The Guide: Restaurants in Somerville, NJ
How We Selected These Restaurants
This guide covers Somerville borough only — Somerville, New Jersey, in Somerset County. Not Raritan, not Bridgewater, not Bound Brook, and not the Somerville in Massachusetts.
A business is listed here if it has a kitchen in Somerville borough and serves prepared food you can eat on the premises. That is the whole test. It is why this list includes the Irish pub, the sports bar upstairs from it, the brewery, the Filipino café, the vegetarian taqueria and the counter where you order at a screen — all of which feed people in Somerville every day, and none of which show up when you search for restaurants in this town.
Middlemist is not here. It is a meadery, and it says so itself: it serves beverages and invites you to bring your own food. The Osprey Nest is a boutique and Monty & Milo is a bookstore, and neither has a kitchen.
Listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking.
About This Guide
This guide is produced by Garden State Circle. Restaurants appear here because they meet the criterion described above — a kitchen in Somerville borough serving prepared food on the premises. That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. No restaurant can pay to be included in this guide, to be listed higher, or to change what the comparison table says about it. Restaurants are listed alphabetically, and every detail in the table was verified against each restaurant’s own website or posted menu, or against the Borough of Somerville’s own license records, in August 2026.
Everything under the heading that begins this guide is governed by the rules above, on every guide we publish. Where a sponsor’s message appears above that heading, it is paid for and labelled, and it buys nothing in the guide. Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that participate in it. Participation pays for our ongoing work: keeping a business’s entry accurate, re-checking its record, and publishing a page of its own details that the business maintains. There is no paid placement in this guide. Participation does not buy a place here, a position here, or anything the comparison table says. Ingredients, preparation and allergen handling change, and we record what each business publishes rather than inspecting kitchens. If you have a food allergy, confirm directly with the business before you order. Hours, menus and alcohol policy change often. Every detail here was verified on the date shown above.
Garden State Circle is published locally in New Jersey by Jake Slowinski and serves Somerville and the surrounding Somerset County towns. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com.
Should You Bring Wine? Here Is How Somerville Actually Works
New Jersey limits liquor licenses by population. Under N.J.S.A. 33:1-12.14, no new plenary retail consumption license can be issued in a town until the existing total falls below one for every 3,000 residents. Somerville’s population was 12,346 at the 2020 Census, which sets the quota at four. The borough currently has fifteen consumption licenses, all of them predating the quota and grandfathered in. No new one can be issued. A restaurant that wants a bar has to buy an existing license on the open market, and those trade for a great deal of money.
That is why most restaurants in this town are BYOB, and it is not a comment on any of them.
Under N.J.S.A. 2C:33-27, an unlicensed New Jersey restaurant may allow you to bring wine or beer. The limits are worth knowing:
- Wine and malt beverages only. No spirits. The statute is explicit.
- No corkage, cover or service charge may be applied to what you bring.
- The same age and hours rules apply as at a licensed bar.
- A restaurant is allowed to say no. The statute permits BYO; it does not require any restaurant to accept it.
Somerville has no municipal ordinance prohibiting BYOB. We checked Chapter 45 of the borough code.
The license column below was checked against Borough of Somerville Resolution 26-0615-189, the 2026-2027 license renewal resolution adopted by the Borough Council on June 15, 2026. Where a restaurant holds a license, we give the number. Where it does not appear on that list, we say so.
Two practical notes the record cannot give you.
Three of the unlicensed places are counter-service — Tacowala, Tango’s and Turf Surf & Earth. Nothing legally stops you bringing wine, but these are order-at-the-counter rooms rather than sit-down dinners, and in practice the question does not come up.
And one restaurant changed. Boulevard Seafood was BYOB for years and is not any more. It now holds a consumption license and publishes on its own site: “Now Serving from our Full Service Bar Offering Beer, Wine and Cocktails! (We are no longer a BYOB establishment).” If you have eaten there before and remember bringing a bottle, that memory is out of date. Several search results still describe it as BYOB.
