Ketch Bar & Restaurant

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  For what you pay, not great.
  
  Unless you're sitting upstairs you have a nice view of traffic.  But the upstairs patio is also the smoking section.   It's always crowded.  Why?  Beats me.  
  
  Small portions, so-so service. Took 25 minutes to get food on the table.
  
  The lone bright spot were the warm banana muffins and bread on the table.  But that wont' bring me back.
  
  With all the upscale dining options on LBI, skip it.

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  Posted on 09.07.12 Rob V.

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  NIGHTLIFE REVIEW
  
  Let's start with the positives. Great view of the bay, really laid back, great atmosphere from the people, $2 bud lights on Friday night, and a gigantic seating area.
  
  Service here is extremely piss poor and only one bartender I went to actually cared but the problem was everybody who was here knew he was the only good one so therefore this specific bar became packed.
  
  The other bartender who does his stupid "Shark Attack" routine is terrible.
  When I first came up to "his" bar he was extremely slow in acknowledging my presence (bar was empty at this point) and when he did he proceeded to have a 10 minute conversation with people he knew. He then walks over and says "Sup?"....., really? I then proceed to ask what, if any, specials they have and his reply "What?".  He then tells me the specials and I ask for a bud light and the shark attack thing he mentioned, his reply "I'm not making them now" so why even tell me about it or at least tell me when the special starts?
  
  My order was done and my friends, who he knew was standing right there, didn't get to order because he proceeded to leave the bar area for another 5 minutes. I guess he is a local who doesn't like "Benny's" but come on who doesn't like tips?
  
  Another issue I had with this place is that its 18+ to party which makes for an interesting mix of people and you are not allowed to the dance floor with a drink because Ketch is worried about underage drinking, which is understandable. But you then have to go back upstairs to get a drink and deal with terrible service.
  
  Also, was confused as to why I was being charged a $10 cover as there was not a live band playing and this place is the farthest thing from a club.
  
  If you can stack up on $2 bud lights it might be worth dealing with the terrible service, cover charge, and 18+ to enter.

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  Posted on 08.27.12 Michael S.

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  Decent restaurant in Beach Haven. "Ketch" of the day always good, a tuna or swordfish blackened or broiled, you can"t go wrong. Full Bar and seating inside or outside. Seasonal place so order something local!

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  Posted on 08.15.12 JoAnn C.

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  So here's what I read about this place:
  1) Great view
  2) Average food
  3) bad service
  I usually try not to put too much credence in these reviews but that sums up The Ketch.

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  Posted on 08.13.12 Scott B.

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  Horrible horrible service. We got seated at 7:15 pm for dinner, didn't get any appetizers until 8:15. By 845 and still no entree out party of 8 were all fumming. We complained to the manager but shaved head manager blew us off. We ended up leaving and getting dinner some where else. Do your self a favor and go next door. Incidentally, boathouse is also cheaper and better food.

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  Posted on 08.10.12 larry l.

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  bartender sucks. couldn't be more rude, no personality

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  Posted on 07.30.12 Ashely R.

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  I've had many great times here at Daqs on the Deck Sundays and i will always remember those times.   The food here is just ok.   I typically go to watch the sunset on Sundays and get the Bushwackers from the bar.

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  Posted on 07.16.12 Kelly C.

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  The Ketch is a great place to enjoy the sunset on the bay, but that's about the only thing that stands out. The prices are alittle high for average food, but the Ketch has a good atmosphere for dinner. Service is slow especially in season so keep that in mind.

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  Posted on 07.06.12 Gina F.

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  My fiance and i ate dinner at the catch recently.  After a short wait at the bar, we were seated out in the back area overlooking the bay.  The view here, as with a few other restaurants is really nice, especially at sunset.
  
  After the view, this restaurant was fairly mediocre.  The bar area is right next to the eating section, which means a very noisy meal.  
  
