The Rum Runner

A delicious meal starting with some great appetizers! Coconut shrimp and parmesan fries, followed by a delicious bread selection with various spreads. Then we each had a different entrée and all were delicious! We didn’t have room left for dessert. Gorgeous sunset and delicious cocktails! Live music Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes on Thursdays. Also, ask for Shaun, the best server!

Beautiful restaurant with stunning river views. We came for lunch and had lots of scrumptious food. Peaceful, classy establishment. Our server was very enthusiastic and helpful. Would definitely return when in the area.

Very good brunch in a beautiful waterfront setting. We started with some nicely made Bloody Mary’s that were spicy and flavorful but a little weak on the vodka. This place is quite busy and boisterous with several large parties going on in this cavernous but modern looking establishment. Despite being busy are server was attentive and did a good job of talking care of us. We went on to have an appetizer of coconut shrimp which was crispy and well prepared with an accompanying spicy slaw. For our main meals we had cinnamon and bananas foster French toast which was superb and moist not needing any kind of syrup, I had their signature sausage, egg and cheese skillet which was excellent with slices of fresh avocados and potatoes beautifully blended in. We also ordered a steak and eggs which was okay but resulted in the restaurant losing a food star since the meat was medium well when it was supposed to be medium rare and was a little chewy. All in all it was a very nice but pricy brunch in a gorgeous seaside setting.

“An excellent place to end a day at the beach. The atmosphere is very pleasant, the food and drinks delicious. The service was impeccable; the waiter Aidan who served us was very attentive and friendly. We would definitely return!”

Live band was playing when we arrived. We were seated pretty quickly with a beautiful view of the Navasink River. The service and food was wonderful!

The service was exceptional. The food was excellent; all set on the river, it was romantic with the sunset.

A long time favorite of my family's. We have been coming since before the renovation! We absolutely love The Rum Runner and often entertain friends here. They have multiple levels and it's great for dining or private parties. We love sitting outside during the warmer weather days or opting for a table near the window. Sometimes when there aren't a lot of boats, you can see a pod of dolphins! Overall, great food for every meal. They also have specials for Sunday Brunch. Highly recommend!

We've been wanting to go here for sometime we just never had the chance to. This year, I decided to make a reservation for my husband's birthday, and my only regret is we didn't go sooner. The view is truly relaxing, especially if you sit outside like we did. The service was up to par, and the food was just outstanding. To say it was delicious is honestly an understatement. If you’re in the area, make time to go. You won't regret it.

Have been here a few times and look forward to each time This is a happening spot and the valets are fast and plentiful Good size portions and the food is great

Welcoming. Impeccable service. Evie took such care of us. Very helpful and so kind .I order the halibut. It was fresh, colorful and soooooooo delicious! Hot earl grey tea in this foggy rainy day. My bff and I shared a piece of coconut cake. Adorable, fresh and tasty. I loved coming here. I simply adore the view of the bay. I am smitten!! I wanna come back asap!!

The Rum Runner was fantastic! We did the cheese board for an appetizer and it was tasty with the cheese, fresh fruit and nuts. We got the crostini on the side because my husband is gluten free. They were very accommodating to any dietary restrictions. I had the Betty Salad with salmon which was amazing. The portion was extremely generous. My husband had the seafood risotto and enjoyed his meal. The service was friendly and very attentive to any of our needs. The view of the river is amazing and the nautical decor goes well with location. I would highly recommend the Rum Runner!

I wasn't a fan of this place the first time I tried it. I thought the view was amazing, the restaurant beautiful, the food was meh and service was poor. Nothing has really changed since my last visit but the service seems to be even worse! Our first choice was closed, second choice had an hour wait, so here is where we landed. We were seated just before 8pm on a Monday night. Only the second floor seating was open and the restaurant was fairly empty. We were told since we didn't have a reservation we could only sit indoors or outdoors overlooking the parking lot. The other outdoor seating was "reserved" although we didn't see anyone else being seated there our entire meal. Our waitress basically forgot about us outside after taking our order and after over an hour I had to seek out someone to find out what was happening with our food. Another few minutes passed and our food finally came. For the prices the food is mediocre at best. I asked for our check with our meal since I figured I wouldn't see our waitress again anytime soon. I guess the manager took this as a sign we weren't happy. He apologized and was kind enough to take the app off our bill which I truly appreciated. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this restaurant despite the gorgeous views.

