Reviews for Brandl in Belmar, NJ

7pm on a weekday and they’re “out of the special” as well as half the menu in a restaurant that is mostly empty. First... time here and we specifically came because we were craving burgers and the wine we brought was meant to accompany it. How hardis it to have ground beef on hand? The food they did happen to have available was subpar and overall underwhelming experienceand service. Mid. If you want a dining experience thats worth the price they’re charging try 801 craft kitchen and spiritsdown the street, will not disappoint. Read more

The food was delicious,but Valpak mail me coupon code to use it. The owner refuses to use my coupon. Why local restaurants... advertising in Valpak mail if they don't want to get to use coupons discounts. Read more

Not good. Waited a very long time to be seated because there was no host to be found. Then we learned a waiter was doubling as a... host (seems severely understaffed) - he was very pleasant once he sat us but people were getting visibly annoyed having to waitso long. Once we sat down, we ordered our food and were very underwhelmed. I got the salmon and my friend got the shrimp. Theirmenu was VERY small, so you’d hope they knock it out of the park with each dish as a result, but the food left much to bedesired. Between the two dishes, the shrimp was definitely better, but both dishes were trying a little too hard with no reward.The crusted salmon was just okay. Came with one potato. The shrimp was kind of like a curry. Much better than the salmon butnothing special for the prices you’re paying. The service was just ok. Nice atmosphere but restaurant was messy! Bathroom wasabsolutely disgusting. The staff was running around, very busy. My recommendation to the owner would be to staff up yourrestaurant, clean it (especially the bathrooms) and expand your menu! Read more

My goodness at these prices I expected the food to be exceptional. The supposed rack of lamb consisted of three ribs and were... rare. Sent back, and again raw. Terrible!!! The lazy lobster was not cooked! The steak was well done. So for a total of a$400 tab the food was terrible, but what was most disturbing was the owner espousing foul language at the chef outside in frontof the restaurant for creating a situation that will reduce the charges on our bill. As we were leaving the owner and chef wereglaring, talking, and shaking their heads. What a horrid experience. Do not go there if you want a cooked meal in a pleasantenvironment. Read more

I’ve been here several times throughout the years and always had a pleasant experience. Last time we had to wait a bit to be... seated but I think the food is worth it. The management is very accommodating especially now everything is so much harderbecause help is very hard to find with staffing shortages everywhere. We had a pleasant evening with quality food. You get whatyou pay for even during the pandemic so check this place out. They can also accommodate large parties, right before we wereseated they set down a party of 18. Read more

I really wanted to love Brandl. Cool space, short but interesting menu, kitchy 1800-degree oven. Sadly, reality fell short of... the expectations -- well, everything but the check. I think the height of the meal was the raw seafood starters we ordered.Good oysters and a fair amount of crab meat. The fried calamari was tender and tasty. But the forgotten escargot with brokensnail tongs should have told me things were going to take a turn. The shrimp cocktail consisted of 4 shrimp size 24-30. Notexactly a mouthful, especially for the price. Nice cocktail sauce though. Lobster bisque had nice chunks of lobster meat but adistinct bitterness to the broth not saved by the inexplicable dollop of creme fraiche on top. Thai shrimp with sticky ricecouldn't make up its mind what flavors were going on - sweet, spicy, fruity. Garlic steak ordered medium but served wellsuggested that the 1800 degree oven can easily get away from them, as did the rack of lamb, charred on the outside but red onthe inside. The unshelled lobster was fine if small but the rice it was served over should have been called cheesy pilaf. Ialways have such hopes for risotto but it takes so much effort it should never be served as an accompaniment. The most notablegaffe: long grain carolina rice instead of the lovely starchy short grain Arborio that lends its subtle creaminess to the dish(instead of cheating with actual dairy). The chocolate souffle was fine if bland, but who serves creme brulee in a tiny metaltin? Servers were hard to get ahold of and rushed, and the busboys were overly aggressive -- clearing things before we weredone with them. So the bill for 4 diners, 3 courses was about $400. I would have been happy to pay that if the meal wasexcellent. It wasn't; i wasn't either. Save your money and go find either a cheaper seafood house (copious on the Jersey shore)or a better steakhouse. Brandl accomplished neither well. Read more

To start, I must say that Brandl is expensive. But, you get what you pay for. My wife and I started with the burrata and piled... the prosciutto and cheese on top of their flavorful crusty bread. For my main course I ordered beef wellington, a special forthe night, and was blown away. The puff pastry was crisp and formed a hermetic exterior crust around the buttery, tender, edgeto edge perfectly cooked filet mignon inside. Not sure if it was a mistake but I only got charged for the regular filet on theirmenu too which was a nice bonus. For dessert we ordered the hot chocolate donuts which are sugar coated fried dough balls with aside of incredibly rich hot chocolate sauce, these were excellent and a satisfying amount came with the order. 5 stars. Read more

The atmosphere and decor are unique. The food was delicious and service very good. It was not busy for us around 645 pm on a... Friday. The gnocchi special was very good and served toasted on top of the sauce. The short rib was melt in your mouth tenderand very rich. I couldn’t finish it. Try the soufflé ! Read more