  We had thr special swordfish and salmon.  My fiance's salmon was ok. Her rice was overdone and a bit crunchy, like they had scraped some of it from the bottom of the pot. Portikns were slightly small so i suggest getting an appetizer or dessert.  The prices were reasonable for fresh seafood.  Would have liked more non-seafood options though, but this seems to be a trend in many of the lbi restaurants.
  
  Service was decent.  We encountered an over worked bartender and a super friendly waiter.
  
  All in all the ketch is worth a look.

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  Posted on 07.06.12 Andrew L.

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  Very mediocre but terrific view.  Always crowded when we come here year after year - maybe we should drink heavily before we come.  Seems like that's what everyone else here  does.  Waitress was good.

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  Posted on 07.06.12 Sheila H.

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  Gorgeous view of the bay; worth checking the place out for this scene alone.
  
  Caught the Thursday night special which was a pitcher of margaritas for $15.
  Very tasty!!  No sour-mix overkill...and for 3$ a drink, very friendly price.
  
  Had the shark bites with a cilantro-sriracha soy dipping sauce.  Delicious.
  
  Downside:  -small menu

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  Posted on 06.25.12 Andy S.

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  Great place to watch the sunset during dinner.  We ate outdoors on the second floor.  I don't really like restaurants that have those white plastic chairs that they sell at Wal-Mart, but the sunset was nice.  The food was OK.  I had a roasted beet salad to start and my boyfriend got shark bites.  The salad was not what I was expecting and he had more lettuce with his shark bites.  He had the shrimp fajitas, which were OK and I had mussels marinara, which were plentiful.  We split a slice of the homemade chocolate cake, and I swear someone left a piece of wax paper in between the layers.  Overall, it was a huge step up from The Sea Shell Tiki Bar where we spent a 20-minute happy hour.

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  Posted on 06.20.12 Allison C.

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  Was seated quickly for a table of 11 which deserves 2 stars but after waiting nearly one hour for food, only 9 orders came out. Management should think about hiring enough help for the amount of guests.

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  Posted on 08.05.11 T B.

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  Went here on July 28th, 2011 for dinner around 630pm.
  
  Place was busy, and the hostess was less than thrilled with greeting people. Sadly I think her only qualification for the job she held was her ability to wear a size 0 mini skirt.
  
  We waited for an outside, upstairs table. The wait wasn't bad at about 15 minutes. We walked around the area by the water and when we came back our table was ready.
  
  The outside tables were just cheap light weight plastic, but served the purpose. Our waitress, Amy, was very pleasant and attentive. As in other reviews this places seems to be out of most of the specials they list. Thankfully nobody in our group had their hearts set on anything on that list.
  
  I had the Filet Mignon. It was pretty much the most expensive thing on the menu at $30. I asked for it medium well, but it came out completely charred. It was served with green beans and a choice of potato. It was ok, but they took what was a nice cut of steak, and grilled all the flavor out of it. The other guests in my party had fish, and clams, and both were very happy with their selections.
  
  There was a table boy who was really energetic about clearing plates. He would swoop in out of no where and grab your plates. He grabbed the plate from one of my guests before he even had a chance to put his silverware down after placing the food in his mouth. Loss of a star right there..  I understand there may be a need to flip the table, but at the time we were finishing up there were open tables all over the place, and no need to rush us out.
  
  Desserts were nothing to rave about, straight out of a delivery truck and thawed.
  
  As with many places on LBI you are paying for the setting, and not so much the food. We enjoined the night because of the company we were with, and that was the priority. Unlikely I would go back, there are plenty of other places with a view on LBI, and I would give them a try before returning here.

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  Posted on 07.28.11 B J.

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  I stayed by this place when I had a mini vacation in LBI a few years back.  I remember some of my family/friends telling me about this place and I figured I'd try it out.  It's your typical Jersey shore rooftop cheesy bar.  Coronas in a can (seriously?) but their shrimp scampi and other food was pretty good.  I also remember their bartender, but he remembered my name when I stopped in there on the way back to my hotel.  He was cool.  The rest of the place I could do without.

