50 Best American Restaurants near Holmdel

“Houlihan's is definitely one of my go to dinner or lunch places on a regular basis. I always ask for Colleen as her customer service skills are an A+++. She is pleasant, knowledgeable, and makes great recommendations. Besides the made to order food; the amazing french onion soup, yummy chicken wings, perfect salmon, prime rib sandwich, just like homemade pot roast, just to name a few good foods, Colleen is a main reason why I have been a regular for so many years. A shout out also to Al, one of the managers who is also a staple at the Holmdel Houlihan's. He is a true customer service person and he always greets you with a big smile. As a matter of fact I am going to Houlihan's tonight for dinner and have already requested my favorite waitress Colleen. Now what should I order tonight....mmmmm“

“I have dined here multiple times. The food is always great as is the service. The restaurant has a cute vibe, however the last few times I have eaten here the restaurant has been extremely dirty. The silverware is not clean and the tables and floors are not clean. The tables nearby remain uncleared for the duration of our dining. I want to keep dining here, but it really needs to be better kept.“

“My husband gave me a birthday party for 16 people and the results were unanimous the Polo Club was terrific. Thank you great staff ,especially Alice and her team you made the party great and everyone left promising to come back“

“Been eating here for years. Love it. Best pizza hands down.“

“This is my third time sitting at the bar for a perfect 20oz Ribeye and a beer. Each time I was greeted at the bar with a smiling face and nice personality. While eating I was attended to no mater how busy she was with others and the servers. Michelle the bartender I greatly appreciate your excellent service, friendliness and smiling face. I will be back time and time again!“

“Excellent place for a bite to eat and watch the game. Drinks were well mixed and food came out fresh.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table during peak time but it was definitely worth it.

Service is good and friendly“

“My family and I have had the great pleasure of having dinner at 618 in Freehold NJ on several occasions. It has quickly become our favorite restaurant! Everything on their menu is wonderful and we’ve tried so many appetizers, main courses and cocktails at this point. It’s rare to find a cool, comfortable restaurant with so many great cocktails and incredible choices across all menu selections. And, if that is not enough, their staff is truly a dream team. The owners, manager, hostesses and servers ALL go way out of their way to make everyone feel like guests having a special dining experience in their happy home. Dining at 618 is a truly delightful experience—it’s quite simply food and service heaven! The owners and staff ALL really care and it shows. Their kindness and care to our 96 year old dad and us every time we dine there is so beautiful. It lights him and us up so much. To the owners, manager, hostesses and servers, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Dear Ava, Danielle, Chuck, Matt , Chris, Jacob, Leigh, and Christine, and all the staff of 618, each and every one of you are treasures. Thank you for making our dining experiences so special and uplifting.“

“I’ve been about 5 times so far and LOVE Emelio’s! The food is fresh and delicious and the portions generous. Even their simple side salad is something special - delicious, light dressing. And the service is great, which is hard to come by these days. It’s clearly a family-run place where Everyone cares about the quality. Also impeccably clean!“

“Soul Kitchen is amazing! Our students love working with the great staff and always feel welcome and learn great skills and life lessons. The student favorite part of the soul Kitchen experience is of course the delicious food made by Chef Emily and her staff. The Matawan Regional staff and students want to thank Bon Jovi and all his supporters for a great experience and relationship!“

“Just a damn good down home restaurant with good food good prices and good people .“

“I just had the BEST beef gyro! Beef was so tender and tasty and the tzatziki sauce was delicious! I will be back again!“

“Sage was super helpful and made recommendations for new products. Everything was delicious and she was always checking on us to see if we needed more drinks or anything. She is the reason why we keep coming back. She is on top of her game. Thank you so much Sage for everything you do.“

“1st time ordering from here. We tried the Cobb Salad to go. Owner ran out of Blue Cheese but asked if we wanted an alternate cheese. Was still delicious! Very fresh and tasty! Portion size was good. Owner was also very friendly. Even though Keansburg is desolate due to the season, this restaurant is still open and it's worth the trip to either eat in or order out from here. I recommend giving them a try if you haven't already.“

“Everything was fantastic as usual. Love going there and love the BYOB.“

“I have been there a few times. the brisket is good. the brisket is good.“

“breakfast, lunch, or dinner... they have the best sandwiches at the most reasonable prices around“

“Such a cute place, such a throwback, with excellent friendly service and great food! My burger and chili dog completely hit the spot and washing it down with their trademark rootbeer was such a treat! Can’t wait to come back!“

“Visited this excellent restaurant for the first time today. Our experience was terrific. The food was delicious, great presentation and the service from our waiter David was outstanding.“

“First time at Charlie’s of Lincroft after frequenting their Bay Head location for years. The experience was 5 stars all the way around. Food was excellent and our server Heidi was top notch! Highly recommend the octopus appetizer and the NY strip steak. Both done to perfection. Not a cheap night out but definitely a special night out. We’ll be back!“

