16 Shore bars, from Atlantic City to Cape May: old-school dives to flashy newcomers and everything in between

Another season at the Shore beckons, and with it, the rites of summer: basking on the beach, cruising the boardwalk, lounging around on lazy days spent with family and friends. Honestly, you may never feel a need to visit a bar.

But if you’re lucky enough to be down there awhile, you might need a break. You might crave the company of strangers, an expertly shaken espresso martini, a cold beer in a dimly lit dive. When that feeling strikes, the Shore’s bar scene — as storied, colorful, and fun as Philly’s own — is ready for you.

The Inquirer spent the tail end of the offseason surveying Shore bars. We were too early for most seasonal establishments, but we found plenty of old-school haunts, polished newcomers, and veteran spots balancing tradition with trends (orange wine! spritzes! collaborations!). From Atlantic City to Cape May, here are 16 great Shore bars to drink in this summer and year-round.

Nothing will remind you Atlantic City’s a bona fide city quite like the daily happy hour crowd at Dock’s. Fourth-generation owners Joe and Frank Dougherty quadrupled space at the bar in 2016 — it curves around three sides of the dining room — but that’s still not enough. We couldn’t find a single free seat at the sprawling bar at 4:45 p.m. on a Thursday in May; summer is sure to be even more competitive. According to the host, stools fill up at 4 p.m. and start freeing up shortly after 5 — happy hour ends at 6 — so pick a spot to hover and keep your eyes peeled for patrons finishing up their oysters (half-shell, broiled, or fried for $1.50-$1.75), mini crab cakes ($7), and tubs of salt- and pepper-dusted popcorn ($3.25).

2405 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, 609-345-0092, docksoysterhouse.com

Sandwiched by two upscale restaurants on one of Margate’s busiest blocks, Maynard’s has been a no-frills watering hole since 1952. It’s the kind of place you might run into your old classmates, whether you just had your fourth- or 40th-year reunion. There’s an expansive food menu (including brunch — the bar opens at 9 a.m. on Sundays, 10 a.m. the rest of the week year-round), but what you’re really there for is pool, loud music via the DJ booth or a live performer, and cold, cheap beer. Margate has gotten snazzier over the years, but as long as it has Maynard’s, it’ll have a connection to its hard-partying past.

9306 Amherst Ave., Margate City, 609-822-8423, maynards-cafe.com

With tin ceilings and stained-glass windows, Gregory’s quietly oozes class, despite its shot-and-a-beer bar backstory. So it tracks that a born-and-raised New Englander/Jersey Shore transplant directed us there for the best-priced, best-prepared whole lobster they ever had. We’ll be honest: We didn’t order that, but the wordless bartender slung the coldest beer we sipped all weekend long. The frosty Yuengling came to just $3, or 50 cents more than two tacos on Taco Tuesday, which Gregory’s has had a trademark on since 1982. The skinny, horseshoe-shaped bar is a great spot for watching a Phillies game (or other people). Offseason, brace yourself for a locals-only vibe — no surprise, given the bar hosts a long-running “Adios Turistas” party in late September.

900 Shore Rd., Somers Point, 609-927-6665, gregorysbar.com

Don’t let the laminate bar top and drop ceiling here deceive you: The C-View Inn is 106 years old, billed as Cape May’s oldest — and friendliest — tavern. Look closely at its gorgeous wooden back bar and you’ll see the handiwork of builders past: glass-paned cabinets, antique hardware, carved moldings. The Irish pub is more than a mile from the resort-town’s Victorian center and has long subsisted on year-round traffic. Maybe that’s why prices are so reasonable. Small tavern-style pizzas go for $5.50, nachos for $5.95, cheeseburgers for $8.50. We had a grilled pastrami with melted Swiss on rye (”the sleeper of the house,” the menu boasts) that hit the spot alongside a hazy Cape May Brewing IPA, all for less than $16.

