Monmouth Park's 2026 live meet ran from May 9 to September 13, according to the New Jersey Racing Commission's race-dates order. The track now has a French steakhouse that stays open all winter. Up Oceanport Avenue, RiverWalk Center has added a coffee bar and a brunch counter. Between them they cover Oceanport's day from 7 a.m. through dinner. On the track side, though, only one of the new spaces was built to last past summer.
Two restaurants at the track, and only one is open in winter
Last winter, FDB Hospitality announced two concepts for Monmouth Park. The company was founded by father and son Casey and Elvin Kehres. TAPinto reported that Apéro Steakhouse would go into the former Blu Grotto space and Pat & Lola's Garden Bar would take over the former Beer Garden. The same report says the team already knew the building well. Casey Kehres had been Monmouth Park's catering director and Blu Grotto's assistant general manager. His father had been Blu Grotto's general manager since it opened in 2016.
Apéro opened April 22 at 200 Port Au Peck Avenue, Jersey Bites reported. The menu pairs aged steaks with classic French cooking. TAPinto said the menu was expected to include foie gras, escargot, and duck à l'orange. It also said the drinks list would focus on apéritifs and classic cocktails with Parisian influences.
"Yes! Apéro Steakhouse is open year round, even when the track at Monmouth Park is closed."
That line comes from Apéro's FAQ. The restaurant serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday and lunch on Friday and Saturday.
Pat & Lola's has closed for the winter. When TAPinto first wrote about it, the garden bar was planned as an outdoor venue with live music on summer weekends, and the team intended to enclose it so it could run all year. Its current FAQ says it is closed for the season and will reopen in summer 2027. The page still describes it as an all-outdoor bar serving burgers, wings, and a full sushi menu. If the sushi was your summer habit, the steakhouse next door is the only part of the operation open until then.
Apéro is also taking Thanksgiving pre-orders for pickup on Wednesday, November 25, and Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26. Orders are due Thursday, November 19, one week after this post goes up. Call the restaurant to confirm pickup windows before you plan the day around them.
What else is open at the track this winter
The rest of Monmouth Park has gone quieter, though not completely. The track's homepage says the new Caesars Sportsbook is open on the Clubhouse side, while the Grandstand side is closed. The same page lists Bluegrass Minigolf as open. The one event on the track's winter calendar is on December 5. It's an on-site handicapping contest called the $300 NHC Qualifier, running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with wagering on races at Belmont, Gulfstream, and Tampa Bay.
For most neighbors the takeaway is simple. On a winter evening, Port Au Peck Avenue has one sit-down dinner option inside the track, and its hours run Wednesday through Sunday.
RiverWalk covers the morning
Apéro handles dinner. The new spots at RiverWalk Center handle breakfast and lunch. In the Fall 2026 message, Oceanport's mayor welcomed three new RiverWalk businesses that had celebrated with ribbon cuttings: Rogue Salon, Mondegreen Coffee, and Maple House.
Maple House is in unit 714 at 700 Oceanport Avenue. Patch reported that a mother-and-son team owns it, serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch. The Maple House menu runs from pancakes and French toast to a braised short-rib Benedict and pork-roll-and-egg sandwiches. It also has a short-rib melt, smash burgers, the 714 Salad, matcha, signature lattes, and pastries baked in-house. Its online ordering page lists hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
Mondegreen Coffee gives its address as 800 Oceanport Avenue, #2. It's open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, according to its website. The ordering menu lists cold brew, espresso, and flat whites, plus a few house drinks. The HunnyBee Latte is made with local honey, the Soliman Latte uses caramel and sea salt, and there's a Brown Eyed Girl Latte and a vanilla espressoda.
Together the three businesses cover a full day, with a gap between lunch and dinner:
| Time of day | Where | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Maple House, RiverWalk unit 714 | Daily |
| 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends | Mondegreen Coffee, 800 Oceanport Ave. #2 | Daily |
| Lunch | Apéro Steakhouse, 200 Port Au Peck Ave. | Friday and Saturday |
| Dinner | Apéro Steakhouse, 200 Port Au Peck Ave. | Wednesday through Sunday |
Mondegreen is the last place in this group to stop serving in the afternoon. On Mondays and Tuesdays, nothing on the list serves dinner, so a winter weeknight out early in the week means heading to another town.
The weeks ahead on the calendar
The off-season gets busier on the Borough's own calendar as the holidays approach. Here's what's scheduled from publish day through early December:
- Thursday, November 19: Deadline for Apéro's Thanksgiving pre-orders.
- Wednesday, November 25, and Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving pickups at Apéro.
- Saturday, November 28, 2 to 6 p.m.: The Borough's Holiday Extravaganza. The mayor calls it the 3rd Annual Holiday Extravaganza and Tree Lighting. Check the Borough calendar for the location and program as the date gets closer.
- Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: The $300 NHC Qualifier at Monmouth Park.
- Tuesday, December 8, 7 p.m.: Book Club, listed on the Borough calendar.
- December: The Borough's Menorah Lighting follows the tree lighting. The mayor's message lists both as Oceanport traditions.
The Extravaganza falls two days after Thanksgiving, so it's an easy plan for a house full of visiting family. Pick up the Thanksgiving order at the track on Wednesday, get pancakes at Maple House on Saturday morning, then head to the tree lighting that afternoon.
If you're starting to think about how Oceanport's winter routine fits a future move, or just wondering what your home is worth in a town with more year-round options than it had a year ago, The Mallan Group is happy to talk it through over coffee at RiverWalk. Get your free home valuation and we'll put your number in context with what's changed around Oceanport Avenue this year.
