Our server, Ellie, was just absolutely phenomenal so friendly and welcoming. She was the best! Food was tasty as well!

This was a great dining experience.from the service staff Erica to the kitchen farm to table perfectly prepared dishes dining areas both outdoor and indoor.and so much more. Thank you for helping celebrate my wife's birthday read more

Ambience, ambience, ambience. What a lovely little restaurant I was invited to for dinner. With the most attentive waiters at the helm makes this the beginning of a pleasant dining experience. Each table is appointed with a different small size floral centerpiece ours was fresh mint with two flowers. Albeit a small restaurant there are multiple tables nicely spaced with soothing instrumental music playing in the background. Keep in mind the menu online is NOT what's on the menu in the restaurant so please call ahead if there is a particular meal you are interested in ordering to be sure it's offered on site. The new menu is slightly smaller in its offerings than what you see online but there is still a nice assortment of options so don't be dismayed. There are also daily specials offered. An assortment of fresh baked breads is presented and a dipping sauce consisting of oil, crushed garlic, parsley and grated cheese....paired together makes it a genuine pallet pleaser. Next a few assorted olives is placed at the table to snack on while you wait for appetizers or your meal to be completed. For the starter I ordered my favorite (no matter where in the world I am eating) .....grilled octopus. Plated with my favorite a side of arugula, fennel, potato chives, capers and the most fragrant saffron aioli. The octopus consisted of two rather large tentacles and were cooked to perfection..... not overcooked which is key to cooking octopus and the drizzle of aioli on top will dance on your tastebuds. Main course for the other party was on the daily specials which was seared sea scallops over risotto which was met after the first bite with a smile and "omg it's delicious". I elected to order the chicken milanese with a side salad topped with a lovely lemon vinaigrette. The chicken was spiced to perfection and bought out piping hot.....a must order. Dessert......there were only two options key lime cheesecake or the 3 scoops of ice cream. The ice cream was one scoop of pistachio (which I never tasted but absolutely loved ), caramel and cappuccino scoop (the cappuccino was fantastic as well. Fresh restaurant is must visit for a memorable dining experience. read more

See all

Fresh is an amazing hidden gem in Highlands. Sooo go! Incredible variety. Old time service. Delicious food. Been there a dozen times over the last few years and never disappoints. Love the BYOB. Why pay 4x$$ for a glass of wine. We split their lobster carbonara special as an appetizer. Great call! read more

Very high quality food. Service.Is top notch. A cosy and sophisticated dining room. A treasure.

Food service & ambience are wonderful Every aspect of this restaurant is outstanding ! Make sure you go there for dinner soon

We hadn't been to the Highlands in a bit and wanted to try something new to us from our radar. Fresh fit the bill. They have a nice outdoor area in addition to an upstairs level. The main dining room is intimate but tables are a bit close. Our service was good throughout the night. I would say the food was good to very good. Appetizers Burrata Grilled Octopus- could have been a bit more tender Entrees Lobster carbonara w pasta Scallops over risotto Overall, Fresh was a nice experience and a change. read more

Food was fantastic. Spanish octopus and calamari apps. Chilean sea bass dinner. Our server, Kelly was very friendly and attentive. Great night read more

Visited last evening for dinner. Have been MANY times prior and have never been disappointed...until last night. My chicken Milanese was plump (not pounded down) and served on a bed of Friseese!!? Tasteless.!! My husband's Pasta fra Diablo was tasteless and the sauce was so thin and lacking in the spicy pizazz of the recipe. Should have sent the dinner back...sorry we, I didn't. Also, sitting in the main level dining room would have been better with more attention to what the server was placing down. Birthday celebration disappointing. :( read more

We love this place. We have been 4 or 5 times and the service is always friendly, and accommodating. One of our visits was for our anniversary and the put flowers and flower petals all around our table along with other small touches to make it even more special. As for the food, I don't recall ever having an appetizer or main that wasn't great. We will definitely be back, and if you haven't been you should visit too. read more

Well prepared food, forward flavors, pretty good value for your dining dollars. Not the biggest menu down the shore, but what they offer is delicious. read more

everything was delicious. Service was fantastic, great restaurant bring your own. problem. Is it gets a little warm in there? read more

See all

Everything was fabulous! We were seated on the patio. Both waiters were attentive, knowledgeable and had us laughing. Everyone enjoyed their entrees. I had the sea bass with red curry which was amazing! the Burrata app and the Tuna Tartare app were also outstanding. We visited this spot while on a long weekend getaway- I really wish I lived closer because I would go frequently! read more

We went here with 5 kids (sorry) and they were super accommodating. The food was amazing. We had the pork chop, fra diavolo, and papadelle. All of it was great. read more

