Edgewater NJ Waterfront Restaurants and Events: What's Changing?
For most of this year, 115 River Road sat behind construction fencing with a memory attached to it. The address had been Pier 115 for years, one of the more recognizable restaurant spaces on Edgewater's stretch of the Hudson, the kind of multi-level building with outdoor decks that people mean when they describe a "waterfront restaurant" without needing to say more. In late June, social media teasers started calling whatever was coming next The Cove By Blu, from the team behind Blu on the Hudson in Weehawken. By the time it actually opened on July 19, the name on the door was just COV.
That's a small detail. It's also a useful starting point for looking at other parts of Edgewater this summer, including an inland restaurant and the Arts Council festival.
COV is owned by Michael Giannopoulos, whose family runs Blu on the Hudson down the road in Weehawken. Culinary Director Juan Carlos "JC" Ortega, who spent years at Blu on the Hudson before this, is running the kitchen. Beverage Director Jeremy LeBlanche handles the cocktail program. The menu leans seafood: a raw bar with East Coast oysters, scallops dressed in soy, yuzu, and wasabi, snapper ceviche, plus pastas and grilled dishes built for sharing. It's open Wednesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a midnight close on Friday and Saturday.
River Road has a Manhattan skyline view. Blu Hospitality Group already has Blu on the Hudson in Weehawken and Blu Grotto in Livingston, with a Miami project in the works. The Edgewater location was first announced as The Cove By Blu and opened as COV, so its name changed between announcement and opening.
The same corridor already includes Hudson & Co in West New York, Drift in Weehawken, Don Coqui in Edgewater, and a Mastro's Steakhouse reportedly coming into the old Chart House space. These nearby venues add to the range of restaurant options along the river.
Compare that to what happened on NJ-5 back in March. Uncle Al's opened at 19 NJ-5 with a much smaller story and a much plainer name, but the business made a point of explaining, right on its own website, why it existed: the business saw an opportunity for a sourdough pizza option and described a lighter style as its aim. It's open seven days a week.
Together, the two openings offer a snapshot of Edgewater's restaurant scene, from a waterfront venue to an inland pizza shop.
The summer also includes the Arts Council festival at Veterans Field, a community event centered on juried artwork.
The Edgewater Arts and Music Festival takes place at Veterans Field in the Shadyside section, closing Old River Road to vehicle traffic so visitors can stroll along the water between exhibits. The festival features a juried art competition, with $5,000 in total prizes awarded to top artists. It's been running since 1991, when Neda Rose founded the Edgewater Arts Council. Rose has since retired, and the festival is now led by new Arts Council president Alexis Capra, continuing the work of outgoing president Lynne Grasz Hall.
The restaurant news and the Arts Council festival reflect activity in several parts of Edgewater this summer. COV opened at 115 River Road after its name changed from the initial announcement, Uncle Al's opened on NJ-5, and the Arts Council festival features juried artwork at Veterans Field.
For anyone who already lives here, the restaurant and festival histories offer different timelines. COV opened under a name different from the one used in its initial announcement, while the Arts Council's juried show has run since 1991.
If you're the kind of person who tracks what's opening on River Road and what's still part of the community, including an arts festival founded in 1991, you're already reading this town the way Tony J Lee does, watching how Edgewater's businesses and community events change over time. Let's Connect if that kind of read on Edgewater is useful for more than just planning your next weekend.
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