4 Best Restaurants in New Jersey Shore, New Jersey

In operation for more than 150 years, the Renault Winery has become a destination in its own right encompassing an 18-hole golf course; Château Renault, a 55-room hotel; festivals and seasonal events. Dining options include the Renault Wine & Beer Garden; the Parisian-inspired Café la Fleur, perfect for pastries, cookies, and coffee drinks; and Taste 1864 which offers classic American fare.  To get here from Atlantic City, take U.S. 30 west for about 30 miles.

Open and run by the same family since 1935, Angelo's in Atlantic City's unassuming Ducktown neighborhood is reason enough to get out of the casino; it's only half a mile from the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Locals flock to this long-time favorite for Italian standards like chicken parmigiana, stuffed shells, and lasagna, as well as steaks and seafood.

It's not much to look at, but there's a reason people line up to get into this Greek-style diner. Decadent helpings of waffles and french toast for breakfast and hearty Mediterranean favorites for lunch and dinner keep locals and summer residents coming back again-and-again. BYOB.

Local fisherman deliver fresh sea fare seven days a week right to the dock at the always-rollicking Lobster House. Cape May salts, a petite and briny oyster, are harvested from the restaurant's beds in Delaware Bay. Dine inside on checked tablecloths, at the raw bar, or outside on the dock for the full maritime show. Of course, the eponymous crustacean is all over the menu—in bisque and salads, its tails stuffed and served with steak, and steamed or broiled whole.