Classy restaurant with a gorgeous view. Highly recommend for a date night dinner or reserve the top floor for a gathering or party! The staff was extremely nice and accommodating to my gluten allergy. The Porkchop was one of the best I've ever had, very juicy and thick, also a large serving. The guacamole was amazing as well!!

Was recently in New Jersey for a wedding and made a reservation for 9 on a Saturday night. We were seated immediately and everything got better and better from there. Beautiful restaurant with gorgeous views. Since there were 9 of us, we tried a number of dishes. Everything was delicious. Not sure why there are a number of negative reviews, but we highly recommend The Run Runner.

Where do I start? Last year I made a review and this review is a follow up. I was contacted by Hannah via email and she extended an invite to give them another chance. First, every restaurant needs a Hannah! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be making this review. We were greeted with numerous smiles at the front desk and escorted to our table looking over the beautiful River. We were greeted by Reed our server, who offered us to a cocktail , yes please! I had the island spritzer and hubby had sailor Bloody Mary. Warning, the spritzer is so good it's dangerous and the bloody was like an appetizer with shrimp and bacon! I had the goat cheese fritters and hubby had the candied bacon deviled eggs..both were outstanding! We moved onto the entree, I had Chicken and waffles and hubby had breakfast burger, the chicken waffles was delicious , chicken cooked to perfection and the flavor was amazing! The breakfast burger was messy good!! We recommend all of the above! We're so happy to give this restaurant another chance, we will be returning, OFTEN! Bravo to the chef, we tasted the love in your cooking!

A delicious meal starting with some great appetizers! Coconut shrimp and parmesan fries, followed by a delicious bread selection with various spreads. Then we each had a different entrée and all were delicious! We didn't have room left for dessert. Gorgeous sunset and delicious cocktails! Live music Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes on Thursdays. Also, ask for Shaun, the best server!

The building is lovely from the outside and even more stunning inside. There are elevators so if scaling the steps is an issue don't fret. The restaurant has three floors and is an open area with booths and many window seats that overlook the bay. On a clear day (such as today) is was breathtaking views everywhere. We ordered starters and entrees and all were delectable. The staff is wonderful (our server was training and was on point checking on us from the moment we sat down until we left) and goes above and beyond to make sure you're satisfied. The restaurant was full and can get a bit noisy depending on the volume of customers since it's such a large open area. The only down side is the parking spots that are oddly the most narrow spots I have ever had to park in. Myself and my passenger almost fractured our ribs (lmao) trying to get out and inside the car.

It was great to be back at The Rum Runner this past weekend! With two levels of outdoor seating looking over the bay, the scenery could not be better as you watch the boats on a nice afternoon. We were seated right away. I had a pear margarita (sweet) and a glass of rose. The chef assortment of bread was a stand out. What sounds so simple was elevated in flavor with 4 different types of rolls and 3 incredibly flavored dips/butter. For my meal I had a wedge salad with chicken.

Decided last minute to go out to eat and was very excited to see an open reservation at Rum Runner. Was seated at an outdoor table with a beautiful view of the sunset. Split a couple plates with a friend - tuna tartare special, the Betty salad, scallops entree and linguine with attitude. Absolutely delicious. We both also got the pear tini drink, which was refreshing and delicious as well. Loved this spot!

Nice spot, terrific water views. Stiff drinks, the bar can get loud at times. Staff friendly, and you just know they've seen it all-one Jersey shore summer can do that. Food good, nothing cutting edge-but it's not trying to be that place. Slooooow elevator!

