Sunset Keys Cafe

First time eating here. All you folks from Lavallette, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, Ortly Beach, Ocean Beach, you have to try this restaurant out. Great food and service. Love it here. Great view and great location. You have to give it a try. ❤️🇺🇸

The lobster roll was terrible. I should have sent it back! The lobster was just dried out pieces of the claws. The roll was mushy, not toasted. No butter. It was $25.00. The fries were full of oil. Do not recommend.

It should be a crime to waste a prime spot next to the beautiful bay side beach of Lavallette, but this restaurant somehow managed to turn that idyllic setting into an exercise in culinary torture and abysmal service. The one star rating is one more than they deserve, I only gave it that so I can post the review. After being seated outside—far from the only other table of customers at noon—we sat there for a solid 20 minutes before anyone bothered to take our order. The wait for food was even worse: it took them a staggering 40 minutes to deliver four eggs Benedict and 2 coffees. I have no idea what took so long, considering they clearly weren’t seasoning anything. I’d be shocked if they even knew what salt and pepper were. There was more salt in the bay breeze than in the food. The hash browns were the worst I’ve ever encountered—overcooked on the outside and a sad, gray mush inside. They tasted like someone tried to fry up day old soggy potato scraps salvaged from the bottom of a garbage bag. On the plus side, they didn’t make anyone sick. The eggs Benedict with crab was fine, I guess. The egg was decently poached, but at $28, I felt like I had been blatantly swindled. Throughout the meal, we were visited by no fewer than three different servers. One was kind enough to offer to split our check, which seemed straightforward enough. Yet later, an entirely new server materialized to inform us—rudely, I might add—that we should have notified them earlier if we wanted to split the check. Apparently, they forgot that one of their own staff had already asked! With four plates and two coffees, splitting it shouldn’t have been complicated, but after handing over four cards, they came back with three after 20 minutes. I only got mine after an extra wait, and while luckily mine wasn’t charged, my friend got double-billed. As we left, we finally noticed the “under new management” sign. For everyone’s sake, do yourself a favor and wait until there’s an *even newer* management sign. Because under the current one, not even the view can save you from this disaster of a restaurant.

My husband and I had a fantastic breakfast at Sunset Keys in Lavallette this past Saturday. Jen was our server, and helped me decide on the Challah French Toast, with an added favorite for me: bananas! Delicious (two jumbo slices)!! My husband had Blueberry Pancakes, with sugar free syrup owner Justin was sure to have on hand! So beautiful to see the “morning bay,” while drinking piping hot coffee, eating a truly lovely meal. Thanks Sunset Keys!!!

Truly appalled at the quality of the eggs Benedict. Do not be fooled by the images the restaurant has posted, the actual presentation is no where near that. It was a sloppy mess and the hollandaise was splitting as it was served to me. The eggs were essentially hard boiled. The hashbrowns were cold. I sent it back and they remade it quickly but then served me a yolk on the side of my plate- it wasn’t even on the muffin under the sauce to begin with. I was again shocked at the presentation but starving so I ate around it but it wasn’t even good. As someone who has worked as a server for years, I am flabbergasted that someone would send this out. The sauce was at least fresher and not splitting the second time. The hashbrowns, we’re scraped from my first plate and dumped on the second plate as they still had ketchup on them. Still freezing. I mean really how could a restaurant be so careless. The waitress, I truly could not believe how horrible she was either. She couldn’t answer a basic question and didn’t bother to go ask in the back. The place was packed and I cannot understand why. It was the most disgusting food I’ve been served in a long time. I can’t believe I paid $20 for this. The host was very nice tho! The iced coffee was very good too! But wow I’m still shocked by the eggs. Owner response to this review on 7/12/24: “We are saddened to hear of your poor experience with us. We wish to see you back this summer so we can make it right and show you our exceptional service and product. Should you return, please mention...” Thank you this is an appropriate response. Addition as of 8/24: owners- can you read? Why have you changed your response. Look at your current response as opposed to 7/12. “You should have let us know we could make a new one”. I did have you remake it. Read my review before replying. And it was worse the second time. Your establishment is a joke and your ownership is lazy and beyond immature. Be serious with me.

What a nice place to eat at ! The views are amazing. Waiter and staff very friendly. My wife loved her Cobb salad. My breakfast dish was cooked perfectly, the breakfast potatoes were the best I've had. We will definitely be back.

I've rarely had a better meal. Be prepared to eat outside as the true indoor space is very limited. They have rolldowns for the canopy for colder weather, but we really enjoyed the ocean breeze when we went for brunch! Try the New York Avocado Toast on rye. It's loaded with lox and avocado, I've never had better!

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.

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