Loved this place. We will definitely be back. Everything was delicious and service was great. Bring your own alcohol. Indoor area is small; we got a last min early reservation outside which was hot but still lovely. Faves: - complementary bruchetta - burrata app - shrimp app (dip bread in that sauce) - short ribs - scallops read more

Intimate space with great food and excellent service! We were a party of four for dinner on a Friday night. Called ahead for 6:30, our party arrived 20mins late due to traffics but they were able to accommodate us. Mike was amazing from start to finish, checking in and making sure we had what we needed. Now the food! The appetizer, grilled octopus, clams(we ordered two because it was that good), jumbo lump crab cakes(the best we have ever had!!) and baby arugula salad. The main, we ordered Pan Seared Sea Scallop and Misoyaki New England Cod. Everything was delicious! We all agreed that everything was amazing and FRESH! We will definitely be back! Oh we forgot it was byob but there is a liquor store two blocks down. read more

See all

Just the type of place you want in your neighborhood. Good food made with fine ingredients and presented by super friendly experienced staff. Comfortable atmosphere. You want to dress nicely. BYO too read more

Have always loved this place, but they have upped their food even more! Fresh cod was out of this world! Everyone in our party was thrilled with their food. Service was so attentive and terrific and it's a lovely cozy atmosphere. One of our favorite places! read more

This was my first time dining here. Very cute decor and loved the farm to table concept. I went with friends and each of our meals was delicious. For starters we had the grilled octopus and roasted brussel sprouts. The octopus was lighted charred and it was delightful. The brussel sprouts were crispy and topped with pancetta. They were a crowd favorite. The grilled veal chop was outstanding and cooked to perfection. It was so tender and bursting with flavor. It was so good I actually ate the meat off the bone. lol. The other dishes were the sautéed scallops and the lobster special over homemade pasta. Both dishes were prepared nicely and delicious. The service was great and I loved the fact that it's a byob. I highly recommend Fresh if you're. in the Atlantic Highlands area. read more

See all

Outstanding food!! The back garden area was so cute, got a little buggy around the time of sunset but they gave us some Off! which helped. The owner was so amazing and apologized profusely and loaded us up with bowls of freshly made bread. FAV thing was the crab cake for sure! And the complimentary bruschetta served while you wait. Highly recommend and definitely going back! read more

See all

Great little restaurant at the Highlands. The place felt more like a private supper club than a restaurant. It IS small and intimate and the wait staff is highly attentive. Food was fabulous. Highly recommend the short rib - best I've had. The tiramisu, again, probably among the best I've had in a very long time. read more

Awesome restaurant! Tried it for the 1st time tonite and loved it. Great food, professional service and quaint atmosphere. All good things.... - BYOB and they accommodate whatever you bring very well - great menu with a few specials . Not overwhelming number of choices but many things on menu we would love to try - delicious Carrot cake...it's a stand out! See picture -caring, friendly and professional staff. Made the dining experience a pleasure Glad we tried it and we will definitely be back! read more

Fresh Restaurant - Amazing Carrot Cake...sooo good! - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Always top notch!!! Can't say enough good things !!! Been coming here for years, never ever disappointed. The friends we bring love it just as much!!! Best BYO ever! read more

Small, intimate atmosphere. Food and service is always excellent. I have never had a bad meal there.

I had bookmarked this place almost two years ago. We finally got here and it was excellent. Charming interior seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Pleasant greeting from our server and complimentary bruschetta were nice touches. It is a BYOB place and service here is very professional. Not a very large menu but it has several interesting and as it turned out, tasty dishes. I had a NY strip steak. It was cooked right but maybe needed a little more seasoning. My wife started with a very good Caesar Salad. My wife also very much enjoyed her seafood pasta dish. For my appetizer, I had the Tuna Tataki. It was very fresh and it was also large enough for two. read more

See all

Visited for the first time on a Friday night. The food was fantastic. The waiting for food however was exceptionally long. We ended up being at the restaurant for 3 hours due to how long it took to bring out appetizers and entrees. read more

I love this small, charming bistro with amazing food, great service, and fair prices . Truly a gem who does not disappoint! Bette Leibowitz read more

It has been a couple of years since our last visit to Fresh as the Highlands has fallen off out radar screen so to speak but now back in sight we went last week and really enjoyed our dining experience. Fresh continues to deliver top notch food and service in a lovely quaint little space in the heart of the Highlands. No matter what food you order hear it will be expertly prepared and delicious. Not cheap mind you but certainly worth the price of admission. We will return again and hopefully soon. read more

We held a 50th Anniversary Party for 26 and the food was spectacular!! The service was impeccable: fast and discreet. Bravo to the chef and to the staff‼ This little gem of a restaurant is worth its weight in gold!! Thank you for giving us such delicious and delightful memories of this evening. It is the same great food and service as Nana's Kitchen on Rt. 35 Middletown. It was perfect for the small, intimate party we had! read more

Nice intimate Byob. Dishes to savor and service "excellante". Have only had great meals here. Fresh is always fresh!

