Reviews of Donovan's Reef (Restaurant)

Eduardo Villalona

Absolutely loved this place. I'm upset I didn't find it sooner! I definitely recommend stopping by and checking the place out if you're in the area. The drinks are really good and the vibe is friendly.

Denny Hav

Donovan's is a great day at the beach getaway. The live music, food, and rum buckets are a great combination when your at the beach. I will definitely recommend this place to everyone I know! P.S. Get there early to guarantee you get a good spot.

Sarah Mac

I go here every weekend when I am at my house down south never disappoints way better than most places in the area

Erin Evon

Local beach bar. Easy access to the beach.

J M

Really nice place, good music, great vibe from the Patrons. Would have been a 5 start rating but the bartenders when you walk in weren’t the greateat. One of them who was a little older out of the three was just a little more rude and snooty for what I would have expected, seemed like she didnt want to be there. But I just went down to the beach and went to the bartenders there. They were great. Definitely would go back but just stick to the bar on the beach.

Taylor Parker

Courtney is the best always fun, friendly and efficient!! We love her

suzanne tranfaglia

We had the ahi tuna nachos and the chicken quesadillas and they were delicious! Great beer choices on tap...good place to watch the game or hang and listen to the band

Amber Midgley

Awesome spot! Parking is impossible, but sometimes you just get lucky. The drinks were surprisingly not crazy overpriced. The tiki bar was overcrowded, but we were able to easily get drinks up on the deck. The bathroom was decently clean and not too long of a wait. The DJ was just ok, but maybe it's just not my style... I'm from PA ;)

Anne Zavalick

Someone stole my purse there, if I could give it zero stars I would.

Peter Rufo

I was there Sunday at the tiki when two workers ejected my friend from the establishment for no justifiable reason. The workers came up with multiple excuses as to why he had to leave, none made any sense. We believe they racial profiled my friend and wanted him out. I will never return to this place and provide my business.

Peter Dadamo

Great beach bar.

Martin Zoller

Great spot by the water to watch the Dawgpound!

Myrta Cortes

Great atmosphere,service at bar welcoming. Had a wonderful afternoon at their open view of

Thomas Egan

Fun bar, cash only, great bands and on the beach!

David Hawkins

Best view of the ocean for a Sea Bright bar. Woefully understaffed for big events. The refusal to take credit cards is a stumper given how many people typically still in. Great deck and tiki bar.

Janet Persaud

It's definitely a hang out for 20s and 30s year old.

Taneesha Smith

It was like a Miami experience in N. Jersey!! Pleasant customer service, great drinks and food, and of course awesome music! Exit 10 (our band) and Hang Loose (I believe the band before us) were great! Their Ketel One buckets are awesome. Bandmates and I had cheesesteak (steak with peppers and cheese), chicken ceaser salad, and clam strips. All great! Packed to the brim, and it was 4th of July!! But security (and police) is on deck at all times, so no worries! They have their own area of the beach which is the best and it was so fun of a venue to play

barbara hughes

Perfect view of beach a d great access to the beach!! Clean comfortable and spacious on a weekday afternoon. Bring CASH, as it is a cash only place, which was disappointing. Food was 'okay' - no waitress service, go get it yourself (even if you are sitting at a table). Weekends are too crowded and parking is tough.

Herbert Chambers

Great Burgers! Fun time!

Luis Alberto Alvarez Recinos

Everyone is awesome!

Josephine Guttadauro

Great bar in sea bright in the beach. Good bar food casual beach vibe

Manny Matias

Little crowded but over all good time

Anne Vag

So freaking cool! Good music and great atmosphere. Just make sure to bring cash!

Stan Bruno

Great place, friendly staff. The food was good and came out quick. They have a parking lot and they're on the water,, what else do you need.

Jonathan Rudnick

Great place for drink. Cover plus drinks are pricey.

Jesse Figueiredo

Cash only, like I keep $500 in my swim trunks. The staff at the door are rude rookies. The food is probably better at 7-11 across the street. Live music is nice and the beach tiki bar is cool. DR has a lot of potential with a good drink selection. Twice, we have turned away for lunch this summer & every time I pass with disappointment. New management is in order or maybe new ownership.