I haven't written a review in years but man, was I compelled to write this one. I don't know how this place is still operating as some of the previous reviews I read (which I should have done PRIOR to choosing to dine here) should have kept me away. That is my mistake. My husband and I have a 3 year old special needs child so we don't get to eat out often and certainly not just the two of us. But when my mother offered to watch my child we jumped at the opportunity for a parents night out. We chose rum runner and chose an early reservation so that we could get home at a decent hour since I know my kid can be a handful. 5:30 reservations for which we arrived on time. Wr were seated right away and had a lovely booth for the two of us overlooking the dining room with the Navesink River for a view. Ryan was our waiter and he was great. Took our drink orders and then took our appetizer order which came after a short wait. After this is when it just went left. I ordered the NY Strip and my husband the bacon wrapped filet that was a special. I always ALWAYS order medium because a lot of times it's overcooked. My husband ordered his medium well. And we waited. Waited waited and waited more. After 45 minutes we finally get our meals and SURPRISE my steak is WELL DONE. My husband's steak is also well done. At this point I don't want to send it back because who knows how long it would have taken for a new one and already being out of the house for an hour and a half I didn't want to spend more time away from home and risking the possibility of my daughter having a meltdown on my mother. So I ate an overdone steak that thankfully had a sauce on it or I'm sure would have been dry. There was a family seated next to us who arrived at the same time and their meal took just as long to get to them. I could tell they ordered the tomahawk for two and I'm not sure what the issue was (I'm pretty sure I can guess), but they sent theirs back. We finished eating, skipped dessert and paid the $200 bill for a meal that I would say wasn't worth half of that. We were leaving and the family still hadn't gotten their replacement meal. Really avoid at all cost.

I recently went here on 5/11 for a Mother's Day dinner with 2 other friends. We had a server named Ryan and he was very nice and he allowed us to stay without feeling rushed so we made sure to take care of him his service was good, he communicated well in terms of when the food would be out and if the bar was out of stock in something on the menu. The food was pretty good, the drinks were much better! We all really liked the short ribs, but the corn seemed out of place in my opinion. I think a green or carrots could have paired better. The appetizer, entrees, drinks, and dessert were very good and we all thought the prices were fair and the quality was obvious.

Our server Shaun was the most incredible and personable waiter we have ever had. The atmosphere and the food was good but Shaun absolutely amplified how wonderful everything was!! When I find myself back in NJ I would absolutely request him as my server once again :) Great customer service

Zero stars for management!!! Just abysmal- staff is poorly trained, back bar is sloppy and disorganized. Food is "meh" at best. Great views like most of McLoones restaurants. And then a men's room visit and voila.... Boo toilet paper. Shamefully bad. Call 311 to report.

The views are spectacular and the staff is quite pleasant. The food was never the point, but I'll stick to the raw bar henceforth, as the prepared food just keeps getting worse. I meet a friend for drinks here about once a month, and tonight I decided to try a new appetizer, the octopus ceviche. Having traveled to Panama 2 months ago, I'd had a lot of excellent ceviche pretty recently. This was the opposite of excellent. For $22, I got this small dish of octopus apparently doused in supermarket jar salsa, accompanied by oily yet flavorless wonton chips. So sad.

My husband and I were in the area for a wedding and had some time to kill between the ceremony and the reception. We came to the Rum Runner for a drink and ended up doing happy hour at the bar. We got there around 4 pm and it was pretty dead so the service was fast. We got the coconut shrimp & the calamari. I also got an espresso martini and he got the McLoones IPA. Overall we really enjoyed the food and the drinks and the views as well. Would probably come for happy hour only!

Disappointed beyond belief. This was our first time coming here and our last time. We came here all the way from QUEENS and we were so excited to celebrate a birthday but instead received a night of horrible service. We were sat at 7:45. At 8:00 I had to physically get up from the table to tell the host that nobody has come to the table after 15 minutes of waiting. Apparently the waitress was never told that her table was sat. We ordered a bunch of appetizers including the parmesan fries which were cold and oily. We told the waitress and she said her manager was in the kitchen working on it but somehow the fries never made it back to the table? We had to point it out to the waitress and told her just forget it at that point. The entrees came out rushed while we were still eating our appetizers. Nobody checked on us once to see how we were doing once the entrees came out. Once we were done we waited another 15 minutes to get a box. Of course we waited...that's because nobody knew we were done because nobody bothered to come over to check on us. We had enough at that point, majority of our dining experience was waiting for service. Absolutely ridiculous. With all that being said, do you think we ordered the dessert for the birthday? No. We didn't want to wait another half hour so we went somewhere else. So with all that being said my mother goes to the host stand to get a hold of a manger. She explained to the manager what happened and she simply said "I'm sorry." I work in the hospitality business and have worked in restaurants before so I honestly expected better. Listen I get things happen, the host doesn't always communicate with the server about being sat and that the kitchen makes mistakes so fine I can overlook that. But once the server was aware that the table already waited 15 minutes to be greeted, she should have been attentive but that was not the case. The cherry on top was the manager saying she was sorry. That's all? Well, we are sorry too. We are sorry that we picked this restaurant.

