Barnacle Bill's

this place is great for burgers and lobster. The server at the table was fabulous The guys who work in the bar were a little less than fabulous wink... spent too much time talking to friends when customers were waiting for cocktails The 40-year Long Island iced tea is not made correctly.... it's booze, then sour mix. a really, really, really, really, really, really good shake. then add Coke. The guy just basically puts everything into a glass doesn't shake it and it tastes horrible!!! I would pass on their 40-year Long Island iced tea! The soft shells were really good The best clams ever!!!! amazing lobster absolutely delectable. and the service in the dining room is attentive and professional definitely needs a good dusting in the bar area... All you got to do is look up to see that. smile

July 24, 2024 My brother from America told me that this is the place to eat the best hamburgers, so he brought me here. I love hamburgers, and I've been looking for various delicious restaurants in Japan, but I was impressed when I tried this hamburger for the first time. The taste of the meat, the way it was cooked, and the balance with the vegetables and buns were all perfect. Also, the size was bigger than I've ever seen in Japan, so I was very satisfied. The atmosphere of the restaurant and the service of the staff were very good, and I would definitely like to come and eat here again.Thank you very much.

Barnacle Bill’s is an amazing experience !The hospitality we received as soon as we walked in was superb. The amazing hostess was able to find us a table after driving an hour for my brothers bday. The outside deck has a beautiful view of the Navesink river, and take a walk inside and the bartenders are making flavorful fresh sangrias. I had the 10 Oz. Hamburger with Pepper Jack cheese, and it was one of the best I’ve had. We had the crab cake as an appetizer, and it was loaded with crab and great flavor.

Courteous staff. We were a large group gathering, so everything was set up for our arrival. Perfectly prepared drinks (that's not the case in all of the area's pubs) The food was delicious, everything from the Seafood Combo to the Shrimp Quesadillas to the Fried Flounder Sandwich (too many different dishes were ordered) all exceptionally prepared. The atmosphere is casual with plenty of old nautical decor indoors and splendid scenery overlooking the water outside. Time well spent for sure!

Came here twice so far both times was amazing. Service was great food was great. Nice atmosphere decor is great it’s a great hidden gem.

Barnacle Bill’s is an absolute staple of the Rumson area and is a must visit. It’s a bar/tavern/grog shop that is somewhat trapped in time but in the absolute best way. It’s dark, loud and crowded but it just feels perfect. Burgers are charbroiled and the steak fries are great. Service is surprisingly good and the people watching is even better. I’m really happy places like this still exist.

Beautiful scenery. The servers were very nice and helpful. Recommend for a relaxing time.

The Icon of Rumson! Always has been and always will be. Great burgers and drinks with a totally cool vibe.

Solid four stars. Years ago my team opened the Tiffany store in Red Bank, and Barnacle Bills was practically the commissary for us that month. Great burgers, and they can deliver it to my 'as rare as possible' request. Shrimp cocktail sweet and tender. I must say, not a fan of salad type croutons in lieu of a toast slice in French onion soup.

Everything on point here for a solid lunch on a recommendation from a local. Came here for lunch to treat my friend on his birthday and it was very busy! It was a Friday and a nice one but we were sat quickly and serviced very quickly. My friend and I split an order of wings and we both got burgers with swiss, but I got mine with some onions and mushrooms. Wow. The wings were hot and saucy and perfectly fried - just a great starter and I wish they bottled the hot sauce, I would buy it. The burgers were perfectly cooked with great toppings. It's hard to get a medium rare burger that makes me second guess a cook, but it was so juicy and it actually didn't ruin the integrity of the burger as whole. The onions and mushroom really crushed and had that great pairing with the swiss. Nice being next to the water and nice having great service and great food.

Nice little seafood spot with tons of options. Service was great, everyone was super friendly even on a busy day.

I love the NJ area! Spent a week in the Red Bank area and ate at many restaurants. Barnacle Bill's was a hotel recommendation! The location is off the waters. Beautiful scenery. Locals tying up their boats for the night and hosing them off from a day of being out catching seafood. The wait time was to be 45 mins or more, so my coworker and I grabbed a drink at the bar, and took it outside to sit by the waters down near the dock. It only took 20 minutes to be seated! We were excited! The food was delicious and I was impressed that food was being cooked on a fairly small grill behind the bar, where I could view the Chef preparing the food. What tickled me was watching him pour the lattice shaped kettle cooked Cape Cod chips, from the bag, on to people's plates that order "chips". They must go through a ton of those CAPE COD chips. They were delicious! Lol. That fried zucchini was bussinnnnn too!