Somerville Restaurants — Compared
| Restaurant | Cuisine, in their words | Bar or BYOB | Who’s in the kitchen | Outdoor seating | Reservations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ai Sushi · 30 S Doughty Ave #4 | “The real authentic Japanese and Sushi bar” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Chef John and Chef Yuushi | No | Yes |
| Alfonso’s Family Trattoria · 99-101 W Main St | “Family-Owned and Operated Neapolitan Trattoria and Pizzeria” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-009-008 | Jack Gulino | Yes | Yes |
| Avora Mediterranean · 190 W Main St | “Dishes rooted in tradition, made with genuine craft” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Ismet Sahin | Yes | Yes |
| Bombay Canteen · 1 Veterans Memorial Dr W | “Women-owned vegetarian restaurant” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Hussain Shahzad | No | No |
| Boulevard Seafood Company · 49 W Main St | “Seafood-driven restaurant” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-005-004 · states “We are no longer a BYOB establishment” | Scott Snyder | Yes | Yes |
| Brunch By De Martino · 9 Davenport St | “American brunch with a Latin twist” | BYOB — their own words: “Brunch by De Martino is a BYOB restaurant.” | Martino Linares | Yes | Yes |
| Cafe Picasso · 81 Main St | “To enjoy the authenticity of true Italian cooking, as well as the warm friendly ambiance” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Michele DeLuca | Yes | Yes |
| Calabria Mia · 83 W Main St | “Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Lorenzo DeLuca | Yes | No |
| Canton Palace · 216 W Main St | “Authentic and delicious tasting Chinese cuisine” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Not published | No | Yes |
| Casa Luna Mexican Cuisine · 30 S Doughty Ave | “Mix of Mexican Classics and Tex-Mex favorites” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Raziel “Raz” Gonzalez | Yes | Yes |
| The Club House Sports Bar · 150 W Main St | “Lively sports bar with great food and drinks” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-013-003, shared with Mannion’s | Shares Mannion’s kitchen — no separate head chef | No | No |
| Da Filippo Autentica Cucina Italiana · 132 E Main St | “La Vera Cucina Italiana (True Italian Cuisine)” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Filippo Russo | Yes | Yes |
| Dafina Restaurant · 126 W Main St | “Authentic Greek and Mediterranean Dining Destination” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-007-008 | Sokol “Gino” Gjevukaj | Yes | Yes |
| Division Cafe · 8 Division St | “Delicious Costa Rican food and seasonal menus” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Maida Morales | Yes | Yes |
| Don Oscar’s Cafe · 1 Veterans Memorial Dr W | “Authentic Costa Rican food and coffee” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Manny Ramirez | Yes | No |
| Kafe De Manila · 120 W Main St, Ste B | “The Real Ube Experience” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Not published | No | No |
| Kuay Tiew Noodles & More · 42 W Main St | “Authentic Thai Restaurant in Somerville, NJ” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Not published | Not published | Yes — online |
| Kyma Greek Cuisine · 24 E Main St | “Modern fusion cuisine inspired by the traditions and heritage of the Greek islands and mainland” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Xristos Stamataros | Yes | Yes |
| Mannion’s Pub & Restaurant · 148-150 W Main St | “Traditional Irish and American pub fare” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-013-003 | Kitchen managed collectively by staff and owner Patrick Mannion | Yes | Yes |
| McCormick’s Pub · 65 E Main St | “Your favorite dive bar in the heart of Somerville” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-008-002, held under Hotel Somerset | Not published | Yes | No |
| Mo Grill & Sweets · 23 Division St | “Halal Mediterranean restaurant” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Operated by Mo himself | Yes | No |
| Olivium Turkish Mediterranean Cuisine · 69 W Main St | “Fresh, authentic Mediterranean dishes made with quality ingredients and traditional recipes” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Chef Mehmet | No | Yes |
| Origin French Thai · 25 Division St | “Authenticity meets real life” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Manop Sutipayakul | Yes | Yes |