We attended the Chef Tasting last night. The food was fabulous. So delicate and each course had a multitude of flavors paired with Sonoma wines. Servers were attentive and friendly. It's a beautiful restaurant with a great view. The Chef came out afterwards and chatted with each table. A wonderful night.

Wow where should I begin. Went for late lunch on a rainy day. This place absolutely sucks! Would never ever go back. Food inedible.

Rum Runner is all about.. location.. location.. location. The sunset views from this establishment located on the water are phenomenal. The restaurant is very spacious and bright. Our server was fantastic; friendly, full of energy and offering up suggestions. The interiors an open space plan bar and dining area. Happy hour seems to be a popular option here. Although, we had dinner reservations. There is outdoor dining, but we came here after the season ended, so a bit chilly to eat outdoors. The food overall wasn't too bad. We were expecting average to less than average food, which was fine with us, because we were more interested in the location. However, we were pleasantly surprised with a tasty meal. My husband ordered the NY Strip and I went with the Veggie Burger, which came with fries. For dessert, the Caramel Cake was nice sweet ending to our meal.

Great bartender who made some awesome drinks. Food was good. Ambiance is definitely a 10. Overall its beautiful place to dine.

Short Rib was a bit on the dry side My espresso martini arrived with olives in it and my friends dirty martini glass had coffee beans in it. I have a feeling a new waitress was responsible for garnishing the drinks The general manager was also waiting on tables so I'm assuming there's some struggling going on with staff Nothing beats the view on the river side at sunset but you need to call early and specify where you want to sit The chicken wings were great !

Their happy hour is one of the best around although I don't think you can get it during the Summer. 1/2 price appetizers. I highly recommend the lobster guacamole. Outstanding. The bartenders are very nice. Beautiful view.

McLoone's will never be mistaken for a fine dining destination but they all seem to have a nice space and a nice view. This was no exception. Food is okay for the money but just okay. Our service on this occasion was very good and friendly.

I arranged a dinner at Rum Runners for my wife and two other close couples to celebrate the birthdays of our friends, Ann and Lynne. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. To give you an idea of how bad it was, the management ended up comping the entire meal for the six of us. We had a confirmed reservation for 7:45 PM for outdoor seating to enjoy the beautiful sunset. My wife and I arrived early at 7:15 PM to confirm the reservation and select a special birthday dessert for Ann and Lynne. Everything seemed fine at the bar as we waited for our friends, who arrived on time. However, we were not seated until 8:30 PM, missing the sunset entirely. The manager apologized and offered a round of drinks and appetizers to make up for the delay. While this gesture was appreciated, it was just the beginning of the problems. We ordered dinner and drinks, but the waiter informed us of delays due to a kitchen backup. The food arrived after about 30 minutes, which wasn't too bad. However, during dinner, the manager informed me that the selected birthday dessert was sold out, and I had to choose a different one. The real issues began after this. We waited until 10 PM before I asked the waiter for an update, and he said the kitchen was still backed up. We watched other servers deliver food, hoping it was ours, but it never was. Finally, at 10:30 PM, our food was served, except for my wife's salad, which arrived much later. The constant apologies from the waiter and manager did little to ease our frustration. During this exasperating wait, we ordered drinks that were either not delivered or severely delayed. My steak and my friend's fish were both overcooked and dried out, tasting more like "shoe leather." Again, the manager apologized and removed the dishes, offering to serve appetizers instead of dinner as it was too late. Even the appetizers were wrong and had to be replaced. Throughout the evening, the manager repeatedly apologized, but it became clear that Rum Runners could not manage even the basics of service and quality. Finally, we decided to skip dessert and asked for the check to end this disaster of an evening. The manager comped our meal due to the disastrous experience, but it did not make up for the night we had. I thanked her but made it clear that we have many dining choices in the area, and Rum Runners will no longer be one of them. This was a truly disappointing and frustrating evening.