Came here twice so far both times was amazing. Service was great food was great. Nice atmosphere decor is great it's a great hidden gem.

I did not like my meal. Started with the French onion soup that barely had onion in it- the soup was mainly broth and they melted Swiss cheese on top, which did not go with the soup at all. Next, I had a burger, which was just a piece of meat with cheese on a bun that was stale. I had to ask for lettuce, tomato, and onion. The only thing that was good was the kids chicken fingers and fries. On a positive note, it is fairly priced and has a great location.

We waited so long to come here. Had our hopes set high. Very disappointed. The crab cakes were more breadcrumbs than crab. Not sure there was any crab in it at all tbh. Salmon was mediocre. The restaurant looked dirty. Service was ok. Would never go back, as there are many more places with much better food within a mile of this restaurant.

Barnacle Bill's is an absolute staple of the Rumson area and is a must visit. It's a bar/tavern/grog shop that is somewhat trapped in time but in the absolute best way. It's dark, loud and crowded but it just feels perfect. Burgers are charbroiled and the steak fries are great. Service is surprisingly good and the people watching is even better. I'm really happy places like this still exist.

ABBY is FANTASTIC! Great service, friendly, and personable! We're from Cali and I've never seen a waitress more attentive and 'on it'. What a great attitude !!! She should be training everyone if she isn't already!!! And BTW...it's Father's Day and the place is packed (fyi ...pic was an hour later... before this the place was mobbed)! Food was pretty darn good as well. One recommendation...put a bar, and maybe even a grille, outside. You'll make even more mula! ;-). Thanks for a fun Father's Day lunch.

This place is basically a dive bar that you can bring your family to in an affluent area. The go to items are the burgers in the Long Island Iced Teas. Place gets PACKED Fridays and Saturdays, expect a wait for dinner times.

Been coming to barnacle bills since I was a kid, and it's just as good as I've always remember 20 years ago. You can never got wrong with a burger here. They are big, juicy, cooked how you want them. That's the main reason to go! For vegetarians you have some options, but it's even better for seafood lovers. I had the lobster salad sandwich last night and it was an amazing alternative to the burgers I loved as a kid. The wedge fries are always a pleaser and the onion rings are perfectly cooked; crispy and juicy. There is often a long wait, especially on the weekend nights, but the newly added backyard area is the ideal place to wait. Similar to Tommy's (Seabright) there is a deck that hangs over the river, with plenty of Adirondack seating and corn hole. We waited an hour for our table and we're totally content, just plan ahead to wait a little! Inside is dark lit and wooden features, giving a homey bar feeling like you could be tucked away in an Irish pub. Service is great as well. Always love BBs!

Yummy salads and a grest location! Very crowded so be prepared to wait. A bit loud and music blaring was annoying.

The food and the service were very good. Great value and the prices are reasonable. Good overall selection of food.

Food was really good next. Time. Will sit inside outside tables are uncomfortable, Service was great.

Came for the cold beer, stayed for the burger. My friend and I stopped in after paddleboarding and sat at the bar. Bartenders were quick to serve us drinks. We were seated near the open grill and were tempted into splitting one of the many burgers the chef was pumping out! It was plenty for the 2 of us. The burger was juicy. The only issue was that we ordered onions on the side but they came directly on the burger. Fun decor and there's seating on the back patio overlooking the water.

This is somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 but I'm feeling generous so I will round up. Plus, the good certainly outweighs the bad. This place seems to be legendary among the locals and I can see why: The pros: gorgeous views of the Navesink. You should experience it at least once. There is limited seating outside but grab a drink at the bar inside and relax outside on a nice evening. This made the wait more tolerable which I will get to. The crew is friendly enough from the hostess down to the wait staff. Everyone is working very hard and it shows. Finally, what everyone comes here for: the burger. It's about a half pound, cooked to your liking on a flat iron grill behind the bar. It is very good and a right of passage if you live in the area. The cons: the wait is LONG. This could've been bc we came on a Friday night in the summer (around 6pm). If the weather wasn't nice, this would have been a brutal wait as the space inside is limited to tables as is the bar seating. The burger was good but not worth the wait. I love burgers but I can make a great one at home in the cast iron skillet so waiting almost 2 hours for one isn't ideal for me. I recommend coming early on a nice night. Don't go out of your way but if you live in Monmouth County, be sure to pay them a visit.

