Every town in the world has restaurants and brothels that come and go. There are always reasons why they come and go, but the history and memories of what used to be remain.
The Somerset Hills has a great history of bars and restaurants that have come and gone. Some last the test of time and others cave into the change in attitude, trend, or demographic shift. We’ll return to the pre-revolutionary war and see what you might know. We will make this an interactive post so that when we get more information from our readers and research, we’ll add it to the article. To test your knowledge, we’ve even created a “match game quiz” at the end. Post your score when you’ve tried it!
Pre-Revolutionary War
Before the war, the Somerset Hills had two areas, Bedminster and Bernards Township. Bedminster was charted in 1740, and Bernards Township followed in 1760. These two townships have carved themselves up over the years and now make up Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Township, Far Hills, and Peapack and Gladstone. Since travel was difficult, while there were only two townships, there were taverns and hotels throughout the region. Some of the most notable establishments were the Bedminster Hotel, The Parker Tavern (Vealtown/Bernardsville), Widow White’s Tavern (Basking Ridge), and Bouillons Tavern in Liberty Corner. Only the Parker Tavern and the Bedminster Hotel survive today as a Delicious Heights in Bedminster and a retail space in Bernardsville. It’s impressive if you think about it.
Across the landscape, there are a few favorite locations that will not quit trying to provide food, rest, and libations to both residents and tourists.
Some Favorites
Today, the Somerset Hills towns are filled chiefly with upscale experiences with typically higher-end prices. Gone are the “shot and beer joints” and “pool halls” of yesteryear. Where were those places? You talk to some older locals, and they’ll tell you. Places like Freddys Tavern, The Thirsty Turtle, the Pluckemin Inn, Michael’s BBill’sCoral, Shady Grove Inn, and The Townhouse Restaurant are just a few that have either reinvented themselves or come and gone.
Mill Lane in Bernardsville.
The area is a lot different than it was in the 1960s. A longtime resident of Basking Ridge said, ” ” you remember when Eddie Murphy, Rosie O’O’DonnellJoe Piscopo, Sam Kinison, Robert Wahl, and Bob Nelson all performed at Freddys “thinking to myself, I thought, geeze, I remember that bar, but really?”
Was he playing stand-up comedy in Bernardsville, New Jersey? Well, it’s true. Eddie Murphy did play during the longstanding Sunday Night stand-up comedy series at FrFreddy’sn 1 Mill Street, Bernardsville which was long known as the Old Stone Inn, the establishment became FrFreddy’srom 1978 to 1996, featuring live bands and nationally known comedians. $4 bucks got you in for a night of entertainment, but there were strict rules about heckling since they were packing 200 people that sat 5 feet from the comedians.
After a few future closures, there is now an upscale Italian restaurant called Ristorante MV on 1 Mill Street in Bernardsville. The historic structure is still around today and dates back to 1849, and it has been a tavern throughout its history. Its guests include Gov. Woodrow Wilson, later President of the United States, who dropped by for lunch before speaking at Olcott Square in October 1911. At that exact location were the Old Stone Hotel (1849 ), FreFreddy’s978), The Old Stone Tavern (1996), Equus (2007), Cabellos (2015), and now RudRudolph’s016).
Basking Ridge Hot Corners
Today, there are two great eateries on the corner of South Finley and Henry Street in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township. The Washington Hotel Restaurant and the Mockingbird Cafe are the current occupants of their locations, but it wasn’t always that way.
Hot Corner No.1 – South Finley West
The Washington House Restaurant is a recently upgraded restaurant still sitting with the bones of the original Washington Hotel built in 1871, the year before the railroad came to town. Once a hotel and tavern, the Washington House had four other businesses on the same foundation. Before the Washington House (2015) in 2011, it was Ridge Tavern. Before that, it was Jack Welch and Jeff Beers The Store (1972-2010). The original Washington House Hotel was built in 1871 by Augustus Moore and changed hands several times, but it remained a hotel, a tavern, a speakeasy, and more until Parks bought the property in 1957. The tavern concept remained until it became “The Store” in 1972. Many people remember the famed “glass-covered hole in the floor,” which changed decorations throughout the year.
Hot Corner No. 2 – South Finley East
Across the street at 60 South Finley Avenue, we’ve identified six eateries that have come and gone, showing that this location has been the highest turnover food area in the Somerset Hills. The current establishment is The Mockingbird Cafe, opened in 2011 and owned by Basking Ridge locals Kathy and Tom West, who were the previous owners of the Limestone Café in Peapack. For a short stint, the locations were DukDuke’sfe & Grill (2008-2010) and the Wild Goose Bakery (2007).
The Lemon Lounge, owned by Andrea Honan, was inspired by the love of lemons. It was the stop, which was a coffee house with live entertainment, poets, and musical acts. Before that, it was the Mardi Gras Restaurant (1996-2000) and before that it was Per Forza (1987-1996). We’ve wethered that one of the longest-running eateries at 60 South Finley was the Corner Cupboard. They were owned by Eleanor Jacenty and Esther Beck. They opened in 1957 originally as a tea room and had a 26-year run. The Corner Cupboard closed on April 14, 1984.
High Turnover Locations
From Schoolhouse to Italian
While 1 Mill Lane in Bernardsville and 60 South Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge turned over seven times, a little joint in the West Millington section of Bernards Township has also had quite the history of turning over six times. Originally a school, this spot on 3188 Valley Road has served six owners and a complex and somewhat tainted past. Currently, its location, since 1998, has been Cafe Rustica. Before that, a “shot-and-beer bar” with a troubled reputation kept many neighbors away. Before that, it was the Carriage Inn (1986-1995), “the”One and Only” (1979-1986), and Bills Corral (1968-1979), which was initially the Paramount Inn Bar and Grill (1936-1968). But what many don’t know is that the building was originally a school.
