Drew’s Bayshore Bistro

I just had a wonderful birthday dinner at Drew’s. This was our first time and it won’t be our last. The staff was super courteous and friendly. They were also very kid friendly. Our 5 year old is very well behaved and dies very well eating off an adult menu. However the waitress said they had Mac and cheese and chicken fingers. Once our daughter heard that, she wanted the Mac and cheese. It was definitely a grown up version. Very creamy and very sharp. I was quite jealous and stole serval bites. Hubby had the mufaletta salad and the pork du juor, which was a massive pork chop with a porchini cream sauce. I also stole bites from him and both dishes were heavenly. I had the crab cake dinner. They were very good. All crab meat. No filler. And very large portion. All of our dishes were large. Even the appetizer salad was big enough to be a meal. Daughter and I shared the chocolate caramel pretzel tart. I’ve never had anything like it before. It was very rich and we struggled to finished it. But we managed. The bill came to $ 103, which I don’t think is bad. I also had an espresso and there were two iced teas on the bill. My daughter and I also brought half our dinners home, so we basically will have gourmet lunches tomorrow. FYI… you’ll probably need a reservation for this place. It was about 75% full on a rainy Wednesday night at 6pm.

Outstanding food. Can’t wait to go back. Looking forward to my third time in 6 weeks and I live 45 minutes away! I am gluten and dairy free — hard to cook for. Drew cooks delicious food just for me! Love it, love it, love it!

The food is unbeatable, staff is great and our family especially loves that it’s byob it helps save a few bucks.

The food here is nothing short of amazing. I respect a menu that changes frequently for seasonal produce, and luckily their creole dishes seem to be mainstays. Standouts in my experience have been the shrimp and grits and the étouffée, so it’s nice to know that they’re likely to be there waiting next time we go. Minus one star for the atmosphere that, while not bad at all, doesn’t quite do justice to the excellent food they have to offer. It seems to be improving though– last time we were there the lights were dimmer, music was on, and noise levels in the dining room was more pleasant as a result.

Hey, if it’s good enough for Bruce and Patti, as read in another review, then why not for me too. Pleasant greeting, eagerly helpful servers, and a fond farewell from the staff.
The salads were large and could be shared by 2. The SW Caesar and the House Salad were both excellent. In fact everything we touched was excellent. I loved the Braised Short Ribs and my wife very much enjoyed and devoured (don’t tell her I said devoured) the Lazy Lobster. Our friends has the mushroom soup, the mussels, and the Salmon.
The parking lot is narrow so be careful. The bathrooms have a weird location behind a curtain in the dining room as opposed to being in the lobby/​waiting room.
Looking forward to a return visit and maybe on the same night as Bruce and Patti.

I am very impressed with Drews. Not only was the pork chop the best one I ever had, but the view of the Verrazano bridge was awesome. Great service too. Highly recommend

Loved it experience here tonight. Service was excellent. He timed everything to come out just perfectly, giving us time between courses. Love the BYOB. Starters were house salad, which we split and loved (goat cheese perfecting). Voodoo shrimp and mushroom bisque were delightful. He had the chicken cordon blu, with sausage, interestingly. I had one of the specials, fillet of sole almondine. Dessert, even through we were full, was apple crisp with butterscotch gelato. Wow! Parking lot was full when we got there early. We found street parking.

From a vegetarian’s point of view, there is without question something strongly positive to be said for a chef/​owner who accommodates dietary preferences and restrictions, as does Drew. It’s for that reason that I acquiesced and chose three instead of two stars.
Because there is more to be said for one that offers something as simple as a vegetarian option (or better, several) on a menu so that a guest doesn’t have to turn making a reservation into an effort or feel uncertain or ambivalent about patronizing an establishment or sheepish once there.
I’ve visited this and the prior Drew’s locations. Though I sympathize with its being forced to move and needing to do so expeditiously, the previous setting, both inside and location-​wise, was far more appealing.
Dining-​wise, I wish I was impressed, as a friend loves the place and I understand that it is widely considered to be quite good.
But between being forced to eat a macaroni and cheese appetizer as an entre when not in that mode, a hostess refusing to sit someone with health issues accompanying me away from the heat of the kitchen despite there being open tables, and the current rather awkward and unappealing strip-​mallish location and complete lack of interior atmosphere, there is, very unfortunately, virtually nothing of interest to me here.

Great cajun, in a place where I certainly did not expect it.

No vegetarian options on the menu. The chef was able to accommodate my request of pasta, butter, garlic, tomato, parmesan. To say it was delicious is an understatement.
I was with a party of 13 and not one of us was even slightly disappointed. The food was stellar. The service was outstanding– friendly and fast!
The desert– oh my gosh. I had the holiday trifle– cheesecake cherry jubilee with graham cracker crumbles… No words can do it justice.
I just wish they’d have actual vegetarian options on the menu, but again I wasn’t at all disappointed with my meal.

