Captain's Inn

304 East Lacey Road
Forked River, NJ 08731
609-693-3351

http://www.captainsinnnj.com/

John:   Ellen:

Price: $$

Captain’s Inn was awarded two thumbs up based on our delicious entrées , despite the fact that our visit was like a roller coaster ride of “this is good, this is not, this is good, this is not“. The goods outweighed the bads though, so our overall experience was a positive one.

When we first walked into Captain’s Inn, we found ourselves in small, loud, dark bar. Not a very good first impression. We walked the length of the bar to find the hostess podium where we were immediately seated at a much quieter, table with a partial view of the marina. The other half of the view was of their outdoor tiki bar and the parking lot. We had expected a view overlooking the bay and were a bit disappointed by the blocked view. Between the boats, cars and the bar, there wasn’t much water visible. And the Inn is actually located across the street from the marina, not on the water itself, so another portion of our view was the street right outside of our window. But that’s okay, we came to eat, not to admire the water.

Dinner began disappointingly with a basket of store bought bread sticks still wrapped in their manufacturers plastic wrappers, and saltine crackers that you’d get with your to-go container of soup at your local convenience store. They were accompanied by a plastic cup of cheese spread that was so flavorless, if my wife Ellen hadn‘t corrected me, I‘d have thought it was butter. We thought, oh man, if this is any indication of what’s to come, we’re in trouble. Unappealing first impression of the entrance into the bar, disappointing view, cold mass produced breadbasket fare.

It got better!