Polly's Dock and Clamhouse

Craig LaBan recommends this hidden gem of a seafood shack tucked onto a dock at the southern end of Long Beach Island: “It’s been a boat rental since 1941; the Damiani family added a restaurant only in 2014. The 49 al fresco seats are first-come, first-served, and predictably most prized when rosy sunsets illuminate the western horizon. But this kitchen has an all-day appeal: enormous clam bakes that sail to the table in a large pan brimming with 50 steamy littlenecks in wine-kissed broth with potatoes and corn, ringed by seeded Liscio’s garlic bread rounds to soak it up. The clams are harvested from the very bay Polly’s sits on."