| Prima Pizza Kitchen · 131 N Gaston Ave | “Pizza Kitchen” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Jerry Carollo | Yes | No |
| Project P.U.B. · 41 N Bridge St | “A wide range of familiar and adventurous pub fare designed to pair well with the brewery’s offerings” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-001-015, shared with Tapastre | Carlton Greenawalt | Yes | Yes |
| Salted Lime Bar & Kitchen · 46 E Main St | “Modern American restaurant with Latin inspiration” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-015-008 | Chris Minikus | Yes | Yes |
| Sarah Jane’s Restaurant · 33 Route 206 | “Family-run American tavern and steakhouse” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-012-002 | Jimmy Lamperti | No | Yes |
| Savor Restaurant · 18 W Main St | “Exceptional Italian-American cuisine” | BYOB — their own words: “bring your favorite wines and spirits while we handle the rest” | Robert Petix | Yes | Yes |
| Seoulville · 58 W Main St | “A family owned restaurant that serves home style Korean food” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Helen Kim | Yes | Yes |
| Sushi Palace · 34 Division St | “All You Can Eat” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Not published | No | Yes |
| Sushi Yokohama · 12 W Main St | “Authentic Japanese dishes, fresh sashimi, and creative sushi rolls” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Tacowala · 133 E Main St | “Indian flavors with a Mexican soul” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Amish Shah | Yes | No |
| Tango’s Restaurant · 45 W Main St | “Mexican standards and home-cooked Mexican classics” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Elias Miranda | Yes | Yes |
| Tapastre · 1 W High St | “American interpretation of the Spanish tapas tradition” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-001-015 | Carlton Greenawalt | Yes | Yes |
| The 1933 Room · 18 E Main St, 2nd Floor | “Vintage Soho-Styled Lounge” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-018-006, shared with Verve | Edward Walsh | No | No |
| Turf Surf & Earth · 46 E Main St | “Kitchen-fresh gourmet dishes” | No license on the borough list — BYO wine and beer permitted | Byron Salazar | Yes | No |
| Verve Restaurant · 18 E Main St | “The best in French bistro fare and craft cocktails” | Licensed bar · 1818-33-018-006 | Edward Walsh | Yes | Yes |
| Village Brewing Company · 34 W Main St | “Farm-to-table menu” | Licensed bar and brewery · 1818-33-004-004 | Justin White and Max Nowicki | Yes | Yes |
| VintEdge Wine Bar & Lounge · 117 W Main St | “French-inspired Tapas” | Licensed · 1818-32-016-009, shared with Wolfgang’s | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Wolfgang’s Steakhouse · 119 W Main St | “Classic New York style steakhouse” | Licensed · 1818-32-016-009 | Amiro Cruz | Yes | Yes |
License status was checked against Borough of Somerville Resolution 26-0615-189, the 2026-2027 alcoholic beverage license renewal resolution adopted June 15, 2026. Cuisine, kitchen, seating and reservation details were verified against each restaurant’s own website or posted menu in August 2026.
Not published means we read their site and the fact is not on it. It is a statement about the website, not about the restaurant.
The Restaurants
Ai Sushi · 30 S Doughty Ave #4
A Japanese restaurant and sushi bar off South Doughty Avenue, working under Chef John and Chef Yuushi, with lunch and dinner service Wednesday through Sunday and no seating outside. Its beverage list is soft drinks and tea only, and it does not appear on the borough’s license list.
Alfonso’s Family Trattoria · 99-101 W Main St
A Neapolitan trattoria and pizzeria that has been on West Main Street since 1978, founded by Aniello Ianniello, who came from Naples to Brooklyn in 1954. It holds a full consumption license and publishes its own drink list — house wines, sangria, draft beer, specialty cocktails and bourbons — alongside the traditional pizzas and the meatball sundae it is known for.
Avora Mediterranean · 190 W Main St
A Turkish-Mediterranean kitchen at the western end of Main Street under chef Ismet Sahin, opened in 2026, serving mezze, house-baked balloon bread and a Künefe Royal for dessert. Its published beverage list is mocktails, artisanal lemonade and hot drinks, and it holds no liquor license, so bring wine.
