Mister C’s Beach Bistro, known for serving food and drinks with an ocean view in Allenhurst, is closing.
The restaurant’s last day will be Sunday, Oct. 20, said Karen Marzulli, who has run the restaurant with business partner Chic Perrotto since 2006.
They are at the end of their lease on the 200-plus-seat restaurant, which adjoins Allenhurst Beach Club. Both are owned by the borough.
“It’s all good,” said Marzulli, 67, of Long Branch. “This is not a sad closing. We’ve known this date for 10 years.”
“It did come faster than we thought, though,” she added.
Mister C’s, known for dishes like ahi tuna nachos, tuna tartare, and fish tacos, got its start as a restaurant in Deal in 1991 before opening at Allen Avenue and Ocean Place. The beachfront restaurant was destroyed by superstorm Sandy in 2012; Marzulli and Perrotto, 87, of Ocean Township, rebuilt and reopened in 2015.
Perrotto — the “Mister C” in Mister C’s Beach Bistro — retired last year from a decades-long career that also included restaurants and bars in Asbury Park and Brielle. Both he and Marzulli feel it is time to move on.
“I retired, Karen has some other things she’s getting into, and she didn’t want to tie herself up here by herself,” he said. “It’s too much work for one person.”
“I’m not doing it without him,” Marzulli said.
As for what might replace Mister C’s Beach Bistro, the borough of Allenhurst is accepting proposals for a prospective new tenant through Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Mister C’s will be open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Sundays until closing day, when Marzulli and Perrotto are planning an all-day buffet and half-priced drinks.
“Just come by, have a little bite, say goodbye to the staff,” she said. “We want to thank all of our great customers and staff over the years for being our family and for making us successful. They’re the ones that made us successful, and we will miss them.”
“We had a hell of a run,” Perrotto said.