“If I tell you how wonderful the place, the people, the plates are will you promise not to go? It’s hard enough snagging a reservation without hoards of people trying to book a table after reading justifiably rave reviews. OK, here goes. Agnolotti pasta and sweet potato hush puppies as appetizers to start and oh, what a start it was. Monk fish and a bacon-jam encrusted pork chop, both cooked to perfection, as entrees. Lemon tart and a you-gotta-try-it-once-in-your-life “budino,” for dessert. (Do you know stressed spelled backwards is desserts?) What’s a budino you ask? Adult pudding, whipped by angels, so addictive it must have been created by Satan. Farm to Table, fresh, sustainable, local, tucked away on a side street in Red Bank… and you get to bring your own favorite wine. Don’t go. Don’t tell your friends. Let this gem be all mine.“

“We had a 6:45 reservation and were seated fairly quickly. However, we were placed at a very small table, near kitchen, squeezed between two larger ones, and the space felt uncomfortably tight. I asked if we could switch to the slightly larger table next to us, but a woman who appeared to be the manager immediately came over and said that table was reserved. I explained that I also had a reservation and had arrived first, so I didn't understand why we couldn't sit there. She insisted that the other guests had reserved that specific table and was neither apologetic nor pleasant about it. A few minutes later she returned to say they were clearing a window table if we were willing to wait. Hoping to have a nice dinner with my teenage daughter, I agreed. We ended up sitting in the waiting area for about 15 minutes before being moved to the window table. The food was excellent and our server was wonderful, but the initial interaction and the way the situation was handled left us with a negative impression of the overall service.“

“I was shocked to walk in and see only a few tables taken. The ambience in here is wonderful. Lighting is not too dark or too bright, and although small it didn’t feel crowded. Starting with the menu options, wonderful selection of vegan, gf, and special diet. Everything is made fresh so modifications were not a problem. Besides the delicious food, the best part was the waitress!! By the end of the night, we felt like family and she even snapped a bunch of photos for us by Santa 🎅 . We had 1 child with us, who usually won’t even look at the staff, well he ordered his own meal and customized it to his liking. She was so patient and kind. My father thought she was an owner because of how much knowledge of the place she had and shared her love of Elli’s and history. I ordered the pineapple fried rice with chicken and shrimp, served IN a halved pineapple! Wow!! OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS! Everyone’s dinner was fantastic!! The child even tried calamari for the first time and loved it! To sum it up and not ramble on forever, this is an easy top 5 restaurant in ALL of New Jersey!! Run“

“Coolest place ever - def check it out.“

“Nothing fancy, but excellent food and service with a smile …. One of my favorites.“

“Went there with a party of 11. Everyone ordered something different and everyone's meal was excellent. And, the staff was extremely friendly and made everyone feel welcome. Wonderful experience.“

“Had the Tricolore Salad with grilled shrimp today and it was DELICOUS!!!! Dad has the poke bowl and loved it. Service and atmosphere were great!“

“Service was absolutely horrible. Had to walk out of diner. Waitress wouldn't bring menus or coffee to us even after asking 3 times. There 22 min with no service. Waitress said they only do one customer at a time. Terrible place don't go there“

“Amazing. We had our daughter’s sweet 16 last weekend at this venue and can not recommend this place enough! From the planning down to the nights end, the owner and his staff were incredibly attentive and bent over backwards to please! The food was excellent and plentiful, the venue was kept clean, the staff were on top of any soiled dishes and cups on the tables, and the outside area is gorgeous at night with the lights and waterfalls. There were small touches I wasn’t even aware of until the evening of our event. The mocktail bar for the kids had a menu where our daughter’s name was included in the names of all the drinks, flavors of the ice cream were more than the chocolate and vanilla other venues offer, the coffee was amazing, and the staff even helped clean our decorations at the end of the party. Everything I just mentioned and likely much more I’m forgetting at the moment all less expensive than most other venues we considered. Thank you again to Ravi and his staff for an incredible experience!“

“Great hotdogs in Keansburg at the boardwalk. Nothing fancy just cold beer great dogs and crinkle cut fries. A summertime favorite.“

“Awesome food! My Maui Sliders were the BEST! Tater Tots with Cheese were so good as well!“

“Everything was delicious! Lovely Tiffany lamps and plenty of food options on the menu.👍“

“Stayed overnight for a one day work trip. After a 51/2 hour drive the last thing I wanted to do was drive anywhere for dinner ( didn’t want food in take out containers either) sat at the bar, had a Caesar salad and pasta primavera, added salmon.
The salmon was perfectly cooked as ordered ( medium rare) and it was excellent! A bit pricey, but excellent food and service!“

