Sea Bar — Restaurant in New York

Big shout-out to Chef Michael & his extremely capable staff for what couldn't have been a more exceptional first time trying the truly wonderful Sea Bar Mediterranean restaurant located in the recently opened Boulevard shopping center by the big Shoprite & the relocated Applebee's.

In a "sea" of mostly Italian or Italian-leaning Island restaurants, this beautiful seafood-centric place is a sorely-needed alternative that offers incredibly fresh & all-homemade Greek-Mediterranean fare that some local diners attempt but with often mixed results. It's a long-overdue concept, & wow did it ever deliver spades both in terms of the positively exceptional quality of every bite of food we ordered as well as the friendly, attentive & very knowledgeable servers.

For an appetizer, we shared these incredibly seasoned Greek meatballs served over dark green olive oil, herbs, homemade tzatziki sauce, & grilled lemon on the side. Talk about a plate of flavor-bombs! They were incredibly seasoned & cooked perfectly. Like hummus, I've never been a big fan of tzatziki or cold, white sauces, but these meatballs were placed over a "schmear" of clearly homemade tzatziki that was really fresh & largely devoid of that sometimes overpowering cucumber flavor that can be too much. Squeezing the provided charred lemon (a lovely upscale touch) over them tied all of the zesty Mediterranean flavors together.

But of course, even the greatest drinks & apps can only go so far if the main entrees disappoint, & the seafood entrees we ordered were all exceptional! Wifey ordered the Faroe Islands Salmon, & I tried the whole Fagri, a native Mediterranean white fish I'd never tried before, but will surely order again! The expert simplicity of how both entrees were prepared is what made them so enjoyable. As with a prime steak, great fish doesn't need overly salty or heavy sauces - the fresh fish should be the starring flavor. Respectfully, folks who complain in some reviews of SeaBar "underseasoning" fish miss the entire point of how "less is more" when it comes to fresh fish. Both were carefully char-grilled to moist perfection with Greek olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, briny capers, & just the right hit of salt & pepper, plus a juicy grilled lemon to squeeze over it - THAT'S it, & that's all both of these super-fresh specimens of fish needed! The wonderfully smoky flavor from the grill tasted closer to that of wood-fired than charcoal, & that smokiness was an amazing seasoning itself. The mild, meaty, hyper-white flesh literally fell right off the bone in one large piece. Squeezing that grilled lemon on it along with the charred flavor of the sweet flesh & skin plus the brininess of the capers was the ultimate fresh fish experience! Wifey ate every last bite of her equally moist & super-delicious Faroe salmon. It was also wonderfully charred, & as she put it, plenty seasoned, but again, the simple preparation kept the fresh, unusually mild flavor of the salmon itself front & center, as was the case with that incredible Fagri.

Our kids had the kids' menu fish which was a very generous portion of lightly breaded white fish, fries & broccoli, which they all loved. Excellent portions for the price!

The bill was quite reasonable considering we had 3 adult drinks, an app & 5 entrees that were all so terrifically executed. For perspective, many local diners now cost not much less for a family of 5 & are no longer a much "cheaper" sit-down alternative to a fine restaurant like SeaBar as they once were. Save the $100+ you'd easily spend with tax/tip on 5 burgers/fries & put it towards a far greater (& much healthier) meal at SeaBar!

All told, our first SeaBar experience couldn't have been a more fantastic Valentine's weekend night out! Chef Michael & his dedicated staff have blessed our Island with a splendid (& visually stunning) alternative to the typical "Mc-Talian" restaurant. If you crave some authentic Greek-Mediterranean flavors & some truly super-fresh seafood prepared the simple yet flavorful way it should be, then do not hesitate to give...

