Sand Dollar Pancake House & Restaurant

My family and I have been coming here for years. We spend summers in Lavallette and It’s truly the best breakfast and service ever:) Thank you Marie and family:)

Great food and service! Popular breakfast spot down the shore. Probably the best in the area. Family owned and operated small business. The food is fresh and made to order. Definitely a must try if you are in the area! You may have a long wait on a holiday weekend. Also, I wouldn’t recommend coming here with a large group since the place is not that big. They have limited parking in the front so be prepared to look around for a spot. This is our go to breakfast place when down the shore!

Two stars because the food was solid. Being more of a seasonal place I expected a bit of a wait to sit which was only about 15 minutes. The 50 minute wait for two egg dishes I didn’t expect. Neither waitress or manager offered anything other than more coffee. The manager /​owner appeared to be a miserable one, the kind you find constantly arguing on those restaurant makeover shows, pointing fingers at anyone but herself. Took many tables for the size of the kitchen which makes me think, greedy owners.
If you plan to come here get ready for a long wait.

Excellent food and the service was on point with a smile! Pancakes were great and so were the waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I would definitely recommend this place for breakfast to anyone.

Didn’t even stay to eat. There was a woman that took our name and was extremely rude. Her daughter was a waitress and she came in and said «mom– this lady has her stroller right in the middle of the walk way» and the mom/​hostess said «I know she’s been there a hour» the poor woman was eating where they put her and now it’s her fault she has no where to put her stroller? It wasn’t what they were saying it was how they were saying. Everything was such a problem, no customer service at all. Left at the site of this.

Would do some looking around for different breakfast restaurants before settling here. Service was good, food was not so good.

I have to admit, the staff is not very intelligent here. However, we do not let that ruin our experience. This restaurant has become a staple stop on our yearly trips down to Seaside. They really make some great pancakes, very tasty and moist. The eggs benedict are pretty great as well. The food is a lot less greasy than a lot of other breakfast spots on the island, which is something I think really sets it apart.

George Washington slept here. He didn’t really. But he could have because it takes so fucking long to get food. This place has good food but pancakes and omelettes shouldn’t take 45 minutes and counting to get. Moving the fuck on next weekend.

Came here with a party of seven and a party of four while on vacation. Both times our food was cooked perfectly. The only difference was the service. With a party of four — yesterday, Friday– our server was able to be more attentive even though we were sitting outside. Inside, she seemed more rushed and overwhelmed, although she met our needs quickly.
Our waitresses always honored our special requests and made our accommodations seem like they were no problem.

We live in Ortley Beach and are regular customers of the Sand dollar for both breakfast and lunch. The owners are unbelievably friendly as are every one of the waitresses. The cook is the best in the area. Everything is prepared fresh and he’s very innovative with the sandwiches he comes up with. We have never been disappointed. It’s always a pleasure to dine at the Sand Dollar! 5 stars every time. I’d give it more if I could!!!

A must stop for breakfast. 4 stars instead of 5 only because they are a solid eatery but nothing special but always reliable.

I think this spot deserves more stars than it gets. I had the Nutella French toast with fresh strawberries and it was amazing! Pretty much anything with Nutella involved is amazing true true
But I highly recommend anyone in the area looking for a nice spot to have breakfast or brunch, check this place out. Friendly staff, good selection of choices, quick service and a block from the beach… can’t beat that!

Our family came here for breakfast on Tuesday morning. The hostess that greeted us was an older lady with curly brown hair. She was soooo rude. I should have known then not to eat there. The food was mediocre at best. The young waitresses working there were friendly but a bit annoying. For the price, I’d go somewhere else.

While staying in Chadwick Beach we noticed the pancake house and were excited to go one morning for breakfast.
When we arrived we were swiftly seated at a table. I had a difficult time deciding on what to order as the menu is extensive and filled with delicious-​sounding dishes. I settled on banana nut pancakes, my husband ordered apple cinnamon pancakes, and my mother ordered French toast.
Our food arrived pretty quickly. My pancakes looked pretty sad but actually tasted alright. My husband’s apple cinnamon pancakes were not as described — they were essentially just 3 regular pancakes with a bowl of apple compote on the side and no whipped cream. My mother’s French toast arrived cold and when she flagged down a server to tell them and ask for it to be heated up the woman silently took the plate away and silently returned it a minute or two later. She said nothing at all — just picked the plate up and brought it back.
The staff we encountered were unfriendly and seemed as if they didn’t care whether we enjoyed our breakfast or not. We were all disappointed overall. If you are staying within walking distance of the pancake house and want an edible — but not special — breakfast, this is an option. Otherwise, I would suggest you go elsewhere.

best breakfast on the island! Nutella french toast is to die for and they have great coffee. Food is always delicious quick and affordable. the owner runs a tight ship but makes sure everything runs smoothly, got to appreciate that! usually always a wait during peak times but it goes pretty quickly, they have outside seating too which we don’t mind. this is our go to breakfast place.

Great food. Great service. Our waitress was very nice and even offered me a cup of coffee on my way out!

Unilocalers beware!
On a beautiful August morning we decided to eat outside at the Sand Dollar. The wait was long because everyone had the same idea we did, so we made the best of it. I noticed that tables weren’t ‘t turning over quickly at all. Anyway, after about 40 minutes we were seated. The waitress came over quickly and delivered coffee ASAP which was nice. (yup, stained platics mugs. No biggie, we moved forward). I had the western omelette and a side of pancakes, my beautiful companion ordered 2 eggs and pancakes. (when you are at a pancake house, order pancakes). After a few minutes, I start hearing rumbling from the tables around us about the time it was taking to get their food. 2 tables threatening to leave and the tables that were eating were complaint that the food was cold. The waitresses were struggling trying to keep people happy. Our food took a little over an hour (for breakfast?) and out total time was just about 2 hours. Our food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good. overall the wait and the whole experiance, not worth the hassle. I also didn’t complain but there is no way will will ever go back.
As another Unilocal reviewer mentioned, to many other options in the area to go here.

Friendly, cozy place. Order a plain omelette with pancakes… decent good food at a fair price.

Back in August I was looking for another breakfast option so, From the Old Days in Ortley Beach there used to be a Sand Dollar Pancake house next door to the Starlight hotel years ago that was a hot spot after the Surf club or any club back in the 80’s. Low and behold there is Marie owner of the old place as after a few years Hiatus they reopened up the road from the original location.
Place is very small and crowded almost every day but this off season time allowed us to sit quickly. Coffee was fresh and hot & it’s your typical small café diner type place. Eggs & Omelets of all kinds with some great pancake & French toast concoctions that you will not find anywhere else. The Cinnamon crusted pancakes were a real winner today and you can’ t go wrong with eggs but the breakfast potatoes were so dam good it made simple egg dish even better.
Always a great location back in the 80’s and 90’s and it hasn’t changed much just good solid food from family that does it right. Were giving it 5 Stars remember not as a fine dining establishment but 5 stars for what it does best!!!

First time trekking down to the Jersey Shore and we stumbled upon the Sand Dollar Pancake House. We were starving and basically ordered even before our butts hit the seats in our chairs. «Strawberry Pancakes, please!»
Surprisingly, my hunger did not mask the mediocrtiy of the food. The pancakes were pretty average. I didn’t find them fluffy. Instead, they were a little spongy. I only finished 1 of the 2 that they put on my plate. I did appreciate the fresh strawberries, though.
Husband ordered an eggs and bacon plate and generally seemed to like it.
Service was a tad slow, but we were sitting outside and perhaps out of sight for our busy server.
Conclusion: sit inside and don’t order the pancakes.