The state of New Jersey is enhancing its culinary reputation with an array of outdoor dining venues that offer everything from expansive waterfront views to dishes that span global cuisines. From Northern New Jersey’s Andre’s Lakeside Dining in Sparta, where patrons enjoy modern dishes on a deck overlooking Seneca Lake, to Southern New Jersey’s Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille in Cape May, with panoramic water views from an oceanfront patio, the state provides a bounty of options for alfresco dining.
In Jersey City, Battello offers a contemporary Italian menu and Hudson River views, while Cafe Matisse in Randolph provides an authentic European garden patio setting, complete with a four-course Prix-Fixe dinner menu. Hoboken’s City Bistro brings an expansive rooftop setting with eclectic Italian fare, contrasting with the innovative take on Modern American dishes by Chef Angel Andino at Haven in Edgewater.
Various venues like No Hu Rooftop Bar & Restaurant in Weehawken and The Patio at The Highlawn in West Orange cater to those looking for upscale environments with crafted cocktails and decadent dishes. Others, like Iron Monkey in Jersey City, provide a more laid-back atmosphere as a Rooftop Craft Draft Beer Bar serving modern American cuisine.
Central New Jersey is no exception to this trend. The Orchard Terrace in East Brunswick offers modern American cuisine by David Burke on a relaxed, covered terrace. Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten in Asbury Park delivers a Bavarian-inspired bird’s-eye view from its 9,000-square-foot rooftop, complete with German fare and American comfort classics.
In the South, the offerings range from Carlucci’s Waterfront in Mount Laurel, overlooking Rancocas Creek with fine Italian cuisine, to The Waterfront in Wildwood, which boasts sweeping views and crowd-pleasing dishes and cocktails.
Whether it’s for a casual meal or a special occasion, New Jersey’s outdoor dining options provide a variety of atmospheres and culinary choices, solidifying the state’s growing status as a food lover’s paradise.