeps up to four people and is consistently rated five stars for cleanliness, amenities and location. Learn more at www.VacationInBelmar.com.
Story and photos © copyright by Christine Cardellino, owner of www.VacationInBelmar.com and publisher of the award-winning Belmar Beachcomber Blog, a travel and tourism guide for the Belmar region of the Jersey Shore. Do not copy any content (including images) without our permission. All rights reserved.
