Bartender Erin O’Keefe makes a Long Island Ice Tea while customers, some still in beach garb, make themselves comfortable on the deck over the river. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

Timing it just right, PieHole showed up for happy hour at BeachWalk’s Tiki Bar recently to find beers in hand and fishing poles in the Shrewsbury River for a snapper derby competition.

Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright has its fair share of bars, but this might be the only one where you’ll find children and adults competing for bragging rights and the prize of an overnight stay at the attached motel.
  Fishing for snappers in the Shrewsbury River at happy hour on a Tuesday evening at Beachwalk, Below, a Bloody Mary. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

Gray, drizzling weather didn’t keep anyone from showing up to relax on the deck and take in panoramic views of the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, the Azzolina Bridge and the bluffs of Hartshorne Woods on the opposite shore. An assembly of kids in bathing attire was barely outnumbered by adults dressed casually for drinks and dinner on the damp deck surrounding the tiki bar.

“We see a lot of tourists here especially during the summer because it’s a motel,” said Erin O’Keefe, a bartender here for the last three years. “But we also have plenty of locals, too. Kids, families — it’s a mix across the board.”

Beachwalk feartures live music every night except for Wednesdays, and the Tuesday snapper tournament, which been going on since the beginning of August, brings out plenty of people, O’Keefe says.

“They come here to dock and dine and enjoy the beautiful sunsets,” she said. There’s also an option to spend the day hanging out at the pool for $40.

A happy hour deal of half-price burgers and dollar-off drinks lasts from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The bar offers more than a dozen choices of beer in cans, bottles and on draft, and wine is available by the glass or bottle. Champagne and prosecco are sold in splits and full bottles.

Cocktails include the BeachWalk Breeze, which consists of Stoli Razberi, pineapple juice, lime juice, and cranberry juice. The BeachWalk Bloody Mary was impressive: the housemade spicy mix was shaken with Grey Goose Vodka and crowned with lemon, lime, celery stick and a dill pickle. It was also a happy hour bargain at $7.

BeachWalk Tiki Bar is open seven days a week and serves a full menu of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.