Crab cake was the best I've ever had. Caesar salad was delicious .... scallops were amazing! Service was very good. Love this place! read more

Fresh Restaurant - Scallops! - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Delicious Italian farm to table. Sea to table. Local and lovable. Date night perfection. Excellent service. Food always knocks it out of the park. Owner and chef really care for what they do. We love this place. It's a local gem. Outdoor seating. Byo. Frank Sinatra on the radio. read more

See all

Awesome! This place is warm, cozy and offers excellent service and delicious food. Return often, never disappointed read more

We have been to Fresh a number of times, they consistently have excellent food and the staff is great. The atmosphere is relaxed, maybe a little loud, but that is because everyone is having a great time. I know we always have a great time there, we will continue going. read more

A total 5 across the board! Literally as good as it gets. Farm to table restaurant located by Sandy Hook Beach in the bustling downtown district. This restaurant tops them all around here. The service was IMPECCABLE. We were treated like royalty. The food is super high end, even the bread with olive oil was special. Heirloom local tomato salad, crabcake, lobster bisque, seared scallops, homemade tagliatelle with fresh eggplant - all wow and super yummy! AND, BYOB which makes the meal even better. I came with a group of 7 - and we each brought a bottle of wine, they did not rush us, instead they brought us a standing cooler with ice to fit all of our bottles. Unbelievable! Great value, great fun. Highly recommend this place, but you MUST make a reservation because you will never get in without it on season. read more

See all

Absolutely love this restaurant! The staff are super friendly and give you such a great family feeling. The farm to table food is absolutely to die for! Everything I've had on the menu just blows my taste buds away. Some of their homemade desserts are the perfect way to end a delicious dinner. Their indoor and outdoor dining options are adorable. Absolutely must dine here! read more

One of the best ever restaurants in NJ. Tonight is our fifth or sixth time here and it's better than ever. Tonight we split the veal chop...I will likely NOT order this at any other restaurant so as not to be disappointed. The chef, the staff are all warm and friendly adding to the cozy, homey dining ambience. I can't wait to come back again. read more

Fresh Restaurant - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

If I could leave 10 stars I would! The food was impeccable, not to mention the service - we were seated very quickly and were consistently checked in on. The servers were extremely accommodating and the place itself was super comfortable and nice. We sat outside and it was just so beautiful. If you are dining in Highlands - this is the place to be!!! read more

Went to Fresh for the first time and I'm impressed! Everybody was so welcoming and friendly. Staff always checked up on you and gave great recommendations. This is another great restaurant I found on Yelp otherwise I would of never known about. It's a very clean place as well with a nice atmosphere. Its also byob. They provided delicious warm fresh bread while I was seated. Just delicious! Then I had the salad special which was very good and fresh. I ordered the halibut and mash potatoes for dinner also very good. Dessert did not disappoint I had the carrot cake special excellent!!! All desserts are house made which is something I love since I'm a dessert lover:). I recommend this place! Warm, friendly staff, clean and nice atmosphere, BYOB, fresh ingredients, great food! read more

See all

Fresh is a true gem restaurant! The food and staff are top shelf, a surprising find in Highlands. It's cute little dining area is classy and elegant. The only negative that affected my visit was the inability to hear my date or the waitress. The acoustics in this room are atrocious. With tables very close together and seats facing in many directions I could hear other conversations from other tables and nothing else. It also got very hot in the dining area quickly but when the AC kicked in it cooled rapidly. Sadly it only kicked in for a short spirt then it got super hot in the dining area again. With the only downside being the acoustics let's get to the main course. The lovely farm to table approach is well executed and the menu is focused on local sourced seafood done in a beautiful and loving way. The Buratta (ricotta stuffed mozzarella) appetizer had to be one of the most amazing dishes I've had this year. So nicely done and a breathtaking presentation! Save some bread to soak up the drizzle on the plate. OUTSTANDING! My companion had the lobster with asparagus over pasta, their signature dish. It was light fresh and delectable! As a note I would have enjoyed fresh pasta with this dish but dried pasta didn't take away from this dishes appeal. I had the short Rib which was excellent and the portion was ample. I added a side of lobster mashed potatoes and they did not disappoint. I highly suggest a visit to Fresh, just sit close or learn sign language. The food here was truly exceptional! read more

See all