The Top 10 Foods on LBI

Inspired by the coastal city of Veracruz, Mexico, the Calamari Vera Cruz is one of those dishes that instantly transports you somewhere else while still feeling perfectly at home on LBI.

Lightly fried calamari is tossed with Jersey tomatoes, garlic, and cherry peppers that provide just enough kick without overwhelming the dish.

What makes it special is that the answer to what makes it great seems to change with every bite. One moment it's the sweetness and acidity of the Jersey tomatoes. The next it's the garlic, the subtle heat from the cherry peppers, or the perfectly cooked calamari itself. Every component pulls its weight.

While it's designed to be shared as an appetizer, it's light enough to eat the entire plate.

It's excellent straight from the kitchen, but we find it even better later. As it sits, the flavors continue to come together, allowing the tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and calamari to become even more harmonious.

Barry's is the perfect stop for a snack after the beach, a casual dinner, or a sweet treat after a long summer day.

In many ways, it's LBI's version of an elevated diner—high-level, consistent food served at prices that won't make you think twice.

The menu is packed with sandwiches, burgers, and shore-town classics, but the surprise star might be the cheesesteak.

Whether you order the traditional version or the buffalo chicken variation, it's a cheesesteak that would earn approval from even the harshest Philadelphian. Cooper Sharp, sauteed onions, and a proper sesame seed roll provide the proper foundation for the sandwich.

Every bite delivers something a little different—the rich, gooey Cooper Sharp, the savory beef, the sweetness of the onions, and the slight crunch from the toasted sesame seed roll. It's messy in all the right ways, packed with flavor, and somehow manages to strike the perfect balance between indulgent and comforting.

It's only fitting that the restaurant pumping out one of the best lobster rolls on the island also turns out a burger worth talking about. (Hint: you'll be hearing more about these guys before the countdown is over.)

The Dock Burger starts with two smashed beef patties layered with melted cheese, pickles, and the restaurant's house sauce, all stacked on a toasted brioche bun. It's the good kind of messy — the kind that leaves sauce on your hands and has you licking your fingers before reaching for the next bite.

And then there are the fries, which have quietly become some of the best on LBI.

It's a reminder that Dock & Claw isn't just a seafood spot. The menu shows real range, delivering standout dishes well beyond what's coming off the dock.

Whether you stop in for the burger, the lobster roll, or one of the restaurant's other fan favorites, this is one menu where it's genuinely hard to order wrong.

After a week of seafood, lighter summer meals, or maybe one too many Surfsides, sometimes all you're really craving is a great burger.

Burger 25 has built its reputation on creative specialty burgers, but the beauty of the Smack Burger is that it doesn't try to reinvent anything.

A seasoned Angus beef patty is topped with American cheese, lettuce, diced onions, pickles, and house-made Smack Sauce before landing on a Martin's Famous sesame seed roll.

We've had this burger more times than we can count and can personally vouch for its consistency. Whether you're eating it fresh at the restaurant or bringing it home, it always seems to hit the spot. It also travels surprisingly well, which is an underrated quality for a shore-town burger.

Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason.

Ship Bottom Shellfish, the original Tide Table venture, has been an LBI institution since 1981. Nearly five decades later, it's still the standard many locals measure every other seafood spot against.

The jumbo lump crab cake is the dish that helped build that reputation.

Packed with huge chunks of crab and barely any filler, it focuses on exactly what you want it to focus on: crab. No unnecessary distractions. No excessive breadcrumbs. Just sweet lump crab meat held together enough to make it from the kitchen to your table.

That same crab cake legacy now extends across the island through sister restaurants Parker's Garage and Ellis' Chicken & Crab Cakes, both part of the Tide Table family.

Whether you're ordering it at the original location or one of its island cousins, it's a dish that has earned every bit of its institution status.

The Barnegat Bay is known for its abundance of seafood. Oysters, crabs, and especially clams have long been part of the area's identity and culture.

Growing up in the area, no LBI summer felt complete without at least one day spent clamming in the shallows. Maybe that's why a plate of local clams always comes with a little bit of nostalgia.

Polly's Dock Clamhouse feels like the perfect place to enjoy them. Sitting bayside, it delivers the type of experience that reminds you why people fall in love with LBI in the first place.

Their steamers arrive swimming in a rich wine and herb broth that's almost as memorable as the clams themselves. The garlic bread served alongside is absurdly good—crispy, buttery, and exactly what you want for soaking up every last drop of broth left in the bowl.

Pair a bowl with the bay views and you've got about as perfect an LBI evening as you'll find.

Just up the road in Ship Bottom, Mystic Market has built a loyal following, and its lobster rolls are a big reason why.

While Dock & Claw sticks to a traditional Maine-style approach, Mystic has carved out a lane of its own. Alongside a classic lobster roll, you'll find creative variations like the Hawaiian, Bombay, and Deep South, each built around generous portions of hand-picked lobster meat tucked into a lightly toasted, buttery roll.

What makes Mystic stand out is the variety. Every version brings something a little different to the table, giving diners plenty of reasons to come back. Some people find a favorite and never stray. Others make it a mission to work their way through the entire lineup.

Either way, you're getting one of the island's best lobster rolls and one of the most satisfying grab-and-go meals on LBI.

Howard's Seafood Restaurant has been a Beach Haven Gardens institution since 1950, and the French Fried Lobster is the dish that's kept generations of islanders and visitors coming back for over seven decades.

There's something cool about sitting down and enjoying the same dish your parents, grandparents, and generations of summer visitors enjoyed before you. In a world where restaurants are constantly reinventing themselves, Howard's has stuck with a tried-and-true recipe that simply works.

The concept is exactly what it sounds like. Fresh lobster meat is hand-cut into pieces, dipped in a light batter, and fried until golden brown.

Simple, yet decadent.

What makes it special is how little the preparation gets in the way. Despite being fried, it's never overly breaded or greasy. The lobster remains the clear star of the dish, tender and delicate rather than chewy or overworked. It also solves one of lobster's biggest problems: you spend your time eating it instead of fighting with shells and crackers.

The portions are generous too, with far more lobster packed into the plate than most people expect from a fried seafood dish.

This is the kind of old-school harborside meal that explains how Howard's has survived hurricanes, expansions, and more than seventy-five years without ever losing its crowd.

If you're looking for seafood but are tired of seeing it stuffed into a taco shell or tucked into a bun, the Crab Fried Rice at Delaware Avenue Oyster House should be your next order.

Fresh-picked blue claw crab, egg yolk, ginger, togarashi, black sesame, and smoked trout roe combine to create one of the most unique dishes on the island. Once the egg yolk is mixed throughout the rice, the dish takes on an entirely different character, tying together the various flavors into one cohesive bite.

The result is hearty but never heavy. Different but not frou-frou. Every bite seems to reveal another layer of flavor. Somehow it's filling enough to be a meal while still leaving you wishing the bowl was twice the size.

Over the years, this dish has become synonymous with Delaware Avenue Oyster House. As the menu asks, "If you're not ordering this, are you even at the Oyster House?"

Pair it with a dirty martini at the always-packed bar and you've got one of the island's go-to meals. It's the kind of dish that locals order repeatedly and visitors remember long after their vacation ends.