New restaurants at the Jersey Shore offer pancakes, pizza, wraps and more

The last few months have been busy with a capital B for restaurant owners at the Jersey Shore. No doubt about it, keeping up with all of the openings is a challenge!

But that just means there is plenty of great food coming our way, right?

Here are the newest additions.

Pop's Corner, Point Pleasant Beach

Classic eggs Benedict, a shaved ribeye sandwich with creamy cheese sauce, a dry-aged burger on brioche: Find these dishes and more — plus a grab-and-go market and coffee shop — at Pop's Corner.

Bruce Fischer and Brian Neiman's 65-seat restaurant, at the busy intersection of Arnold and Cincinnati avenues in the former Point Beach Diner space, opens Saturday, July 22. The market opens Monday, July 17.

"Both of us always had a passion for the business," said Fischer, whose restaurant management experience includes Friendly's and Ground Round. "(This) location is amazing. It's across from the train and a 10-minute walk to the beach."

"We want it to be a very welcoming, a very happy environment," he said of Pop's. "That is what we're looking for."

The pair, who are father and son-in-law, also are opening Hudson Rose, a much larger restaurant and event space, in Nutley.

The menu at Pop's Corner features "classics with a little tweak," Fischer said. Their cheesesteak, for example, features a cream sauce made of provolone and parmesan ($18); the French toast is stuffed with Nutella and bananas ($14); and the tuna melt is served on toasted everything bagel slices flipped upside down so the bagel toppings flavor the sandwich ($14).

One standout side dish is thick-cut, slow-roasted, brown sugar-glazed bacon "steaks" ($18).

The executive chef is Andrew Irvin, previously of B2 Bistro + Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, The Edge in Jackson, and Kim Marie's Eat n' Drink Away in Asbury Park. Chef Alicia Pettiford, who will stock the market with breakfast and lunch sandwiches, hot oatmeal, wraps, salads and guacamole, spent several years at Sickles Market in Little Silver.

Go: 500 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Beach; 732-892-1700, popscornernj.com.

Lino's Italian Restaurant, Long Branch

It isn't easy creating something new in the place where a longtime restaurant once stood. But Chris Manzo and Pat Trama are doing just that at the corner of Westwood and Morris avenues in Long Branch.

The pair, who met through Manzo's visits to Trama's Trattoria in Long Branch, are opening Lino's Italian Restaurant in the footprint of Tuzzio's Italian Restaurant, which closed in December. Lino's is currently under construction — work began in May — and they plan to open in September.

"We just got along really well and started talking about things we could do," said Manzo, adding that he and Trama considered other locations before landing on the Tuzzio's space. "It just seemed like a natural fit."

The two also have taken over Nunzio's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant next door, though they are not planning to change much there.

At Lino's, "Pat and I want to create a spot that we've always wanted to go to that didn't exist," Manzo said. The atmosphere is "old Vegas, Chicago, New York ... a nod to the Italian Rat Pack. It will be elevated classics. Everything's a nod to the past a little bit."

The bones of the restaurant remain, including the bar.

"We want you to feel when you walk in that there's a Tuzzio's element," Manzo said. "It's not what it was, but where it's going is pretty cool."

Go: 224 Westwood Ave., Long Branch; instagram.com/linosrestaurant.

More: This beloved Italian restaurant in Long Branch has new owners.

Catherine’s Farm to Table, Point Pleasant Borough

After working in the kitchens of other people's restaurants, Luke Milchman now has a place of his own at Catherine's Farm to Table, which is named for his mother.

The chef previously worked the kitchens of Edgewater Beach Club in Sea Bright, Hotel LBI in Ship Bottom, Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt and Joe Bella's Italian Kitchen + Bar in Toms River. In June, he and co-owner Grant Kennedy opened the 68-seat dinner restaurant in the Arnold Avenue building that previously housed Capt'n Ed's Place, The Quarter House and The White Owl.

Catherine's Farm to Table is BYOB, and soon will add about 20 additional outdoor seats, Milcham said.

The menu is "modern American," which to Milchman means incorporating flavors from other cuisines, like Japanese, Mexican and French. He said he plans to change the menu every few months, and current dishes include tuna cannoli made with local tuna and spicy mayo wrapped in crispy wonton shells ($18); rigatoni with butter-poached lobster and 'nduja butter ($34); seared local scallops with cauliflower puree and bacon jam ($42); and buttermilk ricotta and sweet corn risotto ($24).

For dessert, there is a bread pudding the chef plans to change weekly, plus peanut butter cannoli and assorted gelato, among other sweets.

Go: 1001 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Borough; 732-701-1001, catherinesfarmtotable.com.

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Barrel Surf Cafe, Brant Beach

Connor and Sarah Devaney have worked for years on Long Beach Island — in restaurants and retail, respectively. They have a mobile bar business, and now, a restaurant.

"I've always wanted to open up a breakfast and lunch place," said Connor Devaney, who with his wife opened Barrel Surf Cafe over Memorial Day weekend. The cafe fills the space previously occupied by Island Market, and the Brant Beach General Store before that. When the building became available, "we decided to go for it," he said.

It has "a surf cafe type of vibe, and we're definitely on the healthier side of things," he said (although diners craving a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich can get one of those). "Our smoothies are very popular, and our toasts, too — our avocado toast and smoked salmon toast."

Other favorites include the "56th Street" wrap, which is filled with hot honey chicken, feta, American cheese and arugula, and named after the street Devaney's family grew up on ($14); and the "Dawn Patrol" sandwich of eggs, American cheese, bacon, arugula and lemon poppy aioli on sourdough ($12).

