Restaurants & Bars
Stone Tavern Moves Closer To Opening New Bridgewater Location
The upscale restaurant is getting ready to open on Route 22 at the former Houlihan's location. Owner Steve Desiderio gives Patch an update.
BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Stone Tavern, a new upscale restaurant opening in the former Houlihan's location, is moving closer to opening its new location in Bridgewater.
"We are shooting for May to open," said Stone Tavern Owner Steve Desiderio to Patch.
"We still have the parking lot to be repaved, sidewalks to be redone, and interior stuff," said Desiderio. "It was a total gutjob. We demoed everything and everything will be totally different."
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The new Bridgewater location at 1288 Route 22 East had initially been set to open sometime in the Fall of 2023. However, construction delays pushed it to May 2024.
Food has always been a part of Desiderio's life, who grew up in Bernardsville.
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"I grew up in an Italian family," said Desiderio. "My mom taught me a lot when I was little."
From there Desiderio said food and cooking came pretty naturally to him. What followed was 30 years in the restaurant business.
Before opening Stone Tavern, Desiderio owned Desi's Brick Oven Pizza and Cafe in Hillsborough in 2010.
In 2019, he opened a smaller version of Stone Tavern in Washington before moving to Philipsburg in 2022.
From there the community response took off prompting Desiderio to expand to open another location in Bridgewater.
"I kind of have been in the area my whole life. Opportunities came up when Houlihans closed," said Desiderio. "It's a strong location for Central New Jersey."
Desiderio said he plans to continue expanding to open five locations.
For the Bridgewater location, the restaurant will have 35 to 40 seats at the bar with TVs.
"It's not a sports bar but it will fit the need for the sports junkies," said Desiderio. "But it will be away from the dining room. There will be no TVs in the dining room."
There will also be a private room for parties and meetings.
The restaurant's menu will be similar to its Philipsburg location offering wood-fired steaks, seafood, burgers, pizza, and more.
For more information visit stonetavernnj.com or facebook.com/StoneTavernNJ, or instagram.com/stonetavern.
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