1380 Washington St., Cape May, 609-884-4712, instagram.com/c_view_inn

A local bartender recommended snagging one of the few seats at Washington Inn’s wine bar during happy hour, and the tip paid off. The restaurant inside this Victorian home has been a fine-dining go-to since Cape May’s culinary renaissance in the 1980s, so you might expect it to be on the stuffy side. But the atmosphere at the bar was far from. Two regulars chatted us up while we slurped down a gin-based riff on a paper plane and two-for-one West Coast oysters (from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). Besides a killer cocktail list (including low-ABV and N/A drinks), the bar menu offers a pared-down selection of the restaurant’s greatest hits.

801 Washington St., Cape May, (609) 884-5697, washingtoninn.com/winebar.php

Would that Philadelphia had a Tony’s Baltimore Grill, a wraparound bar pouring cold beers and cocktails 24/7, and a kitchen cranking out 12-inch pies, spaghetti and meatballs, and fried shrimp from 11 to 3 a.m. every day. Bathed in a red-neon glow, Tony’s has an Oscar’s Tavern feel, but the 200-seat spot is even older and busier. Bought by Julie and Nolan Aspell in 2021 — they characterize themselves as caretakers rather than owners — the history-obsessed pair has since restored original features like red Naugahyde booths, red-and-white-striped awnings, and red-and-black tile floors. Tony’s also frequently collaborates with other establishments, like neighboring Union Hall Arts (which staged a pizza-box art show last summer) and Philly’s Forin, the Kensington cafe that visited for a recent TBG happy hour.

2800 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, 609-345-5766, tonysbaltimoregrillac.com

Unless someone fills you in on the turbulent history of this former fishermen’s hangout — bar brawls, knife fights — you’ll never guess it when you walk into the handsome wood-paneled barroom (filled with classy looking patrons clad in neutral tones on our visit). The family behind Lobster House spent two years renovating this dive bar, replacing the siding with cedar shake, gutting the interior, taking out the pool table. But chef-owner Alex Laudeman kept one of the most important things about Mayer’s: the fried scallops, one of the best things Craig LaBan ate in 2018. Pair them with a $12 cocktail or a natural wine.

894 Third Ave., Cape May, 609-435-5078, mayerstavern.com

There’s probably no better perch to soak in Cape May’s Victorian grandeur than the porch of the Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel, a once-condemned boardinghouse restored by real estate developer Curtis Bashaw in 1989. Sink into the deep cushion of a wicker armchair, order a drink, and admire the architectural details on neighboring B&Bs. The cocktail menu reflects the hotel’s old-meets-new history, with well-done classics and approachable riffs, including a maple Manhattan, blue cheese martini, red wine-topped margarita, and several offerings spiked with produce from sister establishment Beach Plum Farms. There’s no snacking on this side of the porch, so arrive having eaten or plan to hop elsewhere (like to a table inside).

25 Jackson St., Cape May, 609-884-5700, caperesorts.com/virginia-hotel/ebbittroom

This 1800s-era Strathmere establishment has seen many upgrades over the years, but the most recent — a $5 million renovation by new owners Tim Fox and Robin Kjar in 2020 — brought the bayside bar into the 21st century. Inside, there’s a copper ceiling, flagstone fireplaces, and cushy leather-backed swivel chairs, but odds are you want to sit outside to enjoy the spectacular view. There’s tons of seating, but you may still have to vie for a spot. The crowds come by car, by foot, and by boat for summer spritzers, orange crushes, frozen drinks, and 32-ounce vodka sodas and rum buckets.

201 Willard Rd., Strathmere, 609-263-2080, deauvilleinn.com

Compared to myriad massive bar complexes at the Shore, the first floor speakeasy at Nucky’s feels intimate. There are no Prohibition-era antics here — the garage-door windows roll right up — so just walk in, pony up to the marble bar, and order a cocktail. The bartenders here shake and stir up a long list of classics, whether they’re decades-old (sazerac, New York sour, Mary Pickford) or modern-issue (mezcal Paloma, espresso martini, Aperol spritz). The best part? You can take those drinks into the movie theater next door. The old art deco film house, renovated by Nucky’s owners, screens mainstream features and occasional classics.

