Up and down the Jersey Shore, there are so many food, drink and entertainment options, it’s easy to find a place to suit your fancy. One bar that stands apart — by offering an incredible menu, ice cold drinks, a unique viewing experience and top-notch staff — is D’Arcy’s Tavern in Bradley Beach.
Located at 310 Main Street, this is one of the few soccer bars in the area, made obvious by the soccer paraphernalia adorning the walls and hanging from the ceiling.
Tara Schneider, media and marketing manager, told Night & Day, “If you look around you will see a lot of soccer scarves. We are a sports bar but we specialize in soccer, so that put us on the map for sure. We have had a lot of fun making events out of it and blowing it up even more because you don’t realize how big of a fan base soccer has here.”
From the American to the European leagues and every other league in between, D’Arcy’s tavern has it all to ensure that all fans, no matter who they are rooting for, can watch the game they want.
“We have found an awesome balance of making a regular-style, awesome restaurant, fun bar and incorporating that extra (soccer) element that helps us stand out,” said Schneider.
D’Arcy’s Tavern opened in 2007, and Schneider boasted about how close and family-like the staff is with each other. This not only makes working at the restaurant a joy, but it trickles down to the patrons who end up feeling like family, too.
Like so many other businesses, D’Arcy’s was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This did not stop staff members from putting their heads together to come up with a solution.
“Instead of totally knocking us down, everybody here put our brains together and really realized we can utilize outside,” said Schneider. “We turned that into an affordable and accessible eating place.”
This legacy of excellence has continued through the years as the kitchen, and more importantly the food, speaks for itself with the quality of the dishes. Schneider touted D’Arcy’s head chef, Frank Setaro, for continuing to strive for excellence at the tavern and always coming up with new meals to put on the menu, including daily specials.
“People come constantly for the kitchen,” said Schneider. “The food is top notch; the chef is so intelligent. He is classically trained and is so generous with his knowledge and what he has to offer.”
On top of the top-of-the-line food they offer, D’Arcy’s kitchen is 100% nut-free, and the kitchen has a variety of vegan and gluten-free options and substitutions.
If this were not enough, most ingredients are locally sourced from surrounding farms and fishermen.
She further said, “We are seven days a week, opening on the first kick from the first match. We are happy to be here, happy to serve you and so excited to share all the new stuff we got going on.”
CALIFORNIA OMELET
The California Omelet, often referred to many as the “Cali Omelet” is an egg white omelet filled with black beans, asparagus and Cheddar jack cheese topped with sliced avocado and pico de gallo. The dish is also served with home fries and your choice of toast.
“This Cali Omelet has been such a big hit for many, many years,” said Schneider, and it is easy to see why. The beans give the omelet such a unique texture and taste that you will be halfway done before you even notice.
The pico de gallo and avocado also add flavor and texture. The freshness of both is apparent from the first bite, as the juicy and chilled pico and avocado contrasts wonderfully with the warm and fluffy omelet.
Schneider confirmed that despite the significant rise in egg costs, the prices for dishes containing eggs have remained the same. Also served every day is the fresh-squeezed orange juice, which is some of the best juice this reporter has ever had.
All breakfast is served seven days a week from opening to 1 p.m. sharp.
GRILLED WINGS
D’Arcy’s also is known for its wings, in both grilled and fried varieties with several wet and dry flavors. The wings come in six or 12-counts, and patrons can mix and match any of the flavors.
Zahtajin is D’Arcy’s “famous, in-house” dry rub, mixing the two spices za’atar, a sesame seed-based blend, and tajin, a chili-lime blend.
These wings are uncharacteristically juicy, with both rubs bringing out the best in the chicken. The Buffalo has a wonderful kick and leaves a tingle on your lips while the zahtajin is zesty.
TURKEY GOBBLER
Chicken is not the only bird on the menu, as one of the most famous dishes, the Turkey Gobbler, is another smash hit for D’Arcy’s. This sandwich is filled with roast turkey, wheat berry bread, cranberry mayo, lettuce, tomato and Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese on a large sandwich served with your choice of a house salad, chips or fries.
“This is a classic sandwich that always sells for lunch and dinner. It’s very popular and very standard,” said Schneider.
D’Arcy’s cranberry mayo pairs well with the delicious turkey, and the freshly cut lettuce and tomato only add to the flavors. The sandwich is generously sized, but not too big that you cannot get your mouth around the bread.
CHIPOTLE BACON BURGER
Like any good tavern, D’Arcy’s also delivers on burgers, as well. One of its signature burgers is the chipotle bacon cheeseburger. This sandwich features a Cajun seared burger smothered with warm chipotle blue cheese and apple-smoked bacon, served with either a house salad, chips or fries.
To say this burger is good is an understatement, because the flavors are enough to swoon over. The crunchiness of the bacon, the zing of the cheese, combining with the perfectly cooked meat of the burger cascade together to form this symphony of flavor that will leave your mouth wanting more.
D’ARCY’S PREMIER LAGER
What would a tavern be without cold beer? On top of having a variety of beers, liquors and other alcoholic drinks at the ready, D’Arcy’s also has an eponymous beer.
Schneider said, “We get it from 12 Percent Imports up in Connecticut. We were talking with them and they wanted to make a beer for us, and we could name it whatever we wanted. So we had some fun with it, so this is officially D’Arcy’s Premier Lager.”
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