Fred & Ethel’s Lantern Light Tavern

Vibrant dishes at worthy prices. We ordered 2 appetizers, a salad, and side for a 3 person lunch and had leftovers after. Sizable and flavorful appetizers (Mahi medley on tortilla chips and fresh calamari) with a Santa Fe salad that didn’t skimp on chicken or toppings.
Amiable service and nice atmosphere that rings to the same tune as the area.

Good food and awesome beer selection in a trendy location in Smithville. What keeps me coming back is I know what I’m getting and I won’t have to wait forever. Can’t go wrong by checking this place out in my opinion.

Sooooo good! Spring rain drink was great! Meatball grilled cheese, amazing! Fries and burger were both great!!! I would come back. Service outside was a little slow, but still a place to come back too.

Not many places to eat at in Smithville except for some coffee and pastry spots but Fred & Ethel’s is a welcome reprieve to get off your feet for a bit and fill up.
Good spot to grab some lunch in a tavern type setting while walking around the village. Shopping makes one ravenous!
Nice service. Family friendly. Rustic and cozy atmosphere. Been here a few times now and pretty satisfied.
Solid craft beer list too. Over 30 craft and local brews to choose from, along with some house cocktails.
Themed dining evenings weekdays, but basically an American pub fare food menu.
The crab cake sandwich I devoured was tasty, and those seasoned fries are the shizz!

I drove out to Smithville with my parents and decided to stop into Frank & Ethel’s for some drinks and lunch. It’s nice inside, well lit and pretty loud. We were sat after about five minutes and got drinks very fast. I got the Sangrita and returned it after one sip — absolutely disgusting! After switching it to the Peachy Keen, our appetizer arrived. Bay Back Crab Cakes, wow so good; I almost didn’t want to share the 8 little balls with my parents!
Our dinners came: Tavern Burger, Bleu Crab Burger, and a chicken Caesar wrap — nothing we’d get again. My dad thought the bacon tasted like shoe leather, my crab was hard like there was still shell in it & was salty AF. My moms wrap looked very meaty but also as basic as a white girl wearing uggs drinking Starbucks.
Would I come back? Yea sure — for more drinks. Food? Maybe just the crab cakes.

SundayFunday in Smithville started at Fred and Ethel’s.
The three of us were starving, needing libations and some nice atmosphere.
Started with an appetizer. Back Bay Crab Bites with Old Bay aioli. YUM! These little fried balls of creamy crab goodness is the reason CRABS were created. I want the aioli poured over everything else I eat. Who created that and how can I buy a VAT of it?
We ordered the chicken salad wrap, tavern burger and blue crab burger. Skip all of them. Also skip the Sangrita drink — it was awful. Sent back.
Shame their burgers sucked. The wrap was so basic and smelled and tasted like blue cheese instead of Caesar dressing.

Stopped in for a late lunch with the wife. A very pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff. Food was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend the meatloaf mountain!

Service was very slow and inattentive. Not at all welcoming or sensitive to guests’ needs. I never received refills on water or drinks, and the server did not offer to ask, although glasses were empty early on. Food took a very long time to arrive, although the dining area was about 60% full on a weekend evening. I felt like I was being ignored.
Food was blah. I had the crab cake sandwich. It did not come with remoulade on the side, as described on the menu. This rendered the sandwich completely tasteless, as the crab cake itself did not have enough seasoning on its own. Based on the completely inattentive service and mediocre-​at-​best food, I would not recommend this restaurant.

Went to this place about a week ago when I went to Atlantic City with my family. We had dinner there two nights in a row and we were not disappointed. Their soups are delicious and the food portions given to you are pretty big. So you def get your moneys worth (decently priced). Everything was very tasty and I even had leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day^^. The service was very friendly and attentive as well and was just a great environment to spend with family =)

Happy New Year! ! my wife and I had a quiet dinner in a very warm and pleasant atmosphere. Linguini and clams was the best my wife had in 15 years. Thanks to the chef for making my wife happy.
Happy wife Happy life 2016

Got there around 1830, didn’t get our food until 1930, they forgot my one daughters food completely! Took another 10 minutes to get it, and my other daughter ordered apple sauce, but received fries instead. They were very upset about it. But besides that they’re Food was delicious, just horrible service.

Visited Fred & Ethel’s twice in a 24-​hour period: once post-​wedding reception and again the next morning. Unfortunately, F&E doesn’t serve breakfast, so our partied-​out party was kinda bummed.
Fred & Ethel’s was fun the night before, a simple bar with an assortment of folks, including us. The owners were sweet. I think I only paid about $ 50 for a round of shots for 8 people, before tip of course. The jukebox had some gems.
In the morning I was grumpy about the no-​breakfast situation, and it took me a few minutes to accept my fate and find something appetizing on the menu. But I found it: substituting cheddar for swiss, I had the grilled cheese, crab, and tomato on sourdough. Ohhhhh, man, that was delicious. The crab tasted fresh, the bread had a good crunch, the melted cheese was gooey & salty, and the tomato offset the rich flavors. I thought about that sandwich for days. I only wish I’d also had the tomato bisque!
There were 8 to 10 of us at the table, and it wasn’t until we finished eating that the waitress told us Fred & Ethel don’t/won’t split checks. Seemed a tad absurd given the mini-​tourist attraction vibe here. The place was crawling with people for an Italian festival the day before! So three stars for that, the absence of breakfast, and the less enthusiastic sentiments of my fellow eaters.

