Donovan's Reef Re-Opens This Weekend

SEA BRIGHT, NJ — A beloved northern Monmouth County bar nearly destroyed by superstorm Sandy will reopen their main building this weekend, the bar announced. Donovan's Reef, which sits right on the beach in Sea Bright, was nearly wiped out from high wind and when the Atlantic Ocean poured in, flooding the entire area in Hurricane Sandy.

Donovan's Reef was able to open the tiki bar a few summers ago, and since then it's been a bare-bones operation for this beloved local watering hole. However, the bar owners rallied and announced they will have the main space open this Memorial Day weekend just in time for the grand summer opening, complete with a fully-functional kitchen and deck. Donovan's will open Saturday.

The owners of Donovan's actually thought about closing down entirely after Sandy. The damage was just too much, according to NJ.com. But local celebs like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi would pop into the tiki bar to unwind and the bar made the decision to fully reopen.

"I think it means a lot," Christine Carducci, 56, one of Donovan's owners, told the Asbury Park Press. "If my car is here, people would pull in (and ask me), 'When are you going to open? When are you going to open?' We have a lot of our old staff coming back. A lot of our old customers are coming back."

The bar owners had difficulty securing financing, including an unsuccessful attempt to get a HUD loan through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, NJ.com reported. They finally decided to seek private funding through a bank.

Photos by Nick George