Cape May is saying goodbye to a longtime dining destination, while Montclair is welcoming a new location of Ani Ramen. Here are the latest restaurant openings and closings in New Jersey.
RESTAURANT OPENINGS
Ani Ramen • Montclair
Ani Ramen—which won our 2021 Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll for readers’ favorite Asian Fusion and Japanese restaurants in North Jersey—is opening a new location that partners with Mochinut, a snack that might be the love child of a Japanese rice cake and an American doughnut. The new location will offer a full Ani Ramen menu and a full menu of Mochinut treats, including Korean rice flour hot dogs and an assortment of Mochinut flavors such as Cookies & Cream and Strawberry Funnel. The location is set to open in mid-November.
349 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
The Farmer’s Daughter • Newton
This new café is all about local offerings. Owner Kristi Shotwell’s menu is inspired by family memories of cooking with fresh ingredients, and includes dishes such as corn bisque, a fried green tomato BLT and a buckwheat noodle bowl. The eatery also includes a market featuring local antiques, gifts and gourmet goods. Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday-Saturday and for brunch on Sundays.
161-165 Spring Street, Newton; 973-383-0440
Pine Tar Bar & Grill • Forked River
This new sports bar will offer rotating specials as well as bar staples such as wings, shrimp, fried mac & cheese balls and dips. Dinner menu features sandwiches, salads, pizza, burgers, tacos, barbecue and more. The restaurant is set to open sometime in November.
121 S. Main Street Forked River
RESTAURANT CLOSINGS
The Mission Inn • Cape May
On December 31, the Mission Inn will bid its last guests farewell. The inn, functioning since 1992 in a classic Mission-style home, has been sold. The new owners will turn it into their private residence. Lesley Hurley, the inn’s executive chef since 1994, will finish out the year.
1117 New Jersey Avenue, Cape May; 609-884-8380