Making the most of Family Weekend: Lodging, Food & Other Recs!

Making the most of Family Weekend: Lodging, Food & Other Recs!

If you’re trekking to Surfside from out of town, here are a few tried and true recommendations for lodging, food, and stuff to do. Finding ways to build memories together in early sobriety can be overwhelming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Our hope is to offer a few simple, lighthearted ideas to reduce the any potential stress!

Lodging – Where to Stay in Ventnor, Linwood, Egg Harbor Township and Surrounding Areas

The Flanders Hotel in Ocean City

• Each room is a suite with a full kitchen, separate bedroom, and family room. In the off-season, their rates are lower. The room rate jumps from May to Sept, since it’s the summer season in Ocean City.
• This is a historic hotel, located directly on the impeccably maintained 2.5mi Ocean City boardwalk. It’s just over the bridge from Somers Point, about 10 minutes from our clinical offices.

Residence Inn by Marriott – Atlantic City Airport, Egg Harbor Township

• These hotel rooms also have a full kitchen, even the studio. It’s part of the Marriott family, so we recommend signing up for a Marriott BonVoy account. BonVoy is free to join and offers a slightly discounted rate.
• This is at the intersection of Egg Harbor Township and Northfield, about 5 minutes from our Linwood property.

Pier 4 Hotel – Somers Point

• This is a privately-owned hotel on the Somers Point side of the 9th Street Bridge, exactly 1 mile from our clinical office. Their rates also increase slightly during the summer months.

Seaview Dolce Hotel – Galloway, NJ

• This is slightly farther from our properties, but a great golf hotel with typically affordable rates.

We’ll split up our food recommendations based on “The Island” and “The Mainland,” but it’s worth noting that Linwood and Ventnor are only about 15-20 minutes apart. Because Ventnor is an island beach town, sometimes getting a reservation during the summer season (called “the high season”) can be difficult. It’s not hard to venture off the island for a great meal!

Casual Food Options in Ventnor/Margate/Longport (“the island”)

• The Queen Bean Bistro on the Ventnor Boardwalk – serving up some of the best breakfasts on the island! They’re open for breakfast, lunch (8-3pm) and offer dinner on the weekends. It’s truly a hidden gem.
• Sack O Subs in Ventnor, Dino’s Subs in Margate
• Downbeach Deli, an old-school Jewish deli in Margate. So old-school that they don’t even have a website, just a Facebook page.
• Isabella’s Cafe in Ventnor, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Betty’s BBQ & Fried Chicken or Betty’s Seafood Shack – both located in Margate and you’ll most likely spot some Surfside alum or Phase 3 guys working here. Call ahead if you’re looking for BBQ – the BBQ spot is sometimes closed in the off-season.
• Two Sisters Vietnamese Eatery – fresh flavors, mostly take out with some limited seating options
• Bocca Coal Fired Bistro – Pizza and Italian in Margate. They love hiring our Surfside guys, so we love to support them!

Coffee Shops on the island:

• Ventnor 7311 – An amazing coffee shop with fresh pastries and lots of outdoor seating on Ventnor Avenue in Margate. Grab a coffee and sit in the sunshine, or take it with you on a family walk down to the Ventnor Boardwalk – the boardwalk is nearly 5.5miles long. Some of our local Surfside families are regulars here, so you might even see a friendly face from the Family Support Group.
• Remedee Coffee – a newer coffee shop on Atlantic Avenue in Ventnor. Another great spot to grab coffee and head out for a boardwalk stroll. Check it out and tell us what you think!

Slightly fancier spots on the island:

• Steve and Cookie’s in Margate – can be tough to get a reservation in the warmer months, but somewhat easier if you’re eyeballing a 5pm reservation.
• Sofia’s of Margate – Amazing Greek food, owned by an incredibly funny Greek woman. Right on the bay block in Margate.
• Tomatoe’s in Margate – Wide range of menu options, including sushi.

