These Jersey Shore restaurants closed their doors in 2023
A boardwalk beach bar that brought the flavors of the world to Asbury Park.
A Southern restaurant serving family recipes in Belmar.
A beloved breakfast spot on Long Beach Island.
These are a few of the restaurants that closed at the Shore this year. As we move further away from a pandemic that shuttered countless restaurants, the closings grow fewer. But we still hate saying goodbye to any local eatery.
Here are 10 restaurants we lost in 2023.
Langosta Lounge, Asbury Park
Fans of Marilyn Schlossbach's boardwalk restaurant and bar were shocked in January when she shared that after 14 years, Langosta Lounge would close in February.
"I'm ready for a new, inspiring chapter," Schlossbach said. "I think I've had a good run here, creating something special and helping a community grow in a positive way. I feel like we’ve fulfilled our purpose on the boardwalk as a business."
The restaurateur turned her attention to The Whitechapel Projects, a restaurant, brewery and creative venue in Long Branch where she became an operating partner in 2020.
The Asbury Park boardwalk space didn't remain empty for long. BarCo Brands, owners of Deal Lake Bar + Co. in Loch Arbour, Baseline Social in Oceanport and Swimcrush on the boardwalk, took over Langosta Lounge as well as Schlossbach's Asbury Park Yacht Club and Pop's Garage. Now called The Break, the restaurant will undergo minor updates throughout the winter before a bigger renovation next year.
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Simply Southern, Belmar
Rasheed Simmons and his mother, Rita, closed their Belmar restaurant in December. But diners who enjoyed their family recipes hopefully won't have to wait long to have them again: Simmons promises to re-open again somewhere local, and soon.
The pair opened Simply Southern, where "Mom" could live out her dream of cooking Southern family recipes like oxtails, smothered chicken, hush puppies and fried green tomatoes, in 2014.
"We're coming up on our 10-year anniversary, and it's been a really slow summer," Rasheed said. "The cost of goods are up, everything is up, so it wasn't as busy as it normally would've been.
"Going into the winter, we didn't have that extra fat ... that we normally would, so it becomes a struggle."
An influx of restaurants have moved into the small beach town, saturating the market, Simmons said. He is looking for a new location in Red Bank, Freehold, Long Branch and Old Bridge, among other towns, where he does not have to rely as much on seasonal business.
"I'm very excited ... and I feel as if we reached the level where we couldn't get any higher," he said. "I want to level up."
Rasheed said a restaurant serving Indian cuisine will replace Simply Southern in Belmar Plaza.
Looking back: Restaurants that closed in 2022
Sandbox Cafe, Surf City
In 2022, Ship Bottom lost its Sandbox Cafe. In January, its Surf City location followed.
The latter, open nearly eight years, was known for its Sizzler, deep-dish pancakes filled with sweet cheese, plus parmesan baked eggs and clam hash.
After Sandbox closed, the location remained a cafe — owner Dana DiSalvio insisted upon it before selling to Andy Clark, owner of Scojo's Eatery in Surf City, who opened Scojo's Market & Coffee House in its place.
“He’s not a builder who is going to tear down the property that I’ve turned into an oasis and destination on the island, like they did at the (Ship Bottom Sandbox property)” she said. “I could have sold it to some builder who would have built McMansions, but I didn’t want that for the island."
DiSalvio said she will always remember her LBI "family" of customers fondly. She offers some catering, and while she said she would not open a full-service cafe again, a small bakery or market — or a cookbook — are possible.
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E Holland Sundries, Bradley Beach
Small-batch bakeries, where only a few pairs of hands make the sweet treats, are charming, and the cases are filled with treats that are fresh as can be.
But such operations are a lot of work, and sometimes, too much. Such were the circumstances that led Shannon and Nick Phillips and Deanna Jones to close their two-year-old bakery in November.
"We have put 100% of ourselves into this place, and that has often come at a cost," they said. "We made the decision to close so that we can both have a quality of life that we are not necessarily used to."
The space soon will reopen under new owners as Hey Peach Bakery.
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The Bonney Read, Asbury Park
Although Chef James Avery's The Bonney Read has set sail, his new venture, Mainstay Bar & Lounge, docked in its place in November.
The Bonney Read was a place where Avery could serve locally caught fish, fresh oysters and "simple, fresh seafood," he told The Asbury Park Press when the restaurant opened in 2015. And it was named after two of the most famous female pirates (Anne Bonney and Mary Read), taking advantage of Asbury's beachy vibe.
