Daymark — Restaurant in Barnegat Light

I went to The Daymark on what was a Friday afternoon around 2:00 PM. Parking was very easy to find and was also free and close. The restaurant itself was not too busy but the bar seemed to have the usual lingering members of the community. Our table , while although leveled with a piece of cardboard, had a great view of the Barnegat Bay. Now to the good part; our server was named Nolan and he was just phenomenal. I have not had such pleasurable experiences with a server since my childhood in Austria. My woman and I got water with a smile without even having to suggest that we were thirsty. Then, because we had just eaten at a competing establishment, we ordered dessert. Our phenomenal server Nolan was able to tell us the dessert menu without even considering to search through his brain for the information. He knew it and he knew it well. Just like back in Austria. Phenomenal Nolan gave us great information when we wanted it and how we wanted: in plain English with an elegantly simple and accurate description. We ordered coffee and a chocolate cake along with whipped cream and, by Nolan’s recommendation a delicious drizzle on top. Then we saw that Phenomenal Nolan was coming out of the kitchen and do you know what he had: phenomenal Nolan had our chocolate cake and coffee. Just what we ordered and with some nice whipped cream on the side. I assume phenomenal Nolan whipped the cream himself because it was done just as well as my earlier years in Austria. I have been longing for that quality whipped cream from my past and phenomenal Nolan delivered once again. Great guy. The service would deserve a very large and high quality review on account of phenomenal Nolan. However, I nicked a star off because a shorter man that I have come to find out be the owner neglected to hold open a door for an elderly man out of lack of what have you. It was not busy enough inside to have the slightest reason to avoid holding the door. Maybe phenomenal Nolan would have held the door. Scratch that: I’M...

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I have been so consistently disatisfied with my experiences at this establishment that I felt compelled, for the first time in my life, to leave a review - for the sake of innocent, unknowing dinner go-ers, who find themselves stumbling into this place, hungry and hoping for a remotely satisfying meal.

Once a year I gaslight myself into giving it another try, thinking that surely it can’t be as bad as I remember… and it never fails… (or always fails)

It’s bad every time. Not awful, just consistently not good. The service, the food, the experience, the tears you shed signing the check after spending 100 bucks on two painfully underwhelming entrees, no alcohol and a sparkling bottle of Perrier that cost 10 dollars and took 20 minutes to get. This last (and this will absolutely be the last) time I went, we had to send the roast chicken back bc it was actually cold on the inside yet hot on the outside… bc it was reheated In a microwave I presume before served to us.

On a previous, ill -fated visit, when I foolishly thought dollar oysters happy hour (marketed as Mon-Fri 4-6) couldn’t go wrong and had surmised a discounted visit was the only acceptable visit at this point, we arrived to find out from the bar tender they casually decided there just wasn’t happy hour that day bc it was ahead of a holiday weekend… despite there being zero indication of this online or anywhere other then when you sit down to order and the bar tender delivers the bad news. Somehow, the oysters were also….not good.

The food is edible at best, but unacceptable and the price is criminal. The only nice thing about this place is the way it looks inside.

I’d rather skip a meal than ever eat here again. I always leave...

Very cool space. Much more modern than other places on the island, and in my opinion a much nicer atmosphere. I went twice while on the island. The first time I had the fish sandwich for lunch, which was delicious but extremely messy. Impossible to eat as a sandwich, which is an issue for me, and I wouldn't order it again. However, it tasted excellent. We also had some apps- the wings, crab fingers, and shrimp. All three were really good, especially the wings.

I also went another day for dinner and had the bucatini with clams. That was pretty solid. Someone else ordered the lobster roll, which was comically small. We actually laughed when we saw it. Charging 23 bucks for a lobster roll is fine, but not when it is this pathetically small. I mean it's almost the same price as Pearl Oyster Bar's. There was nothing wrong with it other than the size. Everyone else enjoyed their dinner.

Drink-wise, they have a pretty good beer selection thanks to the 5 Evil Twin beers on their menu. I don't know why they have so many but I was very happy about that. Otherwise the selection is fine, but with these it is great. They did pull a little bait and switch with a wine bottle we ordered. They brought a different one, saying the menu hadn't been updated. However the new bottle was significantly cheaper than what was on the menu. When we asked if it was the same price, they said yes. So I guess they just downgraded the value of the malbec on the menu.

Overall, I would continue eating at this restaurant as it is a nicer experience than a lot of other places in the area. I think they have a few kinks to work out but all in all it's a...