Colts Neck General Store: A Home Away From Home
Since I was able to drive, no visit to Colts Neck was complete without a porkroll, egg and cheese with a side of rice and beans. While it’s a combination that seems bizarre to some, it is one that I always tout as being the best things on the menu and one that always keeps me coming back for more.
Whether it was after a doctor's appointment or my last few hours home before heading back to New York for college, no New Jersey trip was complete without it.
Colts Neck General Store was a place my mom introduced to me when I was young, and it soon became my favorite part about returning to the garden state. Similarly, it was a place that made up my mothers childhood, full of delectable breakfast items and memories shared with friends and her brother, who used to be an employee there when he was growing up.
Located in the heart of Colts Neck, Colts Neck General Store serves comfort food from the heart that is chock full of New Jersey spirit. Nestled in between farmland and quaint buildings, the Colts Neck General Store, which was built in 1849, serves up New Jersey classics that will make you want to order seconds.
The minute you climb up the painted porch and open the creaky entrance door, you are instantly surrounded by historic charm and people who love everything about Colts Neck. The atmosphere is inviting and one that makes you feel like you are at your home away from home. This is something that now owner, Mary Dwulet, told the Asbury Park Press was her biggest goal when she bought the establishment.
“I wanted people to have a spot where they could go and feel like home,” she explained, “so I went on my own to the craft store and purchased baskets and fabric to spruce things up and just kept going and going.”
Very soon, the restaurant embodied exactly that. From its artisan made New Jersey merchandise to vintage pictures of Colts Neck, the general store continues to provide a sense of nostalgia for its customers.
The homey feel is not the only reason why community members and small town explorers make a trip to the Colts Neck General Store: it is for the classic New Jersey dishes.
Since taking ownership of the establishment, Dwulet stated to the Asbury Park Press that she took pride in how extensive their menu options are, as it serves a number of breakfast and lunch dishes as well as fresh coffee. Along with their large portions of omelets, french toast and burgers, their most popular menu items include the Jersey speciality: porkroll.
Colts Neck General Store serves a number of pork roll creations such as a classic porkroll egg and cheese, the Jersey Burger -a burger with porkroll, egg and cheese- and the Gator which is a grilled pork roll, egg, cheese and hashbrown sandwich.
In addition to the vast menu items, the general store also sells a number of homemade goods and artisan pieces. The store is stocked with a variety of barbecue sauces, salsas, jams, pickles and specialty ice creams, along with a collection of baked goods to pick up by the register.
Every item is made with care, so you can bring a taste of Colts Neck home with you.