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The Robinson Ale House is nearing its finish line.

The revamped local eatery by restaurateur Tim McLoone is located in the iconic Howard Johnson’s structure, downstairs from his Tim McLoones Supper Club.

A new niche has been created – boasting a lighter decor, akin to a rustic beach style, and a new menu boasting everything from light fare flatbreads and a raw bar to steak house quality filet mignon and rib-eye options.

“The Robinson Ale House is really meant to be the highest high-end comfort food you can get,” McLoone said. “It’s a high-end pub and the challenge when you do that is we have to be able to convince people that they can have a grilled cheese and tomato soup in the same building that they can filet mignon, swordfish, halibut, or crab cakes.

The restaurant will make its debut next week but in the meantime, McLoone and his staff are working to put the final touches on a winter renovation that included a kitchen expansion, new windows, refurbing the wood accents and the downstairs fireplace.

Regular patrons will take note of the new Ocean Avenue entrance with a dedicated vestibule area adjacent to the new weekend live entertainment space that draws local and nationally recognized musicians.

“Everything in here is brand new, from the flooring to the detail work on the ceiling,” said Director of Corporate Sales Rachel Koeppel Ganley. “The booth seating is now reflective of what is upstairs and the designers from our Red Bank location was brought in, so a lot of the design elements are the same.”

Those designers are Terry Gierlatowicz and Sydney Gierlatowicz-Mauhs of TSG Design, LLC.

McLoone opened Robinson Ale House in Red Bank in 2014. And while there are some unifying details, the Asbury Park venue purposely boast a lighter decor that is in synergy with the beachside location.

Chef Walter Quiteno [below right], who has been with McLoone for five years, has created the new menu comprised of fish tacos, spicy garlic mussels, a cheesy creole shrimp, and pomegranate swordfish, to name a few. The burgers range from the traditional to turkey and black bean options. The salad options range from the traditional caesar and chicken cobb to a salmon Nicoise and Robinson’s signature mesclun topped with feta, walnuts, apples, and dried cranberries, with a balsamic vinaigrette.

McLoone was among the first to settle on the Asbury Park boardwalk, back in 2008. He’s since grown the upstairs Supper Club into a destination venue and will expand its live entertainment offerings to seven days a week beginning in June.

New curtains accent the replaced windows, lending to a warmer atmosphere, and there is a new entryway reception seating area both upstairs and downstairs. A banquet with small tables offer those looking for a cocktail and light fare ocean views, and the outside dining tables were also replaced.

“We were the first lease signers when we came in 2008,” McLoone said. “We all inherited buildings in varying degrees of decay and in some cases, looking pretty good. They have a much grander vision now and they want everyone to be a part of it.”

With a newly renegotiated 15-year lease with the boardwalk redeveloper, McLoone said it was the perfect time to reinvent the space.

“We had no real culinary reason for people to come here,” he said. “We had good food, we had good service, and the place looked okay. It’s a question of trust and it’s by reputation.”

The new menu boasts a lower price point than the former Asbury Grille, he said.  

“Our company, even though we have 10 locations, is my wife, Beth and me,” McLoone said. “It really is ma and pa and we try to get that across to employees so that it goes to the customer. We are in the hospitality business and I’m a musician, that’s what I do. We try to keep it as personal as we can. It implies a casual nature.”

And no two of his restaurants are alike, the Asbury Park Robinson Ale House will be the closest that it will ever come, he said.

The Asbury Park Robinson Ale House will employ over 150 people. The main dining room seats over 125 and the outdoor seating accommodates 80, he said.

Chef Harris Rivera heads the Supper Club special event team, which will now feature Karaoke Mondays, Drag Karaoke Tuesdays, Dueling Piano Wednesdays, Speciality Acts Thursday – including the Jersey Shore Medium, the Friday and Saturday showcases, and Jazz Brunch Sunday followed by Big Band evenings.

The Robinson Ale House Asbury Park is located at 1200 Ocean Ave and will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit their website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

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