5211 Ventnor Ave., Ventnor City, 609-289-8305, nuckyskitchen.com

Fans of Human Robot Brewery will love the Seed, an Atlantic City brewery that serves ultra-foamy side-pull pours, a Czech tradition popularized stateside by the Philly brewery, who dubbed the chuggable draft a milk tube. (The owners are friends.) Not only do Sean Towers and Amanda Cardinali brew knockout beers — from dark lagers and Italian pilsners to dry-hopped saisons and double IPAs — they also designed the chicest, coziest warehouse taproom around, decorated with a hodgepodge of antique chandeliers, grandfather clocks, and houseplants. It’s located in a mostly residential neighborhood, but if you go, plan to stay put for an entire afternoon: It shares a complex with Little Water Distillery and an ax-throwing center.

204 N. Delaware Ave., Atlantic City, 609-246-7324, theseedbeer.com

With a 96-seat dining room, a 30-seat bar, and a fleet of picnic benches outside, this addition to Atlantic City’s Orange Loop district is braced for summer crowds. Chef-owner Michael Brennan (formerly of Josie Kelly’s in Somers Point, Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor) hopes to eventually grow some of the herbs and produce for the restaurant’s globally inspired menu in its sprawling outdoor area. The cocktail menu, assembled by Brennan’s cousin and partner Carl Fleck, mirrors that dual influence, incorporating lemongrass, cocoa butter, and coconut water as well as local spirits like Alibi Gin and Little Water Distillery’s Whitecap Whiskey.

201 S. New York Ave., Atlantic City, 609-246-6670, cardinal-ac.com

There’s a reason this bustling pub right off Black Horse Pike has so many satellite parking lots (and an attendant to direct you accordingly): It is extremely popular, even in the offseason. Nearly every Jersey Shore local we encountered recommended it, whether it was for its burgers, its bar food (extreme nachos, “banger” calamari, buffalo cauliflower), or its extensive beer list (16 taps featuring local, national, and imported brews). The seasoned staff is more than up to the task. They mix up tall mules, mojitos, and margaritas with aplomb and keep the crowds at bay, literally.

672 N. Trenton Ave., Atlantic City, 609-350-6721, vagabondac.com

It’s not hard to find a margarita down the Shore, but few places will rival the selection and quality of those served at Taco Caballito. There’s 10 flavors — jalapeño, strawberry, blueberry, prickly pear, rosemary-lemon, etc. — and a frozen option, too, all sporting fresh-squeezed lime. Have your answer prepared for whether you want a sugar, salt, chipotle salt, lemon sugar, or chipotle sugar rim. The place was decked out with colorful papel picado banners, tiny sombreros, and mini piñatas on our Cinco de Mayo visit, and the wraparound bar was absolutely slammed. Nonetheless, an efficient bartender turned around an order for a smokey piñata marg and a tray of coconut shrimp tacos in minutes.

429 Beach Ave., Cape May, 609-884-4800, tacocaballitotequileria.com

Though it’s a few blocks from the spectacle that is Morey’s Pier, it’s easy to imagine the Cove gets equally boisterous — especially given the bar’s six-day-a-week, noon to 5 p.m. happy hour, when drafts of Miller Lite, Rolling Rock, and Hoop Tea go for a mere $2. That’ll mean passing up a handful of cocktails crafted by Bar Rescue mixologist Rob Floyd. The bartender on our visit described those drinks — a pecan old-fashioned, a fire-roasted pineapple margarita, a vanilla-vodka cosmo with peach puree — as “more about the razzmatazz” than the bar’s own signature offerings, simply and delightfully named items like Whiskey in a Jar, Rum in a Bucket, and Frozen Zombie (”Slushy Goodness in a jar”), etc.

3401 Pacific Ave., Wildwood, 609-547-3717, thecoveww.com

There’s a pervasive preppiness to the Watering Hull, conveyed by its whitewashed walls, reclaimed wood accents, and burlap-wrapped acoustic panels. But the patrons who find their way to this second-story bar in Stone Harbor’s Harbor Square shopping complex know how to throw down just as well as the folks you’ll find in dingier joints. Margaritas, mojitos, crushes, and transfusions — the bartenders here can crank them out en masse. And while it’s no beachside bar, the Hull almost seems to sway when a cool breeze rolls in through the garage-door balcony. Conch fritters, fish tacos, and other tropical-inspired fare reinforce the vibe.

261 96th St. second floor, Stone Harbor, 609-830-3106, thewateringhull.com