Tina's take: 8/10 The restaurant is absolutely beautiful! We started off with oysters and they were ok. The tacos as an appetizer we're so good though! We also got two entrees the salmon and linguini with clams. The drinks were strong and did not disappoint. This place is where you should go for a good atmosphere.

The food was fantastic as always the staff is absolutely amazing it was a great experience

Great balcony for outside dining, overlooking the Shrewsbury River. Staff were super friendly and accommodating. We arrived a half hour early (no traffic) and were able to be sat, although our table was in full sun, on an overly warm mid September afternoon. We were able to move under the shade shortly as diners left. The cocktails were delicious, a spicy Bloody Mary & Lavender Mimosa, which was a delicious twist on a conventional one. We had Maryland crab soup, a chicken salad sandwich (loved the addition of grapes (how I make mine at home) and a grilled chicken sandwich. I thought we were done, until the dessert plate came out, gave in and said I'd share one, next thing I knew we were being served a molten lava cake & a nestle roll house pie! Will admit they were both delicious. We had a lovely brunch, great views with excellent service! Definitely worth the ride!

Came here for lunch. Had a great Riesling and a crab and pineapple ceviche. Pros: great location with lovely views of the water. You can eat indoors or outdoors. The restaurant is glass, modern. Cons: waitress was nice but not knowledgeable. The ceviche was bland. It tasted like shrimp cocktail and pineapple. The chips were fresh. I'd head here for the location and some drinks but not to dine.

Ate there last night and was up all night with food poisoning. Definitely wouldn't recommend

I love Rum Runner. We are frequent diners. I prefer to dine outside as I feel the inside dining room is a little more "stuffy". The views are wonderful. The drinks are yummy. I do wish they had not changed their menu as they got rid of one of my favorite dishes. Service is a little hit or miss but we have never had a BAD experience. Some are just better than others.

This place is not great, ordered the bread today (fig jam/whippedbutter/tomato oil dipping sauces) came with none of the dips just bread and ice cold butter cubes. Also had the prosciutto flatbread which was tasteless, with only the smallest drizzle of truffle honey that I could hardly make out. People only come here for the ambiance is what I can gather. For these prices you can go to a multitude of restaurants in the area that have significantly better food!

Great , food, location and service Nice to seat outside I will go back ...................................

I'm just terrible about taking pictures. I'm usually so hungry that I dive in and then remember after the fact. We are here for our 35th anniversary visiting from Arizona. Excellent ambience. Incredible view of the water. Great pianist/musician. Who just did Billy Joel! It is a little loud but all that means everyone's having a great time. The Betty salad was absolutely fantastic. But we exchanged the feta cheese for blue cheese, and that was perfect! Their signature drink the rum runner was delicious! I ordered the linguini and clam sauce and my husband ordered the short ribs. We saw someone else with the short ribs and they looked fantastic. I will add more later. so my linguine and clam sauce which was like a spicy version was absolutely over-the-top. Excellent. And my husband got the short ribs which were also delicious. I guess my only negative thought is that we told them we were celebrating our 35th anniversary and they didn't really acknowledge it in any way!

View is fantastic and even inside is very nice seating. Server Sean was awesome but food was just OK and overpriced. Chilled seafood sampler the clams and oysters weren't cleaned or prepared very well and also werent served with a cocktail fork to prepare them myself so that was disappointing.

Friendly staff, our waitress was outstanding. Sat outside, very nice. Expresso martini was eh. Apps were delish - highly recommend the prosciutto flatbread and cheese board. Wings were also quite tasty. Had the burger, it was fine but I wished I had ordered the prosciutto flatbread for my dinner. It was that good. We will definitely return.

The food was delicious. Drinks ok. The waiter was on point. Sat at a high top on the balcony. Definitely will go back.

