Turning Point has been growing over the past few years after originating as a single restaurant in Little Silver, New Jersey in 1998. Today, there are 21 Turning Points in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware including the brand new location opening its doors in Toms River, New Jersey on October 30, 2022. 

In Ocean County, Brick Township is where the first official Turning Point lies. It leaves a remarkable outlook for its originality and creativity.  About roughly a year ago, Ocean County opened its eyes to an Ocean County Mall location left of the Ichiban. It was a great addition to the mall as a solid breakfast option. Ocean County brings its third location to another Toms River location in the Orchards at Dover, taking over the building that once was Ruby Tuesday.

I find this as a great position locally, surrounded by many restaurants, food spots, and the Marquee Cinemas. Residents of Manchester who love Turning Point will have no problem traveling 20-30 minutes because now, they will only have to travel 5-10 minutes. 

I love Turning Point. I go a few times every year and never have a bad experience with the kind service, good food, and comfortable atmosphere. When I heard the new Turning Point opening up sooner than my expectations, I scooted right over to enjoy some Breakfast.

I was very impressed with the inside! It felt nice, cozy, and new! The Host brought me and my mom to our table with welcoming regards next to a window where the sun was hitting us, making it very warm! Although, after awhile it got hot, but I didn’t see any reason to complain about it.

As we sit and look over the menu, seconds turn into minutes as we wait for a server to come by. It’s been about 15 minutes since we were seated and it was getting a little ridiculous. We had to signal the Host to come over to ask for a server to get the situation squared away. Problem solved, but we thought that was a bit strange.

The server came and was very nice. When I ordered their seasonal Pumpkin Pie Chai as a beverage, she said “Good Choice”. Right when she said this, I knew I was in for something good.

The Pumpkin Pie Chai came in a big mug on a small plate. The presentation was beautiful, and the taste was out of this world. I ordered it hot because hot Chai is always the way to go. It wasn’t too hot, which I like, and that pumpkin flavor was unmatched. Sugary, sweet, and delicious! There was a mound of whipped cream on top which made the beverage so delightful and creamy. I had a whipped cream mustache! I savored and loved every single sip, I would give it a 9.5/10. Placing the beverage in the 9’s took a step forward into the right direction of this new Turning Point. I recommend having your Pumpkin Pie Chai on its own. I feel that it does not go well together with food. 

And now for the main event, breakfast. I remember my last visit at Ocean County Malls Turning Point, I had unbelievably creamy Eggs Benedict. I wanted to experience that again, so I ordered the Big Easy Benedict. Cornbread, avocado, Cajun spiced onions and peppers, chicken chorizo, 2 poached eggs and Creole hollandaise with a side of morning potatoes. Everything was on top of the cornbread which I thought was awesome! The meal was good, but not great. The eggs were perfectly runny, but I didn’t get any creamy texture whatsoever from the hollandaise which was disappointing. The onions and peppers were spicy and went together well with the chicken chorizo and chopped up avocado. The cornbread was incredible, probably the best part of the meal. As for the morning potatoes, they were mediocre. I remember them being better. Anyway, it was a decent and filling portion that I will be giving a 7.5/10. Nothing special, nothing bad, just good.

Now my Mom ordered a basic meal, Traditional Eggs. Two eggs served your way, toasted English Muffin with a side of potatoes or citrus topped greens and you can add a breakfast meat at additional cost. She asked for her eggs to be scrambled with citrus topped greens instead of potatoes, and she added chicken sausage as a breakfast meat. The portion of her meal was very weak, and sadly, she was very dissatisfied. There was only one scrambled egg instead of two, the english muffin was drowned in melted butter, and the citrus tossed greens were soaked in the dressing they put in it. She wasn’t happy and I wouldn’t be either. I know they just opened, but how can you mess up a basic meal that bad? My Mom is giving the restaurant one free pass because they are new, we are planning on going back soon.

The overall ranking of Toms River’s new Turning Point is a 5.5/10. Maybe I went too soon because the place obviously needs more time to grow. It has potential and I’m hoping for next time to knock my taste buds and experience off the charts!!!