Casual Food Options near Linwood/Egg Harbor Township (“the mainland”)

• CJ’s Corner Grill in Somers Point or Carangi’s Cafe in Northfield for breakfast/lunch. Both of these can get pretty packed mid-morning on a weekend.
• Rose’s Garden Grill in Linwood – Amazing sandwiches, but only a few booths inside. This is more of a take-out spot.
• Chico and Son’s – Another awesome sandwich shop (and they can turn every sandwich on their menu into a salad) with indoor seating. Casual and great for dine-in or take-out.
• The Nizam’s – A company favorite. This Indian restaurant was rated the #2 restaurant in the entire state of New Jersey. If you love Indian food, you will not be disappointed here. This is very close to the Residence Inn listed above.
• Fitzpatrick’s in Somers Point – this is a mix of an old school deli with a little bit of a steakhouse element. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and are pretty reliable for an easy, casual meal.
• Taqueria Rendon – A casual Mexican restaurant with food that’s out of this world.
• Mike & Anna’s Pasta House – Another staff favorite, although you may want to call ahead for a reservation. All their pasta is made in-house, and we recommend the burrata chicken cutlet special with their homemade malfadine.
• Shay’s at Linwood Country Club is a hidden gem. Open to the public, with an amazing “happy hour appetizer menu” from 4-6pm. We’re talking like… $3 or $4 appetizers if you dine between 4-6pm, daily! It’s also fine to show up here in casual clothing.

Coffee Shops on the Mainland

• Jessie’s of Linwood is a quaint coffee shop located on the Linwood bike path, about ¾ of a mile from our Marvin property. They often have live music on the weekends. Grab a coffee and walk the Linwood Bike Path, a 6-mile paved bike path. You might even see some of our staff out for a walk or run!
• Goji in Somers Point – Goji is a vegan coffee shop in Somers Point, with some amazing acai bowls, smoothies, fresh pressed juices, and coffee. There’s plenty of seating, but it’s not really a walkable area. This is about 1 mile from Saltwater Athletics, our gym.
• The Farm Market at Reed’s Farm in Egg Harbor Township – pretty close to our EHT properties! This is an amazing regenerative farm with a gorgeous market/coffeehouse, tons of cute animals, and they often host pop-up shops for food or art.

Outdoor activities:

• A 5.5 mile boardwalk runs through Margate, Ventnor and Atlantic City. This is a scenic boardwalk, designed for walking, running and biking. It includes the Ventnor Fishing Pier, and is loaded with benches and beach entrances.
• Head to the beach! If you’re visiting the beach Memorial Day through Labor Day, you may be asked to purchase beach tags while visiting. Local beaches include: Ventnor, Margate, Longport and Ocean City. All have street parking.
• The Longport Dog Beach – this is an infamous dog-friendly beach. There are two parking lots, but heads up that they tend to fill up in the warmer months! This address may show up as “Egg Harbor Township” on some GPS.
• Walk the Ocean City Boardwalk, which is a family-friendly 2.5mile boardwalk filled with little shops, coffee spots, casual food spots, ice cream, arcades, and mini golf. In the “high season” (Memorial Day to Labor Day), the boardwalk is packed. In the “off season,” many of the little shops will be closed, but you’d be surprised how many stay open!
• Egg Harbor Township Nature Preserve – dog friendly with tons of trails! 317 Zion Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ.
• Kennedy Park in Somers Point – This park overlooks the bay, with tons of parking, a beautiful grassy area with picnic benches, and great views – 24 Broadway, Somers Point, NJ

Indoor Stuff:

• Movies at Tilton Theatre – 331 Tilton Road, Northfield, NJ
• Indoor Pickleball at ProShot Pickleball – Egg Harbor Township, NJ
• The Board Room in Ocean City – Indoor Board Game spot in OC
• Yoga class at True Light Yoga in Ocean City (they have an amazing Sunday Morning “Yoga Church”) or Grace and Glory Yoga (the studio where our guys take a hot power yoga class every few weeks). Both studios offer a Sunday morning class.

A little note about our recommendations:

You may notice a pattern here. We intentionally don’t recommend anything inside the casinos, nor do we encourage visits to Atlantic City. You may also find some restaurants on Google that sound amazing, and maybe they are! But it’s also worth noting that if they’re not on this list, it may be due to a significant drinking culture/bar scene within the restaurant. Your trip already involves some big emotions – no need to add dinner at a local dive bar to the list of stressors.