Week 2 - June 26
This blog is your insider guide to everything edible on LBI. No tourist traps, just good food, local tips, and a little buzz from the beach. Whether you’re here for a week or a whole season, I’ve got you covered with where to eat, what to drink, and how to order like a local!
🍕 This Week’s Bite
Crab Fried Rice at The Delaware Avenue Oyster House
A menu once said, “If you’re not ordering this, are you even at the oyster house?” I’ll take that menu one further and ask, “If you’re not ordering this, are you even on LBI?”
One of the island’s most notable dishes – craved by both seasonal regulars and off-season locals – is the savory Crab Fried Rice. Dreamed up at The Delaware Avenue Oyster House in Long Beach, this isn’t your average bar plate. It’s rich, buttery, filled with fresh picked blue claw crabs, flecked with smoked trout roe, swirled with an egg yolk and yet it somehow still feels light enough to eat outside in even this past week’s heat wave.
The Delaware Oyster House, as it’s more locally known, has this breezy, blink-and-you-miss-it vibe. That is until you try to get a table at 7pm in July and realize that in fact, no one else ‘missed it’ either.
👆Insider Tip: open year-round, the locals know it’s the go-to for fresh oysters and cocktails, even in the heart of winter.
The Setup
The aesthetic matches the food: it’s a “sliver-of-a-space” raw bar, all family-run, no pretense. Slide onto a stool at the bar, pick your oysters (or clams, or shrimp cocktail), get them topped and chilled, and enjoy one of the best meals on the island.
🌟 Must-Order Dish
Seasonal Fish Tacos — blackened tilefish, mango lime coleslaw, tomatillo avocado salsa verde, pickled onions, and micro cilantro.
The Crab Fried Rice will get you here, but the Fish Tacos will get you to keep coming back. Using seasonal fresh catches to craft this colorful dish, the Fish Tacos are refreshing and a perfect post beach-day meal.
Honorable mentions go to:
- The Verde Wood Fired Pizza
- Guatemalan Baked Oysters
- Boats & Po’s
The portions are perfect for ordering a few different plates for the table, but maybe don’t expect anything to make it back around twice.
📍 Located at 13211 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach NJ
Monday-Fri: 4-9pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12-9pm
🌊Weekend Washashores
After a month straight of rain, we all said we just wanted one good beach day. Then came the heat wave. Careful what you wish for.
With temps climbing into the 90s and zero breeze on the horizon, the only logical response is ice cream. Lots of it. Here are three worth leaving the AC for. Preferably eaten in the shade, and fast.
🍹This Week's Sip
Drink of the Week: The Dime
Barr Hill Gin, Crème de Violette, Cointreau, fresh lemon
While you are at the Oyster House, be sure to grab one of these!
- A little floral, a little tart, and just sweet enough to keep things summery, The Dime tastes a Cosmo but with a crisp gin twist.
🤙 Order Like a Local
One thing you might come to learn after today’s issue, or have already found out the hard way, is that even though the tightly packed room lends itself the The Delaware Oyster House’s charm it does not lend a seat to those waiting for a table. So when the summer wait time’s are in their prime, head to the other half of the block and around back to Terrace Tavern. Their outside bar has plenty of standing room and great cocktails to pre-game your Crab Fried Rice.
👂 Word on the Beach
Introducing LBI’s First Supper Club by Private Chef Nicole Dragon
Indulge in a five-star meal hosted at Birdy’s Café, featuring farm-to-market creations and seasonal ingredients. If you’ve spent time on TikTok, you may have scrolled past one of Chef Nicole Dragon’s mesmerizing cooking videos — and realized they were filmed right here on LBI.
Whether you’ve been following along or are just discovering her now, this is your chance to taste her dishes in person — and they’re every bit as unforgettable as they look.
Tickets:
$165 per person
Dates:
- Thursday, June 26
- Wednesday, July 30
- Wednesday, August 13
About Me
Hey, I’m Hannah! I’ve lived just over the bridge from LBI for the past 25 years and if there’s one thing I know, it’s how to order the perfect after-beach meal like a local. I’ve spent every summer either working in restaurants or hopping between them, chasing the best cosmo, returning for a tried and true classic, exploring new weekly specials, and looking for the thrill of a just-opened spot that’s already getting some island buzz. From takeout in your beach chair to white tablecloths under string lights, I’ve got the inside scoop on where to eat, sip, and celebrate all season long. Let’s dig in!
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