Surf City

New rule No Camo shorts. Lol. Apparently camouflage shorts from the Gap is improper attire at Surf City. Even for a Disabled combat veteran who served 6yrs active duty Army with 27months in Iraq. I told them to give me a break and their response was «you’re a civilian now»
Never heard of being denied entrance because of a color pattern. That’s like being denied for wearing the color Blue.

Another eatery with a massive outdoor space, and yet, they don’t allow dogs. Granted, they claim it’s because of an NJ ordinance, however, plenty of other places downtown allow dogs at their establishments. AND if the reason is because you have to bring the dog through the restaurant t to get to the outdoor area, why can’t they create a side entrance to keep all their patrons happy?! Seems to me they’d prefer to alienate the furry-​legged friends!
And I guess I’ll also add that over the years the food has increased in price and decreased in everything else (presentation, flavor, overall value).
Sorry Surf City, «now you’re just somebody that I used to know»…

Surf City is the place to be if you’re enjoying summers in Jersey City. If you are looking for an outdoor venue with a chilled vibe, I highly recommend coming here. The view of the boats, water, and building is truly amazing. Socialize by the fire pit, dig your toes in the sand, or have a seafood meal for dinner, this place is enjoyable on all levels. Surf City has a array of beers and frozen cocktails as well as spirits. The food menu ranges from burgers to lobster rolls to full dinner platter such as filet mahi mahi and paellas. They also have a raw bar with amazing oysters. The food is fresh and really good. It’s a little on the pricier to me.
Children are welcome before 8pm if I’m not mistaken. They do have some rules and regulations however if you’re a civilized adult who dresses decent you should not have a problem. The parking lot is huge so you won’t have an issue looking for one but be prepared for a walk if it gets packed. Overall, the employees are nice and I enjoy everything about this place.

Worst experience EVER! Stay far away! The food was all pre made/​frozen or from a bag! The service was horrible… the server never came to check on us and we had to hunt her down when we needed anything. When we were ready to go we asked for the check and asked if we could have a pina~coloda to go… only if we can take it «to go»! We paid and proceeded out the door, only to be stopped and told we couldn’t take a drink to go! I asked for a refund and was refused! Management was rude and told us that they were not at «Burger King»!! Burger King would have been much better as far as food and service!
They don’t deserve one star!

I have been to Surf City several times mostly to grab a drink.
Its a great place to chill during the day and grab a beer. They have a decent draft selection. I have never had any of the frozen drinks. My friends and I would usually grab a couple seats in the sand area and sit under the sun and chill out.
At night time, it gets a little packed but not so much where you couldn’t hangout with friends comfortably. We usually would grab a bench all to ourselves and break out a deck of cards and play a game.
Honestly each time I have come here I have had a great time. But its always fun when you’re with the right company

Came here to see what the hyped was about. Sadly was disappointed. Drinks were super weak. Food was ok and the only thing I liked was the view and the atmosphere. Darnn drinks had more ice and juice then liquor what a shame

I was with someone that was wearing camo and decided to write this review. So… I’m writing this for the sake of humanity everywhere, but mostly for a wake up call to the owner of the bar, and to the bouncer who couldn’t find a temporary solution because he was afraid of doing something right. Why have people become so in to following the wrong set of rules, and by wrong I mean morally wrong.
It was a sunday afternoon and I had been waiting outside a bar, Surf city, in jersey city, NJ to get ID’d, the bar was referred to me by some people — told me it was a «chill» place to go. Much to my suprise it was anything but chill. There are signs outside the place that restrict camouflage clothing, for someone who doesn’t come to the place often, it’s impossible to know of their rules.
So as we’re waiting, there are people infront of us, a guy with a family… one of the guys, who was wearing camo shorts had lost his legs in afganhistan (he had dog tags that said so) it’s finally their turn to walk in… and guess what? Poor guy is NOT allowed
Because why? He’s wearing camo shorts.
I’ve never been so disgusted in my life of being exposed to so many rules in a book of morals being broken in order to follow one rule. If this man lost his legs serving OUR country and he still proudly wears camo clothing, then you have to do nothing but respect that. I get it, but I really don’t get it, you’re following rules bouncer, but if you took two minutes, called a manager over, even struggled to show respect to someone who is basically a hero, then I wouldn’t be writing this. I would be more than proud letting that man into my bar.
Now, why am I writing this? Because the guy deserves a HUGE apology, and a lifetime of drinks «on the house» not only for not being let in the bar, but because he was disrespected, in front of his family and the public. There is always a solution to everything and I’m 100% sure this could have been handled differently.

I can see why Surf City is such a summer hit. It’s on the waterfront, has great views, some music, basic pub fare, beer /​cocktails and in general a chilled out vibe. Went in late one Sunday night and found the place thinly populated to my surprise — but turned out perfect for us: could sit wherever we wanted, get food and beverages really quickly and there no noise to boot. Great to hang out with friends if you live in JC!

This is such an awesome bar, but for drinks only! It’s perfect for a beautiful day since it is outside on the water. It really makes you feel like you are at a beach town. Really great atmosphere and good frozen drinks.
However, their service and food is not so good! We had the calamari (which was not the worst) and the lobster rolls (terrible with no flavor). The server took 20 minutes to even greet our table and didn’t even apologize after the hostess had to remind him we were sat. The service at the bar was just as bad as well! For some reason people were in a line to get drinks instead of sitting around the bar (it was weird and confusing!).
I will go back and give it another shot, but my first time there wasn’t the best! I recommend this bar gets new bartenders and servers!

