I have been going to Long Beach Island for about ten years now, and while I have been only able to drink legally for seven of those years I always found it difficult to find a bar that suits my need for craft beer and good food. There are plenty of places on the island pouring some craft beer (and there is a lot of amazing food to boot) but there was never a place that had both. That is no longer the case however. A recent trip to LBI brought us to one of the newest tap rooms in the Garden State – The Arlington, opened by brothers Paul and Brian Sabrese. The brothers are no strangers to the restaurant world, both having worked at places on and off LBI for many years, so when an existing establishment didn’t feel like re-opening after Sandy, the brothers jumped at the opportunity and opened their dream bar.
Taking notes from some of their favorite places to eat and drink in New York City and Philadelphia, Paul and Brian opened The Arlington this past June and have seen a great response from the locals during both the on and off seasons. Offering a great happy hour, craft beer, liquors, and an eclectic food menu, The Arlington is a welcome change to the typical bar that you find down at the shore.
The Arlington is like no other on the island. The interior will make you feel that you are out in the countryside and make you forget that you are at the shore with its rustic menu and motif.
There is something for everyone food wise here. With a great happy hour menu and full lunch and dinner menu, you may have a hard time choosing what you want to eat. We kept things simple on our visit by trying out some of the small plates.
Since we are down at the shore you have to have a little seafood. Here we have a plate of crispy calamari with their house brava sauce, a welcome change to the typical marinara you get every where else.
I feel like fried pickles are on the come up and a lot more places are putting them on the menu. These were excellent and so tasty that we had to get a second order.
The fried chicken skins were great as well. The perfect pairing for a tall glass of beer.
Aside from a few small plates there are numerous entrees and sandwiches on the menu. A rib eye cheese steak was the perfect meal for our editor Steve and good until the last crumb.
I opted for a bowl of smoked bacon macaroni and cheese. Although it was a small dish it was very filling and perfect for a cold evening down at the beach.
Let’s move on to the beer selection, shall we? Finding a good tap selection on the island is pretty daunting; someone may have one or two lines pouring, some may have a few bottles, but you will never find a place that pours all craft draft. The Arlington boasts 20 taps and one hand pump, pouring beers from all around the world in a wide variety of styles.
I love it when a bar strays away from the standard tap handle and does something to make their system different. One of the first things I noticed at The Arlington was their wooden handles, and how they had each brewer name stamped into a piece of copper. A nice touch to the rustic theme of the restaurant.
Whether you are looking for a pale ale, porter, or even a Belgian beer, you will find it here. The beer menu is laid out nicely showing pour sizes, origin of the beer, and even a little description.
There are even cans and bombers to be had, as well as a short list of what is on deck and ready to be tapped.
Steve opted for Left Hand’s Sawtooth on nitro. A delicious ESB and an awesome offering from one of Colorado’s best breweries.
Seeing as it was winter time I had to have a glass of the Smuttynose Winter Ale. A nice warming beer after shoveling snow all day.
Just in case you didn’t have enough beer with your dinner, you can get a gallon growler of beer to go on most of the draft beers here. An awesome option if you don’t feel like running out for a good six pack off the island.
There is a lot going on at The Arlington in the off season, stay tuned to their facebook and instagram for the latest. We loved this bar so much that we will be back down this weekend for the Carton Brewing Company tap takeover on Friday night.
Finally, a tap room in LBI. With the recent boom in the craft beer scene I am sure it was going to happen sooner or later but I am happy that The Arlington is the start of it. Paul and Brian are doing things right offering fresh food, great ambiance, and one of the best drafts lists in the state – especially for the people around Long Beach Island. I would like to thank Paul and the staff for hanging out with us and showing us around. The Arlington is a special place and will be my number one spot to consume craft beer on the island in the years to come.
-Brian