Sun Harbor Seafood and Grill — Restaurant in Barnegat Township

I'm reluctant to post a negative review because it could have just been a bad night for them, and they have mostly positive reviews on here. So, I'll only remove 1 star to be nice. Our evening at Sun Harbor was the reception dinner after my dad's memorial service, immediately after spreading his ashes in the Bay. The experience was not what we were hoping for especially under our circumstances.

Our server was the bartender. They seemed very understaffed and the bartender was even assisting other tables. My mom called to reserve a space for our large party (10 people) a week or more in advance so it was a surprise that they weren't prepared with the necessary staff on a Sunday evening (9/18/2022).

Crab cakes tasted good but clearly had a lot of filler. The clam chowder literally tasted like gravy and had very little flavor. I had no other issues with the food but I and my family member (who is 100% Cuban) did receive weird Mojitos, with coconut rum instead of non-coconut rum (there's never coconut in a regular Mojito). We both sent these weird drinks back but he did not remove them from our tables and they were still put on our bill. Make sure you specify no coconut anything if you want a real mojito. We all separately had weird experiences so we didn't feel like fighting to take the 2 drinks off the check. Feel free to reach out to me, to refund my mom for the drinks we tried to send back.

Our server was annoyed when I sent the Mojitos back because they were incorrect, and tried to convince me for a that I should keep it, which was what really set me off. I have been a server before. When the customer says something is off, you fix it without hesitation and little to no questioning. It tasted like a Piña Colada so I had to convince him that it was not a Mojito. I'll hold off on bringing up more of the offensive behavior because I think he was just stressed because management didn't prepare for our volume.

A couple highlights on the menu are the local fried fish, and I loved the crab dip. They're both worth a try if you don't know what to order, and I would order them again. They fried fish was a huge portion so I shared it with someone, which was perfect.

Great location and beautiful sunset view. I would probably still come back, but with only a couple people so as not to overwhelm the staff. The lower deck is really nice too, I would have liked sitting there but there's no railing so it's not a safe...

The restaurant is up the stairs on the 2nd floor, the downstairs is a Tiki Bar. If you have knee issues or require an elevator, you need to ask the staff to operate it for you. The scenery is quote beautiful overlooking the Barnegat Bay. We decided to sit outside a beautiful, but very hot Summer afternoon. However, it was just too windy so we opted to stay inside. We had tried previously to eat here, but there was no place to park and it was mobbed. Parking is only on the right, where the left is reserved for the marina. I ordered a shrimp cocktail & NE clam chowder. The waiter was very personable and accommodating. The shrimp were huge, very fresh and tasted absolutely wonderful. The NE Clam shower was a light brownish color. I never saw NE clam chowder THIS color before.Upon trying it there was an unusual acidic taste, almost as if orange or lemon was added. After the 4th bite I realized that this soup was most likely spoiled. I had asked the waiter if the chef had put any type of orange or lemon mix, he returned and said "No, nothing like that is in there, according to the cook". I had maybe 4-5 bites & realized this was not fresh NE Clam chowder, in fact it tasted rancid. I returned it to the waiter and he advised that the cook threw the stock away and was making a new batch. I have no doubt that I was served spoiled chowder. This was the first time this has ever happened to me. Another post described how individuals got food poisoning from "bad" fish tacos. The waiter was accommodating as I just ordered a salad. A few hours later I was nauseated and was vomiting and had a gi upset. I had only eaten the soup and shrimp that day. I did not seek any medical treatment, but I'm simply astounded that the cook served spoiled soup. I'd return for the shrimp cocktail and a drink. My friend had a crabcake sandwich and said it was good. Our bill was $60 which was 2 sodas, a crab cake sandwich and a salad. I'm not interested in returning after eating spoiled food. This appears to be a recurrent event. The waiter deserved 5...

Let me start out with saying the food was amazing, atmosphere was awesome, my friends and I had a great dinner together! But, unfortunately the service from our waitress, Grace, was horrible, and I do hate to be that person but sometimes people can learn from it. When Grace first came over to the table, she didn’t say hello, she just asked what we wanted to drink. Ok fine. When the food comes out, half of us were missing our condiments, and needed drink refills. She comes to the table maybe 10-15 minutes after we got our food, DOESN’T ask how is everything, OR if we needed anything. My friend tells her he needs mayo. She immediately begins to walk away instead of saying, does anyone else need anything? When we all did. So we had to ramble off quick what we all needed as she sped away. Then, at the END of the dinner, all of us with empty plates.. she came over and asked if we needed napkins. That’s the only thing we were asked by her the entire time. Again, I hate to be this person, I’m not sure if she’s shy or what the deal is but I’ve served for many years and you have to be kind and engaging with customers. The food and atmosphere was fabulous and my friends and I are glad we found a new spot. Hopefully we get some better...