The Proving Ground Review

I drove all the way from NY to this place and it was well worth it. From the time I walked in to the moment I got back to my car everything was great, ! The server we had was Amazing. She was very attentive and knowledgeable on the menu items and drinks. The view was pleasant and the food was perfect couldn t ask for a better dinner with my mom esp after a hot day at the beach it was so refreshing.

Food needs work. Fried chicken sandwich was disgusting. They apparently use dark meat but didn t say it in the menu. Cool space though.

We ate here and loved the atmosphere and location. The food was fantastic and I can't wait to go back again.

Proving Ground is a must try for everyone. The atmosphere is beautiful, the vibe is fun, the service is outstanding and the food is fantastic!! Located right on the Shrewsbury River, the view is spectacular! So if you love being on the water, listening to music and eating delicious food, head over, you won t be disappointed.

Would definitely recommend trying this place. Awesome atmosphere, delicious food, great customer service. Fantastic work.

Love the Cajun mahi sandwich here. Pretty to sit by the water. Today was extremely windy & cold, everyone was buying their sweatshirts.

Sooooo disappointed, great place to drink, not to eat though. Ordered chicken tenders, Mac and cheese bites and nachos, everything tasted like it was frozen food sitting out all day. Very dry and tough. Really gross, not fresh at all. I had such high hopes this would be my new spot for football Sundays.

Food was good and band enjoyable. I liked the new layout of the space.

The food was good and service was excellent. Unfortunately we had to eat outside due to Covid19 restrictions and it rained but can not fault them for that.

Service was friendly but the menu left much to be desired. Food was nothing to write home about. I won't be back.

Excellent atmosphere- outside bar with band. Upstairs- great service food and fun.

Loved the place. Great and clean environment. They were very helpful with my allergy and made our first time there very enjoyable.

Pan sheared tuna was perfect. The view is beautiful looking over into Sandy Hook.

Really nice on the water dining with full upscale menu. Crowded so be sure to make reservations.

Love it! Right on the water were boats & jet skis pull right up.Food was good.Drinks $$.Very friendly atmosphere & music always a plus.

Very good food, as well as service. Enjoyed & recommend highly.

Love this place! Great views, terrific food, incredible beer selection (nice and COLD too), and amazing service. Couldn't ask for more! I've been here twice so far, ordered the filet mignon both times and it was 100% perfect each time. Lobster bisque is absolutely to die for! Only problem with this restaurant can be a long wait, but seriously can't think of any other nagative. This place is doing everything right! Will definitely be returning soon.

They did a great job renovating this place. Great food and atmosphere

Great food, nice view of water, and atmosphere. Reasonable prices!

Great service. Corned beef sandwich and split pea soup were very tasty.

Our group of family and friends of 15 went here Saturday afternoon to celebrate the retirement of one of our own. Our experience with PG was amazing from start to finish. Our waitress, Kelly, was the best! She took amazing care of us the entire time! The food, from appetizers to entrees, were delicious! The restaurant itself is truly appealing. The views of the water were very soothing. If you're looking for somewhere to have an amazing night out or celebrate a special occasion, this is the place to go. You will not be disappointed.

Terrible food, unreasonable prices, rude staff. The trifecta of bad business. How is this place still open?

Really nice. Menu was extensive great selection. Staff helpful. Food came very fast.

What can I say. I've been here before and keep coming back. Love the lobster roll! I should say "rolls ". Two rolls filled with large pieces and amounts of lobster. Fries are great too. Lobster bisque? Mmmmm. Great food, service and views!

First of all the service was great. The server we had kept up with the needs of are party. Eating outside was nice, food was good. Drinks also. Can't wait to return.

This place was really nice right by the water. The service was great the food was exquisite. I can't wait to go there in the summer time when they have live music! It is a really Great place to go (Plus it's Very Clean!!) I definitely would recommend going there!!!!

Front desk not friendly, manager was nasty, view and ambiance good, bartenders were awesome. Food was good.

The food is always great! Our server Kelly is also the best.

Food is great and drinks are good, waiters and bus people work hard and do a great job, but the policies at the outside bar area are a little restricted. The hostess, when seating you outside in the bar area, needs to communicate verbally their policies, and not just leave it up to the "paying client" to figure out. I guess we didn t read the sign, that was not facing us when we sat down, that there is a 2 hour limit. The restriction seems to only be for the outside bar area tables downstairs. So we were kindly asked to leave after ordering another drink. $150 bill and it was time to go. Mind you they had 3 open tables outside with no one seated but we were asked to leave. Our time has expired. Never had that happen at any of the other local bars in the area, especially when we were there to see our favorite band play. Very disappointed in the management. Oh BTW it was the second time we were asked to leave a table in the BAR area at this establishment. Will never go there again. I m originally from Lake Hopatcong and Lake Mohawk area and have dined at many of their restaurants on the water and I have NEVER been asked to leave my table especially when eating outside. Very embarrassing for a patron to be humiliated like that especially when spending. Good amount of money.