Great food amazing view of the navesink river and friendly bar tenders. A bit pricey but who isn't anymore?

Classic restaurant in the heart of Rumson. Great burgers (cheese sauce is a fav) and seafood dishes. Families have been coming here for generations and there is no sign of that trend stopping any time soon. I have to admit to being old enough that I remember the peanut shells on the floor ... I miss that as it gave the place a certain character which has been lacking ever since, but the food on its own is enough to bring you back time and time again. Full bar service here .... And a word to wise ... expect a long wait for a table during prime hours as this is definitely a destination place. Enjoy!

This place rocks. Came here on a Sunday evening for a date night and we absolutely enjoyed ourselves. We sat at the bar while we waited for our table to be ready. Place was busy but slowly cleared out overtime. It was funny watching the younger kids clear and bus the tables at the end of the night. They were having a ball which this environment brings for your dining experience. As for the food, we could hear the entire time the burgers sizzling on the grill which I guess is a very popular meal. I ordered swordfish and she ordered the burger. She ordered it medium which came more like medium rare like she's been here before. I had a bite and was very good. My swordfish was excellent. Tad too much pepper on top but was very enjoyable. The brownie that came with our dessert was a little dry, add cream cheese to it and perfection. Our server was delightful too which made the evening memorable. She had great energy for the amount of years of working there, could easily tell she enjoyed what she did. I will come back one day. Living in Massachusetts has its limitations to when but I also want to visit more places in the area when I visit.

Been coming here for 10 years. The food and atmosphere are exactly the same. The decor is like a seafood shack and it's on the water next to a dock. The tables feel like old drift wood and on the wall are a bunch of nautical implements. Burgers are grilled behind the bar and back in the day people got a carton of peanuts and tossed the shells on the floor. Miss those days. Service is good, place is loud, food is fresh and consistently good. If you come get the burger with molten cheese sauce. It's delactable. The fried shrimp platter and Caesar salad are favorites as is the New England clam chowder. The desserts could feed 3. We thoroughly enjoyed the brownie tonight. Great onion rings and grilled chicken sandwich. Family friendly. This place gets packed so be prepared to fight for parking and ensure a wait. It's a loud hole in the wall kind of place but In that "everyone knows your name" kind of way. If you're lucky, you might spot Bon Jovi at the bar.

Loved it! Been coming here for years and always a great time! The burgers are the best!

The server forgot my drink I had to remind them. The burger was very hot and cooked very well, but It didn't have much taste and the bun was a little larger than the burger. Fun place and well know. Would go again.

I love the food, environment, and the service. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to and I have a positive experience every time I'm there! I highly recommend going to this fine establishment for a night out!

Pet friendly outside. It's great with a view! We ordered fried oysters, yum! Clams on 1/2 shell were great. My husband got the broiled seafood. He enjoyed it. I had a scallop from his plate. Awesome! I am real particular about my scallops. They were fantastic. They weren't sitting in a nasty brine prior. They were fresh. I had the tuna. Tuba was cooked sushi style. I did order the Barnacle Bill Pepper way. It was good but I do perfect the dry pepper rub.

Omg, delicious burgers. Ambience is typical dock bar, busy, bustling, etc. I can't recommend the burgers enough!!!

Neighborhood gem. Always delicious, consistent service, wonderful location. A. It noisy but that's what makes it so lively.

Solid pub food and drinks. Service is generally reliable. Traditional pub ambience. Best known for burgers, but plenty of other options. A nice refuge after dealing with the beach crowds.

Good, not great. We were in the area for two weddings and had some time to sightsee (waterfront) and try a couple of local restaurants. We found this to be a decent lunch spot but not tremendously memorable. Hubby loves seafood and was really looking forward to our lunch here. He got the fried seafood platter - all in, right?!? He said it wasn't too flavorful, a bit disappointing. My lunch was a salad with the house dressing (which has chopped egg in it). The salad was good but the dressing was odd. The waitress also brought the house made tomato dressing, which I liked less than the house dressing. The atmosphere inside and out is great. Very nautical. And the service was really good, especially considering how busy they were.

