Hard Rock’s newest restaurant, Sandpiper Coastal Bar & Grill wows crowds with exciting new concept

Belly Up to the Bar

While Sandpiper’s menu is the main attraction, the Hard Rock beverage squad once again raise the bar with some truly amazing libations.

The cocktails ($14) are super intriguing and will change for the season, so get there now while some of the lighter, summer cocktails are still on the menu, including the Watermelon Basil Cooler with Gray Goose Infusion, watermelon, lime, basil and mint; the Blueberry Mint Mojito with blueberry Stoli, blueberries, mint and lime; the Vodka Thyme Lemonade with Ketel One Citron Vodka, lemon juice, thyme, lemon-thyme syrup and soda; and the Sage Infused Margarita with house-infused sage tequila, Cointreau, lime and agave.

Other standouts that should be retained for winter include the Cucumber Rosemary Gin & Tonic and the Bourbon Mule with Bulleit Bourbon, anise-infused syrup, peach, bitters and ginger beer.

There is also a great beer selection with local craft beers from Cape May Brewery, Flying Fish and Delaware’s Dogfish Head.

Meet the Executive Chef

Although the creation of the original menu was a team effort, Sandpiper’s always-evolving menu is in the hands of Executive Chef John Zaitoun, a recently returned New Jersey native who discovered his love and respect for the culinary arts at a young age working at his parents’ diner in Northfield.

The Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College grad has quite a resume despite being just 29 years old, including positions at Fuze in Avalon; Sous Chef at Sant Anejo, M Street’s premier Mexican restaurant in Nashville; and Sous Chef at the always impressive Omni Nashville Hotel. The young chef is happy to return home, even though he had no idea he would end up at the Hard Rock.

“I was in Nashville and then coronavirus happened, so I went to serve as Chef de Cuisine at a resort in Key Largo, Fla., before deciding to come home,” says Zaitoun, who initially returned to work with his family before deciding to apply for the Sandpiper position. “I ended up doing a six-course presentation for all of the Hard Rock directors and executive chef, and I guess they thought I did some cool things and gave me a shot. It has been such a great experience opening the restaurant quickly and then watching it grow over the summer. As soon as I met (Vice President of Food and Beverage) Grace Chow and (Hard Rock Executive Chef) David Spero, I knew I wanted to work there and learn from them.

“We are super happy to have John on our team,” Chow says. “He is a great person to lead our team so they continue to be playful with the menu and experiment with new ingredients and styles. We want John and our culinary team to keep bouncing ideas off each other. We got super lucky with John. He has a great palate and strong ideas. He was born to be a chef.”

While Zaitoun hopes to eventually be the executive chef of a casino and open his own restaurants, his focus is Sandpiper.

“I want to put this place on the map and make it popular in the area as a destination restaurant,” he says. “It’s a very different kind of dining experience. It’s the kind of place where you come in and order and then discus the food and really enjoy it. It’s the way I like to eat. It’s a true celebration of food.”