Amelia's By The Sea, Spring Lake, NJ:
A Restaurant Review

Amelia's By The Sea
Amelia's By The Sea
1505 Ocean Avenue
Grand Victorian Hotel
Spring Lake, NJ
(732) 769-5700
Website

Amelia's By The Sea: Restaurant Highlights

Fare: Contemporary Italian

Price: Very Expensive

Food Quality: Well-executed menu, creatively prepared using fresh ingredients.

Service: Welcoming, attentive, professional

Decor: Modern, trendy, elegant ambiance with beachfront views.

Noise Level: Moderate. On evenings when there is live music, the noise level can get to a high level.

Dress: Upscale Casual

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Note: Four-star Rating System from 1/2 Star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class

Recommended For: Diners who enjoy well prepared, creative Italian food in an upscale, attractive setting.

Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners who prefer a casual family style restaurant, or a traditional heavy red sauce, southern Italian food restaurant.

Recommended dishes: When available; The Black Spaghetti Lobster Fra Diavolo with Spicy lobster tomato sauce; The Spicy Clams Over Linguine With N'Duja Sausage; and The Horseradish Broiled Salmon Served over a Warm Vegetable Salad & Garlic Whipped Potatoes.

Liquor: BYOB Nov 15th through April 30th. From May 1st through November 14th, they have full bar Service with beer, cocktails, and an extensive variety of high end domestic and imported wines.

Restaurant Review

Amelia's By The Sea (formerly Bareli's by the Sea) located in the Grand Victorian Hotel across from the ocean, is a fine dining restaurant serving a creative contemporary Italian menu with a focus on seafood, and scenic ocean beach front views.

Amelia's By The Sea is now a family owned and operated restaurant owned by Liam and Carmen Moloney, who previously were part owners of Bareli's Restaurant & Bar in Secaucus, and Del Monico in Cedar Grove.

Liam Moloney is not new to Amelia's By The Sea, having been a part owner of Bareli's by the Sea since it opened in 2017.

In addition to his involvement with Bareli's by the Sea, he has co-owned several restaurants in New Jersey including Delmonica's Steaks & Beyond, with the late James Gandolfini, as well as Bareli's in Secaucus.

Amelia's By The Sea, located in the Grand Victorian Hotel, has a modern, trendy, yet elegant look. There are two interior dining areas. The main dining room in the rear of the restaurant and the front garden-like atrium with scenic beach front views. Tables are set with white linen, fine China, large attractive wine glasses, and a small candlelit light atop the tables.

During the warmer months there is outdoor dining on the covered, wrap around porch with scenic ocean front views.

While the restaurant has been rebranded, the excellent food quality and service remain unchanged.

The seasonal changing menu, prepared using fresh ingredients, is well-executed and offers a variety of contemporary Italian dishes with a selection of popular sea food dishes.

This is not your typical heavy red sauce Southern Italian restaurant. Pastas are served with light sauces and applied sparingly to allow the flavors of the quality ingredients to emerge.

They offer live music on Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays.

BYOB Nov 15th through April 30th with the exception of holidays and some weekends.

From May 1st through November 15th, they offer a wine list and a full-service Bar.

Amelia's By The Sea is open with seasonal hours, and during the peak warmer months, they are open seven days/week for Dinner, for Lunch Tuesday through Sunday, with a special Brunch menu on Sundays and a special Easter & Mother's brunch menu..

Not recommended for Kids.

(Updated: June 2023)

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