Bombay Canteen · 1 Veterans Memorial Dr W
A women-owned vegetarian Indian restaurant by the train station, open since 2022 under Hussain Shahzad, best known for its vada pav. No outdoor seating, no reservations and no liquor license.
Boulevard Seafood Company · 49 W Main St
A seafood restaurant and market under Scott Snyder, sourcing from the New Fulton Fish Market in New York through nightly fishmonger visits. Its own site answers the wine question directly, and the answer changed: it now publishes “Now Serving from our Full Service Bar Offering Beer, Wine and Cocktails! (We are no longer a BYOB establishment).”
Brunch By De Martino · 9 Davenport St
Open since April 2019 under Martino Linares, serving American brunch with a Latin turn — tres leches French toast, chicken and waffles, blueberry buttermilk ricotta pancakes. It states its policy plainly: “Brunch by De Martino is a BYOB restaurant.” Last seating is 2:30 PM on weekdays and 3 PM at weekends.
Cafe Picasso · 81 Main St
Southern Italian cooking, pastas made in house and an espresso bar, run since 1997 by Michele DeLuca, who came from Calabria with his brother Lorenzo. There is outdoor seating and no liquor license.
Calabria Mia · 83 W Main St
A pizzeria and Italian restaurant on West Main under Lorenzo DeLuca, open since 2009, known for gourmet pies and large Italian paninis, seven days a week from 11 AM to 9 PM. It has no website of its own and no liquor license.
Canton Palace · 216 W Main St
Chinese cooking at the far western end of Main Street, open since 2013 and taking reservations, with Peking pork chops the dish it is known for. No outdoor seating and no liquor license.
Casa Luna Mexican Cuisine · 30 S Doughty Ave
Mexican classics and Tex-Mex under Raziel “Raz” Gonzalez, serving Somerville since 1993, with sizzling fajitas and mole poblano the plates it is known for and a patio behind the building. No liquor license, and a customer review reprinted on its own site describes it as BYOB.
The Club House Sports Bar · 150 W Main St
The upstairs room above Mannion’s, open Tuesday to Sunday from 5 PM with DJs and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights until 2 AM. It shares Mannion’s building, kitchen and liquor license — there is no separate head chef upstairs — and the wings and shepherd’s pie come from the same kitchen as downstairs.
Da Filippo Autentica Cucina Italiana · 132 E Main St
Filippo Russo opened this East Main Street restaurant with his wife Berti in 1988 and still runs the kitchen. It cites the Luigi Veronelli Award for northern American fine Italian dining and coverage in the New York Times, New Jersey Monthly, Zagat and the Star-Ledger. It holds no liquor license, and Sundays are closed to the public and reserved for private banquets — worth knowing before you plan a Sunday dinner.
Dafina Restaurant · 126 W Main St
A Greek and Mediterranean restaurant opened in 2025 under Sokol “Gino” Gjevukaj, holding a full consumption license across 122, 126 and 128 West Main, with a published cocktail list and wine list. Open until 11 PM on Friday and Saturday.
Division Cafe · 8 Division St
Costa Rican and Salvadoran cooking by Maida Morales, open since 2013, known for scratch-made empanadas and pupusas, with breakfast from 9 AM and outdoor seating on Division Street. No liquor license.
Don Oscar’s Cafe · 1 Veterans Memorial Dr W
Costa Rican food and coffee next to the train station under Manny Ramirez, open since 2023 from 6:30 AM on weekdays, with Costa Rican beans and a gallo pinto platter. It opens earlier than most kitchens in town, which do not start until 11. No liquor license.
Kafe De Manila · 120 W Main St, Ste B
A Filipino café on West Main since 2023, built around ube — ube tres leches cake and an iced ube float latte — open Wednesday to Sunday and closed the first two days of the week. No liquor license.
