Max's Bar & Grill

"No eatery better captures the Jersey Shore feeling than Max’s, a Long Branch fixture since 1928. Take, for example, the hot dog called Jersey Shore: a beef-pork weenie grilled, split down the middle, and sluiced with yellow cheese. As if that weren’t enough, the thing is heaped with strips of Taylor ham (aka pork roll), which adds another porky element and makes it irresistible." - Robert Sietsema

"Cased meats, particularly hot dogs, are often overlooked in the discussions around New Jersey food lore, which is dominated by diner and pizza culture. Max’s Bar & Grill, the most recent version of Max’s Famous Hot Dogs, is the best of the bunch. The Bar & Grill in Long Branch pairs a wide variety of local beers with their custom blend of beef and pork foot-long frankfurters. Whether you’re looking for a classic with kraut, a statewide favorite Italian hot dog (topped with peppers, onions, and potatoes), or something more out there, like a pork roll-topped Jersey Shore dog or a lobster topped surf n’ turf, you’ll pretty much find anything you’re looking for here. If someone in your group is not into dogs, Max’s offers a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, fried fish platters, and salads. " - Michael Sinatra

"Often overlooked in the discussions around New Jersey diner and pizza culture is the important place that cased meats - particularly hot dogs - hold in our hearts. Most people have their favorite spots and the Shore is no exception. Max’s Bar & Grill, the most recent version of Max’s Famous Hot Dogs (which is slowly inching itself towards its centennial anniversary), is the runaway best of the bunch. The Bar & Grill in Long Branch pairs a wide variety of local beers with their custom blend of beef and pork foot-long frankfurters. Whether you’re looking for a classic with kraut, a statewide favorite Italian hot dog (topped with peppers, onions, and potatoes), or something exotic like a pork roll-topped Jersey Shore dog or a lobster topped surf n’ turf, you won’t go home hungry. If someone in your group isn’t into dogs, Max’s offers a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, fried fish platters, and salads too." - Michael Sinatra

"Often overlooked in the discussions around New Jersey diner and pizza culture is the important place that cased meats - particularly hot dogs - hold in our hearts. Most people have their favorite spots and the Shore is no exception. Max’s Bar & Grill, the most recent version of Max’s Famous Hot Dogs (which is slowly inching itself towards its centennial anniversary), is the runaway best of the bunch. The Bar & Grill in Long Branch pairs a wide variety of local beers with their custom blend of beef and pork foot-long frankfurters. Whether you’re looking for a classic with kraut, a statewide favorite Italian hot dog (topped with peppers, onions, and potatoes), or something exotic like a pork roll-topped Jersey Shore dog or a lobster topped surf n’ turf, you won’t go home hungry. If someone in your group isn’t into dogs, Max’s offers a full menu of burgers, sandwiches, fried fish platters, and salads too." - Michael Sinatra

"Max’s was founded in 1928 in Long Branch, six miles north of Asbury Park and just off the beach. The franks here are a quarter pound in weight and nearly a foot in length, made of 80 percent beef and 20 percent pork. They’re cooked on the griddle till the skin crackles and becomes brittle when bitten into. Seven variations are offered, of which I picked the Jersey shore. It was split, stuffed with American cheese, and topped with several shards of grilled pork roll, aka Taylor ham, the state’s most iconic meat." - Robert Sietsema