Catbird Asbury Park — Restaurant in Asbury Park

I so want to support local restaurants but this place is .. not thinking about the customer. To start, you have to wait outside, in a line, in the open weather to be able to go in. They bring in 1 party at a time and expect them to order before being seated. I cant express enough how not customer friendly this it. We were told they read about this style of service in a magazine and thought they would try it. However, I think it is a way to have less staff and keep people moving in and out. They are very proud of their old restaurant, Medusa, but we were not familiar so the references seemed nostalgic in some irrelevant sense. Then, when you pay upon arriving they expect you to tip the server!? Like, what? They expect a tip when there really is no server to speak of AND there is no indication of how the food or service will be. Way to presumptuous.

Once the stress of having to place your order before sitting is over then where to sit. Inside fees quite hot due to the oven. There are a few fans, a floor blower and and AC unit that somewhat cools off the area directly in front of it but the seating is somewhat limited inside. Outside is even worse. If you have more than 4 people then a picnic table is your option. If you are looking for a nice place for dinner, sitting at a picnic table is not what you want. They are not flexible on this and would not add a chair to a 4 person table so my 74 yr old mother had to sit with no back on her seat. Again, not thinking about the customer. If you are out side between 4 and 8 PM then the sun is beating down on every table outside which make dinner miserable. After we got our appetizers we were so hot and sweaty we got our pizzas to go and left.

I watched multiple customers leave quickly after eating due to the heat. I suspect this is the desire of the owner and the reason the ordering system is the way it is. Since your food is ordered before you sit you get your food faster and you leave faster which makes table turn over much quicker. Good for the restaurant, not a good experience for the customer. There is quite a frustration at the main door because there is not a full time person attending the door to give constant direction. People make it in and are moved back outside again until it is their turn. The frustration from paying customers was quite noticeable.

The food was just ok. The appetizers were meh. No one loved them. The pizza was subpar. The vegan options are pathetic.

We will definitely not...

Our group sat outdoors on the deck overlooking the lake. Beautiful evening and nice to be off the beaten path in Asbury. There were a lot of bugs as it got later and the restaurant would benefit from purchasing the table top fans that keep the bugs away.

We started with corn chowder which was decadent ! Followed by farro salad - the pickled onions and warm farro made this dish. The ingredients were simple and clean yet the taste was not compromised in any way. We then had chicken wings - didn’t care for the flavor on these - somewhat of a fishy taste on some - yet they were cooked to perfection. The eggplant and pesto pizza was excellent ! The dough was delicious and the flavors from the eggplant and basil were the perfect touch.

Service and overall hospitality is lacking. Feels as if the patrons are an inconvenience to some of the people who work here and that is the prime reason for less stars. There was a tall, large male who greeted us (the restaurant was mostly empty at 5:30 on a week night- after Labor Day). He seemed angry and as if a larger group annoyed him. We were seated at one picnic table and didn’t require any extra accommodations or tables. His body language gave off an unhappy / unwanted vibe. Perhaps he was having an off evening but it created a negative energy and one that seriously lacked in hospitality. Additionally , this same man (accidentally) dropped a large bottle of water which sprayed two of us with water quite a bit. He could have come over and simply said sorry and brought us some napkins - rather he did nothing. It was as if it was our problem he sprayed us with water. In instances like this, customarily restaurants will offer a coffee or dessert on the house , in this case bringing over napkins and a simple apology would have been appreciated. The overall service experience was lacking and it’s a shame because the chef did a top notch job...

I visited this restaurant with friends to celebrate a special occasion. We started with the peppers and bread appetizer, followed by several pizzas. The food was flavorful, though the pizzas were noticeably soft and lacked structural firmness. While I would consider returning due to the quality of the food, our experience was negatively impacted by the head chef’s demeanor. The chef, identifiable by her glasses, appeared to be in a poor mood, which affected the atmosphere. Upon arrival, we observed her speaking sharply to the host while we were trying to find a seat. Later, when we requested a minor modification to one pizza—omitting sausage on half, as three of our four guests were abstaining from meat for Good Friday—the chef declined the request. This was surprising, especially since the restaurant was not busy at the time. The refusal was communicated in a way that felt dismissive and was audible to our table, making us feel uncomfortable. The rest of the staff was courteous and attentive, and the food was enjoyable overall. I hope the establishment considers adopting a more customer-focused approach in the future, particularly regarding dietary accommodations. With improvements in this area, I would gladly return and recommend...