Not sure if Drew was in the kitchen yesterday (Friday night) but the craw fish was bland and heavy on oil, escargot was too salty, scallops were raw (had to send back to cook). Not the usual experience but what’s going on here? Is the chef taking it easy? The wait staff service was excellent and the desserts were great.

Best steak I’ve ever had. Best BYOB restaurant around. Worth every penny. NOT rushed by servers either.

We had such a delicious meal last night at Drew’s!!! I had read the reviews online before coming in so I was very excited! For an appetizer we got the voodoo shrimp and they were so delicious. Not something you can get everywhere and really tasty. For the meal I got the truffle risotto and scallops– AMAZING. Dessert was the sea salt pretzel chocolate caramel torte. Ridiculous. I’m still full and everything really was so delicious and pretty large portions. The menu is seasonal so I definitely want to go back soon and try other things. HIGHLY recommend!!!

We’ve lived in the area for over 3 years and finally got here tonight. We will definitely be back! I couldn’t believe how busy it was for a Thursday night. My son ordered the Dijon and herb salmon. I ordered the duck confit. We split the pork empanada for an appetizer. Everything was delicious and the service was great.

This is the best!
Warm, inviting, and sincere.
If you only go out to dinner for special occasions, Drew’s is the place to go.
Steak, seafood, chops, the specials are a celebration of exceptional dining.
Trust me on this!

So I go to Drews, which is usually very good, and still was. My only minor gripes here are the spotty wine glasses, over kill of Bleu cheese in the Escargot, and the waitress auctioning off the food. I HATE when the waitress auctions off the food. I didn’t come to Drews to eat delicious food and pay good money for some lady to come over and say «who gets the salmon?» Drives me nuts. Anyways, we will be back but a word to Drew, don’t miss the small stuff. It adds up to the big picture later.

Love, Love, Love Drew’s. Another outstanding dining feast tonight. From the pork belly Appitzer and the fried pork chop dinner topped off by spicy brownie dessert with cappichino gelato. The seasonal menu changes keeps you coming back over and over again.
Thank You
Drew and Tracy.,
Mr and Mrs Leonard Brugnola
Hazlet NJ.

Food was amazing! We had Mac and cheese, pork rillettes, crawfish cheesecake, duck, chicken and waffles andddd the bread pudding and chocolate salted caramel tart ! I could literally eat that tart every day of my life! I would be happy returning and just pigging out on appetizers! Very generous portions! Going back Monday with a friend!

One of NJ’s finest
The food was fantastic the voodoo shrimp was unreal with a nice level of spice and sweetness
Truly delicious

Awesome and phenomenal! True definition of hospitality! Food is super tasteful, rich with flavors, and wonderfully creative. Talk about a passion for gastronomy. Made from the heart with love! Thank you Drew and la familia. Xoxo
BYOB place gets extra star. A++!!! My friend and I, both of us restaurant ppl and foodies, love this place. It was our 1^st time, and the raves and reviews are in point. We were fortunate to get the voodoo shrimp app and chocolate ganache dessert complimentary. The dessert threw our bellies over the top, extra stuffed and comatose. Effin’ decadent and super delish!
The Short-​Rib Mac ‘n Cheese is THEE BEST EVERRRR!!! If I had to dream of amazing Mac ‘n Cheese, this is it. Fantastically combined, perfectly cooked, and topped with crunchies. Super Scrumptious!
Escargot! Extra WOW! Dozen or more fresh snails mixed with a rich creamy blue cheese sauce and fresh herbs. Lip smacking delicious. Very heavy and oh so yummy.
The Pulled Pork was exquisite. Perfectly seasoned. The pickled veggies were tangy and sweet.
Now these are just the apps. And we were full. So dinner and dessert was, just simply stated, gluttonous! My entrée was the Osso Bucco. So magnificently cooked it melted off the bone with the fork. Unreal. The smashed potatoes with the jus was a perfect combo. My friend ate the crab cakes which are delicious and nicely pan seared, but the crab meat is too finely grounded. I like it to be more chunky (my only suggestion).
The service was excellent too. She knew the menu inside out, and was very sweet and kind. She opened up our 2 bottles of wine (Avalon Cab and Menage a Trois — perfect combo for our food selections.) She brought us 4 wine glasses as requested with a smile. She could use some wine opening training but no biggie.
Trust me, No One can ever be disappointed. If you are, then you simply don’t know phenomenal food and should stay home to mix up your nasty boxed Kraft Mac n cheese. I will definitely return more often with more friends and family. They all deserve to be treated to mouthwatering cuisine. That’s all folks!