Kuay Tiew Noodles & More · 42 W Main St
A Thai kitchen on West Main built around noodle dishes — the Kuay Tiew Kua is sautéed flat rice noodle with egg, sweet radish and scallion over romaine, at $16 to $18 depending on the protein. Its menu carries a dietary key applied plate by plate — it publishes “V = Vegan and/or Vegetarian | GF = Gluten free” and marks the individual dishes, so you can read the vegan and gluten-free options straight off the menu rather than asking. It takes online reservations, publishes no bar or wine list, and holds no liquor license. Lunch and dinner run as separate services with a break between, and there is a sister location in Clinton.
Kyma Greek Cuisine · 24 E Main St
Greek island and mainland cooking founded by Xristos Stamataros in 2011, known for its char-grilled octopus, open seven days with outdoor seating on East Main. No liquor license.
Mannion’s Pub & Restaurant · 148-150 W Main St
An Irish tavern open since 1999, holding a full consumption license and publishing its own beer and bourbon menus. The kitchen is managed collectively by the staff and owner-manager Patrick Mannion rather than by a named head chef, turning out wings and shepherd’s pie until midnight Tuesday through Saturday. The Club House Sports Bar upstairs operates on the same license and the same kitchen.
McCormick’s Pub · 65 E Main St
A late-night bar on East Main that describes itself as “your favorite dive bar in the heart of Somerville.” It serves food, holds a consumption license under the Hotel Somerset name, and runs 6 PM to 2 AM seven days a week. It publishes no chef and no menu online.
Mo Grill & Sweets · 23 Division St
A halal Mediterranean counter on Division Street, open since 2021 and run by Mo himself, known for its chicken shawarma platter, with outdoor seating. It closes between 1 PM and 2 PM on Fridays for prayer, which no listing for the town records. No liquor license.
Olivium Turkish Mediterranean Cuisine · 69 W Main St
A Turkish Mediterranean restaurant opened in 2026 under Chef Mehmet, serving flame-grilled kebabs and house-baked balloon bread, taking reservations and open until 10:30 PM on weekends. No outdoor seating, and no liquor license.
Origin French Thai · 25 Division St
French technique against Thai cooking, on Division Street since 2000 under Manop Sutipayakul, known for its duck dishes and French-inflected seafood. Lunch and dinner are separate services with a break in between. No liquor license.
Prima Pizza Kitchen · 131 N Gaston Ave
A pizza kitchen on North Gaston Avenue that states it has been serving since 2013, known for the Champlain pizza, which it describes as a winner of Best Pizza in Central NJ. Open until 10:30 PM Friday and Saturday, closed Mondays. No liquor license.
Project P.U.B. · 41 N Bridge St
A brewpub that rebuilds itself monthly: one brewery, one month, up to twelve lines on draft and a menu designed around that brewery’s beer, then the whole thing starts again with a new brewery. Carlton Greenawalt runs the kitchen, duck fat fries are the dish, and it operates on the same consumption license as Tapastre. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Salted Lime Bar & Kitchen · 46 E Main St
Modern American cooking with a Latin turn under Chris Minikus, open since 2018, known for its Colombian street dog and house-made guacamole. It holds a full consumption license under 46 Main Liquor LLC, which is not stated anywhere on its own website — the name on the door is the only clue that there is a bar.
Sarah Jane’s Restaurant · 33 Route 206
A family American tavern and steakhouse opened in January 1979 by Arthur and Sarah Jane Lamperti, who retired in July 2003 and handed it to their son James. It holds a full consumption license, serves Friday night prime rib and stuffed shrimp with crabmeat, and is closed Sundays. It sits on Route 206 rather than in the downtown grid, so it is a drive rather than a walk.
Savor Restaurant · 18 W Main St
Italian-American cooking under Robert Petix, established 2013, known for artichoke hearts Francaise and chicken rollatini. It publishes its BYOB policy in its own words and builds its private-event business on it: “bring your favorite wines and spirits while we handle the rest.” Note that its own wording covers spirits, while New Jersey’s BYO statute covers wine and beer only at unlicensed premises — ask them directly what they will accept.