Le'Ora Brown

Awesome place to hang out by the water with live music. The drinks are a bit on the pricey side but I guess that is to be expected. I think it's worth it. Enjoy the time with my husband here!

Bill Godshalk

Shore hot spot....enjoy the view.

Dr. Joseph Fretta

Great place to party on the beach in Sea Bright

Prafull Kotecha

Awesome music! Great location! Amazing b drinks!!! And, the beach!! What more could you ask for!!

The FPV Life

One of the best if not theeee best beach bar hangout on the shores. I like the new look n upgrades. Such a chill place.

Terry McCahon

Great cocktails. Great munchies. Beautiful beach settings. You couldn't ask for a better place to go in the daytime. Great music live on the weekends. Jersey Shore at it's best.

thatRudeiNK

Today was my first time at Donovan's and I had a good time. We arrived early and parking was $10 along with a $10 entrance fee. The beach and swim zone are smaller than you're used to but the main attraction is the bar and the DJ. As long as you get there early and find a spot you should do well. The drink prices were great and the veggie wrap and fries were good as well. I will definitely come back during the week to see how different it will be.

trah 76

Cash only bar with a friendly staff and good food. Parking is a bear but definitely worth it.

Nikiya Marilla

Truly love this place as it's right on the beach! The rum bucket is the best (made fresh and not the premade mixture), staff is friendly! Only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is because when I asked for my rum bucket to be made fresh, the woman laughed at my request, then remade my drink fresh. It was a sarcastic laugh, and had I been another customer I feel she wouldn't have done that. However I love the live band, the atmosphere, everything!

Chris Carbone

So glad they rebuilt Donovan's. It's so much bigger and better than it was before. Even though it took a little time to get in and seemed like it was crowded and it was, There was plenty of space and room being on the beach or on their deck. The music is still great the vibe and the food, Can't wait to have are 25th reunion there in a couple weeks

G Wheat

Awesome setup and location. Rude and openly racist staff

Holly Seibert

Love this place, a few friends and I were visiting from out of town. Even on a rainy day this place can bring lots of joy. I would recommend to anyone! We will be back!

Jazmin Marin

Quick service.

Lee Mercado

Great place on the beach. Definitely go to the beach bar, better bar tenders who are nice and friendly

Michael Natale

Did not try the food, but the fries looked amazing to accompany a set of brews. This is a great place for hanging out with friends and drinks, with the option of indoor or outdoor tables in a beachfront setting. Friendly enough staff operating the bar got to all patrons even though the bar gets crowded.

Robert Curtiss

Beach was great, good waves. Didn't venture inside but it was a 'Happening Place!'

Ines M Sojo

I honestly didn't even want to give this place a star, right from the beginning as we are going towards the entrance, the old man in the T-shirt shop ,the lady and security guard were racist towards my friends and I apart from that the lady said she would call the cops because of a paper wristband that they gave us themselves. IT WAS A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE.. I hope to God those people were not the owners. All we wanted to know why did we get I'd but not every other white person that they allowed in.. No question asked or anything hey! come right in but we had to stop and get our id.. How did it go from there to us getting racial slurs and comments said to us as we were walking away and got followed just to rip off a paper wristband that they gave us to put on?

Steve Pugh

Friendly people good vibes and the bartenders are awesome.

robert smith

Good food good drinks great atmosphere

Jim InBrick

Cool place.

Joseph Solfaro

Place is great, has tons of space, private beach, volleyball during the day and the service was friendly. I gotta go back!

Noreen DeLuccia

Location location location this place is awesome....

Glenn Van Orden

Friendly place with live music. Right on the beach.

Nicole Barone

This was our first time here Since we were planing on bringing our friends and family for a birthday party next weekend , my husband and I wanted to go for dinner and Drinks but were met with a very rude disrespectful man doing security with a blue shirt at the front entrance on 8/18/19 at 3:15 pm. Since this was our first time here, we did not know we needed a wrist band to enter. We waited a few minutes by security, who ignored us, and proceeded to walk up to the entrance. The security guard rudely snapped at us saying we can’t go in. We said we haven’t been there before apologetically and his reply was “well you have to get in the right way and have to do what I tell you” We were so disgusted we decided we did not want to give them our business.