I don't know what the big deal is about their hamburgers. They were big but tasteless. I ordered the soft-shell crab but there was none. Swapped it for a lobster roll at the recommendation of the waitress. I got food poisoning from that sandwich. Needless to say, I will never go there again.

Always a good meal at barnacles. Consistency is key and they gave it down pat! Great burgers fabulous seafood and salads!!! It's our go to ! The service & staff are wonderful!

Best burger ANYWHERE ! Food is good too. Go early or late as it's very popular. Bar, outside and table seating and service, full bar

Today my family and I visited Barnacle Bill's. We got there at 11:50 am (10 minutes before opening). We waited in line and were the third party to be seated. Despite being the third party to be seated, we waited one hour for our food. Other parties that arrived much after us received their food significantly before our table. When asking our waitress about our food after 50 minutes, she got very defensive and raised her voice at our table. We understood that they were very busy and were trying their hardest, but we have never been spoken to so rudely by a server. The food was good, but overall this was not a good experience.

Fun family restaurant, Great Burgers! We have been regularly eating here for years; It is an old school jersey restaurant that makes you feel welcome when you walk in door. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. Bar is always fun filled atmosphere with local entertainment; New upgrades to the outdoor seating has made a gem in the rough a diamond

Love Barnacle Bill's! It's a popular spot! We went at 5pm on a Tuesday and the restaurant was very busy. It gives sort of pub vibes combined with shore/sea vibes. You can count on the food and atmosphere! The food is always good- my mom got the French onion soup which she said was good but a bit salty! I got the fried soft shell crab sandwich- it was huge but delicious. We shared the fried oyster appetizer- also good. They had Heineken 0.0, a non-alcoholic beer, which is a huge plus for me. Lots of parking. Our service was decent.

Beautiful spot! Big space, and very popular in the area Our favorite was the sausage and broccoli rabe pasta! The sauce was fantastic and plenty to share The blackened mahi-mahi was done well! No bones, and had great flavor The waitress and staff were very nice, speedy delivery on items too Thanks for the meal!

Amazing food and reasonable prices. Delicious craft beers on tap. Sometimes fun events. Once in a while crowded, otherwise five stars.

I've been coming to Barnacle Bill's with my family for over 60 years. It is a terrific spot with great food and even better service. The reason for the two star review? As my wife was enjoying the spectacular view she was horrified to see a boat at the end of the Barnacle Bill's Marina flying an ENORMOUS "F**CK BIDEN" flag. This has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with manners and good taste. I'm absolutely appalled that this would be tolerated by the owners and I'm afraid we won't return while such filth is flown.

I love this place. Awesome location, great food and an absolute gem. Good service and great views of the river. Get the legendary Cheddar burger on a toasted English muffin, it takes it to a new level.

The best burgers! I've been going to this place for well over 30 years and it never disappoints. The burgers are the best around. Great atmosphere and super friendly staff. Be prepared to wait, but it's well worth it.

Best burgers on the northern Shore. Period. Have gone there for a long time, and still the best.

