Whether you mean Springsteen or the grinning face of Tillie the Clown, the words “Asbury Park” have a resonance that perhaps no other coastal town can match. But nostalgia plays no role in Asbury’s current revival.
Over the past decade, the restaurant scene has evolved into one of the most dynamic in the state. The atmosphere is youthful, the choice of cuisines and interiors extensive. The Promenade, Bangs and Cookman Avenues together form three true restaurant rows, and there are a few eateries that are also worth visiting.
Below you will find our selection of the best restaurants in Asbury Park, listed alphabetically.
Why should you trust this list? Simply put: New Jersey monthly knows the New Jersey dining scene. Our editors and restaurant critics spend endless amounts of time crisscrossing the state, dining at all kinds of establishments, from fine dining to pizzerias, from old favorites to new restaurants bringing their own twist to the New Jersey culinary scene.
Enjoy!
(RELATED: The best restaurants in New Jersey)
Ethiopian and Dominican food under one roof might not sound like it would work, but at Ada’s Gojjo, it’s a wonderful combination. Chef Adanesh Ashghedom learned to cook Dominican food while working at Ada’s Latin Flavor in Long Branch, although her home cooking was Ethiopian. In late 2018, she moved to a bright, beautiful space in Asbury Park and renamed the restaurant Ada’s Gojjo. Her cooking style has evolved, too, and the menu is now split between Ethiopian dishes like doro wot and classic Dominican dishes like mofongo and empanadas. Bring your own food.
1301 Memorial Drive, 732-222-5005
In summer there’s no better place than the roof garden, but wherever you sit in this atmospheric recreation of an early 20th-century Austro-Hungarian beer garden, you’ll revel in the selection of cask ales, sausages, schnitzels, potato pancakes, smoked trout, sauerbraten and strudel.
527 Lake Avenue, 732-997-8767
Barrio Costero has been a hit since it opened in 2016, modernizing Mexican food in a way that’s hip, colorful, and most importantly, full of bold, harmonious flavors. The cocktails take this theme to a whole new level. The menu ranges from beef cheek tacos with grilled pineapple to a plate of scallops with black quinoa, sultanas, and chimichurri.
610 Bangs Avenue, 732-455-5544
James Avery opened the Black Swan Public House in 2021 and found the perfect spot, a historic building that had served as the town’s post office, a bank, and more recently, the Modine restaurant. The 170-seat restaurant—which made our list of the best new restaurants of 2021—is packed most weekends and for Sunday brunch, with guests choosing between the sporty bar, the high-ceilinged dining room, a window-lined alcove called the tea room, and the former bank vault room, which Avery refers to as “the cozy snug.” This British pub’s menu features traditional pub fare like scotch eggs, bangers and mash, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie, as well as burgers, grilled steak, and hot wings. There’s also chicken tikka masala, a standard dish in England with its large Indian population. —Jill P. Capuzzo
601 Mattison Avenue, 732-361-7159
Spring Lake natives Laura Brahn and Grace Crossman met while working at nearby Porta. They later worked at other restaurants before starting a catering business together. In 2016, they opened the charming and rustic Cardinal Provisions. At first, they served only breakfast and lunch; in 2018, they began offering dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, with a new dinner theme each weekend. Weekend brunch usually keeps the restaurant packed, with people waiting outside for a table. Try the scrambled eggs with cacio e pepe. Bring your own food.
513 Bangs Avenue, 732-898-7194
In an effort to “reflect the ambitions of Manhattan in the mid-19th century,” Gastropub uses American ingredients, from food to cocktail garnishes. You’ll find all the big hits – burgers, buttermilk fried chicken, pork belly, fried Brussels sprouts, mac and cheese – and a creative cocktail menu featuring small-batch spirits.
508 Cookman Avenue, 732-361-5502
Heirloom in St. Laurent
Just before Covid, restaurant veterans Neilly Robinson and chef David Viana (Heirloom Kitchen, Lita) had planned to open a flagship restaurant in Philadelphia. When that deal fell through, they began running pop-ups and were approached in 2021 by the owners of the Tides hotel in Asbury Park. They wanted Robinson and Viana to run the restaurant in what would become St. Laurent. After four months of crafting menus, designing the open kitchen and selecting tableware, they opened Heirloom at St. Laurent in summer 2022. The New American dinner menu focuses on inventive combinations of seasonal, local ingredients. The restaurant is also open for lunch. It received a 3-star rating from New Jersey monthly in 2023.