Connor Cook

To all you trash from out of state stay away your not wanted or welcomed

ROBiN UMANA

Favriot bar of all tine

Gerard Fournier

Open & fresh air, nice staff

Robert Kee

Great beach hangout! Beach with music, drinks and food!

Lenny Cutro

Great atmosphere and service

Kathie Ferrandino

Beach cafe/bar right on boardwalk. Fantastic blackened salmon tacos, quick service, clean. Great place for a quick bite or drink with bar food. Of course it's probably jammed in the summer.

Joe Osterbye

Great time there at tiki bar but parking?

melissa Apple

Fun people watching

John, III Ferrulli

this place is always great. open air bar, beach access and walking distance bathrooms. what more could you ask for at the beach?

Matthew Citro

Donovan’s is really nice and the beach is nice. I’ve been here multiple times over the years. But after my last experience I’m never going back. The staff at the front gate are the worst people I’ve ever met in my life. We brought our 15 month old kid here and they were giving us a hard time of about bringing formula and cut up grapes through the front gate! I thought it was a joke. The guy said “do you usually bring food to a restaurant? We’re trying the make money here”. Well I’m glad you’re trying to make money but I can’t find formula or baby foods on the menu? By the way we ordered fries and a burger and it took 45 minutes to come out! So not only are they aggressively strict on what you can bring in, they also suck at making food if you need it. I understand if grown adults were trying to bring pizza and beers through the front gate, but baby formula!?! That’s an absolute joke and I’ll gladly take my business to another beach because of this. You need to give your staff a lesson on customer service. You didn’t make any extra money by denying kids their formula and you’re going to lose $1000’s of dollars because I’ll never be back and by the looks of other customers reviews they won’t be coming back either.

Nicolas Natale

Pretty good. Expensive drinks. Fun to drink on the beach.

Darlene Locorriere

Very crowded but good staff they charge a cover

Phil Amato

We love coming here. The hospitality is great. The atmosphere, awesome bar a d beach with great ocean view. We love it.

Captain H

Iv'e been wanting to see the "new" Donovans Reef since it was rebuilt now for some time. The parking situation here and around the town is pretty hopeless, difficult even in the middle of a weekday. Their relatively small parking lot is always full and street parking is mostly restricted permit parking. I finally gave up and went up the road to Sea Bright. I will try another day, and postpone my real review until I am actually able to park. 7/14/2019 Got around to returning to Donovan's and after a few trips around the parking lot, I was able to snag a spot. The new place is quite nice...they did a superb job rebuilding and preserving the vibe of the old place. The location is really the star here as it always was with the original place. And the new facilities are definitely nicer...the best of both worlds. I will surely he back and will bring my swimwear next time and spend some time on the beach.

Nicholas DeStefano

Great atmosphere and service!

Jack Donahue

Great beach bar and live music

Di America

Great place for hanging out with friends. Beach, bar, fast food, live music. I wish they would have a better food and valey parking.

Zuzana H

Been going to Donovan's for years and loved it. This year they strared charging $10 per person just to get onto the restaurant premises to order food. This is ridiculous

Louis Zelekovic

Only place I know you can have a cigar and a drink on the beach in this area!

isabel oliveira

Good food quick, nice people, good prices

Carol Zuzio

Great had a nice time. Great people

Jordan Velez

Good times

Jesenia Marilyn

Feels like a hidden gem. Feel like I'm on vacation. Great crowd, live bands, good food and drinks.

Jeff Erdman

Great bar and private beach in Sea Bright drink some reasonably priced shrimp quesadillas unbelievable and the chicken quesadillas, live music facing the ocean only bad thing parking sucks

Liv Arruda

Always a great time and drinks are cheap

paul burricelli

Used to go to the mad hatter. Didn't know it was there until today

Lauren Drake

awesome band, great fun!!

Patrick Amato

Good time

Gabs Toy Adventure

Short walk to the beach, great fresh food. Resort feel

Chris Avila

Amazing time if you go with a group of friends!

