The Chicken or the Egg

go for the wings. best on the island, probably in the state.

The food at this place was a little disappointing. We ordered several breakfast items, but they were not good. The wings, however, were delicious. They have a variety of sauces to accompany the wings as well. The orange juice was good which made our mimosas. The place is also BYOB, which is typical of restaurants for NJ.

I cant say enough about Chegg except I wish they’d stay open all year and get another location on the mainland. The wings are by far the best things you will ever put in your mouth, really. All I can say is everything is good and fresh. They also know how to pick the best waitstaff cause everyone is happy, polite and service orientated. The Jersey Devil breakfast sandwich is by far the best thing I’ve ever eaten in the morning and it needs to become a menu staple. Get your hashbrowns and fries «surprised» for sure! The Reuben is great, all the steak sandwiches are out of this world, and if you’re not a puss-​puss try the Dragon Burger, you won’t be sorry! And if ALL that wasn’t enough — it’s BYOB! Come on, it’s a win-​win folks!

We get to LBI at least once a year to visit family and enjoy the island. After trying this place, I try never to miss going here. This year we were very short on time … so, I got up really (really) early and went by myself (while others slept). Breakfast is king! Great food and the staff is super friendly.

Stopped here for breakfast while visiting friends. (off season) This place has everything that makes a great breakfast. Terrific eggs, omelets, pancakes, home fries, menu choices, really good coffee, and very friendly efficient service. All at low prices.
Fun atmosphere to boot.
Definitely a good choice. On our way out we already were planing our next visit.

First time trying this place due to recommendations from people we know plus the reviews. It gets 4 stars. Good food, good prices so the value is there. Definitely recommend this place. Also many selections.
Pros:
Not just breakfast or chicken. They have a vast menu. I ordered the shrimp scampi which was part of their early bird specials (must be seated prior to 6 pm). It was good and portions were good. Use the No Wait app. It works. Otherwise, you will wait at least ½ hour. We got seated a couple of minutes before 6pm. The early bird special is a 3 course meal including a drink. It’s a great value. I posted a pic of the shrimp scampi and the dessert that I got (chocolate pudding). Portions were good. Salad was ok. My wife & daughter had the crab cakes with mash potatoes & stuffing. They loved the crab cakes and mash potatoes with gravy. My son had chicken tenders which he liked. The fries were good. Our waitress was great.
Cons:
The flies. There are a lot of flies here. At least 4 around our table so that was annoying trying to eat with them flying around. Not just our table. I saw others moving their hands around swatting at them. This is my only complaint.
The food for the price is tops. But don’t expect anything fancy. Take advantage of the early bird specials and use the no wait app (which works with other restaurants). Also you pay at the front. We were waiting for our waitress to pick up the check but never came. I motioned for her who then told me I need to pay upfront.

Overall, pretty great food at this ²⁴⁄₇ restaurant.
The best thing that I tried was the chicken an waffles, served with sausage gravy. I ordered mine with a over easy egg on top. It was terrific. The sausage gravy was thick, well spiced, and tasty. The waffles were slightly sweet on their own and didn’t need syrup. The breaded chicken tenders paired well with everything, and I absolutely recommend getting an egg on top.
The breaded chicken breasts themselves were pretty standard. Nothing out of the ordinary or special here. They have a bunch of different sauces, similar to Buffalo Wild Wings. I tried a couple of sauces, they weren’t bad.
I also tried the Jersey Chowder. ½ New England, ½ Manhattan clam chowder. Phenomenal. I can see how this has won awards again. This was my first experience with ½ and ½ chowder, and it is something that I will be looking for in the future.
Service was friendly and quick enough. This plac can get crowded, so calling ahead for a table would be smart.

All right, call me a naysayer. If the lines in the summer weren’t simply insane, I’d say the food was good. Just good. But to wait an hour or more for this? Ah, no.
The Chicken or the Egg is indeed a good restaurant. The portion sizes are generous, the menu choices vast, the food consistent and that’s to our advantage. There are some happy surprises on the menu too. They make surprisingly good chowder, good sandwiches and wraps. Burgers are solid, as are their breakfast dishes. And the wings are, to be sure, spot on each and every time.
But what, in heaven’s name, is the big deal? What makes it worth the wait? Nothing. But somehow, The Chicken or the Egg has created a cult following and a frantically passionate throng makes the pilgrimage mandatory. Neither I nor the rest of my family «get it». We’ve eaten there each and every summer — usually at least twice. And every time we walk away wondering what all the hoopla was about.
There is nothing great, nothing outstanding, nothing exceptional — nothing that makes you say, «OMG — this is GREAT food». Nope. Just a solid experience. No harm, no foul.
I’m not trying to do the «Debbie Downer» routine here — I’m just calling it for what it is. A good, consistent restaurant without anything earth-​shattering. You won’t be rocked back in your seat. When you finally get one, that is.

