NJ Super Bowl Ad Features Iconic Restaurant, 'Sopranos' Stars

HIGHLANDS, NJ — Hey, that's Bahrs!

That was the reaction of many in Monmouth County — and across New Jersey — while watching Super Bowl LVI Sunday night and seeing an ad for Chevrolet. The ad features Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler, resuming their roles as sister and brother Meadow and AJ Soprano on HBO hit the "Sopranos," in an ad for GM's new all-electric Chevrolet Silverado.

Sigler drives a new Chevy Silverado through the gritty streets of North Jersey down the Turnpike to the seaside, where she parks it outside Bahrs Landing. She plugs it in and greets her young brother AJ with a hug. For some reason, she has tears in her eyes, possibly a nod to the untimely death of "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini; in 2013, he died in Italy of a heart attack at 51 years old.

"Yup, they were here," Jay Cosgrove, one of the family owners of Bahrs, chuckled on Monday morning. "We've been getting calls all morning about it. We have a lot of Valentine's Day dinner reservations booked for later, but we're actually a little worried we're going to be inundated with 'Sopranos' fans tonight, too."

The commercial was filmed at Bahrs on Jan. 14.

"General Motors called me and said they might want to use Bahrs for a car commercial. They sent a location scout from Brooklyn and he came and walked around the area," he said. "They came at 3 a.m. and took over the entire property for the whole day. They had a crew of over 100 people; they had trailers for the stars; they had make up. They closed our section of the bridge for a while, and even closed our section of Bay Avenue for a while."

"It was very cold and very windy that day," he said. "(Sigler) came inside and warmed up; sat in our lobby. She took photos with some of the staff."

The funniest thing? There are actually no electric vehicle charging stations outside Bahrs. Those are fake.

"Everybody is calling to ask if we have charging stations! Those are props; GM brought them in," said Cosgrove. But he said he actually plans to install charging stations this summer.

It was actually “Sopranos” director David Chase who was on sight filming the Chevy advertisement. Cosgrove said he also learned that Chase is a longtime patron of Bahrs, having quietly dined there many times in the past, without informing the restaurant employees he was a household name as the "Sopranos" head writer and creator.

Cosgrove said he also heard that this Super Bowl ad was a teaser, as Chase is working on a new TV series reprising Sigler as Meadow and Iler as AJ. But that has not been confirmed.

Here's the Chevy ad:

It is Cosgrove's father and mother who started iconic waterside seafood restaurant Bahrs, set right under the Sandy Hook bridge and with stunning views of the bay and Atlantic Ocean beyond.

Not to mention, this is hardly the first time Bahrs has been used in movie or TV filming.

Soprano's producer Chase apparently loves the romantic spot, having also filmed part of "The Many Saints of Newark" at Bahrs. ABC/Disney has filmed here; local Red Bank director Kevin Smith filmed part of "Jersey Girl" at Bahrs and it's been used in a New Jersey Lottery commercial.

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Previously on Patch: Bahrs Landing Treats FEMA Corps Volunteers to Easter Dinner

Man Drowned In Highlands Marina Near Bahrs Landing (2021)