Justin Larkins

The crowd is strong 20s to late 30s but the music is not current to what is hip. That my only complaint. You have great music by the tiki bar and then the large bar you have old irrelevant music. Almost killed the vide since the tiki bar is small and hard to get a order taken. The crowd is very relax no bs to worry about. Nice mixed crowd which was a surprise. The renovations were definitely a well recieved upgrade.

Sarah Pritchard

Wow, what a disappointment. Sure liked the old Donovan's better! Rude ID checkers, rude bartenders, outrageous prices, and now a 'cafeteria type food delivery system'. What am I paying for??

david mott

Nice bar on the beach.

Lacon Vail

Nice beach bar. Had music playing. Cash bar only but had ATMs. Looked like you could also come right in off the beach. Had a chicken wrap which was pretty good. Overall was a pleasant place to hangout and have a few drinks.

Cheryl Bacigalupi

Great views, good live music, decent food. Fun place to grab drinks at the tiki bar or stop for a drink while you’re relaxing at the beach.

Kathy Kelly

Food food is amazing! Good bands! Ocean view us beautiful!

Wass Ayoub

Best jersey bar right on the beach, fairly priced. Cash only.

Florencia Torres

Fun spot, clean beach, good prices, good vibes.

HD DOG TRAINING

In town for business, went to try and eat as this is one of the few restaraunts we have yet to try, and now never will due to the rude bartender who demanded a second form of ID (even though we are 30, which I had provided, although my license even says disabled veteran on it.) My other half, my wife and business partner only has a driving license and when she couldn’t furnish a second ID and a credit card was not sufficient.. we decided to just leave as the bartender tried to rescind his original statement of needing two forms of ID for out of state visitors as he noticed we became withdrawn from wanting to spend money there. Which has never been the case at any other restaraunt here. Can’t say as much to food and since we literally don’t drink alcohol, we can’t say how drinks we’re or what the issue even was as we were there for food. We do know that this is not the first time we’ve run into some sort of discrimination in this immediate area but we know that we will not come back personally or professionally.

Michael Forgie

Not as good as before Sandy but I don't hate it.

Joe Ciampi

The rebuilt space is nice. It's a re-born classic. Decent food and drinks, not expensive, and the location can't be beat. Just be warned it's still cash-only.

Robert Hodnovich

Great shore music place

ilhan akar

Super awesome place great energy everyone happy great servers at the bar and free water cant beat that.

Jim Rooney

Awesome. Great atmosphere.

J Nev

Went to Donovans Reef for an office event so I'm not sure about prices but the food is good. Great waterfront restaurant

Robert Platzer

Best of the best good food an awesome rum punch bucket

Chuck Corradino

Great makeover! Fun atmosphere. Would have gave 5 stars if they took credit cards for food. It's cash only.

Enmanuel Pena

Great time, plenty of space for a busy night not bumping into people while having some drinks

Denise Ambery

Great place with great bartenders and drinks, right on the water

Nupoor Mishra

First time and the experience was amazing ..

Kenneth Hudzik

Awesome place

angel perez

Best place for spending a beach day. With family or adult only fun. You can choose to hang out on the beautiful, quiet beach or by the louder tiki bar and sports bar. Love it!

edwin paredes

Great food good place to enjoy with friends or even alone

S R-L

Wicked fun spot! Three bars with all sorts of great drinks and DJ or live music on the weekends is awesome. Staff is super friendly. Beach out front is great too. No complaints!

JCC C

Nice local spot on the water. Beach Food menu is simple but good. Nice ocean view!

Michaela Cielo

Awesome place on the beach. Been coming here for 20 years already. Well, minus the years it was here because Sandy leveled it. But it's back and even better. Music on the weekends and the bar on the beach is just great. BUT, they only take cash! So get enough before you get there.

Doug Ward

I've heard good things about this place. Nice setup. 1 bar inside, 1 bar right outside on the deck, and 1 on the beach, plenty to go around. I stopped for some breakfast, you have to go to the window in the back to order food. I ordered a potato, egg, & cheese, nice sandwich. I wanted the chicken quesadillas but it wasn't 11:00am yet, next time. I could just imagine what this is like Friday and Saturday night, maybe next time.

stephen ciraky

Outstanding, friendly, cold beer

Joseph Graham

Good drink prices, friendly bartenders, great environment.

