Located within a stretch of shops in busy downtown Bradley Beach, you'd miss Fins if the owners hadn't been smart enough to paint the exterior dandelion yellow, turn up the music, and bring tables out onto the sidewalk. The decision was both practical and enticing, promising you a trip away from the grind of your average Tuesday. And the good news is, it delivers.
Featuring what they call TropiCali cuisine (wraps, burritos, tacos, salads, "Finchiladas", smoothies and more), the place is the kind of laid-back surfer hangout that makes you wonder if this is the year you finally get on (or get back on) a board. If your blood pressure is high while you're at Fins, you're beyond anyone's help. Really. Flat-screens showing surfing flicks, colorful paraphernalia all over the sherbet-colored walls, and be-flip-flopped patrons all lend themselves to the vibe.
But the food shines as brightly as the décor, most notably, the Spicy Grilled Caribbean Shrimp Taco. It's small by American standards, but accurately-sized by Mexican—just the right size for a snack, and under five bucks. A little bigger than a CD, the warm, soft tortilla is filled with "TropiCali lettuce" which also contains shredded cabbage plus cheese, pico de gallo, tender hot shrimp, and your choice of hot or mild sauce. The hot sauce is the kind of tomatoey sauce that you think isn't going to be a big screaming deal at first taste. Then you remember it had the word "chipotle" in it, and after 3 seconds it bites and keeps biting long after you finish and have headed into Avon…and Belmar…and Brielle. It's wonderful—just the thing on a cloudy summer day.
One more thing: the Fins staff is young but warm, friendly and efficient. Take-out orders are delivered to you by name and with a smile. It's possible that any place that sells coconut-scented "the smell of surfing" candles on the counter right next to the chocolate chip cookies and delivers food to the beach will attract a friendly staff. But at Fins, it's definitely true.
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