A longtime Jersey Shore restaurant and ice cream store that closed six years ago will be reopening next year, according to its new owner.
Nagle’s Apothecary Cafe is on the first floor of a three-story building built in 1890 in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township.
An apothecary was a precursor to the modern-day pharmacy or drug store. The Monmouth County shop was known for serving ice cream, sandwiches and other comfort foods.
Nagle’s was purchased in February by Kelly Ryan, the longtime owner of The BoonDocks Fishery in Red Bank. Renovations on the cafe will get underway in October, Ryan said.
It will be restored to what looked like prior to its 2019 closing, with a few fresh touches, Ryan said.
Nagle’s Apothecary Cafe
The soda fountain counter that dates back to the 1940s, the hot open-face sandwiches and the piano that played on Fridays and Saturdays will be returning, Ryan said.
“They will walk in and have a warm feeling that nothing’s changed,” Ryan said of customers.
The plan is to reopen Nagle’s by April if all goes well, or at least by Memorial Day weekend if the work takes longer, Ryan said.
Outside seating, another staple of the original restaurant, will be back.
Many fans of the former version of Nagle’s just dropped by for ice cream.
“The ice cream is what it was really known for. There were lines around the block,” Ryan said.
Nagle’s Apothecary Cafe in Ocean Grove
The menu will include recurring specials, including perhaps meatloaf on Mondays, Ryan said.
“I just want to bring it back to comfort food,” Ryan said.
Nagle’s is located on Main Avenue, by Central Avenue, about two blocks from the beach.
It is located a few blocks from the two pedestrian bridges crossing the Wesley River, a boundary with Asbury Park, that were gated off overnight starting in 1995 until the Neptune Township Committee rescinded the policy on Monday.
Nagle’s is among the historic draws in Ocean Grove, which is only four-tenths of a square mile but home to around 3,000 residents.
Then-Gov. Chris Christie visited Nagle’s in June 2016 while touting the reconstruction of Ocean Grove’s boardwalk, which was mostly destroyed during Hurricane Sandy.
All of the land is owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which leases it to residents and businesses, including 114 tents and 20 cottages used during the summer.
“It’s just a wholesome, friendly, wonderful place on the ocean,” Ryan said of Ocean Grove.
Ryan said she has not decided what to do with the second and third floors of the building. Both are unoccupied but previously served as offices and residences.
Rob Jennings
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.