It has been an exciting year for the Jersey Shore dining scene.
Restaurants long under construction opened their doors, a couple with a passion for baking got their own store, Monmouth County welcomed its first omakase restaurant, a burger empire expanded — and much more.
Here are 10 of 2024’s biggest and most exciting openings.
Upscale dining
Catezza, Red Bank
Homestyle Italian food got an upgrade at Catezza, the most beautiful restaurant to open at the Shore this year. Esperto Hospitality Group transformed the two-storied former Catch 19 into an Old Hollywood-themed restaurant filled with velvet seating, gold details, a sweeping staircase, and a chef’s table just steps from the kitchen. The bar program focuses on Negronis and gin and tonics, and the menu has crispy risotto cakes topped with Calabrian tuna, cavatelli with wild boar ragu, and bread pudding with caramelized lemon mousse.
Go: 19 Broad St.; 732-633-0003, catezzarestaurant.com.
More: We bid goodbye to these Shore restaurants in 2024
Hadaka, Asbury Park
Kumamoto oyster with salmon roe, oyster sauce, tomato, radish and gold leaf at Hadaka in Asbury Park.
The opening of the Shore’s first omakase restaurant was by far one of the year’s most exciting. Owners Gino Ferretti and Eddie Falzarano tapped affable sushi chef Sean Zou to lead service at the 12-seat counter, where diners watch as he and other chefs create multi-course meals one dish at a time. Dinner starts with a glass of sake and ends with coconut milk tea, and in between, expect bites like barbecue unagi with quail egg and pickled radish; Kumamoto oyster dressed with salmon roe and gold leaf, and a toro hand roll with cashews and uni.
Go: 527 Bangs Ave., Asbury Park; 732-361-0238, hadakanj.com.
Familiar faces
AP Rooftop, Asbury Park
Tim McLoone’s fourth Asbury Park boardwalk restaurant and bar opened three floors above the boards this summer, serving a raw bar, salads, entrées, and nearly two dozen fun appetizers like cacio e pepe arancini, chicken tikka masala naan tacos, and mussels with ‘nduja and grilled sourdough.
Go: 1200 Ocean Ave.; 732-444-2043, Asbury Park; aprooftop.com.
Benchmark Breads, Little Silver
Benchmark Breads opened in November in Little Silver. Owners Travis and Betsy Coatney bake and sell sourdough breads, chocolate chip cookies and coffee at their shop.
After several years of selling their bread to customers through farmers markets, restaurants and coffee shops, Travis and Betsy Coatney opened a retail store this fall. The couple, who turned a sourdough-baking hobby into a business, offer several varieties of bread, chocolate chip cookies, and coffee from Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters in Atlantic Highlands.
Go: 141 Markham Place, Little Silver; 732-202-5067, benchmarkbreads.com.
More: 11 restaurants open for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day at the Jersey Shore
Burger 25, Brick
(L-R) Aidan Vetter, Denise Vetter, 3-month-old Tatum Wasilick, Steve Vetter, Rob Wasilick and Alexis Wasilick pose for a family photo as their family-owned business, Burger 25, prepares to open its third restaurant, which is located on Route 88, in Brick, NJ Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
The newest location of Ocean County’s popular burger spot opened this year, bringing Steve and Denise Vetter’s family-owned restaurant count to three. The menu has all of their burgers, milkshakes, chicken sandwiches and fries, plus a big Bavarian pretzel served with cheese featuring beer from Icarus Brewing Company next door.
Go: 2045 Route 88, Brick; 732-451-4747, burger25.com.
CatBird, Asbury Park
Diners saddened by the 2022 closure of Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen in Asbury Park were elated when owner Aimée McElroy opened her new spot, CatBird, on Deal Lake in the city. She built a home for her beloved pizza oven in the renovated Sunset Landing cafe and quickly began churning out wood-fired pies, salads, starters, sandwiches and dessert, plus a generous menu of mocktails.
Go: 1215 Sunset Ave.; 732-776-9732, catbirdap.com.
Pizzeria ‘Lucci, Belmar
Pizzeria ‘Lucci owner Mike Gallucci displays a house pepperoni pizza at his new Belmar pizzeria.
Pizza fans fell in love with Mike Gallucci’s pies at Rosie’s Pizza in Point Pleasant Beach, and after he left the restaurant, eagerly waited for him to open a place of his own. It happened this year, when Belmar Plaza welcomed Pizzeria ‘Lucci. He makes six kinds of pizza, all 16 inches and cooked well-done, plus Italian and meatball sandwiches and chopped and Caesar salads. A selection of market items, including pasta, spices and olive oil, was added in December.
Go: 809 Belmar Plaza; pizzerialuccinj.com.
More: The Reef Club to replace Mister C’s Beach Bistro in Allenhurst
Going bigger
Icarus Brewing Company, Brick
The brewery made a short move this summer — about five miles — but a big one, going from 4,000 square feet in Lakewood to four times that at its new location. The brewery, built over several years, has a tasting room, an outdoor beer garden with fire pits, brew tanks on display, a mezzanine bar and a lounge.
Go: 2045 Route 88; icarusbrewing.com.
Mabel, Holmdel
Owners and chefs Grace Crossman and Laura Brahn, who also own Cardinal Provisions in Asbury Park, talk about opening Mabel, the first full-service restaurant to open at Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ Wednesday, December 4, 2024
What began as a consulting project for Laura Brahn and Grace Crossman, owners of Cardinal Provisions in Asbury Park, turned into their second restaurant and the first full-service restaurant and bar at Holmdel’s Bell Works. Mabel, which anchors a busy corner in the metroburb’s atrium, serves thoughtful, creative dishes like the ones the chefs are known for — prawns with bomba rice and crispy shallots, chicken and waffles with Calabrian chili maple syrup, and Basque cheesecake — for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Go: 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel; mabelatbell.com.
Saltwater Bar and Kitchen by Big Mike, Highlands
Chef Mike Metzner, who trained at Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown before opening his Atlantic Highlands sandwich shop, Big Mike’s Little Red Store, went big with his three-story Saltwater Social. He serves comforting dishes like local clam chowder, pork chop schnitzel and ribs with chipotle barbecue sauce alongside plates of lobster fried rice and braised short ribs. There’s an extensive cocktail and liquor list, too.
Go: 128 Bay Ave., Highlands; 732-444-2064, saltwatersocialnj.com.
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 her weekly newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New restaurants at the Jersey Shore: 10 of the biggest openings of 2024
