Mustache Bill’s Diner

What an absolute gem of a find!
2 out of 2 stars for food
1 out of 1 stars for service
1 out of 1 stars for cleanliness
1 out of 1 stars for atmosphere
I wasn’t expecting much when we walked into this aging diner but was blown away by all aspects once inside.
The food was incredible for being a diner. No, that’s not fair. The food was incredible… period. I ordered the fish taco. Made with freshly caught, a few hundred yards away, fluke. House made slaw and chipotle aioli. It was more of a wrap than a taco, but who cares! We shared an order of fried clams, served with house made tartar sauce. I’ve never seen such large clams, nor had such lovely tartar sauce. My boyfriend ordered the Reuben. I had a bite, it was delicious.
Our waiter was wonderfully friendly and proud of the establishment he works for. He was very attentive and efficient. The entire staff was friendly and accommodating.
I was sure with the age of the diner I would see an accumulation of grime… I was wrong. There is clearly some age on the place but it is very well kept.
The atmosphere is diner, through and through.

I’ve been eating here my whole life (48 years). Got to visit recently. Glad to see nothing has changed… THE BEST pancakes and OH how I missed pork roll!!! I bought some at the grocery store and brought back to Oklahoma. The morning of my wedding in 1986, my bridesmaid’s and I ate there for breakfast! Moved to Oklahoma years ago and sure do miss LBI!

Things I don’t hate: no traffic on LBI and a good breakfast. With that, we headed to Mustache Bill’s.
It’s not like they reinvented the diner breakfast but they did make the fluffiest scrambled eggs I’ve probably ever had. They know how to cook pork roll and I wasn’t hating while eating all those yummy home fries!
It’s clean, service was friendly, price was good and the breakfast was filling! We will be back to enjoy Mustache Bill’s during the off season while opened on Fri, Sat and Sunday!

A great NJ diner in the shadow of Old Barney. Great food.
I love the breakfast at Mustache Bill’s. It’s the best on the island. Try the Cyclops. It’s two giant pancakes with a sunny side up egg in the middle. Great omelets and hash browns. What’s not to like?

This is a classic iconic Diner. How it should be. Quick at to the point !
ill update with a more detailed review soon

Guy Fieri’s review was on point!!! Quaint classic diner with amazing home cooked tasty goodness! I had the potato skins breakfast omelet & it was like digesting happiness! Even caught a glimpse of Mustache Bill himself! Staff was super polite & friendly too! Can’t wait to go back next time I’m in the area!

Good clam chowder soup, and Philadelphia steak is for big eater ! Closed early on weekend (3 pm)
Bring your cash no credit card! price is reasonable ! Dining room are small !

The crab cake sandwich with fries, coleslaw and tartare sauce was good. The waitress was available and the place clean.
The omelet with crabmeat, mushrooms and chess read apparently very good too!
Situation is convenient as close to the lighthouse.

This place will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve been vacationing in Barnegat Light since I was a few months old, and Mustache Bills has always been a huge part of the countless memories I have down there. There’s a wonderful old school diner vibe, and you can tell not much has changed in the restaurant over the years. The original front room is tiny, but extremely cozy. The coffee is always fresh, and the food always good. I always feel like I’m getting a home cooked meal from my grandma haha. The wait-​staff is so personable and friendly as well. It’s still cash only, and although that can be a hassle at times, I wouldn’t have it any other way. See you in October for Chowderfest!

My favorite Jersey dinner. Scrapple is incredible. Great pancakes that they can make into fun shapes for kids. Super chipped beef. Fun dinner/​beach atmosphere. I just love it.
The Cyclops is a house specialty but I didn’t love it.
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat what can sometimes be a huge crowd, but it’s worth it.

Nothing super special. Food was good and we were served quickly. They closed at 3pm and we walked in at about 2:45pm. We were seated no problem.

Been coming here for years an LBI staple. Awesome place great for breakfast or lunch. Friendly service and tasty food but prepare for a long wait after 9am.

3 + 2 yr old for breakfast. 3 omelettes (potato skin, bleu & a custom one) plus mermaid pancakes for the cub. Ice coffee for 3 to round out breakfast. All freshly made, hot & delicious. Highly recommended!

As a regular, anything on the menu is great. Breakfast lunch snacks.
Yes, it gets busy, try a seat at the counter.

Just had the potato skin style omelet and it was delicious! Fresh ingredients all evenly spreaded out inside the omelet so you had a bit of everything in every bite. Tasty seasoned home fries and toast with actual melted butter on it and not a frozen square butter slapped on top.