Especially around the holidays, visiting Historic Smithville Village is a real treat! It’s just a few miles off the GSP, above AC, and well worth the trip. Clusters of little shops, made from very old houses, scattered around a lake, and further supported by two very good restaurants –one formal, and one informal. This tavern is the less formal choice, but the food is very good, and the service is friendly and efficient.
Also, they understand and respect allergen concerns such as a gluten intolerance. My GF and I had two of their lunch salads — one with grilled shrimp in a delicious vinaigrette and the other with crabmeat and avocado. Both were excellent. My grilled shrimp were warm, flavorful, and clearly tasted fresh. Same for the veggies in the salad — nice an crisp, fresh-​tasting. The homemade dressings here are delicious as well as light and tangy. Perfect for a light lunch, but enough to satisfy and appetite. Of course they do burgers, chili, and nachos, as well. The décor is old-​world pub-​by, and is clean and comfortable throughout.
I highly recommend this as a stopping point on your way to AC or Cape May any time of year, but especially around Christmas, when the decorations are at their peak. You won’t be disappointed, and it’s so much better than the chain alternatives on the Whitehorse Pike.

Good food and service. Been coming to Smithville for years and I have no idea why I never was here sooner.

Took my daughter here for dinner & had a fabulous meal. I ordered the crab bite appy, which were excellent, a bowl of tomato soup that was incredibly fresh & a Sante Fe salad that was awesome! Hot food was hot, prices reasonable & atmosphere very pleasant. They also have some good craft beers on tap. Server was very attentive to our needs. Will def return.

Some people can skip meals and it won’t affect their personalities. I am not one of those people.
It’s safe to say that I was on a food mission upon entering Fred & Ethel’s, which is good since it’s a restaurant and all. Stopped in for a late lunch on Sunday and was greeted by a packed house. Yet it was [fortunately] only a five minute wait for a table.
They boast about offering a bunch of beer. I think 30? But I wasn’t in a beer-​mood (yeah, it happens!) so I stuck with water.
For my meal, I chose the bacon burger… and kind of wish I hadn’t. I ordered it medium, but I guess I should’ve requested medium rare, because this one was one dry burger. I ended up peeling the bacon and cheddar off the top and leaving the patty behind. I realize that’s probably weird, but I’ll never waste bacon or cheese. Plus, it filled me up!
From what I tasted of the chicken ceasar wrap, that was definitely the better choice of the table. I’d head back here though if I return to Smithville — and try something else. It was a cute tavern, after all.

Tavern with a smallish menu of pub fare. Today I had a tavern burger and it was DELICIOUS! Cooked perfectly, loads of cheese, sweet fluffy roll. It was served with chips — fries can be substituted for an additional $ 1.50. I was with my niece, who also ordered a burger and loved it. We took our time eating & chatting and never felt rushed. Service was great, quick & attentive without being pushy. Two REALLY good burgers, 2 iced teas = $ 23.
I’ve visited the bar a couple of times and it can get VERY crowded and VERY loud on a weekend night. Drinks are reasonably priced, I found service to be a bit on the slow side at the bar. The Bloody Marys are absolutely delicious!
I’ll skip the bar area here, but will definitely be back for lunch and/​or dinner.

The crab sandwich was excellent but the service needs improvement. The appetizers were ok, in my case the mozzarella sticks were not done enough, the tea arrived and were both half empty and not spoon’s. We begged for water and actually were fortunate to get that at least. Overall, the food was good but waitress and/​or waiters should appear lively.

Lunch today for 2. Lynn had a house special, The Governor, while I had a crab cake sandwich. The Governor is a fancy meat loaf, which Lynn liked. My crab c keep with chips was nicely done. Lynn had the Italian Pinot Grigio while I had a VT hard cider; both good. For dessert, we shared the lava cake; excellent! All in all, a nice place for lunch if you’re in the neighborhood.

So… I had the bacon burger and it was very good. The bun was a little sweet and it was delicious because I like sweet.
My mother had the little neck clam appetizer and they were good but a little in the greasy side. And according to my mama «they shouldn’t be».
The atmosphere was pretty loud and the waitress was good, friendly, and nice.
The kids ordered the chicken nuggets and they didn’t like them at all. My kids are chicken lovers but these nuggets were right out of the freezer and looked burnt. Not such a good experience for my kids.