I love this place and I’ve only been here twice. I didn’t even stay on LbI this time around I was just heading back up from AC. Completely worth the wait.
The place is always packed but u get serviced super fast. I ordered a dozen and half wings to go. I ordered honey BBQ wings, mild, and garlic spice wings breaded. All really delicious! I’ve also tried their jerk wings before n that was my favorite.
When I come back to this place I do wanna try some
Of their sandwiches but by far best wings around!

Honestly love this place!
I come to LBI every year for a week or two with my family and friends and we never skip out on going here, early, afternoon or super late there’s never a bad time to go. Lines are always super long to wait to get in, you can’t call and put your name in over the phone but you can either show up and put your name in or get the app «no wait» kinda ironic since you have to wait to get in right?
The staff is super friendly and food always comes out super fast. Eating here high, drunk or sober is perfect because they have everything you can ever want.
They have 16 different sauces you can put on your wings, chicken tenders, shrimp or veggie tenders. They sell shirts and also the sauces!
Person who owns this place must bring in big bucks because I’ve never seen this place empty even off season. I would highly recommend going here when you visit LBI I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Buffalo Wild Wings+ Breakfast! This place has amazing chicken wings in a huge variety of sauces, but also serves solid breakfast food. It’s a go to brunch spot and can get pretty busy.

It may never be possible to determine what came first between the chicken or the egg. But so long as they pair so well at an impressive brunch and spicy chicken wing destination, why would you waste your time trying to figure out such sciences?
Chicken or the Egg was a spot that I’ve heard many things about while on my LBI travels, and my curiosity was piqued after seeing the Man VS Food episode where Adam Richman took on the wing challenge. So during my first beach side morning it was my immediate destination. And I was instantly wowed by the eclectic décor, egg & chicken painting themed painting inspired by classics, the selection of wing sauces that they offered, and the welcoming staff who took their service up a notch. It was also awesome to know that it was now open 24 hours.
As huge as the menu is with its seafood, pancakes, soups, burgers, and then some that went beyond its two signature ingredients; choosing went well beyond selecting between the chicken or the egg. But since I was craving both I went with Buffalo Chicken Omelet topped with blue cheese and their honey bbq sauce. Since being in LBI also had me craving clam chowder I went with their award winning Jersey that was ½ & ½ Manhattan and New England. The omelet was kicked up and filling, and the Chowder was a perfect combo of chunky and creamy.
A second visit before hitting home also gave me the chance to try their jumbo lump crab omelet, and never before has seafood and egg been so perfectly combined! With so many amazing items to try with a bottomless cup of coffee, Chicken or the Egg definitely has a spot amid my top diner/​brunch list.

Great food with plentiful portions no matter what you order. My mouth just salivated as the waitress kept passing by with other patrons’ food. I decided on the chicken taco salad which was excellent all the way around. Next time I’m trying their chicken wings which looked huge and very tasty!

Best wings on the island.
Get there early during prime hours, expect to wait close to an hour on wing night (wed)
Prices are decent as far as the norm on the island, and they have lots to choose from from wings to sandwiches.
It has become a staple of when you are on the island you go to the chicken or the egg at least once.

I drive across the island every time I’m here for this LBI staple. Over the years, the hype has grown and the wait has gotten significantly worse. The service is always strong and fast. Food quality has dwindled a by with the crowds.
If you’re looking for excellent food 24 hours a day, this is your place.

Great specialty food. Open 24 hours and serving breakfast at all times!!! My favorite would be the eggs benedict but I have also gotten some of their specials — my particular favorite being the crabby omelet — delicious!
There is usually a wait so be prepared, although its worth it for the food. The last time I was here our waiter was excellent but we have not always been so lucky in the past. They like to rush you to order but their menu is so large and overwhelming, if you have never been it will take you forever to go through and decide what you want.
Definitely a place to try and usually is quick with good service!