Seoulville · 58 W Main St
A family-owned Korean kitchen on West Main since 2015 under Helen Kim, known for dolsot bibimbap served in the hot stone bowl. Weekdays run as split lunch and dinner services; Saturday and Sunday are continuous. No liquor license.
Sushi Palace · 34 Division St
An all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant on Division Street since 2006, part of a four-location group with sister restaurants in Princeton, Edison and Summit, known for the Edison roll. It publishes no head chef and holds no liquor license.
Sushi Yokohama · 12 W Main St
Japanese cooking, sashimi and rolls on West Main since 2012, known for its volcano and samurai rolls and a chef’s-choice omakase. It publishes no head chef and holds no liquor license. It reopened after a fire, so older listings for this address are unreliable.
Tacowala · 133 E Main St
A vegetarian and vegan taqueria under Amish Shah, open since 2021, blending Mexican and Indian street food — the paneer al pastor taco is the one it is known for. It publishes itself as a Certified Gluten Free Restaurant. Closed Sundays, no liquor license.
Tango’s Restaurant · 45 W Main St
Mexican home cooking under Elias Miranda, open since 2021, known for its mole de pollo, with birria tacos and mixed fajitas on the list it publishes itself. Open from 10 AM most days and closed Wednesdays. No liquor license.
Tapastre · 1 W High St
An American reading of the Spanish tapas tradition, open since 2007 under Carlton Greenawalt, known for caramel ginger shrimp, with a published cocktail menu and beer menu under a full consumption license it shares with Project P.U.B. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; Sunday is an 11 AM to 3 PM service only.
The 1933 Room · 18 E Main St, 2nd Floor
The speakeasy-style lounge on the second floor above Verve, operating on the same license and under the same ownership, serving high-end bar bites, Verve sliders and charcuterie. It is open to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings only — the rest of the week it is reserved for private bookings.
Turf Surf & Earth · 46 E Main St
A fast-casual counter under Byron Salazar, open since 2019, built around made-to-order gourmet plates with a large plant-based section and a fried oyster mushroom po’boy as the signature. It opens at 7:30 AM on weekdays and holds no liquor license.
Verve Restaurant · 18 E Main St
A French bistro and bar on East Main since 1996 under Edward Walsh, holding a full consumption license, known for steak frites and an off-menu burger. The bar runs to 1 AM on Friday and Saturday. It publishes an award it describes as “Crowned Best Bar in New Jersey.”
Village Brewing Company · 34 W Main St
A brewery and farm-to-table kitchen on West Main since 2019, brewing its own beer on site under a full consumption license, with Justin White and Max Nowicki in the kitchen. The Village burger and pretzel bites with house ale cheese sauce are what it is known for, and it runs to 2 AM on Friday and Saturday with entertainment downstairs.
VintEdge Wine Bar & Lounge · 117 W Main St
A wine bar and lounge serving French-inspired tapas since 2020, operating on the same Class 32 license as Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. It publishes a full-service bar with top-shelf wines and spirits including its own label, and a happy hour Tuesday to Saturday from 4 to 6 PM and all day Sunday.
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse · 119 W Main St
The Somerville room of Wolfgang Zwiener’s steakhouse group, opened here in 2015 with Amiro Cruz in the kitchen, built on the principles Zwiener learned across four decades as head waiter at Peter Luger. The porterhouse for two is the order. It holds a Class 32 license shared with VintEdge next door, which is not stated on its own site — its published Somerville menu carries no drinks section at all.
Common Questions
Which restaurants in Somerville are BYOB?
Every restaurant in this guide that does not appear on the borough’s license list, which is most of them. Fifteen consumption licenses exist in Somerville and no new one can be issued, because New Jersey caps them at one per 3,000 residents and the town is already well over. The licensed rooms are Alfonso’s, Boulevard Seafood, Dafina, Mannion’s and The Club House, McCormick’s, Project P.U.B. and Tapastre, Salted Lime, Sarah Jane’s, Verve and The 1933 Room, Village Brewing, and Wolfgang’s and VintEdge. Everywhere else in this guide is unlicensed, which under New Jersey law means you may bring wine or beer. Savor and Brunch By De Martino state their BYOB policy themselves. A restaurant is still allowed to decline, so call if it matters.
