Chef Justin’s Sunset Keys

We were SO excited to find out that Sunset Keys has reopened! The menu is full of delicious options & everything we tried was absolutely amazing. The new fried olives appetizer is so unique and tasty. If you like seafood, you HAVE to try the scallops - they are unbelievable! Pasta made in house was so fresh and amazing. The staff is so friendly and helpful! We can’t wait to come back soon!!

Chef Justin’s Sunset Keys has become my favorite/go-to spot for dining around Lavallette. The menu is always exciting and the food is always amazing! The staff is friendly and attentive. The location along scenic Bay Boulevard can’t be beat! Where else can you get this sunset? We love bringing our own wine which gives us more spending room on the dinner bill. Chef Justin stopped at our table once - what a nice guy! Can’t possibly recommend Sunset Keys more highly!!

We had the best experience at Sunset Keys Café in Lavallette! From start to finish, everything was fantastic. The atmosphere is unbeatable—outdoor seating with a beautiful view, perfect for enjoying the sunset with friends. The food was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. The pasta was rich and flavorful, topped with fresh Parmesan and burrata. The seafood dishes were so fresh—the shrimp was cooked perfectly and paired wonderfully with the veggies and sauce. The salads were crisp, refreshing, and generously topped, whether with shrimp, chicken, or steak. Everything tasted fresh and thoughtfully prepared. The service was friendly and attentive, making the whole evening even more enjoyable. Between the great company, amazing food, and relaxing setting, this place is truly a gem at the shore. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a delicious meal in a laid-back, beachy atmosphere. Come for the food stay for the sunset views ! We’ll definitely be back!

A Masterclass in How NOT to Run a Restaurant If there was a category for “train wreck,” this place would be the cover photo. We walk in ready for a nice dinner — instead, we get the menu version of The Hunger Games. Out of burrata, meatballs, clams, mussels, and “every” salad. Our “artichoke appetizer” arrives minus the promised salsa verde but with a free side of hair. Cute. The lobster SLIDERS? Supposed to be on brioche. Came on a stale sesame roll that looked like it had been sitting since last week. Fries? No Old Bay, served in what looked like a potato chip bowl from a backyard BBQ. But wait — the best part — two girls stroll in after us, order salads, and magically get them. Two hours later, our waitress says, “No chicken wings, but we can give you grilled chicken.” Fine. Except 30 more minutes pass and still nothing. Their “make it up to us” plan? Offer free dessert for four people… and bring two slices of cake. Math clearly isn’t their strong suit. Then a kid hands us our entrees to go — one of them missing the chicken entirely. At this point, it’s comedy. We go inside to say the service and food were terrible, and an older woman (manager? owner? neighborhood grump?) starts screaming at us to get out. Saying they can’t accommodate us and to go somewhere else. The RUDEST, most inappropriate, disrespectful woman I have ever came in contact with. Zero apology. This place opened 10 days ago and should close down immediately. Truly embarrassing and pathetic. AVOID AT ALL COSTS !!!!

We went to Sunset Keys - Lavallette for a Special Occasion and we weren’t disappointed. We were warmly greeted and seated right away. We were a party of 4 (5 with baby) and we ordered 4 different dishes. All were delicious and good portion size. Appetizers were excellent. Our server was very courteous and attentive. Of course, what made the evening extra special was the spectacular sunset. We topped off the night with 2 deserts which we thoroughly enjoyed. Overall a great dinner. We’ll be back!!

Visited this restaurant 2 weeks ago and my husband and I still talk about how amazing the food was! The went on a Saturday evening, it was crowded, yet the staff was excellent. Everyone had a job and they knew what to do. Waitress was great, stopped over in between each serving to check on us. The portions are huge so go there expecting dinner for the next day. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful, we watched the sun set as we ate dinner. Can't wait to go back again for another excellent meal!

We had the pleasure of having dinner at Sunset Keys last night with a group of six. I must say the food and service were excellent. I had the pork chop and it was prepared to perfection. We shared three appetizers, the meatballs, octopus and the calamari. All good. We had a 5:30 reservation and the place started to fill up around 6:00pm. All the seating is outdoors under a canopy.

It had been so great this summer when they first reopened, but since then, the quality of the food and the service has steadily declined. Hot dishes were served lukewarm; the hanger steak was tough, unchewable, and not prepared as ordered. The shrimp were glassy and undercooked, and the service nearly non-existent. Sadly, it was our third and final visit to what was once such a promising oasis.

