We go there specifically for the antipasto pretzel! It's so damn good. Ask for a side of beer cheese with it too.
*Update* disappointed in the menu change. Can no longer get the normal used to bes menu until 4pm. Came for some football and specifically the antipasto pretzel and could not get it. The clams on the football menu were not even hot when they came out.
Food is great! But keep politics out of your restaurant; people are looking for an escape when they’re going out they don’t wanna be bombarded reminded regardless of either party.
Not bad for a Saturday dinner in the summer. Waited 15-20 minutes for a table. Waiter came for drinks and returned pretty fast for as busy as it was. Food was good. Service a little slow but it was a as Saturday
I love going to this place and the food is amazing. The atmosphere is great but we had such a poor experience with the manager at this place. He is arrogant and very rude. If you are a local he treats you like gold, but if you are someone he doesn’t recognize, he treats you very poorly. Do better, this place is a great restaurant and come here often.
To be specific, we ordered nachos with just cheese on top. My wife is gluten free and was just looking for something she could eat off of the menu. When the nachos came out with everything on top, we politely said we didn’t want them as we were just looking for cheese. The waiter was very polite and said no problem, I’ll send you out another one. A couple minutes later, the manager came over with the same order of nachos and said we had to take that order, or nothing else. We quickly denied it and he said it was too hard to make another order with just cheese. He refused to allow to put another order in and decided that starring at us throughout the night while still dining in was the best course of action.
I would def recommend this restaurant to others but would avoid this manager as he isn’t polite and just looking to converse with locals and not people who come down for weekends and enjoy a great environment.
We’ve had multiple bad experiences at Used to Be’s, all due to the same rude and unprofessional manager. He’s consistently disrespectful, dismissive, and refuses to listen to reasonable concerns.
Most recently, we were told our party of 10 could be seated together. After waiting over an hour (which we were fine with), we were suddenly told we’d be split at a table for 6. When we asked why, the manager spoke down to us and made zero effort to accommodate our group or even explain the situation respectfully.
This wasn’t an isolated incident, it’s a pattern. We’ve given this place too many chances and are always left frustrated by how poorly the manager treats customers.
There are flys everywhere, food took a very long time to come out. I asked for a sprite and they just gave me sparkling wate but besides that the food is fine.
Great if the bouncers would let people that are clearly over 21 in. Rejecting people because you don’t understand the IDs from states outside of the tri-state area is a poor excuse for bouncers. Get better
My husband and I spent a couple of hours at the bar, ordering drinks and appetizers, and left a tip that reflected the level of service we received — which was basic and transactional. We were courteous the entire time, but things took a turn as we were getting ready to leave.
Before we even stood up, bartender Erin approached us while we were still sitting and began arguing with us about the tip, saying, “If you can’t afford to go out to eat, then don’t.” Then, without warning, she forcefully removed the glass of water and wine I was still drinking from in front of me screaming “get out, leave, don’t come back here”— a completely inappropriate and aggressive move.
As we left, both Erin and another bartender, Ashlin, chased us outside the bar, yelling at us and screaming that we were “broke.” It was hostile and utterly unprofessional.
Tipping is not mandatory — it’s based on service, and guests should never be harassed, insulted, or publicly shamed over it. We will absolutely never return, and I hope management takes this disturbing incident seriously. No one deserves to be treated like that over a discretionary tip.
Went there with a couple friends o celebrate a birthday. The server's weren't friendly and never smiled and we felt kinda rushed to order . The food was just so so and small portions for the price. The filet mignon was tough and not good quality more like a larger steak cut to look like a filet. The rice was ice cold and you could count the zucchini pieces on one hand. We went to the bar after dinner for a cocktail and the service was HORRIBLE.....the blonde girl was so rude and was mocking my husband because of what he asked her about a drink. She passed the order on to the other bartender and We waited at least 15 minutes for our drinks . Then we were totally ignored when we wanted to order another round and it took another 20 before we were acknowledged. At that point we had enough and left only to have the bartender come after us to ask for a tip. A tip for what rudeness and terrible service !!! We met others out in the parking lot who had the same problem and did not leave a tip either as they did the same thing to them . What nerve to come out of the restaurant and ask for a tip. If they deserved one they would have gotten one as we have NEVER not tipped , in gact we always over tipped for good service. Management better took at their staff and address the problem especially the blonde bartender . We won't be back.
Just started coming here. I’m gluten free & surprised how good the pizza was. Also splits salad and order of mussels. Next time has the Trifecta with rice ball, salad & gluten free meatball. Soooo good , going again tonight !