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  Posted on 07.21.11 Taryn C.

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  Have been here a few times and it is usually pretty good. My wife and I were really set on having ribs but they ran out in addition to running out of the dessert special too.  Overall a good experience especially at sunset -- I would go back.

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  Posted on 07.15.11 Allen G.

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  Judge Judy wrote a book called, Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining. On my trip to The Ketch last night I thought of this book title when I was served the dinner special I ordered. Don't serve me white rice and corn and tell me it's risotto. This was the tip of the iceberg of a terrible LBI dining experience.
  We ordered clams on the half shell, which no one can screw up. The waitstaff was clearly frazzled and did not bring us appetizer plates. When I asked, they finally brought over saucers as in the little plates you put under coffee cups.
  Then my $26.95 dinner special finally arrived. What I ordered: local diver scallops over summer corn risotto with asparagus. What arrived: three small scallops with a scoop of the aforementioned white rice with corn and green beans. I called the waiter over and when he finally got to the table, I asked why there was no asparagus. He said they ran out (isn't it polite to mention that?). And, this is how they make risotto. News flash - you can't call it risotto then! This mess was all served on an appetizer-sized plate. That's where they went!
  I sent this meal back and got the stuffed shrimp with crab. It was extremely bland and, yes, served on an appetizer plate.
  When we complained about the food and service, we were told that the restaurant was hosting a wedding upstairs. Those poor people. I hope all the decent food, waitstaff, and china were used there since all of these things were so terribly disappointing elsewhere in the restaurant.
  When on LBI, catch something other than The Ketch.

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  Posted on 07.08.11 Josh W.

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  I think this restaurant is awesome.  I have been going to the Ketch for many years and have never had a bad experience.  They have great menu with appetizers, specials and desserts.  I feel like I have had them all!! They have a great night club on the weekends too.  There is a great view of the bay from the upstairs and the sunsets are out of this world!!!  
  
  Last week we brought our family there for our daughter's birthday.  We were a party of 10 so we made a reservation the day before and got seated as soon as we got there.  We had a few bottles of wine, lots of appetizers and delicious entrees.  For our appetizers, the steak bites, clams on the half shell and the coconut shrimp were the favorites of the night.  For dinner we had some of the specials listed, our favorite was the Day boat scallops (out of this world) and other people in our party had the Sesame Tuna, Swordfish and a pasta that had lobster, shrimp and scallops.   Our daughter ended up with a Red velvet cheesecake for dessert with a candle in it and she loved it.  We all tried some because it was such a big slice!!
  
  The seafood always tastes fresh, and from asking the waitstaff it comes locally (mostly from barnegat light).  Some of the waitresses change every summer, but they are always really nice, knowledgeable  and make you feel at home.  Sometimes on a Saturday night or during a dinner rush we have waited longer than usual for our food, but I think that happens in every restaurant.  We are here for the summer and like to eat when everyone else does and you just have to deal with it sometimes.  
  
  I would recommend this restaurant for everyone.  Its nice to be outside in the fresh air and sit back and relax.  For a great view of the bay and consistently great seafood, give it a try!! I have also been to the sunday happy hour on the deck with my friends and had such a great time.  It gets really crowded but they have great music and the bushwackers are tasty!

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  Posted on 07.01.11 Mugs H.

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  I like lists. Do you like lists?
  
  1. Staff unable to handle party of 16 - one server for everything
  2. OUT of 3 specials
  3. OUT of 2 desserts
  4. OUT of Tea
  
  Who runs out of tea?  
  
  The food isn't even that great, so why bother.

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  Posted on 09.13.10 Dan S.

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  Damn, this gotta be THE most tasteless food I've ever had. Stuffed flounder and rice. No salt, no seasoning. Incredibly bland. I think I ate goldfish meat. Avoid this place like the plague.

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  Posted on 08.19.09 Fabio H.

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