There were more than a few posters on Facebook who shared stories of grabbing beer from Bills Corral as early as age 14. Jodi noted, “My “best friend was on a first-name basis with the owner of Bills Corral. We’d drive the car with our fingers crossed; she got a case. The four of us would never finish it and end up having to toss the rest in the woods somewhere!! Lol — just getting the case was half the fun.”
In another post, a Facebooker wrote, ” He was an attractive guy. Nice family. Chew went to the RHS class of 63, I think. He played football, too. Nice guy and a pretty good football player. They were great about allowing kids to skate on their pond. Very welcoming. I forget what year it was, but his dad choked to death while out for dinner with his wife and neighbors for their anniversaries. I think it was sometime in the early 70s or before. His mom kept the house for a while. They owned all the property behind their house. There was another house, which was rented and had horses. I believe the property is now all developed with relatively new housing. “
FB”Post: “Val”rie was a bartender at JuliJulio’srren) for three years. My station was right in front of the band. It’s a miracle I can hear. Tips were usually a quarter, and I appreciated everyone.” If you were in the downstairs bar, people were dancing upstairs to a band playing, and the fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling would sway. Tuesday nights were country/western, and they had extra bouncers on—big bouncers. Those were the days.
Peapack/Gladstone
Peapack and Gladstone have also had their local restaurants change hands many times. There was the Limestone Cafe on 89 Main Street, which closed in 2010 as the Wests moved on to create the Mockingbird Cafe in Basking Ridge. Before that, it was La Maison Des Poelles, a French fare restaurant; before that, it was 89 Main.
Then there’s Gladstone Tavern, which looks like it’s been there forever, but before that was Chatfields (1989-2009), and before that, the Brass Penny. The location was originally an 1847 farmhouse.
Another hot spot in Bernardsville is right across the street from the Bernardsville train station. If you look there today, you see a great BYO Mediterranean fare called Bistro Seven Three (Bistro 73 – 2010), owned by Afrim Berisha. Berisha is a partner in The Vine, just up the road. This is at the exact location when it was Grill 73 (2002-2009). For one year, it was Mia Sorello, an Italian try who moved up from Somerville and only lasted a year before Berisha repurchased it. Before Grill 73, it was FlorFlorio’s; before that, it was the famed Colonial Tavern.
The Staple Four
Only a few establishments have stood the test of time and remain doing what they started to do. There’s Bernards Inn (1907) in Bernardsville, The Grain House (building goes back to 1758) at the Old Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, and The Pluckemin Inn in Bedminster, a historic name that goes back to Jacob Eoff back in the 17501750’s the 1980s, it used to be a total dive and was rebuilt and reintroduced in 2005. It serves as a higher-end restaurant and bar. Finally, there is Delicious Heights in Bedminster, which goes back to owners like Charles Pfizer and the historic Mellick family. We chose what is best known as WillWillie’sern as the No.1 Historic Business in the Somerset Hills. At the turn of the century, it was also known as the Bedminster Hotel. Rumor has it Willie HowarHoward’se is buried in the back parking lot. (Read that story)
ThereThere’st of local history in these four places. All four were along the historic carriage route, which dates back to when horse-drawn carriages traveled between Somerville and Morristown. While the owners have changed over time, you feel a lot of history when you walk in the doors. So, a big congratulations on their longevity.
Shot-n-Beer Joints
Due to a changing clientele and a higher cost of living, gone in the Somerset Hills are the “shot and beer type” joints that many young drinkers used to fashion back in the 1970s and 80s. The only place slightly resembling a lovely old place is the Top of the Hill, a historic place on 202 in Bedminster. TOTH still has a cigarette machine where you can buy cigs for about $9. Top of the Hill also has live music as well on the weekends. Some of the classics that history remembers are the original The Station (Bernardsville) known for it’s bit’srs and shots, the Pluckemin Inn (Bedminster), and MichaeMichael’sillington), which were all once legendary area shot-n-beer establishments.
A reader wrote, “How “could we not have Pistillis in Bernardsville?”
We g”t several notes not to forget Albert & Josie PistilPistilli’surant. The Italian Restaurant on Morristown Road in Bernardsville, a local landmark that closed in 1998 after a local bank bought the property. Founded in 1949, just weeks after the property purchase in 1998, it was gone. Then, Mayor Hugh Fenwick said, “We cut our teeth on root beer and pizza there.” It was an institution. It wasn’t just a restaurant.” In 1954, after the Radio Tavern in Bernardsville closed, DeFilippis sold the liquor license to Pistilli’s
And we have an update. In 2015, while the original PistilPistilli’sbert and Josie Pistilli were gone, Ahmed Zeiden opened The Grill in a new building right next door to the Bank of the Somerset Hills. We lost The Grill, and in 2019, the once-great PistilPistilli’se the B’villB’ville and Grill. It’s full circle—best of luck.
Do you Remember?
Other Bars of Interest
- Bernardsville – Radio Tavern – 64 Bernards Avenue – While one half sold radios and televisions, the other half opened in 1943 as the Radio Tavern. It became a neighborhood bar where older men would have a beer, play cards, or go to the backyard and play bocce in the area known as the “Little Italy” section of Bernardsville. So, in a seven-house stretch on Bernards Avenue in the early1940s, there was a grocery store, a barber shop, a television and radio store, a tavern, a butcher shop, and a launderette.
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