A Prime Perch: Catbird Asbury Park

Fans of the artisanal pizza from former restaurant Medusa in Asbury Park are enjoying it again…now with a view. Last spring, chef/owner Aimée McElroy renovated the landmark 1959 Sunset Landing restaurant on the banks of Deal Lake in Asbury Park. Now, she offers a menu with the same love—and eye for local, seasonal food—her customers have missed.

The 850° oven at the heart of Catbird Asbury Park “is best for pizzas and blistering vegetables,” says McElroy. “A wood-fired oven provides me with such a sense of communal spirit. It’s one of the biggest reasons I work with it.” Even the hardwood that fuels the oven is locally sourced.

The cozy restaurant, open Tuesday through Sunday, will celebrate fall by adding two or three seasonal pizzas topped with oven-roasted vegetables, such as butternut and acorn squash.

Visit the “Mocking Bar” for warming nonalcoholic and botanical drinks. Along with indoor seating, deck dining will be available (weather permitting) into fall.

Catbird Asbury Park
1215 Sunset Ave.
Asbury Park
catbirdap.com