Review: Cabanas

Type: Bar & Grill
Location: 429 Beach Ave., Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: 908-884-4800
Happy Hour: Yes, from 4-7 pm, half price for beer, margaritas, and wine by the glass

Here is the website for the place. The menu is here.

During the season, or even on a weekend, off-season, this place is party central. Normally, I don't like that kind of atmosphere, but we didn't encounter that on a Thursday night in April. The place was virtually deserted except for a few staff, and two other couples, one of which couldn't stop smashing face at the bar, between sips of whatever, and bites of food.

Our waiter was a young guy, eager, and attentive, for the most part, but wasn't too quick to bring our check when we were ready to leave.

I had to have the french onion soup, and a crabcake sandwich. I've had better french onion soup for a buck less, in a diner, to be honest, but this wasn't bad. The crabcake sandwich was fresh, and tasty, without a lot of breadcrumb filler or coating, but it was nothing that couldn't be found elsewhere around town, for the same price. The tartar sauce was bland -- almost like straight mayonnaise. The tortilla chips that came with it were pretty good, with enough salt to stand on their own, which was good, given that the pico de gallo served was a very skimpy dollop.

The burgers are cooked the way they should be. Medium rare comes out pink in the middle, not red or overcooked. Again, they are nothing special that cannot be found elsewhere in town for the same price.

There is a pool table in the house, so maybe on a slow night, I'd go there again to shoot some pool, but if it gets crowded, I think I'd stay away. The food was alright. The waiter was alright. I just get the feeling that if if it got busy, and noisy, I'd go elsewhere. Beachside party bars aren't really my thing.