Jersey Shore Waterfront Bar and Restaurant Hits Market for $4.975M

A legendary 96-year-old bar and restaurant in Strathmere is up for sale.

Twisties Tavern on the Bay is listed at $4.975 million, a price tag that includes the building, equipment, and liquor license. The establishment's current owners, Gary and Denise Riordan, are planning to retire after 25 years of overseeing the restaurant. They listed the property themselves last year but have now enlisted the help of Burt Wilkins and his daughter Emily of Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty as listing agents.

Twisties began its life as a speakeasy from 1929 to 1933. During that time, it was operated by Harold and Gert Charleston and was called The Strathmere Inn Cafe. An urban legend suggests that Al Capone visited with his wife and was loaned a dress by Gert so she could go fishing.

According to a property description on Twisties website, the Charlestons introduced the kitschy decor to the property. The couple began collecting and mounting fish on the walls and brought back coconut heads, carved by Seminoles, from their trips to Florida.

Following the Charlestons, Philadelphia natives Jimmy and Rose Twist became owners during the 1950s. During the early 1970s, Marty Riordan, a local Realtor, bought the property and renamed it the Bayview Inn. 

Gary, Marty's son, and his wife Denise started operating it in 2000, renaming it Twisties Tavern on the Bay. From its original mahogany bar to its five boat slips at the rear of the building, Twisties serves a diverse clientele who hail from Ocean City to Sea Isle.

Burt Wilkins told NJ.com that the Riordans are “looking for a specific buyer who will keep the charm and character of the place. They realize somebody is going to come in and change it some. But they hope to find someone who likes the concept and expands or improves on it.”