Barnacle Bill's — Restaurant in Rumson

This review is not about the food or service. We did not get any. This is just about our experience yesterday. Gov. Murphy just OKed the opening of indoor dining and we went to support the restaurant industry. We arrived at about 1 PM. Parking was no problem. There is a large parking lot. We walked to the building and the front entrance was empty; no one there. There was a sign that drinks were available to be obtained in the back, where open air dining was.

We went to the back and there were 2 couples already there. The hostess was actively engaged with the couple in front of us. She did not acknowledge our presence. I understood that she was busy. The hostess went in and out of the building several times. Still no acknowledgement of our existence. By this time 10-15 minutes had elapsed. 3 tables in the outdoor dining space had vacated. The hostess called for one of the couple waiting in the parking lot and they were shown to a table. The tables are about 200 feet from the building, so it takes a bit of time to walk there and back. When she came back she directed the couple in front of us to go inside. Still no acknowledgement of our presence. This is now 20 minutes of waiting. During this whole time the hostess definitely knew we were there, but no greeting or acknowledgement of our presence was given.

Maybe the proper place to enter was the front. My wife proceeded to stand at the front entrance and I remained in the back to ensure that we did not miss the hostess, who had disappeared. Another 10 minutes went by with no sign of the hostess. Numerous servers had gone in and out of the building, delivering food to the patrons. I finally asked one server where the hostess was and that we were waiting at both the front and back entrances and no one was greeting us. The server stated that the hostess was busy and could not be everywhere at once. We were assured that she would be with us promptly. We then remained at the back where the couples in front of us were serviced. We waited another 5 minutes then decided to go to the front door. Now 2 more people arrived and the hostess showed up to greet them saying that it was a 30 minute wait for tables that were empty 25 minutes prior.

We were still never acknowledged that we were ever present, despite waiting at both entrances. It would appear that being greeted by the hostess would just be by chance. There is nothing worse for you as a patron then to wait patiently and then someone who comes after you, is serviced before you. Total waiting time was 35 minutes wasted. We left, went to another establishment, where we were greeted immediately and seated.

Unfortunately, you only get one chance to make a good impression on patrons. We gave Barnacle Bill's every opportunity to do that and they failed miserably. We will not go back, so no comment on food or service. The front of the house is just inept. You should not even have to wait 5 minutes before being greeted, no matter how busy any business is. The people who came after us would say that they were greeted immediately. You could say that I am just bellyaching, but I am just describing my experience as accurately as I can. I am not telling you to not patronize Barnacle Bill"s, I'm just...

Went here for the first time with a friend who was raving about it and has been going there for years. We went relatively early (4:30pm) for an early dinner...by the time we were leaving (6pm) there was a wait. The food was excellent. We started off with fried zucchini and mozzarella sticks- AMAZING marinara sauce that came with the mozzarella sticks. I would definitely reccomend. The horseradish sauce that came with the fried zucchini was great too, not too horseradish-y.

We ordered the chicken quesadilla, chicken parmigiana, and a classic cheese burger with sauteed onions, mushrooms and fries on the side. (The fries are steak fries, I forgot to ask if they have the shoe-string ones, ask if you're interested)

The chicken parmigiana was divine (I got it with a side of pasta), the chicken quesadilla surprisingly came with a great amount of chicken (I say surprisingly because usually quesadillas are mostly cheese and not much chicken), guac, onion, green & red peppers. It honestly could be a two person platter, it came with a lot. The classic cheese burger was great as well. We ordered it med-rare and it came out just as we ordered it. The cheddar cheese they place on it comes nice and melted, not like a slice, more like they must have a melting pot of cheddar cheese in the back and scoop it on burgers. Great and creamy, but not runny. For drinks we ordered a Mai Tai and a strawberry daiquiri. I personally didn't take a sip of my friends Mai Tai, but she says she always orders it whenever she goes (which is often) so it must be good.

My only disappointment was the Strawberry daiquiri. To start, it seemed like there wasn't any alcohol in it. Next, the ice was not broken up well by the blender and I was having to crunch on the ice while drinking it. They advertise that it is made with ice cream (yum) however I didn't really taste any ice cream inside :( I used to bartend so I have an idea of which 'ice cream' they MAY have used and it's not really ice cream. More like a thick cream that taste like ice cream. Yummy- but not exactly ice cream. However I didnt see the bartender make the drink so I cannot confirm that. The servers were all so nice so you don't feel as if you're bugging someone if you happen to need to wave one of them over. They all seemed eager to assist which was refreshing.

Also, if you do happen to have to put yourself on their waitlist for a table, there are benches outside where you can sit and drink, or you could stroll down to the water and watch the boats. Very scenic, very relaxing.

I'd give them 10 stars if I could, overall the food was fantastic and my mouth is watering now just thinking about all of it, haha....

I've been going to this place since I was in a highchair. This has to be one of my favorite restaurants of all time. I've tried so many items on the menu it would be hard to describe them all. I will recount my recent trip.

Note to Parents: this place is very kid friendly, but doesn't have a kid menu on the website. Dont let that dissuade you.

Service: it can be hit and miss, I would recommend getting there as soon as possible, the place fills quickly. I.E. there are guests waiting in the parking lot when they open. Also this place has food runners that deliver the food. Dont be afraid to ask them if you need service, sometimes when it's packed there more helpful then the waitress.

Drinks: (Alcohol) Barnacle Bill's makes the best Long Island Ice Tea ever made. My belief is they should change the name of the drink to Barnacle Tea, it's that good. (Non-alcoholic) If Alcohol isn't your thing they make a fresh brewed Ice Tea which is equally amazing.

Appetizer: We always get the zucchini chips with horseradish dipping sauce. You cant stop eating them.

Salad Course: This is generally ala cart, sometimes specials include it. It's a typical house salad with a Marie's style dressing. They do offer main course salads, I have limited experience here. However there side Ceaser is good, I'm guessing the full size is just the same.

Sides: Again ala cart, I get the asparagus with hollandaise sauce. It's good but very rich.

Main Course: I love there scallops and filets but to me there Surf & Turf is the best I've ever had. Full lobster tail presented on shell with a fork tender Filet Mignon. My partner who is extremely allergic to shellfish always opts for the Filet as well. Both are served with butter and oyster sauce.

Dessert: we normally are so stuffed we order it to go, I reccomend the NY style cheesecake. A real winner.

Final thoughts: I noticed alot of reviews boasting about there cheddar sauce burger, it's ok but not the reason I come here. To me the best cheddar sauce burger is at the Sitting Duck in Long Branch. To me this place is a Seafood house with equally incredible steaks, I would recommend it for anyone that wants an amazing meal with an informal family friendly atmosphere, solid bar and good views. They used to have free peanuts that you could shell onto the floor while you waited, I've noticed a decline in that practice....