MARGATE – Tenacity and vision has finally culminated in the opening of a new waterfront restaurant in the city’s Marina Special District along Amherst Avenue.
The days of old Capt. Andy’s Marina are gone, but replacing it is a three-story restaurant that is sure to provide phenominal views of backbay sunsets for diners, and convenient dock mooring for boaters – a unique concept for Downbeach mariners.
Margate residents Sean and Jaime Gormley purchased the site in December 2016 and following several lawsuits “have built what we said we would build,” Sean Gormley said.
About a year ago, they partnered with Alex and Ray Leotta and their brother Cameron Fickling-Rone at Tomatoe’s across the street to manage the upscale casual dining restaurant.
It opened without fanfare Friday, June 13, but word quickly spread that it’s the place to be seen this summer.
Robyn Kratchman of Margate enjoyed lunch with friends Thursday afternoon.
“I loved everything about it,” she said. “I had the lobster BLT. It’s fabulous, from the courteous hostess and waitstaff, to the architecture and artwork. And the food was great.”
Kratchman said Tideline is something that is needed to accommodate the throngs of visitors to Margate during the summer months.
“It offers a great view of the backbay for the crowds that come to Margate to enjoy summer vacations,” she said.
Sean Gormley and Ray Leotta agree.
“We’re less than a week open and this is the first sunny day,” Gormley said. “With the change from the chilly days of late spring, we’re bracing for a busy weekend.”
Building the two-story structure took a little more than a year, and created 120 jobs over two shifts. They even hired a dock master to get mariners eager for some good eats into the proper boat or jetski slip.
Instead of leasing out boat slips for the week, month or season, they chose to keep them open for boaters looking to enjoy a meal on the water. Although both families have their own boats, they vowed to keep them docked in their own backyards.
“The slips are here for our dock and dine patrons only," Gormley said.
Although Absecon Island enjoys many great eateries, there are few that are waterfront.
“Boaters needed a destination spot. There’s nothing like it on the island,” Gormley said. “Joe the Dock Master will be like a traffic cop for boats, but the focus is mainly on safety.”
The team is seeking to accommodate boaters any way they can, and will even offer food service and cocktails on their boats.
“People keep calling and saying, ‘I’ll be there,’” he said.
The ground level of the three-story structure includes a free-standing deck built on its own pilings where patrons can enjoy the bayside views and get a quick drink while they wait for a table.
Because Gormley was required to build the structure at Elevation 14 (feet), he asked if it would be permissible to add a deck on its own pilings below the restaurant to allow easy access to the marina, which offers 22 slips and 12 for jetskis.
“People always say there’s nowhere to eat on the water. This place came out better than I ever expected, but basically it offers folks a place to dine on the water.”
So far, the place is attracting a mix of age groups, including families.
“People are excited to see it. They’re coming for lunch and a few drinks, and the response has been great,” Leotta said.
The restaurant offers 185 seats on two dining levels, both indoors and outdoors, plus the marina deck. The third floor will be open when it’s busy, and when it’s not, it will be available for private parties – the first is Gormley’s daughter Lexi’s high school graduation reception.
Leotta said the menu is nothing like the menu at Tomatoe’s.
“We are trying to keep things separate, and the menu was developed after many months of trial and error,” he said.
The menu includes small and large plates, including seafood and salads, sandwiches, and seafood and steak dinners. Popular dishes are the lobster BLT, and crispy chicken Italiano, made with fried chicken and broccoli rabe topped with provolone cheese. Dinners include catch of the day, French fried lobster tail, frutti di mare and skirt steak with chimichurri and blistered shishito peppers.
Alex Leotta pleasantly decorated the place with lots of bright open space and artwork. The artwork featuring marine life was painted by local artists Laurie Staller and Matt Neustadter.
The Gormleys endured years of legal wranglings from several lawsuits filed by a competing restaurant and a condominium association concerned about their views, light, air, open space and parking. However, they prevailed in all the lawsuits and finally received approvals to build from the appropriate environmental authorities in July 2023.
According to Leotta, parking is not an issue for Tomatoe’s and it will not be an issue at Tideline.
“Before we took half our parking lot to turn it into a outdoor dining space, we had four guys parking cars every night. Now, we only have one guy. People are just not driving anymore, they are using Uber to get here.”
Tideline is open for dining 11:30 a.m. to 9:45 p.m; the bar will be open until midnight, and outdoor music will end at 10 p.m. Live music will be offered on one of two outdoor decks 1-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Reservations are not needed. The place offers seating on a first-come, first-served basis. But fear not, if it’s busy, you will thoroughly enjoy your wait for a table. As they like to say at Tideline, “Swing by, sip something strong, and maybe make friends with someone who owns a boat.”
Learn more at www.tidelinemargate.com.
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