Catbird Asbury Park

"Local favorite chef, Aimee McElroy, formerly of Medusa Stone Fired Kitchen, is back at it, making her specialty pies, salads, and sides. Grab a seat on the deck that overlooks Deal Lake or a table in a dining room with glampy cabin vibes. Share a fennel and sausage pizza, or one with meatballs, mushrooms, or roasted eggplant (there are classics available, too). It’s a booze-free spot, with a Mocking Bar of zero-proof or botanical beverages, though you can also BYOB. Breakfast and lunch is available Sunday." - Celia Buckley, Melissa McCart

"Catbird is a new BYO restaurant and pizzeria in a fully renovated, idyllic location along Deal Lake in Asbury Park. The food might remind you of Medusa, a ghost of Asbury restaurant’s past, and you’ll find stuff like simple seasonal salads with arugula and blueberries, roasted vegetables, and the biggest reason to come: their signature, slightly misshapen, nearly square wood-fired pizzas. We really like the use of vegetables on the pies, like the roasted eggplant with pesto or a spicy sausage and ricotta pie covered in trimmed fennel fronds. The atmosphere is basically an Adirondack cabin, and they have a great outdoor dining area that gives you direct views of aviary life swooping down towards the lake fetching their own dinner. Make sure to finish those crusts before the osprey and eagles do. " - michael sinatra

"Catbird is a new BYO restaurant and pizzeria in a fully renovated, idyllic location along Deal Lake in Asbury Park. The food might remind you of Medusa, a ghost of Asbury restaurant’s past, and you’ll find stuff like simple seasonal salads with arugula and blueberries, roasted vegetables, and the biggest reason to come: their signature, slightly misshapen, nearly square wood-fired pizzas. We really like the use of vegetables on the pies, like the roasted eggplant with pesto or a spicy sausage and ricotta pie covered in trimmed fennel fronds. The atmosphere is basically an Adirondack cabin, and they have a great outdoor dining area that gives you direct views of aviary life swooping down towards the lake fetching their own dinner. Make sure to finish those crusts before the osprey and eagles do." - Michael Sinatra

"I have several pizza favorites along the Jersey Shore, but I’ve recently been enjoying the scene and the booze-free bar at the newly opened Catbird in Asbury Park, an hour from the city. It’s from co-owner and chef, Aimée McElroy, former owner of the now closed pizzeria Medusa, who honed her baking skills at places like Il Buco Alimentari and Porta. The newfangled pizzeria in what looks like a surf shack offers walk-up ordering an array of Neapolitan-style pizzas, including marinara, a mushroom trio, or this bold puttanesca with anchovies, capers, and olives ($18)." - Eater Staff