American Grill

American Grill
816 Arnold Avenue
Point Pleasant Beach
732-714-6919; americangrillppb.com

Hours: Mon–Fri, 6 am-2:30 pm; Sat and Sun, 8 am–3 pm. Dinner, Wed–Thurs, and Sun, 4:30–8 pm; Fri and Sat, 4:30–10 pm.

Price: $$

Style: This friendly, storefront café in a clean, contemporary space is popular with locals for breakfast and lunch; dinner hours were launched just in time for summer. 

Don’t Miss: It’s hard to beat American Grill’s 50 cent cup of coffee to start the day. Popular breakfasts include steak-and-eggs Benedict ($12) and reliably good omelettes ($7 to $10). The wide sandwich selection includes grilled veggie ($9) and grilled chicken ($9), both drizzled with a yummy balsamic reduction. The hot au jus beef sandwich ($10) is a hearty classic. For dinner, stop counting calories and give in to the disco potatoes ($7) topped with gravy and cheese. Or build your own mac & cheese ($9), with add-ons including broccoli, diced chicken, diced ham, tuna, crab, pesto and others for $1 to $4 extra. Roast pork ($16) features tasty medallions topped with an Applejack brandy demi glace and roasted apples. Other classics include meatloaf ($14) and the All-American ($15), a virtual picnic of burger, dog, potatoes, beans and salad.

Heads Up: Chef Ryan Hennessey, active on Facebook, posts his specials throughout the day. Take a peek before heading over.

The Scoop: Just a block west of Point Pleasant Beach’s popular downtown walking area, this BYO offers consistently good food minus the frenzied beach-and-bar crowd. On-street parking is usually available, or there’s a lot directly across the street.