Squan Tavern

n 1964 Mom (Marguerite) and Dad (Dominic) started serving pizza and sandwiches from a small corner in the back of a bar called the Squan Tavern. Dad was a meat cutter in a supermarket in Long Branch during the day and used to drive down to Manasquan at night to serve the foods that he was raised on. Dad’s parents had been in the restaurant business most of their lives since coming over to America from southern Italy in their teens. He inherited not only their recipes, but also their commitment to quality and service.

As Dad’s food gained a loyal following, they began to expand their small business. In 1969 they expanded into what is now the main dining room and built the current kitchen. In 1975 they bought out the owner of the bar and the Squan Tavern was theirs.

For all these years we have poured our hearts and souls into establishing the Squan Tavern as one of the premiere Italian restaurants on the Jersey Shore. We have been through many changes over that time, but what has never changed is our commitment to providing our customers with Italian food that our ancestors would be proud of.

My Grandmother, Yolanda, was a staple in our kitchen until she was in her late 80s. She taught my brother, Dominic III, everything she knew about cooking Italian food. He has embraced that tradition while developing his own unique, creative style. Although Grandma passed away at 94 years old her kindheartedness and passion for life will forever be inherent in everything that we do. All of my siblings worked in the Squan Tavern as we were growing up. In the fall of 2019, Mom & Dad retired and passed the restaurant on to the next generation. Patti & I are honored that our children have committed themselves to staying on board with us to keep the Squan Tavern Legacy going for generations to come.

We would like to thank all of our customers for your years of loyal patronage and for the countless friendships that we have developed with so many of you throughout the years. The most wonderful aspect of owning a family restaurant is that we get to include all of you in our extended family. We consider ourselves blessed.

So sit back and relax and allow the Squan Tavern family to do what we’ve been doing since 1964, and what we plan to do for years to come. Buon Appetito!

Joe & Patti Bossone & Family