First time here and it is wonderful the people are great the food is great, i had the crabby omelet and my Wife had the California breakfast wra. p the food tastes great, did i say that already. Anyway if your in or near the area stop and eat. Cluck cluck
Ps. Resist your urge to put ketchup on any thing, it doesn’t need it

This would be a great place to go if you’re really drunk and really hungry or really hungover and really hungry. Disclaimer: I was sober and a normal amount of hungry during my visit.
When we arrived it was packed, but there was no one else waiting for a table, so we were able to put our names in right away. The hostess told us it’d be about a ten minute wait. We only waited about two minutes before a gal came and called our name. She walked us to a back table but that table wasn’t ready. So she sent us back up front saying «you’ll have to wait about 10 minutes.» So we waited. Several other parties had come in during this time and were seated before us. We were forgotten about, until my husband went up to the hostess to remind her that we weren’t actually seated yet. Not a huge deal, though. It was busy– Mistakes happen.
There is a great selection of food here. I really appreciate a place where I can choose between breakfast or lunch options (Even though this kind of freedom makes life harder for me. How do you choose?!)
I ordered a turkey wrap and wings and my husband ordered some kind of glorious breakfast sandwich/​French toast combo.
The wings were good. I prefer mine a little more «done» but that’s just a personal preference. The sauce was good too and bonus points for the moist towelettes!
My husband’s French toast sandwich was on point, but his breakfast potatoes were meh. My turkey wrap was just okay. I think I should have gone with breakfast. I hate feeling like I chose wrong.
All in all: a decent experience.

Let’s start with the obvious: this place has the word «chicken» in its name. After a friend who lives down the shore suggested them for lunch, I spent a good 20 minutes on their website BEYOND overjoyed that such a place would exist. (Okay, I realize KFC exists, but play along with me here. I don’t know about you, but I won’t step foot in a KFC.)
After a week of anticipation, the day of our plans finally arrived and we headed into the «Chegg» around 1 p.m. It was a weekday in September so there were only a few other occupied tables, but I hear from my friend that the place is usually packed with long waits.
I had trouble deciding on what to order despite having examined their menu ahead of time. The server had to come back twice. It was pretty bad. In the end, I was so boring and chose… plain ol’ chicken fingers with honey mustard and a side of loaded fries. I realize how anticlimactic that is. My apologies. They were good, however, and cheap, and that’s what counts here.
In addition to all the chicken (…and egg…) options, you’ll also be surrounded by chicken décor. It’s… eclectic. /​Weird. /​I liked it.
There were two things I *didn’t* like about the Chegg:
1) They don’t have deli-​style chicken salad on their menu. Huh? That makes no sense to me.
2) I wanted to wash my hands before handling the chicken fingers, but there was someone using the single bathroom ahead of me. That meant I had to awkwardly hover over a table. And also, I felt bad for the people seated there. There was a pungent smell in that vicinity. No thank you.
I hope to return someday, and I promise that if I do, I’ll choose something that can’t be ordered on a kid’s menu!

Knowing nothing about LBI or its dining establishments, the Chicken or the Egg came highly recommended by Unilocal and a few folk we asked. The popularity was evident by a packed house at 10:45 on a Monday morning.
We were told it would be a 45 – 60 minute wait for our group of 10. I left my cell phone number and they were to text us when the table was ready. With such a big wait time in front of us, we started wandering down the block. Less than 15 minutes later, I received a text that our table was ready! Not sure how that happened, but I thought the text system was awesome.
Faced with my epic battle of sweet versus savory, I decided on the Buffalo Chicken Omlet. I didn’t even have to decide between the chicken or the egg, I got them both! Even more decisions came my way when I got to pick one of the 16 hot sauces to go with my dish. Being a fan of spice, I went with the Killer Beesting.
I was a little disappointed upon receiving my omlet that the chicken wasn’t prepared with the sauce; the sauce was only part of the omlet. The flavor could have gone a longer way if the grilled chicken pieces spent a little time marinating. I also asked for an extra side of sauce to dress my omlet and use for my home fries. The sauce was described as very hot with a drop of honey. I loved the element of sweetness although didn’t think the sauce was overly hot. I’d be curious to try to Ludacris.
I also got to sample the Cinnamon Roll French toast and Jersey Cakes. The Cinnamon Roll French toast reminded me of a Cinnabon and was amazing. The Jersey Cakes were filled with bacon, sausage and taylor ham. Once covered with syrup they made for a perfect sweet and savory combo.
Portions were good but not killer. Our server was also pretty efficient and on his game.
The Chicken or the Egg is apparently open 24 hours and serves their breakfast menu all day. Nice! I’d certainly return if I’m ever back in LBI.