Chowhoundish places around Long Branch?

[MercerChow]

Bringing the family over from Mercer County to an evening event at Monmouth University.

Where's a good place to grab a bite beforehand? No fine dining, just classic Chowhound fare. Any ethnic is fine, as is veggie. Food trumps ambiance. Timing will be tight, so we want to stick close to the venue.

[joonjoon]

Long Branch is my favorite Chow town in this area...

Diaz
Pearl of Lisbon
Jr's Burgers
Jack's (Ribs and Wings and beer)
Surf Taco (Surf Taco)
Nelly's (Fat sandwiches)
plus a variety of Mexican Taco joints as well as Brazillian/Portugese joints.
So much good food, so little time.

Oh, and how can i forget - crown chicken and chicken king!

[Mr. Bingley]

i love the brazilian market at 142 brighton ave in long branch. it is a very typical buffet style place; the food is exactly as it is if you were in the interior of brazil.

[Tapas52]

you can't leave out Joanne's Ocean View Bakery
319 Morris Ave
Long Branch, NJ 07740
[phone]‎

Don'ty let the name fool you........Some of the best authentic "home made" Italian food anywhere in NJ. This place has so much nostalgia from the last 50+ years when you walk in it ain't funny.....& Joanne will make you feel like your at Mamma's house on Sunday every time. This place is a Time capsule of when you grew up for sure all the pictures on the wall will tell you that....All the old time recipes done right no wonder why this great establishment has been in Long Branch so long.....Yummy!

[eatinman]

Tuzzio's for Italian. Great Tuzzio salad is must, get it for 2 and it will be enough for 4. All mains you can split as they are huge

[Bob Martinez]

At Tuzzio's if you order most entree's the meal comes with a really generous side salad. And a side of pasta as well. (The spaghetti with garlic and oil is particularly sizable.) I'll take your word about their full salads - I just wouldn't have room for them.

I can't say enough good things about their chicken parmigiana. When made badly, and at other restaurants all too often it is, this dish tastes heavy and uninspired. Tuzzio's is light and the chicken and cheese are in perfect balance. Other standouts are the sliced ribeye on garlic bread (a phenomenal steak sandwich that puts all others to shame) and the chicken marsala. I like the chicken piccata as well but some might find it a bit salty.

My only disappointment at the place were the pork chops Murphy which were a bit dry and slightly tough. But the winners on the menu more than offset that minor miss.

Eat in the pleasant front room. The back room seems cheerless to me.

Service has always been attentive and friendly. The prices are pretty friendly too.

[seal]

How old is the family?

Jack's, just five minutes away from MU, used to be a great place to sit in the back and eat good ribs and burgers and the best wings maybe in all of NJ. But they recently took out the tables in the back and expanded the bar area so now the only place to eat there is right in the middle of the bar. Still, those wings are worth it if you have no really little ones. They also have a fairly large menu of other food items.

Otherwise, I can vouch for good meals at both Acapulquenos and Tuzzio's. Also worth considering, and closer (right near Jack's) is Surf Taco.

[aacharya]

I wouldn't pick Surf Taco when we have the best street of tacos (Broadway in Long Branch) south of French St (New Brunswick).

There's a fabulous Mexican rotisserie chicken place a few blocks of Acapulquenos on a side street - you'll see it on the right if you pass Acap on the left.

[val ann c]

>> I wouldn't pick Surf Taco when we have the best street of
>> tacos (Broadway in Long Branch) south of French St (New Brunswick).

I like Surf Taco!
It's not a Mexican taco. It's American style. It's a different kind of food than the little Mexican cafe/grocery stores.
Dude, can't we all just get along? :-)

Surf Taco is a small restaurant chain -- all in South Jersey. The food is good and really fresh. The Long Branch location is very comfortable to hang out in. It's a sort of fast food cafe. Fun mellow atmosphere.

http://www.surftaco.com/

[equal_Mark]

The couple times I ate at the LB Surf Taco the food was OK, but they seemed seriously backed up when it came to keeping the place clean. Half of the tables were dirty and the trash containers were overflowing onto the floor. For my money for that style of food I'll take the trip down to Fins in Bradley Beach.

[JerzeyShore]

The Surf Taco in Belmar sucks. I am not too impressed with them, to tell you the truth.

[joonjoon]

For me Surf taco is it's own thing. I love their namesake taco!

By the way, I think their taco is actually quite authentic. If I remember correctly it's a Baja thing and the fried fish + cabbage thing is how they do it in Mexico.

[aklein]

if you're as unimpressed with Surf Taco as I am (Belmar, Manasquan), go over to 10th Avenue Burrito in Belmar (10th and Main)... burritios and the rest just rock

[white light]

Yeah, the Surf Taco in Manasquan always disappoints us as well.

Agree that Finns in Bradley is quite good.

[shabbystorm]

This Mexican rotisserie chicken you speak of...sounds wonderful.
Do you have the name and address of this place? I am not from Long Branch but have GPS.

Also in Long Branch do you know if the Long Branch Rotisserie Chicken place on Branchport Avenue is still open?
Thank you.

[mindy]

still there...long branch poultry farm 732.222.2464...good as ever

[joonjoon]

The place aacharya mentioned is called El Oaxaqueno Restaurant #3, 9 Memorial Parkway.

They do have good rotisserie chicken for a fantastic price. Tacos aren't bad either.

Right down the street is also a Taquito place that looks good...love that part of LB!

[eatinman]

Hey Bob,
I know, I know Tuzzio's portions are HUGE - that's why I suggested that they split them. But if you haven't had a Tuzzio's salad, you've gotta make room, as it's great and worth getting. Just split the entree's and you'll have plenty to eat.

[scrappyone]

What, no mention of Bobby's Burger Palace ?

Zachary's across from Monmouth Park Racetrack was always a good choice. Not sure if its still there.

[Bob Martinez]

It's still there. You need to order carefully - avoid the more ambitious sounding dishes and stick to basics. The booths in the bar room are more pleasant to sit at than the tables in the dining room.

[Bob Martinez]

Acapulquenos on Broadway serves authentic and tasty Mexican food. It's cash only and BYO. But you won't need a lot of cash.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/254240

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Acapulqueno Mexican Grill
571 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740

[dani0622]

Sallie Tee's isn't bad for sandwiches.

[OGguy]

Pearl of Lisbon on Broadway in LB is good, too.

[equal_Mark]

Have they been lax or do they just not care that their website still lists them as "Pearl of the Sea?"

[val ann c]

I just had dinner at Diaz Flavor. Dominican and Puerto Rican. It's a little neighborhood place. The food is top notch... delicious and homey. We had a soup made with an assortment of starchy root vegetables and three meats. Short ribs. Rice and red beans. A "spanish lasagna" appetizer made with plantain instead of noodles. Housemade fruit drinks. Flan. All very good! Prices are cheap. The food is so good I would gladly pay more.
This is a small place. If your group is large, you might not fit. Call first.
Closed on Sundays.

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Diaz's Flavor Restaurant
279 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740