The Sea Grill

Just dined at the Sea Grill in mid Sept. 2015. Not a good experience at all. You have to place your orders by going to a chef’s window — stupid, inefficient system. The prices are way over-​priced. We paid $ 90 for two entrees (mediocre salad bar included), with no desert or drinks. The food was under-​whelming. Roasted vegetables were over-​cooked and tasteless. The dining area was very dark — could hardly see. Also did not know how much to tip — we left less than normal since we did the ordering, etc. Won’t be back.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Once we sat down, our waitress explained the restaurant’s ordering process:
You leave your table/​booth and head to the back of the restaurant (next to the small salad bar) where you view the large menu on the wall and place your order with the chefs at the adjacent window. While it’s different (and interesting!) to be sure, in reality I found the ordering process a bit chaotic (crowded) and prefer the standard way of a waiter/​waitress taking your order. *Side note: this also added confusion in regards to leaving a tip. Since we didn’t order any alcohol, our waitress gave us water once and left. This was fine, considering we did the ordering ourselves and didn’t need anything else from her, BUT it seemed a bit much to tip her 20% (on close to a $ 100 bill), for the same amount of service you get at a self serve buffet, but with much higher prices. We tipped her 20% anyway, but still.
The food (and the ridiculous prices) are the reason we don’t see ourselves going back.
The salad bar was no different than your average buffet-​style salad bar. I have no idea whether the dressings were made in house or not, but they didn’t taste like anything special at all and the entire presentation was mediocre.
In terms of dinner, my boyfriend got the lazy lightening scallops, with a side of the creamed spinach and mac n’ cheese, while I ordered the shrimp scampi over rice pilaf, also with a side of creamed spinach and the mac n’ cheese.
Both entrees were very small and more like an appetizer. I realize that at many «fine» restaurants, it’s natural to find smaller portion sizes. In normal cases, that’s totally acceptable because the food is delicious and you leave feeling pleasantly, but not overly full. The food we ordered (sides included) was nothing to brag to friends and family about, though.
That night, we left disappointed because we’ve had MUCH better tasting, and definitely better priced, seafood at chain restaurants, such as red lobster.
We love the ambiance of family owned, farm to table, and fine restaurants though, so we enjoy paying for quality, when the food is up to par. Unfortunately, this was not one of those cases.

Is the Sea Grill «slipping»? Skimping? Lost their sous chef? Or are the citizens of Avalon so perturbed at owner *Anthony Zurawski’s hubris to dare try to build a hotel on 20^th Street that they are boycotting? I know not… but the last two or three times we’ve been there the atmosphere seemed almost maudlin. Impossible to measure, difficult to describe. We go for the food, right? After 20 years, who, WHO is making the house dressing? Always garlicky and visibly parmed in the past, last weekend it looked like a prop from Annie and tasted almost as bad. Luckily my medium filet was melt-​in-​the-​mouth tender, but something is just *wrong*…11 empty tables at 7:30 PM in the middle of July? You do the math. Sea Grill’s staff needs a good shake up.
* Anthony is my 2^nd cousin, seriously. And I am hitting «continue» with great regret but high hopes that this fine Avalon tradition can get fixed :-/

Ordered the prime rib, the first time medium rare and was like shoe leather. Sent back and this time they gave me a medium cut of prime rib. Again, just as bad. If I wore dentures, they would have gone back with the first and second cuts. Still charged me $ 13.95 for the salad bar of which I put very little on my plate. However, the creamed spinach was awesome. The person I was dining with had the crab cakes and they were very good. Was not looking for a free meal and I normally do not complain however, the quality of the meat and the high price was just not acceptable.

I ended up going there by mistake and found a place that quickly made it to the top of my list for shore dining. Atmosphere, service, & food were all top notch. Prices were high end, but appropriate for a fantastic dining experience. For 3 of us, meal, bottle of wine & cocktails, dessert, and tip came to $ 200. The dress code is very casual, they’re open year round, and they accept credit cards. I can’t wait to go there again.

It’s been like 15 years since I ate here. About two weeks ago we ate at the sea grill on back to back nights because nothing was open during the off season.
I was completely surprised on how good it was. I see some people complaining about the decoration — for me it was kind of cool retro 80’s look.
The basic system is — your server comes over and you order your drinks. Surprisingly I didn’t think they were too expensive — maybe like $ 8 for a top shelf martini — definitely nothing to complain about in Avalon. Then you go over to the chef section where you order your food from a big board. My two issues with that are — if there is a line it still feels a little odd to wait in line to order your food and the prices are a little stiff especially if you get one of the beef dishes.
The chef was friendly and knowledgeable. You can pretty much customize anything. They really specialize in proteins — beef, fish, seafood. I ended up getting a NY Strip topped off with crab meat; including the salad bar which is baked into every price that was $ 60 steak. It was yummy BUT it was $ 60 for my entrée. The next night I went with a sea bass served oriental style — it was around $ 35 and awesome.
After you order, you move on to the salad bar. It’s fresh. It’s cold. Those are two keys for a good salad bar. It’s your standard salad bar from the 80s with a lot of dressings — I went house creamy peppercorn and it was tasty. Plus it had your standard 3 bean salad which is always a favorite of mine.
Your server brings your food to you and handles any additional drinks plus dessert which we didn’t have room for. All and all a surprisingly good restaurant if you love protein — just watch the impact on your wallet. Finally, if you aren’t a carnivore or members of your party aren’t carnivores I wouldn’t recommend it.

