Val's Tavern — Restaurant in Rumson

When planning our April 2025 wedding, we knew we wanted to host a welcome party the night before the reception. We were looking for a spot close to the Sea Bright hotel/venue to make things easier for our guests, but we also wanted a place with a warm, neighborhood feel so our out-of-town family and friends could get a true taste what of life at the Jersey Shore is like. It didn’t take us long to decide on Val’s!

After just five minutes of chatting with General Manager John and checking out the 2nd floor private party room, we booked a private function with open/cash bar and passed hors d'oeuvres for about 40 guests.

John, the bartender, and the entire staff were amazing—so friendly and accommodating. They made it feel like we were throwing a party in our own home... just without the hassle of buying bagged ice or cleaning up the kitchen the next morning. in fact, our wedding rehearsal ran a little long, so we showed up late, but John and the team welcomed everyone on our behalf and got the party going. It was incredible to walk in and see our guests already drinking, laughing, and having a great time.

We highly recommend hosting your next private event at Val’s! And even if you can’t round up 39 friends to party with, stop in for...

I'm giving 2 stars since our first experience at Val's was fantsstic: fabulous food, excellent service, etc.

Our second experience is beyond disappointing. The entrees were "good". The Mussels and Linguine was fine, however someone in the kitchen must have realized they were low on sauce and added water, since I had tomato soup rather than tomato sauce. The linguini and clams was nothing like was nothing like last time.

We would have left "satisfied" if it had not been for the lack of service by our waitress (note: I say waitress not server, because of lack of service). 1)Everyone else got breadsticks except us. 2) She spent a lot of time dinking around in the bar 3) She would continually check on her other "money-looking" tables 4) We kept having to call her over. 5) We WERE going to order dessert until she decided the table just sat with a family of 6 and changing the TV channel was more important than taking our dessert order.

The only good person there was the hostess. She got our check for us, served our food for us, etc. Wish she was our server instead.

Since our waitress sized us up as being lousy tippers, she was right...we didn't leave her a dime and never ever plan on going back to that place. Diners offer better food and...

I cannot thank Vals Tavern enough for helping to plan my mom’s surprise 60th birthday party. We used the upstairs private room with our own bar and balcony. John, the event planner, was attentive from the very beginning, and provided helpful information throughout the process of planning. It was such a pleasure speaking with John and working with him. We owe the success of the party to John and his caring staff. Jeff, the bartender, ensured each of our guests were always taken care of, along with being so polite and friendly. Courtney, the manager, was fantastic to work with. She ensured everything ran smoothly for our party. They were all beyond professional while being such kindhearted people to be working with throughout the night. Our guests raved about the food and customer service. Everyone went above and beyond to make our night one to never forget, and I owe it all to Val’s Tavern for such a...