Edible Jersey Invites You to Spend the Day in the Atlantic Highlands
Bordering on Sandy Hook Bay, with the New York skyline in the distance, Atlantic Highlands is a gateway to the Jersey Shore. Visitors traverse this vibrant little town coming off the SeaStreak ferry from the city on their way to the beaches of Sandy Hook, Sea Bright, and points south. But in any season it’s an ideal spot to pause, shop, taste, and indulge in family as well as food-loving fun. In the past year or two, several ambitious new shop owners have joined the mainstays of the business district, soothing Covid-weary customers with their optimism and cheerful energy.
First Avenue is hopping, offering unique gifts and great food. Many eateries have outdoor seating; in lieu of that, the street features a grassy park and is liberally sprinkled with benches that accommodate you and your takeout.
What’s more, Twin Lights and Sandy Hook are close by, attracting an active off-season subculture of birders, history buffs, and adventure seekers. Let the salt air blow winter’s chill off your soul. Edible Jersey invites you to spend the day.
(top left) Laura Martelli owner of Flour on First; (top right) Children’s gift display at Little Chicken; (middle) Regular customers enjoy their coffee at 1st Cup Coffee.; Beth Luttenberger and co-owner, Katie Cashman work on new furniture at Bungalow Road.
9am
Rise & Dine
Flour on First is at the southern end of First Avenue, and if ever there was a lip-smacking way to begin your Atlantic Highlands adventure, it’s here. Former Flaky Tart co-owner Laura Martelli opened the new bakery in the same footprint, heartening customers missing the scratch-made, butter-rich pastries and glorious cakes they’d grown to adore. For breakfast, try an apple turnover with a crust so flaky that it shatters at first bite, or a brioche filled with cream and a tumble of fresh berries. But honestly? Nothing will disappoint.
For a more leisurely, yawn-and-stretch meal, grab a table a few blocks up at Towne Diner. With eggs, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and all the classic breakfast choices on the menu, you’re covered for every taste, however finicky. They also boast wonderful burritos and Mexican oatmeal.
Colorful paintings and ceramic ware made by local artists decorate 1st Cup Coffee. This warm little nook offers a selection of hand-pulled coffees and, happily, options like cider and smoothies for kids and non-caffeine drinkers. Get cozy at a table with drinks and fresh pastries, and people-watch through the big picture window.
Atlantic Bagel Company starts off on the right foot by baking their bagels on premises—a treat for visitors from afar who have never come across a lush, chewy, fresh bagel. The shop further pushes the envelope with mega breakfast sandwiches. If you wake up ravenous or run with those who do, try a Homerun: thick-sliced bologna, pickles, onions, and cheese, fried together and piled on your favorite bagel.
10:30am
Shop & Stroll
In the age of movies shown in huge, impersonal monoliths, there’s a lot to be said for a neighborhood movie theater. Duck out of the spring rain into The Atlantic Moviehouse, an Atlantic Highlands institution. Borough residents and new owners Tony and Susanne Zertuche renamed, resurrected, and renovated the century-old space and welcomed patrons back at the grand reopening last summer.
The ornate brass doorknob and slender door will catch your attention outside Bungalow Road, a tin-ceilinged, plank-floored gift shop that would feel right at home on a side street in Edinburgh. But it’s very much a New Jersey venue. Mixing elegant plus just plain fun, you’ll find jewelry, candles, children’s books, and more, many with a Jersey theme. For truly beautiful children’s gifts, browse through Little Chicken, the brainchild of mom and borough resident Megan O’Donnell. A footwear designer, Megan began the shop with a line of children’s shoes and expanded from there, opening last November. She designs the apparel; her husband, Patrick, screen prints it. Especially impressive is the children’s reading area. Featuring picture books that introduce kids to notables like Greta Thunberg and Stevie Wonder, it’s an ambitious and welcome addition to the shop. Every item here, which also includes products by local artisans, feels carefully curated. Because of Covid restrictions, many of her very youngest shoppers have never been to a toy store, says Megan. “I wanted people to come in and feel joy.”