Great new place. Stumbled on it by accident. We has been to the previous restaurant at that location a few times, but not in several years. We were looking to eat at a place on the water and sit outside.

Because of a long wait for the patio, we took a table upstairs, on the water with the windows open. Great view and good, with even better service.

In the area this past Sunday and we stopped into this great establishment for a great meal! The Brunch Burger was amazing! Great prices! Great views of Sandy Hook inlet! Awesome service by waiter Mike! Will be coming here again when in the area! The prices are good! Valet parking is available. 5 stars to PG!!!

Beautiful spot with water views. Friendly staff. Solid food, good drink selection.

Great bar l, good food wonderful staff.. Lots of specials and activities.. Live music

I had mahi ,it was excellent.
Highly recommend
I had Manhattan clam chowder.
I give it a passing grade. Nothing to write home about
There bread was very good.
Service was excellent. Enjoyed Rice's pudding.
I would go back.

Great staff, very friendly, really incredible location on the water as well. Food was good and beer was cold. Dock fits about 10 boats and they allow you to beach your jet ski.

Food was really good. Service was awesome Great for dock and dine. Weather was perfect today

A great upgrade. Food and drink menu has been greatly improved. Especially love the oyster bar. Also had the fluke crudo.

Place is under new ownership, completely renovated super clean and food as awesome as always!!!

Nice location, good view, and spacious place. you can drink/dine at bar or tables. Their mac and cheese with ribs are soo good! The rib tastes like burntend which I love. humnus plate was ok. Unfortunately our server was extremely not helpful by providing the answer for menu, and not listening carefully.

Nice improvement over the old Wind and Sea. Wish there were more variety in menu choices. And wish they didn't use plastic wine glasses at the outside tables. (Esp during the week..... We are not rowdy current!!)

My baby shower was held at The Proving Ground and I had a phenomenal experience from planning all the way to the end of the party and even after. The atmosphere is just amazing, and so are the people. Having a water view and such flexibility and collaboration with the staff made it all easy and smooth, not to mention the food was excellent. I received so many compliments from family and friends on the party and food. We did a buffet style menu, and many went back for second and even thirds. Prior to and since, we continue to go for lunch, dinner and drinks, and love seeing everyone who made the shower so seamless. I would recommend and not hesitate to book another party here.

So disappointing! Went to Wind and Sea for years! When I called to see if they were open, I wasn t told it was a soft opening menu. Hostess told me the menu was similar to Wind and Sea! There was nothing similar on the menu! I wanted a shrimp dish, ended up with chicken parmigiana, which was good but not seafood.

Very good food and excellent staff. They also have a very good cleaning protocol. I highly recommend.

The food was great. Service was good. It took a while for the food to come out.

Salmon BLT was amazing to go along with my spicy Bloody Mary! Beautiful view of the Navesink River made lunch even more enjoyable! Big thanks to our server Mike...terrific job!

Nice view. We went to experience the outside dining, but it was raining when we got there. Overall a nice place to go with friends.

Amazing appetizers and entrees. Beautiful waterfront view. Clean. Friendly staff. A bit expensive but worth it.

Delicious food, great atmosphere, and amazing customer service. Love this restaurant!

My first time here since it was Wind & Sea. Not a bad place. Had a pretty good burger, and it was tough to get the bartenders' attention at times. Careful with your jukebox selections, as the servers are easily bothered by some music choices and aren't shy about voicing their displeasure!

Great service, good food and awesome location and ambiance!

Fried chicken sandwich was excellent. Also really enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops. Service needs some help, though. They were very pleasant but not attentive to our needs.

Good food and server was both pleasant and attentive. Lobster in the lobster roll was fresh, abundant and perfectly prepared and beer was ice cold. Very enjoyable afternoon meal on a scorching hot day on the waterfront.

Nice atmosphere inside and outside. Delicious food and friendly staff

Great place ..awesome staff from servers to the bartenders..have been here before but only in the summer time..now a different menu..our app's were delicious we had the buffalo cauliflower and drunken clams... I mahi mahi in a coconut curry sauce...was cooked perfect..but to much curry which made it to spicy and did not taste any coconut...would not get this again...but will be back..

