By Rosemarie Aguirre:
Hello, I’d like to share a memory of THE HOMESTEAD RESTAURANT which had been located at the OG North End.
My family went almost every year to Asbury park and Ocean Grove…this was in the early and mid 1960s…I was under ten years those visits…my family would eat breakfast there on Sunday ..I remember a giant blue fish hanging on the wall..I think it was a swordfish..I enjoyed looking out the huge windows and seeing the sun sparkle on the ocean like diamonds..
It was cold in the restaurant…I can still hear the clatter of dishes and glasses being put into those galley type table stands…they had a clean stand and a used dishes stand..the waitresses wore aprons on their dresses..the glass of water was always very cold with clear ice cubes that melted quickly…I can’t remember what I ate but I’m sure it was pancakes.
After breakfast, we would go to the very large church in Ocean Grove…or walk to the amusement park…the sound of the ocean waves hitting the beach was always there.
At night in the hotel, I’d listen to it.. with no fear…powerful waves that sounded like thunder….and the smell of the ocean….we had relatives there that rented those tents in the summer…very happy time…I’m 65 now and I went back there in 1977 with my husband.. does anyone know what happened to that trophy fish?
Editor’s note: Here’s a link on this subject:
The Homestead Restaurant was added to the North End Pavilion in 1929. It was considerably enlarged towards the ocean eventually.
I worked as a waitress at the Homestead Restaurant in Ocean Grove NJ… this was YRS ago… I went on to college – became a teacher – and moved on to Calif.! I have very fond memories of my summer as a waitress at the Homestead!!.. I am now 79 yrs. old and often think about the WONDERFUL times spent at the Jersey Shore… Great memories!!…