Top 5+ great Jersey Shore brunch spots to try
Brunch is a magical kind of meal.
It floats in the space between breakfast and lunch, a time when you don't have to choose between pancakes and pasta, Benedicts or burgers. You can have it all, and then some.
And for folks who suffer from fear of missing out while dining out, brunch is the answer. You can have it all, with a mimosa for good measure.
Here are five brunch spots to try at the Shore.
The Buttered Biscuit, Bradley Beach
Corned beef hash and a biscuit with cinnamon honey butter at The Buttered Biscuit in Bradley Beach, New Jersey. Pictured Feb. 5, 2026.
Long a favorite for brunch by the beach, The Buttered Biscuit is known — of course — for its flaky, buttery, scratchmade biscuits.
But there is much more to choose from for brunch, when diners dig into savory corned beef hash with diced potatoes, Bavarian cream-stuffed French toast with strawberries and chocolate shavings, eggs Benedict with caper cream cheese and smoked salmon, and grilled crumb cake dusted with cinnamon sugar.
White tablecloth-topped tables feel elegant but not stuffy, and there's a friendly ambiance enchanced by warm service and the chatter of diners at a counter where whole cakes wait under glass-domed stands.
As for those biscuits, they are tall, tender and delicious with a swipe of housemade cinnamon butter.
The Old Causeway Steak & Oyster House, Stafford
This restaurant, perched along the marsh near the causeway to Long Beach Island, is a hot spot both in and out of season, with diners stopping by for dinner, drinks, a raw bar and live music. But Sunday brunch is just as big a draw.
The menu is creative, fun and elevated, with shareable starters like cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing and poutine with bacon, egg and cheese. The braised short rib scramble has sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs and chipotle cheese sauce; PB&J French toast has housemade jam, crunchy peanut butter sauce and toasted peanuts; and steak and eggs gets an upgrade with country-fried filet mignon and sausage gravy.
The Peach Pit Cafe, Manasquan
Brunch dishes at The Peach Pit Cafe in Manasquan, New Jersey.
By night, the restaurant at 152 Main St. in Manasquan is the upscale Blend on Main.
By day, it is The Peach Pit Cafe, a casual spot for breakfast, brunch and lunch with outdoor sidewalk seating in nice weather.
The restaurant puts a twist on avocado toast by adding poached eggs and basil lemon oil; tops cinnamon-vanilla custard-dipped French toast with warm peaches; serves a brunch burger with fried egg and bacon jam; and makes spaghetti alla carbonara with housemade pasta.
Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant, Long Branch
Dessert offerings at brunch at Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Well-done brunch buffets are hard to find these days, but from September through late March — and on Mother's Day — Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant hosts an incredible one.
Its brunch, named by Open Table as one of the best in the country, begins with a complimentary mimosa and pastries before diners head off to fill their plates with breakfast foods like yogurt parfaits, mini pork roll, egg and cheese sadwiches, and truffled potatoes, plus coconut curry mussels, shrimp fried rice, meatball sliders, chicken and waffles, ribs, Mexican corn salad and much, much more.
There's also plenty of sushi and a raw bar, and for dessert, load up on doughnuts, crumb cake and cookies, plus a chocolate fountain with all the dippers.
Be sure to nab a reservation for Sunday, May 10, then be ready to book a table when brunch begins again in September — it's worth the wait.
Stax, Marlboro
The "Egg & Rice Bombs" dish at Stax in Marlboro, New Jersey, is made from bacon, egg and cheese rice balls in creamy tomato soup with bacon crumbles, eggs and shaved crispy baguette. Pictured Feb. 6, 2026.
Looking for a brunch menu that wows? Find it at Stax.
A warning, though: It's not easy to choose from the creative dishes served at breakfast, brunch and lunch, like fluffy Japanese pancakes; crepes filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese; toasted brioche topped with blackened shrimp, garlic broccoli rabe, and scrambled eggs; and roasted plantains with housemade chorizo, sunny side-up eggs and salsa macha oil.
The "Egg & Rice Bombs" — bacon, egg and cheese-stuffed rice balls served in creamy tomato soup — is out of this world, and specialty lattes like the French toast capture all the flavors of the dish in a mug.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.