“Used To Be" used to be on my list of places to try, but after my recent experience, it’s now on my list of places to avoid. I arrived with a party of 10, several hours before closing, only to be told by the host that they couldn’t serve us. Funny thing is, I noticed other tables happily accommodating large groups. Maybe the restaurant should change its name to “Used To Be Great, But Now We’re Selective About Who We Serve.” If you like inconsistency and disappointment, this is your spot. Otherwise, keep walking.
Good drinks and dessert. Did not have dinner here but the cannoli and chocolate cake were both excellent! Very good chocolate martinis as well. Service was attentive and friendly, would highly recommend and will be back.
LOVE Used To Be's for our post-beach food and drinks!!!! The food is phenomenal, has awesome flavor, and is priced really well. They have tons to choose from - appetizers, entrees, sandwiches, seafood, pizza, and more! Their bar pie is really thin and delicious!! We also have had the steak sandwich, chicken nachos, mozzarella sticks, avocado grilled chicken sandwich, boneless BBQ and buffalo wings, calamari, and cheeseburgers. All of them have hit the spot and keep us coming back!
We typically always sit at the bar, but they also have hightops and booths. There is even an event space if you are looking to have a party. The TVs are small, and you typically have to request a sports game if something big is on that you are looking to watch. At night, the younger crowd rolls in, which can be a lot of fun!
Come for the food and drinks, you won't regret it!!!
We're a group/family of 12 we called to place a to go order for pickup. We were told "let me check to see if we're still doing to go orders" this was at 5:30pm seriously? When the person came back on the phone she started taking the order we were half way through the order. Got to the part of our order for our pizza, and was told they're not making pizza now. The person said "hold on let me see if the kitchen can handle this order" came back saying it's to big an order. So we said ok we'll order it as separate families. Finally we got fed up and told them forget it we'll go somewhere else. So this place passed up and over $200 order wouldn't go back and we tried a couple years ago to go there and it was kind of the same thing with having a problem told they take reservations, called the next day to make them, and told they don't take reservations
Love it here except for the manager. Kicked us off our table tonight as soon as we were done with drinks and food. We were asked to leave our table because it was needed for other customers waiting. We left the table and stayed for another 20 minutes to hear our favorite musician, Jessica Rose. No one else was seated at the table we were asked to vacate. He was very rude and promised us a complimentary drink. Good thing we had no plans to take him up on the offer. He disappeared after that. What an awful experience. We go there often for music, drinks and food. He needs a better attitude and approach to customer service.
I love this place. The servers and staff are the most hardworking group of people I have yet to see in any other restaurant/bar business. The food is outstanding and They have great entertainment too. I highly recommend this place if you want a little date night or if you even want to get out and party on a Friday night. It is always so much fun.
I cannot say enough about this place. Food NEVER disappoints. Staff is AMAZING (especially Jill). Our favorite summer time bar and restaurant. We go at least once a week on our way back from Brick beach. We even try to stop by a couple times in the winter, even though it is completely out of our way…. But it’s just that good!!
Frequent here regularly and love the staff except manager Ron. He is rude and unprofessional. I play bingo regular and this week the bartender gave me a bottle that was different than usual. When Ron found out he proceeded to grab my bottle and yell at the bartender (who is great) and said we never give that. He not only yelled at a staff member in front of me but took away my bottle abruptly that was actually of a lesser value. I’ve never seen such unprofessional behavior. I was very taken aback by this. Guess the customer isn’t always right. Never had that happen before was a very unpleasant experience probably won’t be back when he’s here.
My wife, my sister in law and I went there this past Saturday for drinks and starters. We got there a little after 12pm. We were greeted by a nice waiter and were told to sit wherever we wanted. We had boneless wings, mozzarella sticks and chicken nachos. All the food was delicious. The same waiter was friendly, welcoming and attentive but not over doing it. Thankyou.
Amazing! Staff was incredible and friendly. Came in after driving 2 hours to the shore.drink and hot food within 10 mins. The cheese steak is amazing! Like actual pieces of steak! Coming from pa I didn't expect that but pleasantly surprised! Good music. My waitress sam was very attentive and welcoming! Awesome member to your team!
Awesome food and even better service. The waitress was one of the best we have had in a while and was very accommodating. Food was great. Callimari wasn't good at all too chewy. Hit or miss with squid these days. Everything else was to die for. The sweet potato fries are the best in area. Will deff be back.
Was out exploring , trying to find a place for dinner and drink. It looked friendly and inviting when I drive by. Wasn't disappointed when I went inside. The staff was great and on top of taking care of people. The food was melt in your mouth amazing!! Had a live band with good music and the drinks were on point. Will definitely come back next Time I'm in town.
The ambience is a little tired in the back room but who cares when they have the best steak sandwich and such fantastic burgers? Even the kids penne vodka pasta was a winner. Wide variety in the menu, friendly service. We'd come back for sure.
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