408 Seventh Avenue, 732-795-2582
Part bar, part restaurant, part cozy downtown lounge, complete with rattan couches and a beachy yet hip aesthetic that perfectly fits the town of Asbury Park, Mainstay is chef James Avery’s latest opening, the result of a complete redesign of his former seafood mecca, the Bonney Read. The restaurant’s menu is mostly straightforward, but occasionally brimming with surprises. Avery wisely chose to include some of Bonney Read’s most popular dishes, like the fan-favorite Bonney Burger, as well as a beer-battered fish with house-made tartar sauce that’s simply unmatched. In the February 2024 issue, Mainstay made New Jersey monthly‘s list of the best new restaurants.
525 Cookman Avenue, 732 455-3352
Jalisco, where Tapatia owner German Garcia was born and raised, includes the town of Tequila—and you can choose from many of these agave liquors at your table or at the bar. The menu, mostly from Pueblan, includes excellent tamales, chunky guacamole, and carnitas and lengue tacos. Garcia started with a small grocery store in 1998, which he later turned into Plaza Tapatia (formerly La Tapatia)—one of the state’s best Mexican restaurants. Today, the family’s property spans half a block and includes a large grocery store, bakery, liquor store, and taqueria.
707 Main Street, 732-776-7826
Smith, the company that almost single-handedly revitalized Asbury Park’s restaurant scene with the down-to-earth Brickwall Tavern and Porta, has taken a slant on French cuisine with Pascal & Sabine. And they’ve succeeded: It’s not only their most elegant and cozy restaurant, but perhaps Asbury Park’s as well. The bar is great for hanging out; the huge, circular booths are an experience; and the brasserie-style food is compelling.
601 Bangs Avenue, 732-774-3395
When the weather is nice, the terrace at Porta is a hive of activity. Photo by Jim Connolly
Yes, this is where the Boss first met Clarence Clemons, back when this cavernous space was still called Student Prince. In 2011, Smith redesigned it, reinventing it as an homage to Neapolitan pizza. But the menu also includes arancini, salads, roasted vegetables, pasta, branzino and rack of lamb.
911 Kingsley Street, 732-776-7661
Three Shore locals with a penchant for New Orleans cuisine and style bought the former nightclub Cascada in 2018 and, after temporary construction, finally opened R Bar in December. (A few months later, the restaurant made our list of best new restaurants.) Chef Michael Feinberg, who worked for Marc Forgione at American Cut in Atlantic City, offers dishes ranging from crab beignets to deviled eggs under a snow of shaved Parmesan to a good burger. There’s a pocket-sized stage, where a slick jazz trio recently performed. What’s behind the name? “We’ve opened so many restaurants for other people,” says partner Casey Richards, “that we decided to make this one ours, so it’s called R Bar.”
1114 Main Street, 732-776-7463
The team that modernized Mexican cuisine at Barrio Costero founded Reyla in 2018 to do the same for Middle Eastern cuisine. By the end of the year, they had expanded the culinary concept and created a new menu of small but communal dishes—from lamb burgers with tzatziki to octopus with green coconut chutney to three kinds of hummus. The cocktails that match the concept are lively.
603 Mattison Avenue, 732-455-8333
Stella Marina offers outdoor seating with beautiful views. Courtesy of Stella Marina
Stella Marina (“the star of the sea”) offers a modern yet rustic Italian menu with pizza, pasta, upscale main courses and a raw bar.
800 Ocean Avenue, 732-775-7776
In a city with so many restaurants and cuisines, it’s surprising that there’s only one Japanese eatery. Taka is the real deal – in terms of food, drink and atmosphere. Its chef and founder, Takahiro Hirai, was born in Japan, where he earned a degree in economics. After working in sushi restaurants in Miami Beach and Nantucket, he opened Taka in 2000. It offers both sushi and cooked dishes, as well as one of the largest selections of Japanese whiskey and sake in the area. A sake is made just for the restaurant near Hirai’s hometown.
660 Cookman Avenue, 732-775-1020
Photo by Jim Connolly
Husband and wife team Steve and Shanti Mignogna’s sourdough crust sends pizza lovers wild. Baked in a gas-fired brick oven, their pizzas are thin yet hearty, with a fluffy, charred crust—and are some of the best in the state. The New York-style pizza combines fresh and aged mozzarella with aged provolone in a distinctive way. The Dolorian, an original brunch pizza, is topped with smoked salmon, hash browns, crema, capers, scallions, and dill. Whatever the toppings, the foundation is what makes Talula’s special. Sandwiches on their sourdough bread, a selection of natural wines and hip cocktails, and freshly baked pastries also help keep people lining up.
550 Cookman Avenue, 732-455-3003
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