Let's go on a tour of good BYOB restaurants in Atlantic County.

Along the way, we'll catch up on laws regulating New Jersey BYOB restaurants, point out one local town that won't allow them, and hear the story of how an Atlantic City strip club is responsible for New Jersey restaurants being allowed to advertise that they are BYOB.

Why There Are BYOB Restaurants in New Jersey

In New Jersey, BYOB is an initialism and acronym used by restaurants concerning wine ("bring your own bottle" or "bring your own booze"), or beer ("bring your own beer").

New Jersey remains one of the hardest states for restauranteurs to obtain a liquor license.

This has led to a dining culture that is unique to Jersey's own— with some towns having a number of BYOB restaurants to choose from.

New Jersey’s BYOB law permits only wine and beer to be consumed, so you may not bring and establishments can not allow their patrons to consume hard liquor like vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey.

Locals Voted Against BYOB in One Local Town

From the time of its founding, Ocean City has had a long history of prohibiting alcohol sales and public consumption.

The city passed an ordinance in 1958 forbidding the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public areas.

In 2012 a public referendum that would have allowed BYOB in certain restaurants was overwhelmingly rejected, 3,137 to 1,425.

A Strip Club Changed the Law on Advertising BYOB in NJ

New Jersey restaurants were once prohibited from advertising that they were a BYOB.

But, in 2018, the owners of Stiletto, an Atlantic City "gentlemen's club" without a liquor license, challenged the law and the court ruled that banning BYOB advertising is unconstitutional because the state may regulate alcohol but not the speech relating to alcohol.

BYOB Restaurants in Atlantic County, NJ.

There are several excellent BYOB restaurants in Atlantic County, but many Atlantic County towns don't have many or any BYOB's.

It all depends on a confusing web of laws and rules about a town's population, the price and availability of liquor licenses in the town, and the particular restaurant owner's feelings about serving alcohol.

Some of my favorite BYOBs are in Ventnor, where they only permit 3 restaurant liquor licenses.

We will see some of those Ventnor restaurants featured in our Tour of Great BYOB Restaurants in Atlantic County.

A Tour of 12 Great BYOB Restaurants in Atlantic County

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