Carteret Now Planning A Tiki Bar On Its Waterfront, Too

CARTERET, NJ — In July, Woodbridge opened a tiki bar on its Arthur Kill waterfront, and now — not to be outdone — Carteret plans to open a tiki bar, as well.

Carteret says it plans to open a "three-season outdoor tiki bar and snack stand" on the southern end of Veterans' Pier in Waterfront Park. The tiki bar and snack stand will be housed in a new pavilion, which has yet to be constructed. Similar to Woodbridge's tiki bar, it will not have a kitchen, but Carteret is planning to open a mobile kitchen at the park in the future, and is looking for a vendor to run it.

Carteret said the tiki bar will be built in a spot that will not conflict with local fishing areas at the pier.

Carteret will also make improvements to the existing mini golf course in the park, the outdoor stage and expand the picnic area and walkways. It will also build updated bathrooms in the park.

All the work, including the new pavilion that will house the tiki bar, is expected to be completed by March 30, 2025, said the town of Carteret.

According to Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, here's what should be open by the end of March 2025 at Waterfront Park:

• A new pavilion on the fishing pier, which will house a three-season outdoor tiki bar and snack stand.
• A new pre-fabricated restroom building to replace the existing tank restroom, including water, electric and sanitary sewer connections
• Expansion of the picnic areas and walkways
• A 24-by-32-foot band stage pad, including new electric service.
• New surfaces for the mini golf course and putting green that already exist at Carteret's Waterfront Park.

In total, it's $4 million worth of park improvements, largely paid for with state and county grants. The contractor is Elizabeth-based Arco Construction Group.

“My administration has worked to turn Carteret’s coastline into a pristine destination from what once was an environmental nightmare abandoned by industry,” said Reiman. “We went after those corporate polluters to provide the first public access to the Arthur Kill in 100 years. We will continue to improve the waterfront, crafting it into the top-notch public destination and recreational area it deserves to be.”

The mayor says future waterfront improvements include:

• A 25-foot mobile kitchen in Waterfront Park that soon will go out to bid and will serve food and beverages from spring to fall, particularly at such popular events as the Carteret Independence Day, Carteret Latin Fest and the weekly summer-long Concerts by the Bay series
• A 2.5-mile Riverwalk to the north and south of Waterfront Park starting at Noes Creek, continuing to the border of Port Reading and currently under construction.
• Additionally, Carteret is in the planning stages of turning an abandoned rail line that runs parallel to Peter J. Sica Highway into a walkway path. It will connect to the waterfront and become a 5-mile loop around Waterfront Park.

“In essence, we would create this five-mile Rails to Trails-to-boardwalk concept,” Reiman said.

Carteret has long talked about launching NYC ferry service from Waterfront Park, although no ferry provider has signed on to run the service. By contrast, NY Waterway started running ferry service from South Amboy last October, directly into Lower Manhattan.

What The New Woodbridge Tiki Bar Is Like (July 2024)

First Day Of South Amboy-NYC Ferry Service: Customers 'Love It' (October 2023)