Surf Taco, Long Branch, NJ

A lazy, and may I add hazy, June Saturday led me to Long Branch to grab a quick lunch. Pier Village was still beyond packed despite the clouds and drizzles, and all I wanted to do was sit back, relax, and avoid the inevitable lines and crowds at any of the Pier restaurants. I continued down Ocean Avenue until I arrived at Brighton Avenue, another trendy and up-and-coming sector of this "hip" beach town. Brighton Avenue is an adorable street with a few restaurants, small shops, and of course the famous Strollos Italian Ices. As soon as I saw the colorful and inviting Surf Taco, I knew that I would find exactly what I was looking for.

I have taken out food from the Surf Taco in Belmar before, but I had never really taken in the full "Surf Taco experience." Surf Taco is best defined as a fast casual restaurant and is known for its fresh food and as many surfers would say, "chill," environment. As I went up to place my order at the register, I was pleasantly overwhelmed with the options in front of me. I decided to order the Teriyaki Chicken Taco ($3.75) and the Grilled Steak Taco ($3.75). The pricing at Surf Taco is extremely reasonable, and you can really eat like a king or queen if you wanted to! The cashier was extremely pleasant and cheerful and gave me a number to place on my table for my order. My two generously sized tacos came out within about three minutes, each with heaping portions of tortilla chips.

The next part of my experience was to venture over to the famed salsa bar. The salsa bar is seriously any chip lovers dream with different varieties of salsa and levels of hotness. I, of course, decided to take the hottest salsa and enjoyed every minute of it. I sat back down to dive into my tacos. The Grilled Steak Taco had some of the moistest steak I have ever tasted. Whatever the marinade is, props to you, Surf Taco! The cheese and Pico were also extremely fresh. The Teriyaki Chicken Taco was even better! The taco had the perfect amount of Teriyaki sauce to give it a bit of a kick! I never really associate tacos with Teriyaki chicken, but this innovation is definitely something you shouldn't miss.

Aside from the delicious food, the atmosphere at Surf Taco is really fantastic. It's a great escape from everything and really makes you feel as if you are on an island as you enjoy your food to the sounds of Bob Marley. Surfing videos also are played throughout the restaurant on the TVs. Even with the poor weather outside, there was no stopping Surf Taco from making you feel home at the beach.

**Even better! According to the website, "If you join our mailing list and provide us with a valid mailing address we will send you a postcard good for a free taco at any of our locations."

Food: 4*
Service: 4*
Atmosphere: 4.5*

94 Brighton Ave
Long Branch, NJ 07740-5337
(732) 229-7873
*See http://www.surftaco.com/locations.html for additional locations.