Star by the sea: Rocker Bon Jovi visits local favorite waterfront restaurant

Liz Balmaseda, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
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The weather in his native New Jersey may be cold and blustery, but rock star Jon Bon Jovi enjoyed the sunny and breezy weather in Palm Beach County on March 13th when he stopped for lunch at a local favorite waterfront restaurant.

The “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer visited Benny’s on the Beach, the iconic restaurant that’s perched on the Lake Worth Beach Pier.

Bon Jovi, who has visited Benny’s in the past, arrived sporting a University of Miami cap. He had lunch and posed for photos with restaurant staffers.

So what did he have for lunch?

“(He) ordered one of our specialty seafood market dishes with shrimp and our popular garlic clams,” Benny’s executive chef/co-owner Jeremy Hanlon said via text.

Benny’s garlic steamed middleneck clams, which come from Sebastian, are pan roasted in garlic butter and herbs and steamed with chardonnay and lemon. The restaurant’s specialty seafood market dishes are customizable — diners select their preferred fish or seafood and one of four methods of preparation.

Rock star Jon Bon Jovi poses for a photo with Benny's on the Beach employees during a visit to the waterfront restaurant in Lake Worth Beach Monday, March 13.
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi poses for a photo with Benny's on the Beach employees during a visit to the waterfront restaurant in Lake Worth Beach Monday, March 13.

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Benny's on the Beach is perched atop the Lake Worth Beach Pier, offering diners a front-row seat to the surf and sands.
Benny's on the Beach is perched atop the Lake Worth Beach Pier, offering diners a front-row seat to the surf and sands.

Hanlon and his partners recently expanded the Benny’s brand to include their former Viva La Playa space in the vintage Lake Worth Casino building just steps away. That new beachside restaurant is called Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk. The more stylish space shares the casual vibe and most of the menu items one would find at the original pier location.

The restaurant has drawn its share of visiting celebrities, including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in April 2022.

With a view of Palm Beach island in the backdrop, rocker Jon Bon Jovi chats about his wine, Hampton Water, at The Ben Hotel in West Palm Beach. The singer, who has a home on the island, visited the hotel with his son Jesse Bongiovi, who heads the wine brand.
With a view of Palm Beach island in the backdrop, rocker Jon Bon Jovi chats about his wine, Hampton Water, at The Ben Hotel in West Palm Beach. The singer, who has a home on the island, visited the hotel with his son Jesse Bongiovi, who heads the wine brand.

Bon Jovi, who is well known for his philanthropic work, has visited local restaurants in recent months to promote Hampton Water rosé, the highly rated, French-produced wine he and his oldest son Jesse Bongiovi started with biodynamic winemaker Gérard Bertrand in 2018.

The 61-year-old musician owns an oceanfront mansion on North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach.

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Benny’s on the Beach

10 S. Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth Beach, 561-582-9001, BennysontheBeach.com

Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network in Florida. She covers food and dining in Palm Beach County. She can be reached at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com. Follow her on Twitter @LizBalmaseda, Instagram at @silkpalm or sign up for her free weekly food-and-dining newsletter, At the Table.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Bon Jovi at Benny's on the Beach waterfront restaurant near West Palm