There's nothing more enjoyable than a vacation at the beach, and in the Wildwoods the skies are blue and the water is getting warm. You could literally spend the entire day playing in the sand and surf, but inevitably you'll need to break for meals. Luckily, you'll find some of the best restaurants right here in the Wildwoods. One in particular is Holy Mackerel.

Owned and managed by brother Phil and Joe Lazar, they have a good thing going on – friendly, personable service, but aside from all that very important stuff – Joe can cook. The restaurant which is located right on the beach at Louisville and the beach and is in the Madrid Resort, Wildwood Crest has the best of every world. A great location, excellent food and fun and friendly atmosphere with wonderful service.

These guys are getting to know me, in the last 2 weeks I have been in there 3 times for take out – they’re calling me family now, but for some reason, I think they make everyone feel like family. Joe is the chef – Phil is the marketing guy, but together they are doing a good thing and they have each others back, I like that. It’s just nice to see a family working together and having fun at the same time.

No matter what your appetite is, seafood, steak or maybe something exotic, or if you’re just craving a good meal at a reasonable cost? Whatever tickles the palate, it's available at Holy Mackerel. Just an idea of what is available.Tonight I had the linguini with a light sauce, crabs and shrimp – it’s one of Joe’s specialties that he calls “Linguini  Fra Diablo” – the serving was huge and even though I was completely satisfied, it was so good I wanted more. Along with my entree I had the choice of spring mix salad or the Caesar salad – Chef Joe makes a mean Caesar dressing, plus it is a huge serving- I’ll be able to eat what I didn’t finish for lunch tomorrow. The crab cakes are good, the wraps are good, Chicken Piccante with pasta is very good, and the rotisserie chicken with penne pasta is also very good, honestly, I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like – as my nice says; “Aunt Car, it’s all good.” It is at Holy Mackerel.

Since they are located right on the beach, it’s a great place to bring the kids for breakfast, lunch or dinner – they’re open from 7am to 10pm, and have a fully equipped ice cream station. If you’re heading over for dinner, keep in mind that Wildwood Crest is a dry town, but you can byo to the restaurant.

If you’re lucky enough to be enjoying an extended stay in the Wildwood area you may indulge in a variety of flavors - in settings from flashy to casual, all reasonably priced, but be sure to stop at Holy Mackerel you won’t disappointed. We give Holy Mackerel a thumbs up!

Holy Mackerel Restaurant is located at 430 E. Louisville Avenue Wildwood, NJ 08260
(609) 522-1820.

See their ad in free.time magazine or the Wildwood Leader this week for a coupon. You can check out these publication at

www.shorenewstoday.com and with our new formatting actually crop the coupon and print it out from your computer.

Our Editor Rob Seitzinger wrote this article about Holy Mackerel a few weeks back.