Salty’s Surf Shack delivers a smarter way to do the beach, pairing oceanfront views and shade with Salty Turtle beer and easy eats in Surf City.
Photography by City 2 Sea Media
A good spot on the beach. It’s an age-old battle. At least when I was back in Jersey.
True, it’s less so down here, because the beaches are less crowded. And after you do get set up, you probably won’t have some cafone bring his stuff down and set up directly in front of you.
But still, finding exactly the right spot to enjoy a beach day is a critical art. You schlep the beach chairs, the umbrella, the kiddie toys, maybe even grandma and grandpa in one of those balloon-tired rolling beach chairs and you search for a spot.
It needs to be close enough to the water so you don’t have far to walk back to your “camp.” But not so close that the incoming tide will flood you out like a tsunami.
It also must be close to the pathway that leads to the parking lot because it always seems you have more stuff to bring back than you brought down.
The sand will likely be too hot for the tootsies of the little ones. And grandma and grandpa ain’t going to roll themselves back through that sand.
It can be daunting. But help is on the way.
Just call up the owners of the Salty Turtle Beer Company and ask them for advice on finding the “perfect spot.” After all, they did.
They needed a place to put their Salty’s Surf Shack. And after signing a lease, they set up camp in the former Surf City Welcome Center.
The owners also had to do some renovations — like build a bar into the place, because as good an idea as it might sound, the welcome center did not have one.
But it did have a perfect spot for watching the many surfers who flock to that spot to ride the curls. And one thing the welcome center did have was a warm shower, which the surfers enjoyed after a day in the ocean.
Fortunately, according to affable Manager Candace King, the warm shower is still in operation. But now the surfers — and the general population — can also enjoy a full-service bar, gorgeous ocean views and even food, thanks to the QR code ordering process arranged by the business with local eateries.
There’s a Shaka Taco right across the street that will deliver directly to your table or seat at the bar. The famous Peak Kitchen is also represented, and if you have ever had its pizza, you will know why that’s a coup.
And as effervescent as their boss Candace, the servers who rotate shifts are equally friendly and accommodating.
Welcoming your well-behaved children and furry friends, Salty Turtle Surf Shack is a hotspot on the Surf City beachfront. Though you might have to get there early, as the place tends to pack out.
Dean Kelley, Daniel Callender and Zack White, who created the Salty Turtle brand, have seen Salty Turtle Beer make quite a name for itself in the area over the years.
Salty’s Surf Shack carries a solid collection of Salty Turtle beers. But there are also taps dedicated to the demands of the light-lager market as well as other well-known beers.
I asked Candace if patrons will be able to take those beers, their food, chairs, grandmas and grandpas out on the pristine beach directly in front of the business, and she said yes to everything but the beers.
It seems that the beach in front of the place is designated by the city as a “family beach,” hence no alcoholic beverages are permitted on that stretch.
Not that it matters, because during the season, who would not want an air-conditioned place with great beer and food accessible directly on the beach. Those wide viewing windows make you feel like you are right there — without having to schlep the umbrellas, chairs, blankets, sand toys and sand. Or grandma and grandpa, who are probably inside anyway, enjoying a Coastline Kolsch.
CLAIM YOUR PATCH OF PARADISE
Salty’s Surf Shack
102 N. Shore Drive, Surf City
saltyturtlebeer.com/location/saltys-surf-shack
