Almost from the day it re-opened in Sea Bright after Superstorm Sandy, Anjelica's has been so popular on the Jersey Shore that diners have spilled out onto the sidewalk and the adjoining alley. It's high-end Italian cuisine has garnered it a loyal following as well as recognition as one of Open Table's Top 100 Restaurants in America in 2019.
Last summer after restaurants were allowed to re-open, Anjelica's expanded its hours to include casual sidewalk dining for lunch. On the sidewalk they added a take-out stand for Italian Street Food where beachgoers stopped by on their way to the ocean. Plunging temperatures haven't dented their enthusiasm for serving Jersey Shore diners. They have installed wall and space heaters in the alley and on the sidewalk along Ocean Avenue. Diners are welcome to bring their own blankets or buy them from the restaurant.
Anjelica's is open for lunch starting at noon and dinner at 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday and for
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dinner from 1-8 pm on Sundays.
Other Hot Winter Dining Hot Spots -- Setaara in Atlantic City and The Butcher's Block in Long Branch.
It snows right through the roof. Sometimes it's real. Sometimes it's fake. But it's always an experience at the Afghan French restaurant Setaara with its remarkable two-story rear courtyard inspired by a Moroccan riad. Nationally recognized this summer by the LA Times, the restaurant's outdoor seating rings a fountain filled with rose petals and lighting imported from Morocco, Egypt and Turkey.
With heat lamps and fire pits, the restaurant has become one of the most popular spots at the Jersey Shore. The menu is Afgan-French influenced with a couple of Italian dishes as a nod to the restaurant's location in the heart of Ducktown. Not surprisingly, it's AC's first Afghan Restaurant. But it is also the city’s only French restaurant.
One of the Jersey Shore's hottest restaurant last year continues to heat up the dining scene, inside and outside this winter. Tom Ambrisi's The Butcher's Block is tucked away on West Avenue in an industrial area of Long Branch protected by cold winter winds off the ocean. It's the perfect stop for our regular spotlight of 2021 winter outdoor dining options at the Jersey Shore.
Led by its partner design company, The Reclaimed Firm, the exterior of The Butcher's Block restaurant offers a variety of outdoor seating options. Against the wall of the restaurant, on a raised outdoor platform, diners are protected on two sides. Out in the large patio area, the seating is fairly flexible with large tables and plenty of outdoor heaters. In another section, there are
are fire pits and casual seating. When asked if they will always be open outdoors, the answer is the same as with most restaurants this winter -- weather permitting. But on a night when the temperature dipped to freezing, plenty of people were still warmed by the heaters and eating outside.
The Butcher's Block is a no-apologies meat restaurant where you walk inside to watch the butcher cut your slab of beef, pork or lamb sliced. It's all farm-to-table meat and not only available for dining but can be purchased from the whole animal butcher shop inside the restaurant (the ever-changing sausage options are amazing). In the same building, but not directly related is D'Ambrisi Wholesale Foods, a wholesale business run by Tom D'Ambrisi's father and brother.
This winter, the restaurant is open starting at 4:00 pm Thursday through Saturday. The Butcher Shop is open (with take-out) from noon-4:30, Wednesday through Sunday.
Follow us here on thecitypulse.com as we continue tour restaurants with outstanding outdoor seating throughout the season.