I give this place a 1 start because I have to and because the view is nice. But when it comes to food, drinks and even the service this place is horrible. The drinks were watered down and had little to probably no alcohol and no taste to it. The server put the wrong food order in for my partner, by the time the correct order came out my food was cold. The manager came by and apologized and walked away.. When it came to how the food tastes, you'd be better off at a bar and grill spot or a pizzeria. Everything was very bland. Pasta taste like cardboard. Rest of the food was at avg at best.

I found this place while riding my bike out of Sandy hook beach often. And passed by this place several times. So today decided to try it. Really nice place to spend a warm afternoon enjoying lunch or dinner. They have outdoor seating that sits above the water where you can watch boats go by if you want to be outdoors. Inside is at a nice temperature that you do not feel cold with short sleeves on. This is good a place to enjoy as a couple or solo sitting outside or at the huge bar area inside The staff is extremely friendly and attentive but not overly. My waitress was good to share her favorite dishes to try for lunch. And offered to refill my water or tea when they were emptied. I had the Cajun Mahi sandwich with potato salad on a brioche roll. The fish was tasty but the Cajun matard over powered the fish on first bite. After removing the extra mustard then the fish I could enjoy much better. The potato salad was OK. Easily seasoned to my taste with little more pepper. Also got the Chicken salad sandwich to go for later. That was really good even 8 hrs later. I actually enjoyed the chicken salad more than the fish. The menu had some nice choices to choose from and changes for dinner. I will definitely return to try more.

First time in this restaurant and it was a positive experience! Nice ambiance, good service and the food was very good. I can imagine that this is a hot spot in the summer months, but it was easy to get in tonight.

The service is great but the food is not amazing. It has good ambiance the place gives off good vibes and especially Amanda the awesome server. Please give Amanda a raise.

We attended the Thanksgiving Day Buffet. Many of the serving dishes were empty; for example there was no turkey only some stuffing; limited pieces of salmon while there was plenty of vegetables and salad. There were rolls but no butter and when we went up for dessert, there was only one or two pieces of pie available. Coffee served at dessert came without milk or cream because the restaurant had run out. Our server, who was very nice, told us that people ordering lattes had used up all the milk and cream. All in all it was a big disappointment. Only a vegetarian would have enjoyed this buffet!

Love the Happy Hour especially with the new drinks on it. Delicious espresso martini and there is always a phenomenal view

Love sitting at the bar and looking at the water. Food has totally improved recently. Drinks and bartenders are great. Highly recommend.

Restaurant is lovely and nice view , but the food is not good. We had friends that recommended the brunch. They said it was good! They said , yes, the food there usually sucks but brunch is really good! We tried brunch on Thanksgiving 2023 It actually was very good. Service top notch Food good. This past Sunday we went for Easter brunch. It was awful. The young kid waiter did ok though. Food was the worst This place is good for a cocktail. But, unfortunately that's all‍

The view of the river, even after dark, was really nice. We went on Friday, around 6:30, in March & the joint was jumping. It was extremely noisy. My husband is soft-spoken and I really could not hear him at all. I probably would have given 4 if it had been quieter. Service was ... relaxed. Our server was chipper and friendly, but there were long waits between getting the menu and placing our order, and between placing our dessert order and dessert appearing. I ordered the burger. (I have been on a major burger kick lately). It was good but very basic - didn't even have a pickle I requested mustard on the side, and that was brought immediately. French fries were really good. Side salad of caesar salad was adequate, though dressing was oddly heavy on the mustard. Husband had the crab cakes, which were good and loaded with shredded crab. I prefer lump crabmeat, but maybe that's personal preference. Hubby ordered the cheesecake for dessert and it was excellent. It was pricy - Husband had iced tea, I stuck with water & bill was $85 before tip. If we go again, it will likely be for lunch - maybe it will be quieter? And cheaper?

Perfect stop for a sandy hook day trip. Super Uber cozy fancy and affordable restaurant. Great views of the mansions of rumson along the river complete with jumping dolphins. We had lobster everything...lobster bisque, lobster Mac and cheese, lobster guacamole, and lobster rolls (when in Rome). All that food and drinks for under 200 dollars for 4 people. I will say there was also affordable options like a 12 dollar blt and the like. Masking hygiene by the staff was phenomenal and a refreshing change from every other restaurant I have been to lately!! Highly recommend