Atlantic Highlands Farmers’ Market opens its season during the first weekend in June, runs through October, and is held every Friday between 11am and 5pm. After a long winter and countless trips to big-box stores, become reacquainted with supremely fresh and locally grown and created organic products. Ask the growers questions—their hearts are in what they produce, and they love to talk about it. Find out what’s growing right here, right now. Fill a bag with something colorful. Try something new.
(top) The staff of Peace Love Pickles: (l-r) Maria Gutierrz, Giovanna Nava, Marcelo Pardes, owner Lisa LoMonaco, Suhey Luciano and owner Joe LoMonaco; (second row left) Jus Organic; (second row right) Corned beef pickle sandwich at Peace Love Pickles; (bottom) Augie Carton, co-owner of Carton Brewing
12pm
Lunch
Power couple Lisa and Joe LoMonaco brought their love of fun to Peace Love Pickles, whose doors opened in June 2021. “We try not to take anything too seriously,” Lisa says. I went for the Vampire Slayer, with roasted turkey and garlic between thick pickle slabs. You can also choose mini sandwiches, rolled up with thinly sliced pickles. But either way, PLP’s offerings are not for delicate eaters. Whatever sandwich you choose, ask for napkins—and plenty of them. Feeling brave? Request a hit of one of their brine cocktail mixers, like the bracing, eye-watering pineapple brine or their bestseller, the Bloody Mary brine.
While we’re on the topic, Julio’s Pizza Co., a block or so north of PLP, features two pies topped with pickles (Joe Joe’s Pickle Pie, with garlic parmesan sauce, mozzarella, and pickles; and the Cubano, with pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, Dijon, and pickles) along with pepperoni and other iconic pies. This is a relaxed, family place. All proceeds from sweatshirt sales featuring their adorable cocker spaniel rescue, Julio, benefit the Monmouth County SPCA.
Hippie kitsch meets happy kitchen at JÜS Organic. The menu is surprisingly expansive, going far beyond green juice, and it’s clear that owner Renee Dorski is hoping folks stay awhile. When the surroundings are as warm and the offerings as delicious as they are, we do. For those who love vegetarian and vegan specialties or those who just want to relax with a croissant from New York City’s Balthazar, tuck a throw pillow behind you and settle in. I loved the Hummus Tartine: Israeli hummus, cucumber, red cabbage, za’atar, and olive oil spread on toast with a lovely chewy crust. Ask for it spicy!
2pm
Explore & Pour
At the north end of First Avenue, things get active. The Atlantic Highlands harbor skatepark is a place for the high-octane to challenge themselves; for non-skaters, it’s a genuine show. Marvel at these local athletes’ skill and stamina, then cross the street and test your own on the Bayshore Trail, winding between tennis courts, boats, and the river beyond on the north side and stately seaside mansions perched high on the south side. When you get back, relax with an outdoor game of chess or checkers, or just watch the gulls fly.
Heading back along First Avenue, turn east on Washington Avenue and open Carton Brewing’s bright orange door. Cousins Chris and Augie Carton own and operate this 15-barrel independent craft brewery and embody the kind of playfulness that keeps them challenged and successful. Notable among their offerings: Carton of Milk, a Nitro Milk Stout; and Monkey Chased the Weasel, a Highlander Weiss mulberry sour ale made with mulberries harvested from a tree on their property. The downstairs retail space is open Wednesday through Monday; the upstairs Tap Room is open Wednesday through Sunday.
At Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters, wife-and-husband team Barbara DiBeneditto and Greg Lewis apply their decades of experience as scholars, travelers, and experts in the coffee industry to their product. The coffee they pour for this community is certified organic, fair trade, and roasted by hand. And their site has astonishing breadth—a treasure for those who are learning to discern one variety from another as well as those who simply love good-quality coffee. Call or order online and pick up outside the shop.
Just over three miles east of Atlantic Highlands is Twin Lights museum and lighthouse, constructed on one of the highest elevations on the eastern seaboard. The excitement begins as you drive the steep, winding road up the hill. History lovers will marvel to learn that the lights served as a sentinel over New York Harbor from 1862 to 1949. Techie types will gape at the colossal Fresnel lens on display which, when in use, was visible from 70 miles away. And everyone else? They’ll feel exalted as they take in the view from the top of the towers. It’s startlingly beautiful. The museum, north tower, and lighthouse are open Wednesdays through Sundays.
