Pop’s Garage is back open for business
Authentic Mexican eatery returns with full dining room added to new space
Restaurateur Marilyn Schlossbach’s business ventures within Asbury Park’s Second Avenue Pavilion are finally all back in business.
The re-opening of Pop’s Garage, an authentic Mexican restaurant with an American restaurant feel, completes the rebuilding efforts undertaken after the pavilion suffered a hard hit from Hurricane Sandy.
Schlossbach and her partners now own and operate the majority of businesses in the pavilion, save for the Silverball Museum. They include Langosta Lounge, The Asbury Park Yacht Club bar, Lightly Salted Surf Mercado store, Libby’s Beach Shack, a casual seafood fast-food restaurant, and now Pop’s.
“I’m psyched that it is open again,” said Schlossbach.
The former Pop’s Garage was a small counter bar with outside seating prior to Hurricane Sandy, where Libby’s is located now. The restaurant now occupies the space that housed Sicuiliano’s Pizza up until last summer when the pizzaria closed. The larger interior space still features a counter bar, but now includes a full dining room with seating to accommodate 50 patrons.
“It’s our laid-back version of casual dining, whereas Langosta is our laid back version of fine-dining,” Schlossbach said.
Pop’s reflects Schlossbach and her husband Scott’s love for authentic Mexican cuisine. The two have traveled a lot in Mexico, but could never find a place back home that offered authentic Mexican food in an American atmosphere, said Schlossbach.
“Wanted to create something that had elements of both,” she said.
Pop’s new menu has expanded to include more entrée items similar to the Pop’s located in Shrewsbury and the original Pop’s, formerly located in Normandy Beach. It features all of the traditional Mexican fare one would hope to find, including burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, quesadillas and Pop’s staple skirt steak jalisco — a marinated and roasted skirt steak sliced and topped with spring onions served with a side of Manchego potato cake, grilled asparagus and spiced fruit salsa.
Operating with the Langosta Lounge liquor license, restaurant-goers can enjoy a full bar menu to boot. The Pop’s menu will also available at the Asbury Park Yacht Club, located just next door.
Even though the restaurant is not “technically” open on Wednesdays, Schlossbach and her partners will a preview of the space Wednesday, Oct. 9, starting at 7 p.m. “Light bites and drinks” will be available and Maracas Latin Band will perform.
Everything on the menu at Pop’s is still made fresh, and most of the ingredients are organically- and locally-sourced, according to Schlossbach.
“Whatever is on our menu that we can locally source, we do. Obviously we’re never going to get avocado’s from New Jersey,” she said.
Schlossbach and her partners are still putting the final details on the interior design and plan to include a “revolving art space” in the dining room, where the work of local artists will be featured on a monthly basis.
Customers who made it to Pop’s Normandy location before it closed will recognize Schlossbach’s special collection of snow globes stowed away before the hurricane hit have made the move to the Asbury Park location.
Schlossbach also owns the Labrador Lounge restaurant, a vacation hot spot in Normandy Beach; Pop’s Garage in Shrewsbury; and Dauphin Grille located in the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury.
Pop’s Asbury Park hours are Monday and Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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