Not sure what all the hype is here — hype that includes a James Beard award and a famous pop in by Guy Fieri and the crew from Diners, Drive-​Ins, and Dives a few years back.
I did not have the hot cakes, which I understand are works of art and a big part of the draw for why people come here. What I did have was perfectly ordinary and average diner food, on par with the mediocrity that most Jersey diners crank out.
My wife had the tuna melt sandwich, and I had the hot pastrami on rye. Both were fine, but neither was memorable. French fries were made from fresh potatoes but were not salted when they arrived, and were not hot enough for a post-​salting to really take effect. Interestingly, if you don’t like the fresh fries, you can opt for frozen steak fries which they will gladly substitute at no extra charge.
Summer weekends are super-​busy, as you would expect. We waited about 40 minutes at 11:30am for a table of four.
Having had a pretty excellent brunch just the day before at Scojo’s in Surf City, I really can’t recommend Mustache Bill’s as a destination restaurant. But if you already happen to be at the end of the island, you’ll do just fine here for a decent breakfast or lunch.

I agree with other reviews, this place is fantastic!
We came here for breakfast. I had the otoato skin omelette which was delicious, The home fries were crisp and fresh. The coffee nicely brewed! Great spot here!

If you in the mood for great diner type food, fish&chips, fries, burgers, pancakes etc. then try this place, a James Beard award winner. However recently the kitchen has gotten creative with offerings like fish taco, and shrimp salad with multicolored beets. The service is attentive and friendly, while the ambiance is a diner from the fifties formica counter with stools, terrazzo floor and lots of shiny stainless steel trim outside. Cash only and while the prices are on the high side the quality and quantity of the servings are worth it.

After reading so much about Bill and his diner, I created high expectations that probably were impossible for any restaurant to meet… even a James Beard winner. So hence the 4 stars that numerically means for me… I am giving MB a 3.5. The extra 0.5 and star since I figure I should respect what that Beard medal represents.
The service was top notch and friendly. For most Jersey diners, service tends to be all business «What do you want?» … No smiles and rushed. Maybe because it was Valentine’s Day and slow that the staff seemed so relaxed. I understand in the summer one can expect 30 min to a 1 hour wait to get a seat. As all diners, they do not take reservations. For the middle of a bitter cold winter day, there were NO lines for this tiny, unassuming diner. We got a booth right away.
The diner itself with the silver exterior and a counter with counter stools were nostalgic with a few booths by the front windows. This diner was built in 1959 and it shows. Not saying that in a bad way… I actually like how it still feels like it’s in the 60’s. I only wished they brought the bathrooms up to 2015 code.
My family and I did not come here for ambience, but to get a decent meal before we hit the Barnegat Lighthouse. It was pretty cool to read on the wall all the magazine and newspaper articles about the place. Even the Beard medal was hanging framed on the wall by their fireplace in the back extension of the diner. BTW That fireplace really did little to fight the winter wind from the ocean, so you better drink their coffee.
My daughter ordered a chocolate milkshake. She enjoyed it… really thick and super Chocolaty. She was so full from it that she could only finish a quarter of her cheeseburger and half of her Dad’s mashed potatoes. She didn’t touch her crispy string fries. (I enjoyed them). The cheeseburger was very boring, needed salt. It was missing a nice brown «crust»…it was not tasty as I would expect from an old seasoned grill.
I ordered the Mediterranean omelet that had asparagus, turkey sausage, tomato and provolone. It was very good with the egg folded like a crêpe with the fixings. Good size portion that I took half home because I ate my daughter’s yummy fries and part of the pancakes we ordered for all of us to try. The buttered grits I ordered were good too… simple and satisfying.
The stack of pancakes were big and fluffy, but we didn’t get one with a face as I had seen shown on the Food Network. That would have been nice for my daughter to see. We easily demolished the stack.
My husband enjoyed his turkey platter too. The platter was clean of even the gravy! The mashed potatoes was the best… homemade, fluffy, perfect. My husband and daughter fought over it!
No room for dessert. Would have liked to see their diner cakes.
Not really worth the 40 mile drive from North, but would eat there again if in the area. I doubt I would wait an hour for a seat. It’s a diner for Christ’s sake.

My family stops at Mustache Bill’s every time we go to LBI. I would definitely recommend ordering the pancakes if you are on the north side of the island. The pancakes are everything they should be: light, fluffy, and even a little crisp on the outside corners. I’ve also tried the runny, yet delicious cyclops which is an fried egg in the middle of a pancake.
Its important to go very early if you go on a busy day of the week, the line can be out the door!