Great food. Great owner. Amazing staff. Shout out to Jenna. Lasagna is just like my grandma's, maybe better. Pizza night on Wednesday's is so fun and delicious! Really great selection of pizzas, all of which have great complimentary flavors. I won't admit that I've eaten here 4 of the last 7 nights, but who's counting?? I even threw a lunch in there for good measure. Loved the French onion soup!! And bonus... amazing views of sunset on the bay. Great addition to Lavallette.

Finally made it here and i am so glad that I did! The outside is set up with a covered, heated area, super casual, and you can enjoy the sunset. Service was right on. We started with an octopus special that was cooked perfectly, flavored well and served over potatoes and onions. Extremely delicious! Our entrees were also excellent! See the photos. The restaurant is not opened every night, and close for a couple of hours between lunch and dinner, so check the schedule.

This place was a huge disappointment. Lunch Menu states sandwiches served with cole slaw & pickle. They have no cole slaw. Says nothing about coming with chips, just that fries are an up charge. They ran out of chips so they gave sour cream & onion with no other option, gross. Table next to us asked where the coleslaw was and waitress said "we don't do coleslaw anymore" well then update the menu or at least inform guests prior to ordering! The chicken sandwich came out made half the way the regular one is made and half the way the spicy one is made, which was completely wrong and had to send it back because my wife doesn't eat chipotle mayo and it was drenched in it. By the time it arrived the rest of the table was done eating. The chicken was so dry and flavorless we left half of the sandwich. Grouper sandwich was decent but it came w mango salsa which was just chunks of mango, that's not "salsa." Some tomato mixed in would have increased the flavor. $4 for a seltzer water!! CC surcharge added to bill (before paying) but is not posted anywhere on the menu, that's actually illegal in NJ. We watched 2 tables sit down and leave without ordering. We debated doing it too and wish we did. Lunch for 4, with no alcohol and only 3 fountain sodas was $105 with tip, for less than average food. This place will not make it, just like all its predecessors, which is too bad because the neighborhood could use another option.

We randomly decided to walk to the bay in Lavallette and dine at Sunset Keys, on a whim and. suggestion. WOW... we were totally impressed by the food, preparation and the atmosphere. A very casual setting and live guitar, made for a lovely night :) The menu is soooo interesting, with a few staples, but overall very different, really wonderful options! I had Corvina fish with a sweet potato hash crust and vericot verts/baby potatoes/arugula salad with a horseradish dressing!! It was so good!! We also tried the angel hair pasta with crab and yellow tomatoes in a. beurre blanc sauce...superb! The restaurant is BYO and they accept credit cards, as well as cash! A real GEM!! They are open for breakfast too and I was informed by a regular customer that the Pork roll, egg and cheese, on their secret roll is an experience you won't want to miss. My plan is to try that tomorrow morning... lol!!

What an unfortunate experience - one of my favorite breakfast places has become a never again. Due to the attitude and rudeness of the hostess, I will not be returning. After hearing how she spoke to me as well as how she spoke / reprimanded other customers who had been waiting, we will be frequenting the places on the island that employ the kind, friendly people that make this place what it is. We left and were not the only ones who did. Hostesses are the face of the restaurant - when met with attitude, it ruins it for the rest of the staff who are smiling and kind. What a shame.

The only positive aspect of this restaurant is the view. There should be a law suit for false advertising. After ordering 4 basic egg Benedict's it took them just about an hour for us to get the food. Let alone the place was basically empty. The Eggs Benedict was decent although the hash browns were burnt on the top, soggy in the middle, had no flavor, and tasted like a day old bag of chips that was left out in the open. Finally, we asked them to split our checks. This whole process took at least 30 mins. It was almost like we took there splitting check virginity. After explaining which card is for which bill, they brought back the checks, only to find out each card was billed to the wrong receipt. Overall, this place needs some major service work. It's funny how the waiter said once he took our order, "your food will be out shortly". I feel like he gave us false hope knowing how bad of a restaurant he works for. I am honestly surprised this place is still in business.

This was our first time having dinner at Sunset Keys. We are local and had a birthday to celebrate. Dinner did not disappoint! BYOB which is is nice. Everyone ordered seafood. Scallops over risotto were stellar. Grouper and whole Sea bass were both amazing. Sides ordered were truffle fries and broccolini. We ordered haricot verts but the server said they were out. We asked for salad instead which was never delivered. That is the minus one star. I recommend for a lovely dinner on the bay. Price was about 50pp. Worth it!

