Twisties, the beloved Strathmere bar, has reopened under new owners

When people miss a Jersey shore bar, especially one that closes after 95 years, they really miss it.

But sometimes, like a little miracle, the bar comes back. Such was the outpouring of love and the pouring of drinks in Strathmere last weekend that accompanied the unexpected reopening of Twisties Tavern on the Bay under new owners.

“We got the liquor license on Monday a week ago, we made settlement on Tuesday, we opened the doors on Friday,” said general manager Anthony DeLeo, 35, a partner in the deal.

The iconic red building with the mahogany bar, deep cut jukebox, coconut heads, and fresh-caught tuna, had been closed since the 2024 season. Its prior owners listed the property and business for $4.95 million and said they wanted to sell to someone who would continue the legacy.

DeLeo described the majority investor as a Pennsylvania resident who owns a home in Strathmere and has long had a love for Twisties. (DeLeo declined to name the investor but said it was not Jason Kelce, who summers in nearby Sea Isle and was the subject of a stray Twisties rumor or two over the last year.) The sale price was not disclosed.

Locals and those down the Shore for the good weather last weekend poured into Twisties on Friday, when it was serving only drinks, and again on Saturday, when food was added, after DeLeo posted on Facebook, showing a scene pf people three and four deep around the bar.

“Wow, we are overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that was here last night on a non-advertised soft opening to the bar that everyone missed,” Twisties wrote on Facebook.

DeLeo said he was able to hire back about half of the old Twisties staff and is on the hunt for a new chef. He’s planning to keep the same vibe, along with some upgrades in liquor offerings and some new menu items.

“The first two questions I got were, ‘Are you keeping it the same? And, ‘Are you keeping the jukebox?’” he said. “The amount of thank you’s I got...”

DeLeo grew up with the big red tavern that Al Capone was rumored to have visited and which was also a regular haunt of former Inquirer columnist Clark DeLeon back in the day.

He does not plan any remake of its interior, so the carved coconut heads and fish taxidermy, as well as the jukebox, are safe.

“We opened at 6, and people there at 5:45 p.m. waiting to get in,” he said. “A lot of people loved that bar. People were there until 1 in the morning. People were just happy to get back in the doors.”

DeLeo, who lives locally, said he has helped run the Sack O’ Subs in Ocean City for the last dozen years. He said the former owners, Denise and Gary Riordan, brought him together with the majority owner to get the deal done. It was their dream to see the place land in the hands of people who loved it.

Twisties will now be open Thursday through Sunday until June 18, when it will go to seven days a week, DeLeo said.