Surf Bar & Grill in Rumson has closed

Surf Bar & Grill in Rumson, which Victor Rallo opened as Surf BBQ in 2016, has closed.

Rallo shard the news in a message on the restaurant's website and on social media.

"To our customers, friends and wonderful community, after an incredible seven years of serving you at Surf Bar and Grill, we have chosen to close our doors Monday, Sept. 4," it reads. "Thank you for your patronage and support during these past years. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to have provided all of you with warm and welcoming hospitality."

Rallo said he is planning a new concept for the space.

When the Rumson restaurant opened in the former Molly Maguire's Gastropub on East River Road, it represented new territory for Rallo, known for his Italian restaurants and PBS program, "Eat! Drink! Italy! with Vic Rallo."

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To open Surf BBQ, he turned to Billy Durney of Brooklyn's Hometown Bar-B-Que and Alex Smith of the original Mighty Quinn Barbeque in Manhattan.

"I'm passionate about the cuisines of the world, and the only true American cuisine is barbecue," Rallo told the Asbury Park Press in 2016. "It's a historic cuisine with its origins in the South, and we're trying to be true to the origins."

Rallo also owns Birravino in Red Bank, Undici Taverna Rustica in Rumson, and Pastavino Trattora E Enoteca in Staten Island. A Staten Island Surf location opened in 2017 and closed in 2020.

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: Surf Bar & Grill in Rumson has closed