Can I bring liquor, not just wine?
No. N.J.S.A. 2C:33-27 permits wine and malt beverages only at an unlicensed New Jersey restaurant. Spirits are not covered. A restaurant also cannot charge you a corkage or service fee on what you bring.
Why do so few Somerville restaurants have a bar?
New Jersey ties liquor licenses to population. Somerville’s 12,346 residents at the 2020 Census set a quota of four consumption licenses, and the borough has fifteen — all issued before the cap existed and grandfathered. Because the town is over quota, no new license can be issued at all. A restaurant that wants a bar has to buy an existing license from someone willing to sell, and in New Jersey those change hands for sums well beyond what most independent restaurants can carry. It is a rule about arithmetic, not about the restaurants.
Where can I eat in Somerville before 10 AM?
Don Oscar’s Cafe on Veterans Memorial Drive opens at 6:30 AM Monday to Saturday. Turf Surf & Earth on East Main opens at 7:30 AM on weekdays. Brunch By De Martino and Division Cafe both open at 8 or 9 AM. Most other kitchens in town do not open until 11 or later.
What is open on a Monday?
Monday is the quietest night in Somerville, and roughly half the town is dark.
Publishing Monday hours: Alfonso’s, Avora, Cafe Picasso, Calabria Mia, Canton Palace, Da Filippo, Dafina, Don Oscar’s, Kuay Tiew, Kyma, McCormick’s, Olivium, Salted Lime, Sarah Jane’s, Sushi Palace, Sushi Yokohama, Tacowala, Tango’s, Turf Surf & Earth, VintEdge and Wolfgang’s.
Closed Mondays: Bombay Canteen, Boulevard Seafood, Casa Luna, The Club House, Division Cafe, Mannion’s, Mo Grill, Origin French Thai, Prima, Savor, Seoulville, The 1933 Room, Verve and Village Brewing.
Closed Monday and Tuesday both: Ai Sushi, Kafe De Manila, Project P.U.B. and Tapastre.
These are the hours each restaurant publishes itself. Search results and directory listings disagree with each other on this constantly, so where a listing and this page differ, the restaurant’s own posted hours are what we followed.
Which restaurants can handle a group or a private event?
Da Filippo closes to the public on Sundays entirely and reserves the day for private banquets. The 1933 Room is private-booking only from Sunday through Wednesday. Savor built its business around private events with BYOB. Most of the licensed rooms — Alfonso’s, Dafina, Mannion’s, Salted Lime, Sarah Jane’s, Tapastre, Village Brewing, Wolfgang’s — take group bookings, as do Boulevard Seafood, Cafe Picasso, Casa Luna, Kyma, Origin French Thai, Seoulville and Tacowala.
Wasn’t Boulevard Seafood BYOB?
It was, and it is not any more. Boulevard now holds a full consumption license and states it plainly on its own site: “Now Serving from our Full Service Bar Offering Beer, Wine and Cocktails! (We are no longer a BYOB establishment).” The change is recent enough that several search results still describe it as BYOB, so if you have eaten there before and remember bringing a bottle, plan around their bar instead.
Is Central Pizzeria still open?
No. Central Pizzeria at 126 West Main Street is permanently closed after more than seventy years, and Dafina Restaurant now occupies that address — along with its liquor license. In October 2024 Dafina Restaurant Corp applied to the borough to acquire the consumption license held by Verdicchio Corp, Central Pizzeria’s owner. That transfer went through: the borough’s 2026-2027 renewal resolution lists Dafina Restaurant Corp holding license 1818-33-007-008 across 122, 126 and 128 West Main Street.
