Windrift Restaurant

Want to pay a ton of money for just one beer? Come to the Windrift!
Seriously — the prices are outrageous.
The bar has gone through a lot of changes over the past decade, and not all for the best. The whole hotel/​restaurant/​bar used to have a ton of character. It felt like a beach resort that had its own unique identity. Now it feels like its trying to be some trendy millennial club, and it just doesn’t feel like the same place anymore. It’s lost its character.
Also, with the exception of specials, the prices they charge for drinks are astronomical.
It’s a shame what happens when a successful establishment tries to change into something that it didn’t ever need to be.
If this were 10 years ago. I’d say go for it.
Not anymore. The Windrift of old is dead.

Since I was last here in 2012, I am very pleased to see that the Windrift has made a lot of improvements in the quality of their food, drinks and service. I have been to the restaurant about five times this summer and I’ve enjoyed every visit so far. The sushi, sandwiches, appetizers, and wings were all delicious for the most part. The waiters and waitresses that have been serving them have been friendly, prompt and professional. Prices are still high, but not as outrageous as previously thought now that the all around quality has improved.
Mexican Monday, the famous Tuesday Wing Night, and discounted pizzas on Wednesday night are all good deals. I always recommend getting one or more of their sushi dishes each visit, as I feel this is the best part of their menu.
After nearly 35 summers at the 80^th Street Avalon beach, I finally went to their wing night and was happy we did. Three of us split the large wings order ($ 26 for about 50 wings). There were about 8 remaining since we had to have a couple sushi rolls too. I will continue to frequent the Windrift this summer and I look forward to enjoying them again next summer… assuming they can keep up the good work.

Went there for wings night said there world famous if that’s there best very lousy high price not worth it

We’ve been here a couple times and every time it’s swamped but the service is decent and the prices are as well for a place right on the water. A solid 4 star casual for beach afternoons or dinner!

Pros: Service, atmosphere, live music, food, drinks.
Cons: Music can get a little loud.
My wife and I came here after dinner elsewhere for a drink before we headed back to our beach rental in Avalon and we ended up staying for way longer than intended because of the fun that we had with our bartender and the live band playing. We visited during jazz night and the band was great, we had a lot of fun and even got up and danced to a couple songs. Our bartender Jill was amazing! She did what a bartender is supposed to do, pour great drinks (some of which she recommended), and talk with her customers and made sure we were all having a good time. Because we ended up staying a bit longer than expected we got a little hungry and ordered the lobster pizza. The pizza was delicious and the lobster was not bountiful but not skimped out on either. We ended up returning later in the week and had fun as well although the band downstairs that night was extremely loud and we couldn’t hold a conversation se we went up stairs. I ordered the oysters and they were delicious. Overall this place seems like a great place to party and kick back and relax. We will definitely return when back in the area.

Had a an amazing meal here; but after our meal our experience was ruined when we went to walk outside to leave. An older gentleman, identifying himself as Mr. Jones, stopped my friend Eugene and insisted on checking his ID so that we could walk through the «club» section of the restaurant. Eugene politely complied, and handed the old man his ID. The man told him «You’re not walking through here, Fuck Nut, your ID is expired.» We had no intention of staying, but after being treated so rudely, we will certainly never return to this incredibly rude establishment. When I asked the guy for his name, said «Mr. Jones» — which I am assuming is a fake name, but if you are a manager reading this review, this man was posted next to the dining room tonight; near the live piano player, above the area where they prepare the sushi.

The windrift is a difficult review so let’s start with the good parts…
1) Beergarita — so yummy
2) The views — pretty much anywhere above the ground level has beautiful views especially if you can get on the deck.
3) The pizza is good and has some different versions — I like the lobster one the best
4) They often have bands and music so that makes the Windrift a fun place
5) They have limited but good sushi — nothing exotic.
The rest of the food is really pricey bar food. Not saying it’s bad but there are better places to eat. The nachos and guac annoy me the most. Their nachos are loaded but they seem to use low end chips and the guac seems like it is store bought; I could be wrong on the guac.
If you take the Windrift for what it is — an upscale bar with great views and fun, upscale bar foods coupled with some tasty drinks and music you won’t be disappointed. If you are looking for a sit down restaurant — this isn’t it.

Actually, I have no gripes against the Windrift. The sushi is primo. The atmosphere is swank. The cocktails are tasty. However, two stars are cut due to the 13.00 «Kobe beef» sliders. They were a joke. The meat resembled that of senior high school cafeteria brand burgers. Plus, it wasn’t fresh, sadly frozen, thawed and microwaved. Kobe was forgotten about in this case. Shame! However, the waitress was courteous and removed the charge.

