Rooneys Oceanfront Restaurant
A Long Branch NJ, Restaurant Rating and Review

Rooney's, located in Long Branch along the northern Jersey shore, is a hit with seafood lovers who love good food with an awesome ocean view.

This restaurant is puzzling. They get very good grades with their quality seafood but are sub-par with their service. While the wait staff is very friendly, they are understaffed and inattentive. It's a caliber of service you would expect in a low end chain restaurant.

The interior decor is very spacious, stylish, though not elegant, with an open view of the ocean from almost any table. Most of the tables are not set with tablecloths, and with the lively bar crowd and large TV screens, and the high noise level, the ambiance resembles a moderately priced chain restaurant.

Rooneys Oceanfront Restaurant is very popular with the 30-45 year old crowd who come out in groups of 4-6 people. It's not recommended for couples looking for a romantic, cozy, dining experience.

Considering the very good quality of the food and the generous portions of the dishes, the food is reasonably priced, although this comes with a caveat. The menu selections range from moderately priced dishes to a huge jump in price with some dishes. Overall, this is a very expensive restaurant, especially for the Jersey Shore.

The bar scene is lively and well stocked with a very good selection of wines.

Executive chef Greg Weightman is a creative master and serves up fresh seafood that is well prepared and attractively presented, although many of the dishes are considered "pricey" for the Jersey Shore.

When offered, the recommended starters are; Dancing Coconut Shrimp
with three jumbo shrimp deep fried then skewered in a grilled pineapple
slice, served with an orange marmalade dipping sauce; and the Chopped Fried Calamari Salad with chopped romaine, iceberg & radicchio, sun dried cranberries, crumbled Maytag bleu cheese, candied pecans and tossed with a sweet Vidalia onion dressing.

When offered, the recommended dinner entrees are; "Ocean Jack's" Florida Grouper grilled and topped with sauteed broccoli rabe, sun dried tomatoes and rock shrimp in olive oil and garlic, set upon roasted rosemary & garlic
red bliss potatoes; or Rooney's Crab cakes with red and green bell peppers, Bermuda onions, fresh thyme, served with roasted garlic tomato aioli, corn relish and smashed Yukon gold potatoes; or Seafood Risotto with jumbo shrimp, scallops and lobster tail pan seared in olive oil & roasted garlic set upon a lobster risotto made with vidalia onions, tomatoes, fresh basil and pecorino romano cheese.

If you enjoy lobster with a spicey taste, have a large appetite and budget to match, go for the The Angry Lobster. It's a two pound lobster cut into bite size pieces and pan roasted in its original shell finished in an olive oil and roasted garlic sauce sprinkled with hot pepper flakes & fresh basil served with sauteed broccoli rabe and grilled sour dough bread.

Rooneys Oceanfront Restaurant also offers an exciting "Market Menu" of fresh seafood dishes. Be forewarned though, they are very pricey!

It's a fantastic place for a warm weather meal on the deck!

Rooneys Oceanfront Restaurant is Kid friendly and they offer a child's menu.

Our restaurant ratings and reviews have been established on the basis of a combination of many sources including, personal visits by the restaurant editor of New Jersey Leisure Guide, visitor reviews, and restaurant critics.