Mediocrity and High Prices at Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, NJ

Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, New Jersey, likes to brag about its "storybook setting" with multilevel seating and an outdoor patio, probably because this is pretty much all the restaurant has going for it. The food is mediocre, as is the service. The prices are a bit high and the portions are a tad small. This is a restaurant review of Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

There are a lot of decent recent restaurants at the Jersey Shore, and Scarborough Fair simply does not stand out as one of the best. Sure, it's bright and cheerful by day, with all its windows, but I have yet to see a single view worth peering out the window for. I don't know exactly which "storybook" was set on Meetinghouse Road in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

I could forgive Scarborough Fair for overly boasting about its atmosphere (which is simply okay), if the restaurant delivered on its promise of good food. But the food simply isn't that good. Certainly not exciting or unique. Not even worth the high prices.

Scarborough Fair requests "casual upscale attire," but the restaurant itself - from the setting, to the mediocre dishes, to the aloof service - simply doesn't demand more than a tee shirt and shorts. The restaurant refers to itself as "the shore's best kept secret," but there's a reason it has remained a secret - it's simply not very good.

If you must try Scarborough Fair, try it for lunch, because dinner will only serve to strip your wallet or purse completely bare. At dinner, you will pay between $8 and $13 for appetizers, between $17 and $23 for a simple pasta dish, and between $20 and $30 for a mediocre entree. Side dishes such as rice or potato cost an extra five dollars.

I have given Scarborough Fair several chances to impress me, and the restaurant has failed miserably each and every time. Those I dined with agree. My fiancé said, "It has decent atmosphere, but certainly nothing that lives up to its description on their website. The food is very blah and ordinary. The service is terrible at times, and barely acceptable at others. And Scarborough Fair's prices are outrageous considering the quality of food and service. I wouldn't go back again."

If you live in or are visiting the Jersey Shore area, you may want to steer clear of Scarborough Fair. The restaurant claims it is a well-kept secret. Let's keep it that way, shall we?