I think the only reason why I’m giving this place two stars is because of the view. Besides that, this place doesn’t deserve much else.
I can only speak for the drinks since we didn’t try any of the food (which were all basically just fried seafood) But their frozen alcoholic drinks were basically just syrup and ice. No hint of alcohol at all.
The place seemed dirty, no one really cleaned up any of the tables so there were used cups and trays everywhere.
Not a place worth visiting imo.

As a Jersey City native, I love that this place exists here. Surf City is so unlike anything else in Jersey City, it feels much more like a South Jersey beach bar. They have a huge outdoor area right on the marina with tons of seating, sand, and a fire pit. For drinks, they’ve got a fully stocked bar with a great beer selection and frozen margaritas. They do serve food, but I’d go elsewhere if you’re really hungry, their menu is generic and overpriced. Also, despite its size, this place is always crowded at night, so be prepared to wait for a seat outdoors.

Only reason this place gets 3 stars is because of the view and how easily it is to escape the madness of the city and life here. Quick short review.
–Great view
–Fun group hangout
–Mediocre food
–Terrible service
–Slowest staff in the world
–Order drinks in bulk
–30 minutes for a beer –_​–
Unfortunately, the view is worth it tho.

Really nice outdoor area by the water. Great for the warmer weather. Can either order good at the bar or bar area or can actually sit at a table with waiters. Opted for the waiter area. Got the coconut shrimp. Pretty good. Not the best I’ve had but hit the spot. Happy from 4 – 7 on select beers.
Service was a bit slow as far giving us menus and getting the check.
If you like scenic dining and eating by the water during summer, should definitely check this place out. Jersey city always surprises me with that places it has :)

This is the alternative to Zeppelin for those in the area looking for outdoor seatng and beer in the summer. Understand its owned and operated by same folks as Zeppelin, but in contrast their drinks and service stinks. The bar is always backed up and beer selection is limited and mostly out of the good stuff. Pricier and service can be shoddy.
The fire pit and waterfront maybe a good place to chill after you have had a good night elsewhere …

I really wanted to give these place a good review simply because the view is amazing and the layout is also nice BUT this one star is the best I can do smh.
There is plenty of parking so no worries about driving for hours looking for a spot. My boyfriend & I had to have our IDs check which is fine the bouncer as very nice. No kids after 9 I believe.
When you walk in the place is set up nice and the view of the water and boats are amazing.
Here’s where it turned bad. First off there are these little bugs flying EVERYWHERE. Not that you can expect this place to control nature but the bugs where on my food, on my clothes, in my drink! & speaking of the food, absolutely horrible. We had the shrimp tacos which looked like something I would feed a cat. The fries were soggy, how do you mess up fries?
I uploaded a picture of our pretty drinks, I had the Miami vice and my bf had the strawberry margarita. They look nice but it was PURE SUGAR, not a drop of alcohol which is a waste for $ 11 each.
Over all will most likely never return.

I’ve been here a handful of times and remain a fan for the following reasons:
— They have tons of parking
— They have tons of draft beer choices
— They have fire pits, which they ignite even if it is 90 degrees out
— They have multiple bars, one indoors with TVs and two outside
— If you sit at the outdoor bar overlooking the harbor as you should, you don’t feel at all like you’re in Jersey. The tropical music helped add to this effect while I pondered which yacht I wanted to buy.
Downfalls:
— They can’t avoid cockroaches, one of which might have been bigger than a NYC subway rat. I excuse this problem because of the location. There’s no avoiding it. I don’t care how much they pay the exterminator. That said, they could fix the cracks between the bar and draft system, where this one particular roach kept crawling down into before reappearing in front of my draft beer.
— They could also clean up the bathrooms. They’re gross.
— Service can be nasty.
— The place is almost too big, making it somewhat difficult to socialize, if that’s possible.

I recently went to surf city for the second time. The first was about two summers ago and spent the night on the sand by the fire pits. It was awesome! This time we took a different approach and stopped in for a beer after getting out of work early (they do not open till 4 on week days). We sat at the outside bar which was packed, but the two working behind the bar did a great job of taking care of everyone.
They have a plethora of beers on tap! I was recently turned on to Kona and sure enough that was there as well as plenty of other summer like beers.
They are right by the light rail and ferry so great for people in NYC, Hoboken and Jersey City!
This bar is great for big groups and they have an inside if your not big into the sun. I haven’t had the food but never heard a complaint from those who have!

I had really, really high expectations of Surf City. All of my coworkers who live in Jersey City rave about this place so friends and I decided to check it out on a Saturday afternoon on a hot day.
We walked from the ferry, so it as really easy to get to. Once there it was so crazy packed that we had a hard time navigating the space. We were seated at a smaller table with 5 people and were a little squished. We didn’t get waited on for about 20 minutes, and once we finally were waited on the service was awful. It made the whole experience not worth it. I realize they’re seasonal, but the staff should be prepared for the craziness that a cool bar on the water in the NYC area will attract. The margaritas were pure sugar, and the food was only mediocre.
I really wanted to like this place, but I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.

Stopped by this place on a Saturday evening. We order the lobster roll special for 2 with fries and coleslaw. The lobster roll w/​fries and coleslaw was alright — nothing special about it. However, I would definitely come back here for the view, beer, and ample space. It’s a great place to gather with friends and family and day dream about owning a yacht.
Summary: I would definitely trek out here for the beer and view. Overall, its a great place to nibble, chug, and unwind.

Came here on a Friday evening with one of my girlfriends.
The atmosphere is great, I love the vibe there however the bar service is super crappy.
Like I waited at the bar for maybe 30 mins before being acknowledged and it wasn’t even busy. The bartender was busy flirting with a girl three stools down from me.
They definitely need to up their service game.