I have heard many good things and was so excited to try this restaurant. 1x a week I treat me and my daughter to a nice dinner and thought SeaBar would be a great choice. Upon walking in I was pleasant surprised at how refreshing and beautiful the aesthetic was. We wanted to sit in a booth and the hostess seated us in a booth only area but the waiter asked us to move to another section because there wasn't a server for that section. The menu was beautifully curated. I truly wanted a salad with a protein as a main course but did not notice any but there were many other great options. The menu included an insert that had a "Sunday lobster special" which for $57 you can have a 3 course meal. With several options to choose from on how you would like your lobster prepared and a delicious dessert how could you go wrong! My mom opted to do that. I ordered the Tuna which is sesame seed crusted complete with fingerling potatoes and broccoli. My daughter Salmon with rice broccoli. Now here's where things get a little weird. Every fish option is grilled. There is no option to Sautee it, pan sear, or fry it. I would imagine this would be a disappointment for some. I love grilled fish but to have it as the only type of preparation when it's cooked? Maybe reconsider giving us some other options. So the waiter comes to take our order and we asked for descriptions of some of the dishes and our waiter gave us brief plain descriptions possibly because English wasn't his first language. My mother asked for the lobster special and asked what does it come with and he said you pick one side and then explained that the lobster is "chopped"? We were a bit confused and suggested that we would like the lobster that the ladies behind us were having which was a whole lobster-steamed. The waiter seemed to struggle at times because they use a handheld electronic device to put the orders in and it felt like it was not easy to use. The appetizer Spanikopita was delicious. Presentation was beautiful. My tuna dish bland-so bland that I had to ask for salt. Everything from the potatoes to the broccoli had no flavor. I had to ask for salt to give it flavor (no salt and pepper on the table). My daughters salmon she said was good but because it was grilled, it was dry. My mother was given lobster with mash potatoes. Mash potatoes were also bland. Lobster was very nice size, meaty and prepared perfectly. Overall the food was bland. Other patrons of the restaurant noticeably asking for salt as well. My mother was not given a bib or wipes after eating her lobster. My mom was full and asked for her dessert to go. It was served to her anyway and she had to ask again. No manager in sight the waiter had a large table and was juggling a lot things. We tried to be understanding but it took a while to get the check. Check comes and my mother was not given the Lobster special. The server charged her for everything separate! Clearly there was a misunderstanding on his part...why would we order everything separately when we had the option to get the special? It became a challenge to gain an understanding and it felt like a challenge to plea our innocence. I defended my mom-but the server felt like we were being dishonest-so if you go make sure you Specifically specify and point at the paper that says Lobster special or you might have the same issue. He eventually took 1 item of the check because the POS system wouldn't let him alter the bill. We left feeling ashamed, because we are very honest people and just wanted to pay for what we asked for. Overall the place is lovely but the food was plated beautifully but it wasn't something I would crave. After having that embarrassing experience with the server which was just a misunderstanding-I do not think we will return. Best wishes Sea Bar. Hopefully this review can be viewed objectively in hopes that some improvements...

UPDATE: Since my last review about 2 years ago, Sea Bar has become a go to favorite for my friends, family, and myself. We've made it a regular spot for consistently delicious Mediterranean cuisine and it just keeps getting better!

They've introduced a flavorful prefix menu, along with creative new happy hour dishes and handcrafted cocktails that truly impressed. The addition of live music every Wednesday night adds the perfect touch to an enjoyable dining experience.

The food remains outstanding, the ambiance is warm and inviting, and the service is always top notch, friendly, attentive and professional. Sea Bar continues to exceed expectations. Thank you to the entire team for making every visit memorable. Highly recommend!!!

First Review: My husband and I were just looking for a place to unwind and have a drink. He searched Google and saw that Sea Bar restaurant was offering happy hours from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. We were struck by how clean the restaurant and the open kitchen were. The aesthetic was relaxing, pleasant, and comfortable. We sat by the bar, where there was a selection of happy hour food and beverages. All blended drinks were handcrafted fresh on site. Though we had lunch earlier, their midday seafood menu until 3:30 p.m. was so appealing that we ended up ordering a Branzino fillet, Muscle Meuniere, Crabcake Burger, and Happy Hour Clams and Oysters. All were fresh and tasteful!! Our daughter came in to meet us after work and we ended up having dinner. Dinner was equally delicious, presentable and delightful. Their dessert menu was fantastic, we ordered the "Bougatsa", which was well worth the 20 minutes wait to have it freshly baked. Our first time experience was terrific; foods were delicious, prices were reasonable, the personnel were competent, courteous and friendly. A special shout to our server BAYROUZ, who was magnificent. Will definitely return with our families...