Montreal-Inspired Pop-Up Eatery Coming To Belmar's Main Street

ASBURY PARK, NJ - A Montreal-inspired take-out kitchen in Asbury Park is slated to open its first sit-down location in Belmar this winter.

Jersey Shore resident Kevin Newberg has been operating Berg’s Smoked Meat & Poutine since June 2021 under the Asbury Park Food Collective, a commercial delivery-only ghost kitchen on Sewall Avenue. But in just a few short months, he has garnered a unique following of customers for his Montreal-inspired cuisine - namely smoked Montreal beef and poutine - and will be relocating to a temporary restaurant at the Main Street site of Steak Island starting Dec. 1.

“Because we're working in the ghost kitchen [in Asbury Park], we aren't allowed to have customers come onto the premises. Customers can't even sit down and eat,” Newberg, 32, told Patch. “Customers aren't allowed to pick up their orders. So by moving the business to the location in Belmar, customers can come and sit down and eat inside, or they can come in and take out their food. It's like having a real restaurant rather than a virtual restaurant."

Berg’s Smoked Meat and Poutine was first launched after the culinary school graduate was laid off from a dining services position at Brookdale Community College during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner told Patch. Touting over 15 years in the food industry, Newberg says his specialty cuisine comes from his love of traveling to Montreal “and not being able to get that food anywhere else.”

“Because of COVID-19, I was laid off for a year. I was just like, ‘let’s try this and see what happens,’” Newberg said. “I’d mess around with recipes in my house and make the Montreal smoked meat just for friends at first. It’s just snowballed into this big thing, which has turned out to be a really fun six months.”

For newbies to the Montreal food scene, Newberg recommends the smoked Montreal beef, which is made from scratch and self-described as "pastrami's better-tasting cousin." Another fan favorite is the poutine, which includes double-fried red potatoes, fresh cheese curds and the chef's homemade gravy made from a roasted beef bone stock.

"The difference between us and other restaurants is that our entire menu is made from scratch," Newberg said. "We don't have any frozen food. There's nothing coming out of a box. We have a limited menu; we just do the best we can with that."

Berg's currently has a six-month lease at the Steak Island space (its namesake eatery is expected to reopen this summer). But whether you’re a Montreal meat novice or a poutine connoisseur, Newberg notes the uniqueness of Berg’s on the Jersey Shore - and encourages New Jersey foodies to try the specialty menu while it's available in Belmar.

“I don’t think there’s anybody else in New Jersey doing Montreal smoked meat,” Newberg said. "It's definitely something special."

Berg's Smoked Meat & Poutine opens Dec. 1 at 1405 Main Street in Belmar. Dine in and take out options will be available, as well as delivery through Doordash and Grubhub. For more information, visit bergssmokedmeat.com.