“Got married in Vegas then threw a celebration with family & friends. Couldn’t have been more perfect 💕👍🏻“

“Well!!!! Can’t say enough GOOD things about the skillet by Sal!! I am aching to try something different because I am just loving the fratta! Brought back memories of my mom!!! Service is ?? great. I have passed the good word and just had to share!!! Btw Leslie is an exceptional waitress!!! Can’t wait to go back. I also had a iced latte today. YUM“

“The food is fresh and authentic, it taste like what we find on the ��.“

“Manager is amazing!!!!!!!!“

“We love the Oyster Point Hotel! The bartenders and servers are awesome.. couldn’t be nicer!! But… we miss the wasabi snacks!“

“Omg food was amazing ... jack was amazing....first time here and definitely will be back again.....“

“Great food, drinks and great service. great atmosphere.“

“This place is top notch all around. The food is outstanding. The owners and management have it together and clearly know what they're doing. Customer service is very important and it's great here. This place cares about its customers. My husband and I will continue to dine here many times over the years. God bless. 5 stars“

“The food is great and low price 😍“

“my husband and I have been coming to mjs for years whether it's for a lunch date or dinner with our kids MJS never disappoints. the food is always on point, no matter what we get it is always delicious. a few top favorites chicken Italiano sandwich, their homemade thousand island dressing for salads is out of this world, french dip is the best i've ever had. ahi tuna app to dye for! if ur lucky enough to get Emma as your server or Bartender you will not be disappointed she is always so personable attentive knows the menu really well and makes a mean expresso martini! she treats our kids like gold and keeps them entertained. Mjs is a well oiled machine run by the best manager I've ever seen. Dyan's attention to detail and making the place feel so welcoming and having everything that comes out of the kitchen on point she makes sure the servers and bartenders are very well trained. if she's there working she is always there greeting the guests and helping the staff make sure every guest has an amazing experience.She will also help you throw a sweet party and works with you to keep the price within your budget while giving you the best bang for your buck. she does an amazing job transforming the dining area into a great party space. I've had my son's christening, baby shower, birthday parties here in the dining room each time Dyan has gone above and beyond making sure everything was perfect. whether you are considering having a party or going to dinner or lunch do not pass MJS in Middletown up you will not regret it. & if you want a fun night out- Monday night bingo is always a hit or looking for something to do during NFL Sunday game day head to mjs it is an amazing atmosphere and great specials!“

“Great food and reasonable price!!!“

“From the moment Drew opened his doors in his original location we quickly became fans. This creative Chef who works magic with food has turned Drew’s Bayshore Bistro into one of the most popular restaurants to eat at. People come from all over to enjoy and will take any time slot available to do so. We have eaten here more times than I can count and have had many group dinners and celebrations. Drew’s new location is beyond beautiful and only a stone’s throw from his prior place. We just love the feel of the new home and the beautiful ambiance. it’s absolutely gorgeous from street view and fits perfectly into Keyport’s historic vibe. The food is also over the top insanely incredible. Oh yes I have favorites. The scallops are perfectly sautéed, tender juicy and was served with pesto risotto. A true explosion of flavor. Broiled oysters are one of the most incredible thing I’ve ever tasted and honestly could eat two portions for my main, but haven’t done that yet as there are so many things to try. Pork chops, steaks, soft shell crabs, voodoo shrimp, homemade ice cream and all his special makes it hard to choose what to order. Incredible list of specials are always offered. Menu changes for seasonal favorites. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I look at the menu. We are very thankful to Drew for sharing his vision and providing all of us with a delectable dinning experience each time we eat here. Five stars are not enough!“

“Solid pub/bar fare. You can't really go wrong with anything here, it's all just pretty damn good, but won't blow you away either. Let's be honest, you aren't walking into this place looking for a Michelin star quality meal, you want some wings, maybe a burger, and a few beers and yeah, you're gonna be very satisfied with what you get. 👍“

“We stayed here so we could go to Six Flags. Really nice people and great customer service ! The front desk was very accommodating and helpful and the restaurant/ bar personnel were extremely sweet! Not many options to eat but what we had was actually fresh and surprisingly good for a small hotel. Free parking and laundry room were a big plus. Very quiet neighborhood and some weddings were happening while we stayed but I basically heard no noise from guests or was bothered by loud music. Really recommend!“

“Food was good! Service great!“

“Fun place to watch sports. If you are not a fan of loud places then this is not your spot. Recommend take out. My husbands burger was very good. Tasted fresh and delicious. The black bean patty was just okay. Could have been cooked better in the middle but was decent. The French fries are the best. Always a good time. Crispy and flavorful!“

“My husband and I had breakfast here yesterday. It was our first time at Rise n Shine and we loved it!!! Great food and service. Our new favorite restaurant.“

“their food is very good and you get what you ask for“