Sunset Keys! Under new ownership! Great place for breakfast! Very Nice outdoor seating, pleasant staff good food! Would definitely go back!

We used to come to this place on occasion when we came To Lavallette, the view and the food was great but UNFORTUNATELY that is not the case any longer. NEVER AGAIN !!! - what a big disappointment. Service was terrible and our server looked genuinely annoyed to be there. The coffee came out and it was flavored and the 2nd cup of coffee tasted awful. The food was not good - A big waste of money - we will not be coming back. !!! Such a shame because it could be an amazing place to eat. The new management needs to be managed !

Went for the Restaurant Week tasting menu and was extremely disappointed. Small plates came at one time and the final minuscule portion was literally served on a teacup saucer.

What a lovely place to dine. The food was EXQUISITE. I already want it again. We got hot and cold lobster rolls (both 10/10, but I prefer cold cuz I'm not a butter guy), corvina (holy s**t has fish ever tasted better? Doubt it.), and the bolognese (for our non-seafood guy and look at that bowl with the burrata!!). Our waitress Christina was delightful and went above and beyond with her service. And you're right by the bay for sunset. Cannot recommend more, though I will say... get there now before it's the hottest place in town!

We went here twice and the staff is super friendly and efficient at the same time. I wish I saw more of this these days. We asked our waitress for recommendations and we took her advice and she was spot on! The food is outstanding!

I was in a bad mood when I get here but it was worse when I left. Truthfully went to another coffee shop after breakfast just to taste something good. Hopefully this places closes within the year.

Only 2 years ago, The Sunset Cafe was off the charts good! It's always been the most enjoyable breakfast spot. The coffee had that freshly brewed flavor where you knew one sip in you were getting a second cup. The food was delicious and always prepared to your liking. Unfortunately, since the new ownership this is no longer what it was. I understand it's very difficult to follow such a high standard after taking over such an excellent establishment. But this one went from 5 stars to 2 as of today. The coffee alone was flavored as it if wasn't even coffee. Bitter, strong 10w 40 motor oil that couldn't be saved by any amount of cream or sugar. My egg Benedict was good. But what made me make this my last visit was my girl asked to please have her coffee off the bill due to it undrinkable. Waitress didn't even consider it and didn't accommodate. We're done. I hope they can get their act together and I wish them well. It's always been a great spot for a restaurant/ cafe.

Absolutely TERRIBLE!!!!! First the host tells us the wait will be 15 minute, we ended up waiting much more than 15 minute. Not to mention the host is rude and nasty to all the customers. We finally get seated and she then tells us they are no longer serving breakfast. We order lunch but then look over and see other tables ordering breakfast? We asked our server if there was any way we can order breakfast, and she says no because the cook will get angry. We finally get our food and it ends up being okay. Moral of the story the cook had a hissy fit and ended up CLOSING THE RESTAURANT even though online it says they are open 8-8pm. DONT COME HERE!!!!!! (our waitress was very nice though, nothing against her.)

Just went to the sunset keys cafe twice since it opened Awesome new menu including the dinner menu I tried out. Will be back weekly as I'm down the shore

We ate here for dinner & really enjoyed the whole experience. We ate off the specials menu which were awesome but need to go back after we saw the burgers delivered to the table next to us. The view of the sunset as we ate desert made it extra special.

Food awesome. Service awesome. Ambiance awesome. Will be coming back. Have been here for breakfast lunch and dinner now, goes from beachy diner in the morning to classy water front soirée at night.

Me and my girlfriends went for lunch. We waited a long time for a table and a long time for our food. When we finished eating, the hostess came over to our table and asked us to leave because there was a family waiting and they had a baby! I couldn't believe that the hostess was that RUDE! Not good customer service because the five of us will NEVER eat there again! By the way, there were two other tables that were available for the other customers. SO RUDE!!

Went there last September for brunch with three friends. Enjoyed sitting outside. Food and service were good. Service has improved under this new management. I will be back .

We had a wonderful breakfast here today. Everything was delicious but especially the bananas foster French toast. Yum! Our waitress was simply lovely and very honest. She charged us for an extra order of something we wanted to take home which we hadn't noticed but she quickly rectified the mistake. Really appreciate great service and honesty in todays world. Thanks!!!

Nasty rude people work here. Tried to call in an order and the woman told me to stop calling back after she hung up on me three times