Disgusting, period. I urge you not to waste your money here. The filet was gross and the salad bar is even worse. The staff was really nice, that’s the only good thing I have to say about this DUMP.

Had dinner here late on a Wednesday night after Labor Day. We couldn’t find much else open, so came here from Sea Isle while we were on vacation. We were pleasantly surprised! The waitress was attentive and friendly — took our drink orders immediately, and helped guide us through the ordering process. That was a little weird, but it wasn’t a busy night, so it went pretty smoothly. Salad bar was yummy — well stocked and clean. Entrees were a little pricey, but when they arrived were delicious. My prime rib was perfectly cooked to medium rare and was colossal. We enjoyed!

Had the stuffed flounder and wife had shrimp scampi. Very good service and the food was great

Wow, tourist trap is just the tip of the iceberg when describing The Sea Grill. Heres my rundown.
Our party of ten arrived at 8:30 pm for our reservation and waited about 10 minutes to be seated, no worries, its a busy place and that is reasonable. Our waitress takes our drink order and proceeds to tell us that we can go to the salad bar and place our order off of the chalkboard next to the salad bar. Ok, weird concept but lets roll with it. I place my order with the chef and turn around to go to the salad bar (its literally right behind you). The salad bar was filthy, understocked and unappetizing. I swear I have eaten at a Bonanza with a better salad bar than this. Half of our table did without a salad. Now the entrees.
Four people ordered the $ 55.00 6 ounce filets (yes I said $ 55.00 self serve filet). All filets were ordered medium rare, 3 came out like shoe leather and were sent back and asked to be taken off the bill because we did not want to wait and be disappointed again in the $ 55 steak. Keep in mind their sign out front says best steaks in south jersey.
The chicken marsala was not edible due to the high salt content. The chicken looked like it was scraps from other plates chopped in to tiny little pieces. The mushrooms came straight out of the can. I beg you to never order this dish at the sea grill. The baby back ribs were pitiful. I think they actually ran to the acme and bought some ribs and tossed them in the microwave. What a disgrace. My son ordered $ 9.50 hotdog and was disappointed it didn’t even come with fries. The small plate of fries he ordered for 8.00 was a joke. The bread on the table was stale and when asked to change we were brought the same stale bread back. The drinks were very small and watered down. A shame when you are spending 13.00 on a vodka and club.
Please run from this place. I guarantee you would be better off driving out to the olive garden on route 9 to get the same meal at ¹⁄₈ th of the price. Please don’t be fooled.

The Sea Grill was ‘the place to go’ back in the early 1980s. I’m not saying this because I know. I’m saying this because the place reeks of 1980s elegance. While this doesn’t traditionally still work in this day and age, the Sea Grill totally balks in the face of skeptics.
For starters, the place doesn’t take reservations, so bring a chairs and a bottle of wine to sip on the lawn as its going to be a bit. The bar area is pretty and has a wide array of wines to chose from. If you can get a seat, or good standing area, then its awesome. That being said, when I went, it was early and we sat right down.
It gets weird in that you don’t order with your server, but with the kitchen by walking up to the window. The area isn’t exactly conducive to foot traffic as the kitchen puts the food right in front of you, and then the servers try to edge in for pick-​ups. One sneeze and this becomes a highly icky system. The people in the kitchen were workin’ hard, and yet very polite. This wouldn’t work in a lot of kitchens I’ve seen at other restaurants.
I went for the lemon pepper scallops which were on special, then i rounded the corner, took my purple plate, and approached the salad bar. People were raving about the creamy italian dressing, but i went vinegar and oil as to not fall asleep at 6:30pm. My boyfriend tried the creamy italian and i had a bite of his. It WAS really good. The options at the salad bar were fab. Fresh arugula, beets, garbanzos, radishes, tomato, cucumber, all fresh and a very high sneeze guard for you skeptics much like myself.
My scallops came and they were just a hair on the salty side, but I’m super low-​sodium typically so its really just me. That being said, they were DELICIOUS and there were lots of them! They were so good. I ate… well… all of them :-).
Bottom line– this place was a treat. The food in Avalon is typically pretty lame. A few places have a few good things, but generally its expensive and not very tasty. This place was the exception. The ambiance is quaint, and very nautical. It just feels good to be there. The food is great, the salad bar is prolific, and people know this as they wait for a table! I’ll be back… that’s for sure.

