Klein’s Fish Market in Belmar: The Jersey Shore Seafood Destination Where Boats, Fresh Catch and Nearly a Century of Tradition Meet

There are plenty of places along the Jersey Shore where you can order seafood. Far fewer make the setting feel every bit as important as what arrives on the plate.

At Klein’s Fish Market, Waterside Café & Tiki Bar in Belmar, New Jersey, the experience begins before the first bite. The Shark River moves alongside the restaurant, boats glide past the outdoor dining area, and the unmistakable atmosphere of the Shore provides a backdrop that no interior designer could manufacture.

For me, Dennis Mark Interdonato, places like Klein’s represent what makes local dining worth exploring. This isn't simply about finding another lobster roll. It is about discovering the restaurants that have become part of their community’s identity.

And Klein’s has had a very long time to build that identity.

From a Fish Truck to a Belmar Institution

The Klein family’s seafood story stretches back more than a century.

According to the restaurant’s history, Ollie Klein Sr. began selling fish from a truck around Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Neptune in 1924. He later opened Klein’s Fresh Air Fish Market in Belmar before purchasing the property at 708 River Road, where Klein’s Fish Market opened in 1929.

That makes the business an increasingly rare piece of living Jersey Shore history.

Over succeeding generations, the operation evolved. A kitchen and takeout menu arrived in 1990, dockside dining expanded, a liquor license followed in 2004 and the Tiki Bar opened the following year. Yet the fish market remained central to the business.

Today, the family legacy continues, with another generation already learning the operation.

That continuity matters. Restaurants can reinvent themselves overnight, but institutions are built over decades.

Waterfront Dining on the Shark River

Come for the Seafood, Stay for the View

Location is one of Klein’s greatest assets.

Its Waterside Café sits along the scenic Shark River, with deck seating that gives diners a close-up view of waterfront life. Boats moving through the river become part of lunch or dinner, while sunsets can turn an ordinary evening meal into something memorable.

There is an appealing simplicity to it: fresh seafood, open air and moving water.

That combination captures a particular kind of Jersey Shore experience, less about formality and more about slowing down long enough to enjoy where you are.

For families spending a day near Belmar Beach, couples looking for casual waterfront dining or visitors exploring Monmouth County, Klein’s offers something increasingly valuable: a restaurant that feels connected to its surroundings.

Fresh Seafood Remains the Main Attraction

The waterfront may get people through the door, but seafood is what built the Klein name.

The on-site retail fish market specializes in local and worldwide seafood, with fresh deliveries and selections that can include lobster, scallops, tuna, shellfish and daily catches.

That market-to-table connection gives Klein’s an advantage. Guests aren't visiting a restaurant that happens to serve fish; they're visiting a fish market that grew into a substantial dining destination.

Classic preparations remain a major part of the appeal. Lobster, crab, shrimp, clams and fresh fish provide the foundation for the kind of meal people expect when they head toward the New Jersey coast.

The restaurant's current offerings also show how much Klein’s has evolved beyond the traditional seafood shack.

Yes, There Is Sushi at This Jersey Shore Landmark

One of the more interesting surprises is the sushi program.

Klein’s pairs its traditional seafood identity with a dedicated selection of rolls and raw preparations. Specialty choices have included combinations featuring tuna, salmon, yellowtail, lobster salad, shrimp tempura, avocado and other seafood-focused ingredients.

It makes sense when you think about it.

A business whose reputation depends upon seafood sourcing already possesses the most important ingredient for memorable sushi: quality fish.

For a group with different tastes, that range is especially useful. One person can order a classic cooked seafood dinner while someone else explores sushi without requiring the table to compromise on where to eat.

More Than Seafood for the Rest of the Table

Klein’s also understands an important reality of group dining: not everybody wants fish.

The broader menu includes options such as soups, salads, burgers and pasta alongside seafood, while the restaurant has long promoted selections for "land lovers."

That diversity makes Klein’s particularly practical for families and larger groups.

It also demonstrates something I frequently notice when covering established local restaurants: longevity often comes from knowing your audience. A restaurant may have a specialty, but successful neighborhood institutions learn how to welcome the entire table.

The Fish Market Is Part of the Experience

Before leaving, seafood enthusiasts should make time for the retail market.

Klein’s open-air fish market is not merely decorative nostalgia. It remains an operating part of the business, selling seafood for customers to prepare at home.

There's something satisfying about enjoying seafood beside the river and then browsing the market for tomorrow's dinner.

It reconnects the restaurant with its origins and reminds visitors that before Klein’s became a waterside café, bar and dining destination, it was fundamentally a family seafood business.

A Tiki Bar Made for Jersey Shore Afternoons

Then there is the Tiki Bar.

Waterfront bars have an almost unfair advantage during a New Jersey summer. Add seafood and river views, and suddenly nobody seems particularly interested in rushing home.

Klein’s Tiki Bar provides that more relaxed side of the experience, with cocktails, specials and an atmosphere designed for lingering beside the water.

It transforms Klein’s from somewhere you might stop for dinner into a destination around which you can build part of your day.

And that distinction matters in a Shore town.

What Visitors Should Know Before Going

Klein’s Fish Market, Waterside Café & Tiki Bar is located at 708 River Road in Belmar, NJ 07719, at River Road and Main Street.

The restaurant's official website currently lists restaurant hours as 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, while its retail fish market is listed from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Because hours, specials and seafood availability can change, particularly seasonally, guests should confirm current details directly with Klein’s before traveling.

During peak Jersey Shore season, planning ahead is also sensible. Waterfront tables have a natural way of becoming popular when the weather cooperates.

Why Klein’s Belongs on a Jersey Shore Dining List

New restaurants can generate buzz. Staying relevant across generations requires something more substantial.

Klein’s has survived changing dining trends, changing generations and an evolving Jersey Shore because its central idea remains remarkably straightforward: serve quality seafood in a setting where people genuinely want to spend time.

The fish market connects the business to its roots. The Waterside Café turns the Shark River into part of the dining room. The sushi bar reflects its evolution. And the Tiki Bar supplies the unmistakable reminder that, yes, you're at the Jersey Shore.

That mixture of history and experience is what makes Klein’s worth knowing.

As Dennis Mark Interdonato, I believe the best local stories are often found in places that have been quietly serving their communities long before anyone thought to call them “hidden gems.” Klein’s Fish Market is one of those places, a Belmar tradition where generations of seafood history meet the Shark River, and where watching the boats drift past may be the perfect reminder that some of New Jersey’s best experiences have been right here all along.

Editorial verification: Klein’s official history dates its current River Road operation to 1929 and traces the family seafood business to 1924. The restaurant currently describes dockside dining, sushi and Shark River deck seating, while its March 2026 menu identifies the business as celebrating 97 yearsa useful correction to the older “95th anniversary” language in the supplied source. (Klein's Fish Market & Tiki Bar) Current published hours are 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily for the restaurant and 9 a.m.–8 p.m. for the retail market. (Klein's Fish Market & Tiki Bar)