New Jersey’s most famous roadside stand has paused its 2026 opening
Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen in Gloucester County, a popular stop on the way to the Jersey Shore, awaits governmental approval of its seating plans.
Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, the nationally known oyster stand and eatery in the New Jersey Pinelands, says it has paused its 2026 opening as it awaits a governmental review of its seating plans.
The rustic roadside stand offered indoor and outdoor seating when it opened in 2021 on Harding Highway in Newfield, Gloucester County, a popular route to the Jersey Shore. But in August 2023, lacking the proper permitting, it was ordered to shut down. Two days later, it reopened with takeout and outdoor picnic table seating but no indoor dining.
Management announced Monday that it had to remove the picnic tables while the Pinelands Commission as well as county and local authorities review Sweet Amalia’s plans to allow seating. Land use in the ecologically fragile Pinelands is highly regulated. On its social-media accounts, Sweet Amalia described the region, which covers parts of seven counties, as “a 1.1-million-acre treasure in our densely populated state.”
“They gave us the option to do takeout,” owner Lisa Calvo told The Inquirer. “But given the nature of the food and our customer base, we just didn’t feel like that was a great translation of our business model. The oyster bar business is not takeout. It’s people stopping, enjoying the vibe, hanging out, eating oysters freshly shucked.”
Calvo said she did not have an exact date for the reopening. “We hope everybody will be patient,” she said.
Sweet Amalia grew out of Calvo’s oyster business, Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm, founded in 2012 on the Delaware Bay. During the pandemic, Calvo and partners turned the roadside market in her hometown into a seasonal kitchen and retail operation centered on oysters, seafood, sandwiches, and local goods, an outlet for local growers and producers.
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Sweet Amalia quickly drew notice well beyond South Jersey. It landed on Craig LaBan’s best-of lists, made Esquire’s 2022 best new restaurants list, and helped earn chef Melissa McGrath a James Beard semifinalist nod in 2023. In 2024, it was the only New Jersey restaurant on the New York Times’ list of the nation’s best restaurants.
For now, at Sweet Amalia’s oysters are available at many local restaurants and by on-line order and pickup.