Restaurants in Hopatcong

In 1989, Dan Gallagher and Dan Smith joined their respective names and began pursuing one common goal: to bring a contemporary alternative to Berks County's dining scene. The 40-seat eatery was successful in the Dans' hands until 2005, when Bill Woolworth and MD. Monir stopped in for dinner, fell in love with the place, and decided to buy it.

Though much of the space's original charm remains intact, the new owners gussied up the decor with white tablecloths and floral arrangements, and they solicited the help of executive chef Jason Hook to lighten the rotating menu. Jason draws on his experience studying in France and working at The Four Seasons in New York to craft healthful, contemporary French- and Californian-inspired dishes. In every preparation, he highlights the ingredients' natural tastes, often pairing local cuts of meat and poultry with fresh, seasonal ingredients and luxurious flourishes such as truffles or Lamborghini-scented foam.

Hook, Woolworth, and Monir also frequently evaluate their wine selections to ensure that they pair well with the evolving menu, which changes every week. While sipping glasses of red or white, diners can question servers about the building's rich history in the Penn's Common Historic District. Before the restaurant settled into the space, it was inhabited by an old-style soda dive, a prison doctor's home, and a grassland populated with roaming dinosaurs.

Ingredient sculptors at Lee Gribben's on Main sear up succulent seafood and steak while an in-house pastry chef dotes over decadent epilogues. Meat and seafood dishes share equal billing on the dinner menu, where they share a bunk in the surf 'n' turf plate. At lunch, chefs stuff chicken, roast beef, and veggies inside slices of bread or nearby UPS packages for quick delivery to the mouth. The deft pastry chefs at Lee Gribben's on Main handcraft an array of sinful desserts, including boston cream cake, cheesecake, and crème brûlée torched. Guests can dine inside, where vibrant, modern artwork pops against marbled green walls, or outside on the patio. Trivia and karaoke nights encourage guests to stick around and head to the full bar for after-dinner drinks.

From its picturesque rooftop beer garden with a city-skyline view to its giant projection screen broadcasting soccer matches and its Simpsons trivia night, Berry Park entertains patrons drinking German draft beers and devouring the menu’s upscale comfort cuisine. Indoor picnic tables bear duck-fat fries and veggie burgers blending herbivore-friendly items such as butternut squash and gluten-free quinoa, and tables in the beer garden shelter plates of shepherd’s pie with their blue Hofbrau München umbrellas. Brunch stretches itself across three hours every Saturday and Sunday, and the kitchen is open late on weekends to accommodate night owls and early birds with jet lag.

Dishing out classic, American comfort fare in retro diner fashion, the upbeat servers at EJ's charm tables with classic sandwiches, salads, and breakfast plates. Build a burger via EJ's new menu of pattied palate pleasers. The 8-ounce certified Angus beef burger is a meat paperweight adorned with ringed red onions, pickles, lettuce, and slaw or french fries (a $10 value). Diners can appease bovine BFFs by opting for an 8-ounce freshly ground chicken patty (a $9.50 value) or a jumbo veggie burger, which, though smaller than a frisbee, comes slathered with guacamole and layers of tomatoes and sprouts (a $10 value).

Asian-fare alchemists at Asian Bistro cook up everything from chinese dumplings and thai basil fried rice to veggies drenched in curry sauces and crispy shrimp tempura. Each dish arrives at the table in a colorful display, often adorned with tropical flowers or pieces of sashimi topping bamboo mats, or served in little wooden boats. Other Asian delicacies are arranged on circular, square, and rectangular white plates for hands-on practice with shapes.