"Barnacle Bill the Sailor" is a song that you definitely know, though you may not know that you know it. It's the ear-splitting jingle that gets blasted from the Mister Softee trucks all summer long. The lyrics to this maddeningly catchy tune are unprintably bawdy: "To hell with the dance/ down with your pants," is the first stanza, and it just goes downhill from there. This should clue you into the fact that Barnacle Bill's, a converted boathouse on the Navesink River, is a great deal of fun, with an easy, boisterous spirit. Walk in on a Saturday afternoon and it's already buzzing with families, sporty young people, dissipated nautical types and bawdy old floozies. The place has been around since 1974, its walls are covered with the leftover nautical instruments, and its wide windows have a lovely view of the river. They won't say just what they do to the burgers to make them so delicious, but it's something uncanny.

Categories: Restaurants-Seafood, Marinas, Restaurants, Cocktail Lounges

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