How to Dock & Dine at One Willow: The Highlands Restaurant You Can Arrive to by Boat

Most restaurant experiences start in a parking lot. This one can start on the water.

One Willow in Highlands, New Jersey offers something genuinely rare: a Dock & Dine experience that lets you tie up your boat at Sandy Hook Marina and walk directly to one of Monmouth County's best waterfront seafood restaurants. For boaters on Sandy Hook Bay, the Raritan Bay, or anywhere along the Jersey Shore, it's one of the most memorable ways to spend an evening on the water.

Here's exactly how it works and why it's worth planning around.

What Is Dock & Dine?

Dock & Dine is exactly what it sounds like: you arrive at One Willow by boat rather than by car. The restaurant sits on the waterfront at 1 Willow Street in Highlands, NJ, adjacent to the Sandy Hook Marina, which means boaters can reserve a slip at the marina, step off the dock, and walk straight into dinner.

It transforms a meal into an outing. Instead of driving to a restaurant, you navigate to one. The water is both your journey and your backdrop for the evening.

How to Book It: Step by Step

The process is straightforward and involves two separate reservations:

Step 1: Make a dining reservation at One Willow. You can do this through the reservation system at onewillowhighlands.com. Reserve your table just as you would for any other visit, choosing your party size, date, and preferred time.

Step 2: Reserve a slip at Sandy Hook Marina. Call the marina directly at 732-872-1511 to secure your spot. This is a separate booking from your dining reservation, so make sure you handle both before your trip.

Once both are confirmed, all that's left is the boat ride.

The Setting Makes It Special

One Willow's waterfront location on Sandy Hook Bay is spectacular in any context, but arriving by boat gives you a perspective on it that land-bound guests simply don't get. You approach the restaurant from the water, with the Highlands shoreline and the distant Manhattan skyline framing the scene before you even sit down.

Once you're at your table, whether on the outdoor deck or inside with the floor-to-ceiling windows, the views of Sandy Hook Bay stretch out in front of you. The combination of arriving on the water and dining above it creates an experience that's hard to find anywhere else along the Jersey Shore.

What to Eat When You Get There

One Willow's menu was made for this kind of occasion. Executive Chef and Partner Nicholas Liberto runs a kitchen built around fresh, sustainable seafood sourced directly from the Fulton Fish Market and local fisheries, so what you're eating genuinely reflects the ocean you just crossed to get here.

The Raw Bar is the natural starting point: fresh oysters, clams, and chilled shrimp served with the kind of simplicity that lets the freshness do the talking. From there, the Grilled Littleneck Clams, local clams with Calabrian chili butter, chives, lemon zest, and sourdough bread crumbs, are as coastal as it gets. The Tuna Tacos, made with Bluefin tuna, spicy mayo, crispy wonton shell, and wasabi ponzu, are a light and vibrant way to start.

For entrees, ask your server about the Fulton Fresh Catch, a daily market-price offering sourced from whatever was best at the market that morning. It changes based on the season and the catch, and it's the most honest expression of One Willow's sourcing philosophy on any given night.

On the cocktail front, the Jersey Surfin' Mi Campo Blanco tequila, lemon, jalapeño-infused orange liqueur, cucumber, and cilantro is the obvious choice for a warm evening on the water. The 732 (Ketel One vodka, St-Germain, Aperol, lemon, orange bitters) is equally refreshing if you prefer something a bit more floral and bright.

Good to Know Before You Go

One Willow is open Wednesday through Sunday. Dinner service begins at 4 PM Wednesday through Friday, and at 11 AM on Saturday and Sunday (with brunch running until 3:30 PM on weekends). The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan accordingly.

Sandy Hook Bay and the surrounding waters are popular with boaters throughout spring, summer, and fall, and so is One Willow. Weekend reservations in particular fill up quickly during the season, so booking ahead for both your table and your slip is strongly recommended.

If you're coming from the Atlantic Ocean side, Sandy Hook provides a natural waypoint. Boats coming from the north or from New York Harbor have a straightforward approach via the Raritan Bay. Either way, Highlands is a well-known destination port for Jersey Shore boaters, and One Willow has quickly become one of the main reasons to stop there.

An Evening Worth the Voyage

There's something about arriving somewhere by boat that makes the whole evening feel intentional, like you planned for it, set out for it, and earned it. One Willow is the kind of restaurant that rewards that energy. The food is serious, the setting is stunning, and the experience of stepping off a dock and into a great meal is one that's genuinely hard to replicate.

Whether you're a seasoned boater or someone planning their first dock-and-dine adventure, this is a stop worth building a day on the water around.

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