You Need to Try This Iconic Margate New Jersey Restaurant

There's no real reason why, but until recently, I'd never been to Steve and Cookie's By the Bay Restaurant in Margate.

Boy,  have I missed out!

After a slight disappointment, Steve and Cookie's lived up to it's great reputation!

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My Visit to Margate Restaurant Started Slow, But Went Up From There

My first visit to Steve and Cookie's By the Bay in Margate was this past fall. I made a reservation, showed up - and was immediately disappointed.

Don't stop reading - my disappointment didn't last long, and it may have been partly my fault.

I made a reservation for a weeknight at 5pm. I showed up early only to have to stand in line and wait for the place to open. You see, Steve and Cookie's opens at 5 pm, and they take that quite seriously! Their door didn't open until exactly 5, so I had to stand in line and wait - in the cold.

Again, I'll take partial blame for this - I always get everywhere early. The thing is, now I know, so... I know! Let's move forward.

Charming Restaurant with Great Atmosphere and Food!

The inside of Steve and Cookie's is lovely and charming. This place was built to be a nice, cozy restaurant! It was refreshing in that it's a throwback to restaurants of yesterday - and not like many chain restaurants of today that are big, open - almost like a big box store.

The staff was nice and personable, and professional. These people are pros!

The food was exceptional. The jumbo lump crab appetizer was spot on, and the soup and salads we tried were fantastic!

For dinner, my date and I shared the prime strip steak and the crab cake. Both were delicious, and the steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare.

(How good was the restaurant? I failed to take any photos of the food, because it looked so good, I just dug in right away!)

I certainly recommend Steve and Cookie's for a great night out. Again, a very refreshing change if you're stuck in the chain restaurant spin cycle.

NOTE: As I write this, Steve and Cookie's is closed for some construction. Their website indicates they will open back up on January 16th.