Barnacle Bill's has been on my radar for years at this point due to its reputation for quality bovine. I wasn't in the mood for a hamburger though when I came here, and maybe that was part of the problem. Regardless, as often happens with places like this, I left feeling it was a bit overrated. My chum and I came here pretty famished after a hike this past Sunday in nearby Gateway/Sandy Hook. It was unseasonably warm and I was in the mood for some seafood to maximize the Jersey Shore experience. I'd say we got here around 3pm, so I was a little surprised at how crowded it was (though I don't think most people have a "normal" eating schedule on Sundays - brunch is tricky like that). The girl at the door told us it would be a 25-minute wait, so we made ourselves comfortable in some delightful Adirondack chairs outside right by the Navesink. Very pleasant, and we actually got the call for an available table after about 10 minutes. I love a dramatically overestimated wait time. The interior was exactly what I expected. It has kind of a touristy vibe with oodles of nautical shizzle on the wall, but it also felt like a place where rich locals would come to slum, or at least as close as you can get to doing that in Rumson. It was loud and crowded; we had to carefully maneuver around tables to get to our seats. Their bar setup is really unique - they actually have a cooking area on the side facing the wall where it looked like the burgers were being prepared. I did wonder if there were any potential health code issues with having a part of the kitchen right in the middle of the bar like that but decided to leave that question for someone much better educated on the topic. We opted to split the Old Bay Crab Dip appetizer ($15), and I selected the baked flounder entree ($24) with a side of baked potato. The crab dip was the star of the show. It's very tasty, though I didn't think it was the most visually appealing - it looked to have a lot of oily greasy pockets on the top. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the Old Bay seasoning, which certainly gave it a darker, redder hue than I'm used to seeing with my crab dips. I thought the bread they used complemented the dip well; I'd say most of the time I've been given small loaves of sourdough, but this was slightly better in my opinion. Overall though, the best crab dip I've had in the area is at the Cloverleaf in Caldwell, and this doesn't quite reach that level. I'd order it again though. The flounder was fine, not too flaky, and pretty tasty. It was nothing necessarily to write home about, but I tend to think baked fish needs more seasoning than other types of prepped fish, so I'd recommend they focus on that going forward. We each ordered a cocktail. I got the Mai Tai ($11.25), and my chum ordered the Bartenders Margarita ($9). Neither of us were particularly enthused about the drinks. I felt like mine was kind of tasteless, which made me think they went light on the curacao or were using a different liquor entirely. Also aesthetics-wise (and this really wasn't important), both drinks were just in generic soda glasses with minimal if any garnish. If the visuals are a high priority for you, keep that in mind. The service was mediocre, unfortunately. Our early call from the girl at the door to come in was the high point and it went downhill from there. The waitress was civil but was noticeably overwhelmed/busy and distracted. We asked her multiple times for waters and never got them (I had to chug my water bottle in the car on the way home), and the second time I asked, she cut me off and said a little defensively that she would get the water for us. We may have just caught her at a bad time, but it definitely tainted the experience. The food itself came out pretty quickly, but anything involving direct interaction with the waitress was a bit of a crapshoot. Hopefully it was an aberration. We drove about six miles out of the way to come here, passing several other intriguing eateries. I'd probably stop at one of those next time.

Great food. Best burger anywhere and great drinks. Music is an added plus. Wish we lived closer

Barnacle Bill's is A Jersey Shore Legend. Located on the River in Rumson, the scenery is beautiful. Bill's is famous for their Steamers and Burgers. Unfortunately this was not a planned visit and I had grilled burgers the night before. The steamers were a generous portion and they were good looking, served with Broth and butter. Unfortunately they were super sandy even after having them soak and dunk in the broth. The serving is easily enough for 2 to 3 people. I had the crab cake sandwich for my entree which was top notch. Broiled nicely with a handsome percentage of lump crap on a awesome brioche bun. My wife had the linguini and clams which was a lovely plate, unfortunately the sauce wasn't seasoned. My daughter had the po boy which was disappointing, the shrimp were blackened while she was expecting fried. Service was slow. Next time I will check out their burger.

Being someone who travels a lot for business, I have seen a lot of restaurants named Barnacle Bill's. It Is by no means a unique name. However, this restaurant is a decent offering and a good place to head over to. The food is nothing groundbreaking, but that might be part of the Allure of this place. There is something to be said about some of the staples of American cuisine. This is an establishment that I would definitely recommend.

I've visited Barnacle Bill's a couple of times and hoped, really hoped, that during this recent visit the food would be better. The fried oysters were mushy and lacked flavor. I've had friend oysters elsewhere and found them delicious, but these were bland and not worthwhile. Next was the burger, which lacked flavor. This is the same issue I had with the burger on my first visit. No flavor, no seasoning, not juicy.... How?? Next option was the mahi mahi tacos. They were good, the sauce had flavor and a little kick. The outdoor space is lovely. The staff was friendly, attentive, and helpful.

After a 2 hour wait, we did have a great dinner at Barnacle Bill's. We had clams, burgers & both a Cobb & a Caesar salad. Everything was really good, but the burgers were exceptional. The staff is always really friendly, despite the fact that it's always packed here.

Went on a Friday Night and place was busy, Great service and delicious food. Atmosphere was fun. I had shrimp PO boy and it was best I ever had.

food is subpar and overpriced. Had the flounder sandwich - horrible. new England chowder was tasteless.