Back Bay Ale House

4.5 Stars. Want to have a huge drink in a fun bar with cool locals and decent food? Damn right you do, so get the hell away from the casinos and boardwalk and head over to the Back Bay Ale House!

Okay, so public approved marketing is probably not in the cards for me, but so what. You need to stop by here anyway. If you can find it near the bay, park in the gravel lot and walk right in the side door. Granted, this place is far from huge, with only about eight seats at the bar and a couple of small tables, but there's also an upstairs dining area as well.

I was lucky to get a seat in the middle of the bar to enjoy some lunch. Most of the food is standard bar fare, but I heard the jerk wings were good, so I ordered those with a Dogfish Head 60 IPA. The taste was good, but the wings weren't quite crispy enough for my liking. As I ate one after another, I noticed the Mason jars. Yeah, THE Mason jars. I'm not talking about the little jars your grandma used to can jam and jelly either. These suckers are huge, holding 32 oz. of alcohol infused cocktails, shaken up just to your liking.

Well, I don't know how it happened, but somehow the margarita one ended up in front of me from one of the best bartenders I've ever had. Lisa was friendly, funny and super efficient, serving various drinks left and right without interrupting the flow of her conversations and ribbing with all the patrons. I was impressed.

Oh, and by the way, the oversized margarita was awesome! It's no wonder there's a two drink max per customer. Nobody would ever leave.

Came upon this place after my other plans were closed.   Good plan B!

The waitress insisted on trying the jerk wings with the JuJu slatter sauce.  The wings were nice and juicy and that dry rub they put on them had just enough spice. But that JuJu sauce......OH MY!!! I saved the rest of it to put on my Crab Cake Po'Boy.

The crab cakes was nice and crispy on the outside and tender inside. They also have these 32oz mason jar cocktails....gotta get those the next time I'm out here.

The view from off the patio seating area looks right across the bay! A great view especially at sunset. There is no doubt that I'll be seeing this place again!

Rolled in to Atlantic city with my brother after 8pm on a monday and so glad we found this haven by the bay. If you go by GPS, as would most anyone who would be able to find it, you will notice that on the map it looks as if its in a park, well, it kind of is. Through a marina area nestled amongst antique nautical structures along the shore of the bay is the Back Bay ale house, but to be fair, it's plainly indicated by its name that its off the beaten path.

And I'm so glad it was; another fine example of how yelp finds places only insider knowledge is aware of.

An old wooden building from early 1800's, the Back Bay ale house's lovely, seemingly all female staff served us New Jersey's own Flying Fish 60min IPA  (India Pale Ale), that continued to prove how adept NJ's own hometown brewery is at making world class beer from NJ waters. The ale was rich, full bodied,  hoppy deliciousness that finished strong but not overtly bitter, served ice cold in a pint glass.

Next, we ordered the mussels in a red sauce, went superb with the ales. A rich yet delicately textured tomato sauce loaded with garlic surrounded the ample serving for two of delectable local musels and served with fresh garlic bread.

I ordered the seafood combo basket, my brother had the clams, both were fantastic. Sure, its fried seafood, but oh how well fried it is; firm yet tender shrimp, cod, mini crab cakes in abundance,  as well as the huge serving of local clams in my bros basket. We also tried the Bob Marley inspired drink served in a mini mason jar (the small size), and after a few sips we was feelin ireee mon, tru tru.

Like craft beer? Like awesome seafood that doesn't look like you will need to do better in the casino to afford the bill? Turn on the gps and find this awesome little bar restaurant,  the outer area decks, surrounded by the bay and its awesome views, great food, service, and libations make this my go to spot in A.C. for dinner.