Chose to ignore the recent poor reviews, WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS!
Just as other reviewers, boy has this place changed.
Expensive, indifferent, poor quality food — a pale shadow of its former self. Food really not fresh. Salad bar way past its due date. We sent back our entrees — allegedly broiled scallops in bernaise sauce (that came cold, oddly colored and tasteless), but I think scallops had just been defrosted as they were in a puddle of water on the plate. Cold baked potato and asparagus. Nucleated mushrooms. UGG. Paid $ 26 for 2 salads and left quickly. Very quickly. Wife on potty as I type…
Manager wouldn’t even appear to discuss the meal. Yes folks, it’s that bad. Super expensive. Not what it used to be. Would be a great candidate for Gordon Ramsay to overhaul as I believe it’s under the same ownership.

Four couples ate there Wednesday night after Labor Day. We have always enjoyed Sea Grill. Something has changed. Most of us ordered filets. We all agreed that we have had better filets at Outback. One filet in particular was very tough. The best meal was grilled scallops. The baked potatoes were mushy. The wait staff was very nice but had a difficult time figuring out our bill. Very disappointed.

ABSOLUTE last time at the sea swill. «Dinner for 3 on 9÷22÷2012. Refused to open the doors until 5:05. Flies buzzing around the warm dank interior, A/​C just turned on. Dirty high chair quickly brought out by busboy. WAIT tress Stuffanny kept us waiting for 15 minutes for drink order. I mean this place has always been overpriced and underserved, but this was the worst. Been here probably 2 dozen times since it opened and watched it rapidly develop arrogant attitude and deteriorating service/​cleanliness; though it was never great. Never cared for the cafeteria style ordering that «lets you bond with the chef».this time a young kid who didn’t know squat. Always been a gimmicky weird ordering dealio that, as expressed above, does nothing to enhance the meal Meat selection BEYOND THIN. NO bone-​in, rib eyes or anything but sallow looking unprimed rib, strips and filets UNBELEIVABLE. «New York» (more like atlantic city style) strip ordered medium: RAW throughout interior: INCORRECT FOR pink center. Filet: LIVERIZED by overcooking. Salad bar almost as good as Cracker Barrel’s. Sides: AWFUL: 2x baked, limp asparagus. PRICES: way high: 17oz strip — $ 61…AVOID THIS PRETENTIOUS OVERPRIVED TERLET AT ALL COSTS, NOT EVEN FONING IT IN.

Off-​season: fav place to eat on the island. Salmon and stuffed shrimp are amazing! June-​August: even though I miss that amazing salad bar, I can’t handle the wait and tourists who hold up the ordering line.

Ate here on a Saturday night as part of a family reunion in Avalon. Had a great time enjoying a couple margaritas before dinner and had scrumptious chicken marsala with salad bar for dinner. Awesome service, friendly staff.

Very unique place, intimate interior. Great food. A must eat in Avalon

I was there on Saturday night of Labor Day Weekend for dinner with my boyfriend and we had a fabulous time! It was our first time there and if we are in town again we will go again because food was great, service was friendly and the atmosphere was very welcoming!
Something unique about this place is that you don’t place your food order with your waitress, instead you order directly with the kitchen! We loved that you ordered your meal from those who were preparing your food at the window of the kitchen. Then your food is served to the table so you only have to get up once which is not a big deal because the salad bar is next to the kitchen window too.
We had great timing too because we didn’t have to wait for a table at all. We got there at 7:00 expecting to have to wait but we were seated right away.
We were craving good seafood and that’s exactly what we got. The menu has a wide variety of other options but we were happy with our seafood dishes. I had the flounder stuffed with crab meat and my boyfriend had the salmon special.
The salad bar that is included was fresh and very tasty. There was no line when we went up but after we finished our main course we saw the line form. This is a popular place so if it’s peak season I recommend getting there early or you can wait at the bar for a table!
Cheers!

Mark Twain wrote, «whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, its time to pause and reflect.» The large crowds and long wait and The Sea Grille suggest an epic meat eater’s paradise.
The prime rib I ordered, a «cut and a half,» was truly one of the worst pieces of meat I’d ever consumed. Tough, fatty, tendons throughout, not even a +5 Ginsu of Cutting could tackle it. There was nothing «prime» about it; in fact, you couldn’t even call it a «choice rib.» Rather, it was pulled from the exhumed carcass of Mr. Ed.
So, I’ll heed the cautionary cliché of Samuel Clemens and take the under on this one. Maybe the crowds here know something I don’t; maybe those tough tendons were all figments of my imagination; or maybe I just don’t follow the herd.

A friend of ours works at the Sea Grill and took great care of us this week. Karen was a fantastic waitress and gave us great, attentive, and friendly service. Joe, one of the chefs, cooked up a delicious steak with crab for my husband and a salmon with the freshest tomatos for me. The wine list was long and reasonable priced too which really complimented the meal! It was a great dining experience from start to finish!
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