Pete Donahue

Ok, i never wrote a review because i have never felt the need to. My intention is to reach the owner on this and also inform others who may be considering going here, Today i took my 16 and 19 year old daughters and my wife to grab a bite here. I have been coming here for the last two years in the beginning of the nfl season because i think its kinda cool to watch football at the beach. Ive always been ok with the place... this is what happened today: my daughters asked me if dogs were allowed.. i did not know the answer to that so i googled the “faq” on the restaurant. There was a post by someone who works there that said they were a dog friendly place. Let me first explain that i am not the type of person that would just assume i can bring my pet, thats why i checked. My dog is a 15 lb cockerspaniel. As soon as we walked up to the front of the restaurant i heard someone (an employee) say something derogatory about us ( if you read other reviews you will see how rude those people are) later i realized the one that made the remark was actually the owner!! Anyway we walked in and within two minutes i was approached by a bouncer and the drunk owner (realized that later once again that he was the owner, i actually had to ask the bouncer if he was the owner) and in front of my wife and two daughters he said “ get your dog outa here, either take him on the beach or in the parking lot” he said this miltiple times and got confrontational and said that with a drunken mean scowl on his face. I did not mind that the post i thought to be was true about being dog friendly was wrong. What i was mad about was the way we were treated. It could have been handled differently and to be frank i think this bar needs a little john taffer from bar rescue to get this drunk out of the bar and stop speaking directly with the customers. I’d also like to speak to the point that some people brought up in previous reviews; i kinda get the feeling they thought i was not from around there and had some sort of bias against that. Let me point out that i live in fairhaven for the last 24 years which is approx 9 minutes from the place. Not a place this time of year if they dont think your a “local”. Hopefully this behavior changes. Or they deserve what they get if they close down due to these problems. There are many good establishments that dont treat thier patrons like this. Pick another place..., not worth the money

Rob Demian

Great place to enjoy the beach and some drinks with ur friends! Live music was great...we had a great time...they just need more parking...so take an Uber or Lyft.

MrKevinkins

Dive bar on the beach, so it does not get better. Local legend. Very busy in the summer to a point where you might want to avoid it. After Labor Day during the week is really the best time to be here. Might want to check it out before you bring kids.

Ron Staniszewski

Nice bar with a friendly staff. Had some pizza and appetizers. On the negative side Pizza was soggy, so that was disappointing, clams were ok and chicken wings were very good, but the highlight of the appetizer was definitely the Calamari. Worthy of a visit, but moderate your expectations on some of the food choices.

Jim Cerrato

Got a Ahi tuna sandwich and found a piece of GLASS IN MY FOOD when I told the waiter it seemed like He did not care and very snooty, my family and I will never return to this establishment . Me and my neighbors would always walk up for dinner and drinks , big let down for everyone.

Cynthia Manion

Beach! Nice people.

John Fusco

Great location, live music, I like the bar food!

Joseph Francis

Great seeing old friends

Robert Leslie

Decent selection of beer, band was placed too close to the bar to easily communicate with the bartenders.

Claude Virgil

Great place to hangout food is on point

Russ Schon

Open airy feeling that is right on the beach. Hosting the Seabright volleyball season this year on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Great band tonight and as always, good drafts.

Nicole Cartier

Great beach bar

John Norman

Donovan's Reef has the best food and drinks there. I think it is the best restaurant n the world in my opinion!!

Don Sheldon

Rated one of the top beach bars in the USA. We love to hang on the beach in the morning and then hit the top bars in the afternoon. Always great entertainment. The food is ok and the drinks are very reasonable. Parking lot fills up early but we usually manage to find street parking. Don't park in the 30 minute zones. You will get ticketed.

Susan Degennaro

Best beach bar....love the rennovation!

Donovan Yaukey

My names Donovan so this place is good by default

Robyn Hilton

I absolutely love! very clean, relaxe atmosphere. I will return again most definitely.