From there, zip up your windbreaker, head east once more, and then swing north to Sandy Hook. Fishing and hiking are popular here in all seasons, but spring is the time for kite-flyers, windsurfers, and bike riders, before summer draws the crowds. April and May are also peak bird season. Bring your binoculars and head to North Beach Observation Deck, where you can spot migrating birds as well as the misty New York City skyline. Sandy Hook’s north end is also home to Fort Hancock, the Proving Ground Historic District, and Sandy Hook Light. Built in 1764, it’s the country’s oldest working lighthouse.
(top) Freshly roasted beans and espresso at Fair Mountain Coffee; (third row) Owner Andy Muldowney of Monty’s BBQ with Mac n’ Cheese and Ribs
6pm
Dinner
With the dissolution of Memphis Pig Out, this town was hungry for real barbecue again. In February 2021, Monty’s BBQ stepped up to the pit. Everything is smoked in house; the kitchen’s intoxicating aroma smacks you upon your first step in the door, not that you mind. Monty’s slices up pork, beef, and turkey barbecue and—this warms my heart beyond measure— gives hungry patrons a choice of five traditional regional sauces to slather on it. On the day I visited, the amiable counter guy told me they were currently smoking beef ribs, and held his hands out about a foot apart. “Awesome dino bones!” he grinned.
Towering high next to the SeaStreak ferry dock, On the Deck Restaurant & Harbor View Bar is the place to take in the boats, the breeze, and the expanse of Sandy Hook Bay. Almost everything on the menu is hands-on: raw oysters, crab cake sandwiches, tuna tacos. The salt air builds an appetite, me hearties.
Integrity on two floors, The Atlantic House walks the local and sustainable walk, proudly sourcing products from regional and organic purveyors as much as possible. Chef Brendan Neville lays the foundation of his gorgeous menu from English pub cuisine (crisp-coated Scotch eggs and fish and chips) then brings it decidedly back to the Jersey Shore (local middleneck clams and salads made of delicate local greens). Head up to the rooftop terrace, start with a cocktail made with spirits from Asbury Park Distilling Co., and ease into the springtime evening.
edible ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS
1 Flour on First
145 First Ave.
732.366.9622
www.flouronfirst.com
2 Towne Diner
77 First Ave.
732.291.2418
www.townedineratlantichighlands.com
3 1st Cup Coffee
96 First Ave.
732.291.2000
4 Atlantic Bagel Co.
74 First Ave.
732.872.7727
www.atlanticbagel.com
5 Atlantic Moviehouse
82 First Ave.
732.204.2454
www.atlanticmoviehouse.com
6 Bungalow Road
78 First Ave.
732.291.2541
7 Little Chicken
35 First Ave.
732.822.8358
www.littlechickenkids.com
8 Atlantic Highlands Farmers’ Market (June–Oct.)
Veterans Park; 111 First Ave.
www.facebook.com/ahfarmersmarket
9 Peace Love Pickles
131 First Ave.
732.377.2266
www.peacelovepickles.com
10 Julio’s Pizza Co.
75 First Ave.
848.300.2674
www.heyitsjulios.com
11 JÜS Organic
135 First Ave.
848.254.4686
www.jusorganic.com
12 Carton Brewing
6E Washington Ave.
732.654.BEER
www.cartonbrewing.com
13 Fair Mountain Coffee
171 First Ave.
732.708.0800
www.fairmountaincoff ee.com
14 Monty’s BBQ
71 First Ave.
732.204.2437
www.montysnjbbq.com
15 The Atlantic House
67 First Ave.
848.300.2408
www.theatlantichousenj.com
16 On the Deck Restaurant & Harbor View Bar
10 Simon Lake Dr.
732.872.1424
www.onthedeckrestaurant.com
JUST EAST...
Twin Lights
2 Lighthouse Rd.,
Highlands
732.872.1814
www.twinlightslighthouse.org
Sandy Hook Gateway
National Recreation Area
www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/sandy-hook.htm
