Good News: Popular Ocean City, NJ Restaurant Getting Upgrades

One of the joys of the Summer Season in South Jersey is the small businesses that are only open for a few months each year like restaurants. The Shore Towns are full of eateries that are only open for four to seven months but are a part of the fabric of the community and connect to the town's history.

One of those restaurants is getting an overdue upgrade in Ocean City.  Located two blocks north of the end of the Boardwalk is a building that has been standing on Beach Road since the 1940s.  Today, the restaurant is called the Sand House Kitchen and even though the charm of the establishment is the worn look of the old refreshment stand rebuilt after World War Two, the building is overdue for an upgrade.

The building's owner, Robert Himmelstein, is having the establishment raised to replace the rotted pilings.  Thanks to the New Jersey law passed after Hurricane Sandy, the plan is to elevate the building 7.8 feet on the beach side so the restaurant is in the clear of a Coastal Storm's damage to the beach.  The restaurant will also be 6.1 feet higher than the Veach Avenue side to keep the building level despite the sloping ground around the property.

In 1945, a building permit was granted to rebuild where the old refreshment stand used to be on the beachfront on the north end of Ocean City.  Over the decades, the establishment became the location of a popular breakfast and lunch eateries despite it being located so far away from the downtown business district and not being part of the Ocean City Boardwalk.

The property was the home of the restaurant Richard's in the 1970s and then was the home of North End Beach Grill for decades.  The Sandy House Kitchen was opened by the Idell Family back in 2021 and has become a popular eatery open for Breakfast and Lunch during the Summer months at 9 Beach Road in Ocean City.