My posse and I decided to eat at this restaurant because of its beautiful view of the ocean. Because one of my friend’s wore Nike slip-​On sandals, we weren’t comfortable to eat in the fine dining with such a putz. The food and drinks in the casual section were good, but a tad over priced. Our waitress, Ann-​Katrin, was one of the most passive-​aggressive wenches we have ever had the displeasure of having serve us. As you read this, I know you, the Unilocaler, are thinking that the aforementioned statement has to be extremely too harsh. I will give you an example of her dubious character. After having shown her face twice at our seven person table. She brought the bill for our meals on one check. I kindly asked her if she would be able to split them up individually. She responded with a grimace and shoved the receipt back at me, requiring me to write down what each person at our table ordered. I was perfectly fine with such a request, knowing that she is a busy waitress and most likely doesn’t have the memory of an elephant. I took the time to write everything out. I returned the list to her and ten minutes later she returned with all seven of our checks. Instead of handing them to us, she piled all of them together and pitched them on our table, walking away hotly. Most paid with credit cards and after swiping all of them, she again brought our receipts and cards back, abandoning them on the table with a light toss. No «goodbye» or «have a good night». Her ill-​mannered service led us all to promise to never return. I gave the restaurant four stars because I have a merciful heart and didn’t want the seemingly gracious crew of other servers to suffer. The meals themselves were large portioned and delish. Unilocalers at this restaurant be weary, server Ann-​Katrin is not very cheery.
–MARC P.

This review is for the Windrift’s Restaurant and bars, not the hotel. I absolutely love coming to the Windrift’s for happy hour after the beach (and have been doing so for many years), the restaurant is beautiful and huge! They offer a large downstairs bar and restaurant area, and 3 bars upstairs, 2 of which have beautiful beach views. The outside bar upstairs can get crowded (because it is in direct view of the beach), however the music and ambience for happy hour is wonderful. The homemade sangria is to die for. My friends often order appetizers as well, which are tasty (the sushi is refreshing and hits the spot after a long hot day on the beach). What’s better is the fact that the atmosphere is casual during happy hour — you can certainly come in a beach cover up! There are always people dressed up for dinner and after hours, however the happy hour is truly the best!

Went to the Windrift to kick off my July 4^th weekend and I was really happy with my dinner. The sushi is really good. I recommend the Canyon roll and Avalon roll. The wings are really good and so are the crab fries. Service was good as well as the atmosphere

I am surprised at how much money people are willing to spend here. The drinks are over priced compared to other spots on the island and the food… oh the food… it’s ridiculous. We ordered a simple meal, guacamole and chips to start for 11 bucks… it was bagged chips, packaged guacamole and jarred salsa. Sad. Then the pizza, 21 bucks for a margarita pizza… I was expecting something good… nope 5 melted pieces of cheese on an average pizza.
I can say though it looks great in there. Hence the stars.
PS I am an average Joe with his family in an Avalon/​Stone Harbor restaurant.

Decent place to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat… But waitstaff is NOT great … Not one of them has smiled for the 3 hours my group has been here. Shame… Management must really suck.

NYC native came down to Stone Harbor for a long weekend and decided to grab some dinner and drinks. Atmosphere was great, 4 stars, but food was average, 2 – 3 stars. After returning back to our hotel me and my girlfriend became violently ill with food poisoning. I’ve never been this sick before. I’ll save everyone the details but this place is disgusting. Save yourself and don’t eat here.
— Joe

I’ve been here a few times and only sat in their loud boisterous section.
This last time I sat in their fine dining section.
Menu is very different as is the service. All very high end.
2of us ordered the seabass, 1 chicken dish and one scallops. All excellent.
The prices are very expensive but compared to the amount of food you get, I felt like it was a bargain.

I popped in here for lunch on a Sunday (holiday weekend) as a party of 4, and they were able to accommodate us right away as they have a big dining hall. We requested to sit outside, but the small patio (10 or so tables was all packed) so we settled indoors. The atmosphere was what you can expect it to be for a beach front bar/​restaurant with some live music (not sure when they play) and the food was good.
For food, we did an assortment of the lobster grilled cheese, pulled pork tacos, fish tacos, and lettuce wraps with shrimp. We also did an order of party fries (cheese with old bae seasoning) for the table to share which were also good. Overall, everyone was satisfied with their food selections.
The drinks were a bit pricier than I had expected. We did 2 pitchers ($ 35/​each) of essentially spiked lemonade that I couldn’t seem to justify the price. We were able to maybe get 4 glasses out of it (minus the ice). The service was also good but for $ 40 a person for a casual lunch, I would’ve expected the pricing on food/​drinks to be a bit better.
Decent spot if you are hungry and looking to get some good food in, but be cognizant that the bill will go up as you order more drinks (DUH!).

First time here was for wing night on a Wednesday and I had a great time! Everything was reasonably priced which was unexpected for Avalon. Loved the view of the beach/​ocean from the outdoor seating. There was good live music playing and a few people dancing. I’m excited to come
Back next time I’m in Avalon!

The newly renovated café reminds me of a cafeteria at a grade school. It is nice to come out and sit on the decks and enjoy the view however the bar deck is very small.
The food is so so. I would expect better from the windrift

We were seated almost immediately and outside per our request. The four of us ordered drinks and a few appetizers. My drink did not come out correctly– this is always disappointing. But our waitress quickly fixed it. But we had waited awhile for it. We ordered the edamame which were done perfectly and came out pretty quickly. We also ordered deviled eggs. There were four in the order and they were amazing! A nice touch was a strip of hot sauce on the plate– this allowed those who like hot sauce to include it and those that don’t to avoid it. There was live music. This is a cool and casual place to hang.

Good music, very casual scene for the end of the day, even better scene for the end of the weekend on Sunday nights.
Wed night wing night offers great wing and beer specials.