This is worth knowing because it is exactly how a Somerville liquor license changes hands. No new one can be issued, so a restaurant that wants a bar buys one attached to a business that is closing. A seventy-year-old pizzeria’s license is now a Greek restaurant’s bar.
If a search sends you to 126 West Main expecting pizza, you will find Dafina. Central Pizzeria’s listing still carries 568 Google reviews and a 4.1 rating, and a listing that size does not disappear quietly.
Is Social still open?
No. The restaurant at 156 North Gaston Avenue closed in 2025 after thirty years in business, having opened in 1994 as Ciao Bello and rebranded as Social in 2012. Listings for that address are unreliable as a result.
What is opening in Somerville?
Sustain, at 50 West Main Street, in the old bank building. It is not open yet, so it is not in the guide above, but it holds one of the borough’s fifteen consumption licenses and has stated its own position publicly: “We’ve gotten liquor license approval for the location at 50 W Main. We’ve now submitted our application for ‘change of use’ to officially get permission to turn this beautiful bank into a decadent jazzy oasis.” It describes itself as a modern juke joint. We will add it to this guide when it opens and we can verify a menu and hours.
Where can I get dessert after dinner in Somerville?
We publish a separate guide to that: Ice Cream in Somerville, NJ covers every place in the borough where you can buy ice cream to eat on the spot — including the bake shop, the sushi restaurant and the two Main Street bars that serve it, none of which appear when you search for an ice cream shop. It also records which shops are open on a Monday, and what each one publishes about dairy-free options.
How We Checked This
Every fact on this page came from a source you can open yourself. Here they are.
The liquor license column
- Borough of Somerville, Resolution 26-0615-189 — the 2026-2027 alcoholic beverage license renewal resolution, on the Borough Council agenda of June 15, 2026. Every license number on this page comes from this document.
- Somerville Borough Council minutes, June 15, 2026 — the meeting at which it was adopted.
- New Jersey ABC, License Types — what a Class 32 and a Class 33 license each permit.
- Borough of Somerville Code, Chapter 45, Alcoholic Beverages — the local ordinance. We read it to confirm Somerville has no rule against BYOB.
The BYOB rules
- N.J.S.A. 2C:33-27 — the statute permitting wine and beer at unlicensed restaurants, and setting the limits.
- N.J.S.A. 33:1-12.14 — the population cap on new licenses.
- New Jersey ABC Handbook — the state’s own plain-language summary of BYOB.
- US Census QuickFacts, Somerville borough — the population figure the cap is calculated from.
The restaurants
Every cuisine description, chef name, seating and reservation detail on this page was read off that restaurant’s own website or posted menu in August 2026, and each restaurant’s name in the table above links to it. Where a restaurant publishes nothing on a question, the cell says so rather than guessing.
We publish our sources because the answer is only as good as where it came from. If you find something here that is wrong, tell us and we will fix it and say we did.
Restaurant details were verified against each business’s own website or posted menu in August 2026. Liquor license status was verified against Borough of Somerville Resolution 26-0615-189, the 2026-2027 license renewal resolution adopted by the Borough Council on June 15, 2026.
This is not a ranking.
More Somerville guides
- Ice Cream in Somerville, NJ: The Complete Local Guide
- Dirty Sodas in Somerville, NJ: What They Are and How One Bakery Makes Them
- Ice Cream With a Nut Allergy in Somerville, NJ: What to Ask Before You Order
More Garden State Circle Guides
Somerville and the Bridgewater area
- Electricians in Somerville
- Heating and cooling contractors in Somerville
- Orthodontists in Somerville, Hillsborough and Belle Mead
- Roofing contractors in Somerville
- Siding and window contractors in Somerville
- Ice cream in Somerville
- Ice cream with a nut allergy in Somerville
- Dirty sodas in Somerville
- Med spas in Bridgewater and Somerville
- Roofing contractors in Bridgewater
- Siding and window contractors in Bridgewater
- Dentists in Somerville
More guides to this area
Every guide we publish is listed at Garden State Circle Guides.