The restaurant closed in September and underwent a renovation, and now it's a place to hang with friends, grab a few chef-inspired drinks and smaller bites. Avery got rid of his iconic raw bar and added casual, conversational seating like couches. He also changed the decor from pirate-chic to a modern beachy vibe reminiscent of Montauk or San Diego.
He cited fluctuating seasons, price of goods, and just a need to breathe new life into the spot as the reasons for the change. Avery hopes to open another seafood-centric restaurant in the future, but with a bigger, seasonal kitchen in a waterfront location.
“If the Bonney Read was the only restaurant I wanted to own, I could run it and it would be my life. But I’m trying to grow a restaurant group,” Avery said. “I’m 42. I want to have 10 restaurants by the time I’m 50, and in order to do that I need to be able to free up some time and space.
"... I’m not done," he added. "I’m just getting started.”
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Dentato's Clam Bar, Seaside Heights
Dentato's Clam Bar, a long-standing boardwalk restaurant known for sausage sandwiches and seafood, served its last meal at 800 Boardwalk this fall.
The closing came after owner David Moore was notified that Casino Pier, which owns the building and the boardwalk beneath the location, would not be renewing Dentato's lease for 2024. The seasonal restaurant, located on the boardwalk at Sherman Avenue between Casino Pier's arcade and amusements pier, operated from Easter through Columbus Day.
The Storino Family, who owns Casino Pier as well as Breakwater Beach water park in Seaside Heights and Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant Beach, declined to comment on the decision.
Moore's family ran the restaurant, plus nearby Marie & Paige's Fresh Baked Pretzels, since the 1990s. The pretzel stand, also closed, and Dentato's operated under the same lease, which was renewed every three years.
"My family's been up there for 28 years, I've been ... working there since 13. It's just a shame," said Moore, who hopes to secure a new boardwalk location before next summer.
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Panini Bay Waterfront Restaurant, Tuckerton
Panini Bay was one of reporter Gabriela L. Laracca's favorite date-night spots at the Shore, thanks in part to its creamy shrimp linguini.
Its owners, the Johnson family, announced the restaurant's closing via Facebook in April. Now, a new seafood restaurant called Sunset Seafood, which also has a location in Seaside Heights, has taken its place.
Like Panini Bay, it serves seafood dishes in an intimate dining with windows overlooking the bay. It's one of the best places to watch the sunset.
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PJ Sweeney's, Brick
The luck of the Irish is always talked about, and for the Gillespie family, that meant selling their establishment for new frontiers.
This Irish pub and local Brick staple closed its doors to make way for MJ's Restaurant's ninth New Jersey location. PJ Sweeney's owners Eugene "Gene" Gillespie and his son, Gene Gillespie Jr., said in August that it was the right time to move on.
"MJ's is growing ... and this (area) is sort of in the wheelhouse of where they wanted to be," Gene Jr. said. "The time is right. We feel we had a great eight years here and they're the right people to buy the place.
While MJ's will not be the casual Irish pub fans are used to, it will remain a sports bar serving sandwiches, wraps, burgers, tacos and sushi.
PJ Sweeney's patrons will be happy to know that the Gillespies plan to open in a new location at the Shore, just after Gene Sr. has some much-needed time off, traveling to Ireland to visit family.
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Sabato's Prime Meats, Middletown
In March, cousins Andy Sabatos Jr. and John Sabatos Jr. retired from and closed their family meat market in Middletown after more than 100 years in business, including 62 years at the Belford location.
The store's origins date back to 1918, when the Sabatos' grandfather, Matthew Sabatos, opened M. Sabatos & Sons in Newark with the hope of passing the butcher shop to his sons, Michael, Andrew and John. Over the years, other stores were added in Irvington and Middletown.
Andy, the father of four daughters, said there is no one to pick up the reins. "There's no line of succession here."
"That's all I've known my whole life, my cousin (John) and I both," he said. "It's been in the family ... and you get up every morning, come in, try to have some fun with the customers and give them good quality meat. I guess we've been pretty successful."
Rosa's Kitchen, Wall
Rosa Sanchez launched her Spanish, Puerto Rican and soul food restaurant at Collingwood Flea Market, where customers visited for empanadas, stewed chicken, fried whiting and pasteles.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she left the market to open a restaurant in Wall. But citing rising costs and trouble finding employees, Rosa's Kitchen closed in January.
She kept cooking and catering, though, and now operates her business out of the Asbury Park Food Collective, a commercial kitchen where customers can order lunch and dinner.
Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to [email protected].
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
David P. Willis contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore restaurants: 10 spots that closed in 2023