"It's also still what the general store kind of was: You can get milk, eggs, bread if you forgot something and don't want to run all the way to the mainland to get it," Devaney said. "There are grab-and-go items, and juices, that kind of stuff."

Go: 5715 Long Beach Blvd., Brant Beach; 609-661-7507, barrelsurfcafe.com.

More: Burger 25 opens in Ship Bottom, offering burgers, wings and Cookie Monster shakes

Guapo's Coffee House, Beach Haven

When Sammy Jo Alvarez travels, she likes to seek out specialty coffee shops. So when it was time to open her own business, she decided to bring her passion to LBI.

Alvarez, a former bartender, "wanted something that aligned more with the lifestyle I wanted to live," she said. "I like to get up early and surf, and be able to spend more time with my dog (Guapo)."

"We do a general menu of coffee basics — drip coffees, with a different assortment of origins for those," she said. "Then cappuccino, lattes, cafe mochas, cortados. In the past month or so, we've been creating house lattes that have really been taking off. "

There's the Coco Jo, with housemade coconut syrup, espresso, milk and coconut cold foam, and matcha with lavender syrup and coconut milk.

"I'm really geared toward more natural and all organic when we can be," Alvarez said.

As for food, there is avocado toast and peanut butter toast on local sourdough, breakfast wraps, a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich, and "really good baked goods," including some gluten-free options, she said ($5 to $10).

Go: 106 N. Bay Ave., Beach Haven; guaposcoffee.com.

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Tramonto's Pizza, Ocean Township

Teddy Megaris and his family have owned Ocean Township's Sunset Diner for more than 20 years. Last month, he and his wife, Leanna, opened Tramonto's Pizza right next door.

The restaurant most recently was Luigi's, but years ago it was the Megaris family's bakery.

"I vowed to take the store back one day and turn it into something special," he said. "We make everything from scratch, our own sauces, or own dressings, everything. We have thin-crust, deep dish, Detroit (style) pizzas.

"We're not your average pizzeria," he said. "We have a lot more than that."

This includes sliders, chicken and rice bowls, fried pasta blocks (think mozzarella sticks, but stuffed with pasta), and more than half a dozen kinds of loaded fries, plus sweets like s'mores empanadas, and funnel cake fries with Nutella dipping sauce.

Go: 3311 Sunset Ave., Ocean Township; 732-775-1111, tramontospizza.com.

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Other new additions

Dale & Dollops, Ocean Grove: Serving vegan food like Buffalo tempeh wraps, tofu scrambles and grilled cheese, plus smoothies and soft-serve; 69 Main Ave.; daleanddollops.com.

Isola Italian Trattoria, Beach Haven: This long-awaited new addition to Long Beach Island is a celebration of Italian dining. “I want to do ... justice to Italian food because here it’s been (Americanized), and our inspiration is traditional recipes with a contemporary spin,” Executive Chef Ermelindo Firmani said. “There are 20 different regions and we want to do them all justice. 1901 Long Beach Blvd.; 609-496-5321, isolalbi.com.

Mensa, Beach Haven: This chef-inspired quick-service restaurant, which opened earlier this month in the former Woodie's Too space, focuses on healthy tacos, bowls and salads. There are gluten-free and vegan options, too. 13410 Long Beach Blvd.; mensaeats.com.

MorningStar Cafe, Toms River: Shore diners may recognize the chef and co-owner of this newly opened restaurant: Alex Tricarico has worked as executive chef at Point Lobster Company and Shipwreck Point in Point Pleasant Beach, Danny's Steakhouse in Red Bank and 21A on Broadway in Long Branch. Try her shakshuka with warm pita, black bean burger with harissa mayo, or pancakes with housemade lemon curd. 1001 Fischer Blvd., Suite 5; 732-232-0558, morningstarcafe.sites.nv5.toast.ventures.

More: Shake Shack, First Watch bringing their first restaurants to Ocean County

Roxy's Bar and Grille, Toms River: Formerly a Charlie Brown's restaurant, Roxy's has comfort food, cocktails and live entertainment. 11 Kettle Creek Road; roxysnj.com.

Scojo's Market & Coffee House, Surf City: This sister business to nearby Scojo's restaurant opened in May in the former Sandbox Cafe space, selling coffee drinks, pastries, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. 1403 Long Beach Blvd.; instagram.com/scojosmarketlbi.

Soulberry Natural Market, Spring Lake: This Pennsylvania-based health food store expanded to New Jersey last month, taking over the former Nature's Corner space. 2407 Route 71; soulberrymarket.com.

Taco-Tastic, Toms River: Giovanni Bautista and Micaela Herrera are turning a shuttered Farm Stores building into the first drive-through-only location of their local chain of restaurants, with hopes of opening in September. This is their sixth Taco-Tastic restaurant: There are two others in Toms River, one each in Lacey and Seaside Heights, and another coming to Brick.

Tilling House, Eatontown: North Jersey chef Ryan DePersio, along with partners Cory Checket, Joe Calafiore and Dominique Borzomati, are building this event venue at Suneagles Golf Club. With plans to open in September, they will use some of the space as a pop-up for their restaurant concept, Ember & Eagle, which is slated to replace the property's Tavern 19 restaurant in 2024. "Think 'Mad Men' steakhouse," DePersio said of the restaurant concept. 2000 Lowther Drive; tillinghouse.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore restaurants: Breakfast, Italian spots, coffee shops open