I come here specifically because the bartenders are attentive. I was here for lunch today and had the chicken quesadilla for happy hour and it was a big portion and very good. The two girls at tiki were extremely friendly and professional. Being in the bar industry I can say this place is beautiful and well done with a wonderful staff.

From the moment we stepped through the door our family event couldn't have been more perfect. This staff from valet to coffee and dessert ( we brought in a cake) are just amazing. Our waiter was professional and kind to all of us. We felt special! Well done! Every item we ordered was perfect. I will definitely go back!

Food was pretty good. Wouldn't rave about it. Waitress asked us 3 times within 5 minutes of being there if we were ready to order, which was good and bad. Whole meal felt rushed. So rushed she took the plate from in front of me while I was chewing. Band was outstanding #AA

Delicious food... Great prices especially for Happy Hour

We hosted a Cub Scout event tonight and the resteraunt and servers did a wonderful job. The food was delicious!! Everything went perfectly

The renovations at this place are amazing! The whole upstairs has a beautiful view of the water now, and downstairs near the tiki bar has been extended to a huge bar area underneath the building. Drinks were great and so was the food. We had the buffalo cauliflower and scallops which were delicious!

If what I experienced during their soft opening is any indication of what's to come, I can't wait to revisit once it's 100% open. The renovated space is visually stunning and modern. I love the different spaces throughout; the restaurant upstairs, the garage bar and the tiki bar outside.

While I didn't have any of the food, the cocktails were fantastic. Definitely something for everyone on the list. And for those of you who don't enjoy "cocktails" you can still get all of your favorite beers and shots.

I will definitely be returning soon to try out the food and enjoy the fantastic views from the dining room. What a great new addition to the Highlands!

My wife and i came here for Valentine s Day and everything was amazing. They had dueling pianos which was so fun and interactive. The service was great and the food and drinks were amazing. We got the the ahi tuna bowl, brisket sandwich and mahi mahi followed by the campfire brownie and cheesecake. I can t rave enough about how good everything was. Highly recommend checking this place out.

Beautiful place great place to get together with your friends and family.

Nice place great views on the water, bartenders at outside bar very slow, food is ok nothing special

Gorgeous location right on the water with views of the bay, ocean, and Manhattan. Excellent place to enjoy dinner, drinks, or host and event. My corporate retreat will be there next month. Highly reccomend.

It's ok. Small menu. Never enough staff to cover the tables. Has a great view and potential but needs some more menu items and staff in my opinion.

Food and service was excellent. Fekt a salad should been included with the entrees.

Great new season at PG!! Music , fresh air!! Awesome servers and particularly GRAHM rocked our night, going out of his way to keep the smile on our faces, and he saw our smiles!! Rock on Graham. We appreciate you!!...xox

Brunch was excellent with many choices . Bloody Mary's are the best !

Amazing food, and great staff, very good during the times we are in, distance between diners and very clean.

Food here was incredible, ordered the brunch burger, breakfast skillet and a tasting flight if bloody Mary's. They also have a build your own bloody mary bar. I'm not usually a fan of bloody Mary's, but theirs have changed my mind. Cant wait to try this place for lunch and dinner

A must go! The service (jay) was awesome the atmosphere is beautiful and safe outdoor dining. Buffalo cauliflower, cheesesteak spring rolls and the scallops wrapped in bacon were delicious. We were too stuffed to eat anything else. Good to support these establishments that are trying to overcome the recent restrictions in dining!

Food is ok. Service is poor. Great view of Sandy Hook

This place is brand new with beautiful decor and a waterfront view. The ambience was fun and very relaxing sitting outside by the water. The food and drinks were delicious. I can t wait to visit again!

The owners certainly turned this restaurant into something special. Great views of Sandy Hook from the new glass wall. We only had appetizers the first time there but will definitely go back to try the dinners!

Recently had PG cater a small brunch affair at my home due to the abrupt cancellation of indoor dining and things couldn't have worked out better. Jackie the event coordinator helped throughout the entire process with her flexability and responsiveness. The food was delicious and plentiful. The chicken and waffles were a big hit as was the asian noddle salad. The other items were delicious as well addingaadding to an already stellar menu. Compliments to the chef. Lauren the server was attentive and friendly during the affair would definitely use them again.

Nice decor... great servers... and a fun football menu.

Spectacular views. Beautiful bar and restaurant with a great staff and an awesome menu.