The Best Waterfront Seafood Restaurants in Monmouth County, NJ (And What Sets One Willow Apart)

If you're typing "best waterfront seafood restaurant Monmouth County" into Google, you're probably planning something. A date night. A family dinner with out of town guests. A weekend trip down the Shore that needs one great meal to anchor it. Either way, you want more than a restaurant that happens to be near water. You want a place where the view, the seafood, and the overall experience all hold up.

Monmouth County has no shortage of options along its bays, rivers, and ocean towns. But not all of them deliver on the "waterfront" promise in the same way. Here's how to evaluate your options, and why One Willow in Highlands has become one of the most talked about answers to this search.

What "Waterfront" Should Actually Mean

A lot of restaurants use the word loosely. Before you drive anywhere, it helps to know what separates a true waterfront seafood restaurant from one that's simply nearby water.

Direct water access and views. The dining room or deck should face the water, not a parking lot or a side street with a sliver of bay in the distance. Outdoor seating should put you right on top of the action.

Seafood that reflects its location. A coastal restaurant should lean into what's local. Raw bar offerings, daily catch specials, and a menu built around what's actually coming off boats nearby are signs the kitchen takes its setting seriously.

An atmosphere built around the setting. The best waterfront restaurants design the whole experience, lighting, seating, music, and pacing, around the fact that people came here partly for the view.

Real boat access, if that matters to you. For boaters along Sandy Hook Bay, the Raritan Bay, or the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers, a restaurant with true dock access changes the entire outing.

Why Highlands Is Worth the Drive

Highlands sits at one of the most scenic points on the Monmouth County waterfront, where the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers open into Sandy Hook Bay. From here, the views stretch across the bay toward Sandy Hook itself and, on a clear day, all the way to the New York City skyline.

That combination, water on nearly every side and a skyline view most NJ towns can't match, is part of why Highlands keeps coming up in searches for the best waterfront dining in Monmouth County.

One Willow: Built Around the View and the Catch

One Willow sits directly on Sandy Hook Bay at One Willow Street in Highlands. It's a seafood and raw bar restaurant where both the indoor dining room, with floor to ceiling windows, and the outdoor deck are oriented toward the water and the Manhattan skyline beyond it.

A few things make it stand out among waterfront seafood restaurants in the county:

The seafood is sourced with intention. Executive Chef and Partner Nicholas Liberto and the team make regular trips to the Fulton Fish Market to hand select whole fish, and the kitchen works with local fisheries and trusted suppliers who share the same standards for ethical, sustainable sourcing. We've written more about exactly what that sourcing process looks like and why it matters, if you want the full story.

The raw bar is a destination on its own. Oysters, clams, and chilled shrimp arrive simply, letting the freshness carry the dish. It's the kind of raw bar that food forward diners specifically seek out.

The menu changes with the season and the catch. Beyond the regular menu, the Fulton Fresh Catch is a daily, market price dish based on whatever the team brought back that morning. It's a small detail, but it tells you a lot about how the kitchen thinks.

There's a real Dock and Dine option. One Willow sits near Sandy Hook Marina, so boaters can reserve a table and a slip and arrive by water. If that's part of your plan, our guide on how Dock and Dine works at One Willow walks through the process step by step.

The view does the rest. Whether you're seated inside or out on the deck, the panorama of Sandy Hook Bay and the skyline beyond changes throughout the meal, from bright afternoon light to sunset to the glow of the city at night.

What to Expect on the Menu

The menu balances coastal classics with more ambitious plates. The Grilled Littleneck Clams, served with Calabrian chili butter, chives, lemon zest, and sourdough bread crumbs, are a simple but standout starter. The Tuna Tacos, made with Bluefin tuna in crispy wonton shells with wasabi ponzu, have become one of the most ordered appetizers on the menu.

For entrees, the Bluefin Tuna with carrot ginger purée, sesame green beans, cabbage slaw, and salsa macha and the Hiddenfjord Salmon with roasted fennel purée, pickled cabbage, quinoa, and beurre blanc both show off the kitchen's range. If you want something that leans into the Jersey Shore tradition more directly, the Spaghetti and Local Littleneck Clams, made with Semolina Pasta Shoppe pasta, colatura, white wine, and aged Parmesan, is worth ordering.

The cocktail program matches the setting. The Jersey Surfin', made with Mi Campo Blanco tequila, lemon, jalapeño infused orange liqueur, cucumber, and cilantro, is a natural fit for an afternoon on the deck.

Planning Your Visit

One Willow is open Wednesday through Sunday. Dinner service runs from 4 PM on Wednesday and Thursday, until 10 PM on Friday and Saturday, and the restaurant offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM until 3:30 PM. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan your trip accordingly.

Weekend tables, especially those on the deck, fill up quickly during the warmer months, so reserving ahead is the safest bet if you're planning around a specific view or time of day.

The Bottom Line

If your search for the best waterfront seafood restaurant in Monmouth County is really a search for somewhere that gets both the food and the setting right, One Willow in Highlands is built for exactly that. Sustainably sourced seafood, a raw bar worth the trip on its own, and one of the most complete water views in the county make it a strong answer to the question, whether you're coming from down the Shore or up from the city.

Reserve your table at One Willow and see the view for yourself.