Robert Morley

Had a nice view brother Chris was in from Florida and was interested in getting a shirt and he bought me one thanks Chris we had a great view of how everything was so different from when pre sandy but I was very nice place very nice barmaid friendly atmosphere luckily no a busy Sunday didn't have to pay to park at the place u are spending money I quess I missed something since I been to a bar

hailey coppola

Was shocked how low key this place is. Very happy with it, was not your average super crowded bar. Little over priced but for a beach bar was very relaxed and not crazy / crowded.

Coach

Lousy and rude service. Horrible food. Avoid!

Liv Lo

Feels like you're away mature crowd no fights and away from Staten island

Brian Schwab

What a blessing hurricane sandy was for this place. It's now a real neat bar.

Ian Adams

Great spot! Always a good time!

stephen shockley

Spent many nights falling in love with my wife on the beach at Donovan’s Reef. We where super excited they rebuilt. Unfortunately it’s not the same. The staff are incredibly rude. Didn’t know how to make the drinks. Also super over priced! Shouldn’t call it Donovan’s.

Heidi Brunt

$10 cover...cash only for everything ATM on site

Erica Conover

Fun beach bar. Cash only. Live music every night. Makes you feel as if you're on vacation

Gary Thacker Gary

Great spot. Complete with 2 outside bars. One of which is on the beach. The inside bar is well stocked and the bartender did a real nice job. Go here for the live entertainment and appetizers. Find another spot in Sea Bright for a meal.

Andrew Frank

Fantastic beach bar that will make you think you’re in the Caribbean. Really solid food too, get the blackened salmon sandwich. So good

Phillip Ragan

Great spot for going to the beach and enjoying some cocktails! Definitely a spot to go to when the weather is warm. Would recommend planning your trip here in terms of parking, getting there early, etc

Edward Depew

Great food/great view of the beach/great place to spend a afternoon.

KayCena08

Diverse, music is great, people is great, positive vibes

Marcia Esposito

Very nice place, good DJ on the beach and live music in the bar. Good price for foods and drinks.

Daniel Peltz

Best beach bar in NJ. One of the few places that you can bring your drink in the water with you. Completely remodeled in 2017. Good for families too. It's cash only, but the ATMs are cheap.

Jeff

Great place on the beach. Had an awesome live Rock band the night I went. One of the bartenders was a bit of A-hole who should remember that customers only show up if they have a good time.

Daniel Carvalho

Went to Donova’s for my boyfriend’s friend’s birthday. It was my first time there and we had a great time. The drinks are your average price drinks really. I thought it would be more expensive. However, there is a cover charge to enter the bar/beach. But if you think of it, you’d have to pay $5-$8 to get into a NJ beach anyways. But this one you can drink. All in all, great place to hang out with friends and chill.

Jason Richards

Great place to relax by the beach with a drink. Cash only though they do have an ATM with a fee 10 buck cover but you can drink on their beach, no coolers. Has a good stand as well inside. Do charge to park i,their parking lot but other lots are available. Have to get there early though does get crowded at times but still a nice place to be at

Alan Lazar

Awesome beachfront bar!

Seth Wright

Best beach bar. The rum buckets are nuclear warfare. Also they only take cash which can be annoying.

Deborah Belisle

Best Frozen drinks in the history of Frozen Drinks

patrick amato

This place is outrageous fun times beachfront good drinks good food I had a lot of fun

Captain Gene

Fun beach bar n music

Kristin Pfleger

A staple of Sea Bright. Dogs are welcome inside but not on the beach during normal beach season. I think it's a bit pricey for drinks. The calamari was okay. Not good, not bad. But you really go for the atmosphere, view and drinks, not food. AND CASH ONLY! Tiki bar down on the sand.

Christine Ciofalo

I had an amazing time here would definitely go back. This place rocks

Herb Chambers

Great location and excellent food!

Krystal Ann

Best best summer spot!

302Nfl

Fun cool place can get very crowded at peak hours

Brian Goff

Great food. Awesome spot right on the beach. Very limited parking though

Chris Benedict

Great to see Donovan's Reef back in action and better than ever after Superstorm Sandy. Enjoy cocktails outside overlooking beautiful Sea Bright beach!

Gilles Guillou

Nice place to have a drink and listen to live music