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Briglia’s Tavern on Rt 73 Berlin Opened Last Fall. Big Dining and Drink Experience in a Cozy Setting

Briglia’s Tavern on Rt 73 Berlin Opened Last Fall.  Big Dining and Drink Experience in a Cozy Setting
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Briglia’s Tavern opened the last half of 2019 on Rt 73 in the Cedarbrook/Winslow/Berlin section, about 5 miles from the AC Expressway exit.  

42Freeway posted about their plans to open about a year ago, and it’s taken me a bit to get there and post about their opening!

This place will definitely surprise you with their delicious entrees, pasta, sandwiches, bar drinks and more! The started out at the end of the summer primarily as a bar with sandwiches, in the fall turned on the full kitchen and now they are finding even more fans with their amazing full dinners!

I had previously rambled in other posts that I have a mental block where when I really like a place and even more so the owners (such as Westville Brewery, Bonesaw Brewery), I want to put some extra effort in and “extra effort” takes extra time, and I keep pushing it off?  

Well in the end I’ve delayed you from experiencing sooner the delicious food and friendly bar of the still new Briglia’s Tavern on Rt 73 in Cedarbrook!

Rave Reviews!

Let’s cut to the chase…  There are 105 Facebook reviews on the Briglia Tavern page and a 5.0 rating.  Just one person after another raving about the decor, the food, and the staff.  Over at the always more critical Yelp there are 13 reviews at a 4.5 rating, with only one negative review (which seems to have been posted twice)?

One review describes Briglia’s Tavern as  “This Place is Small But Mighty” and those few words really sum up what owner and chef Matt Briglia has created in this quiet stretch of Rt 73.  Another reviewer:

…the minute I walked in I was wowed! The interior is cute and cozy – a small town feel. The prices were great, the service was better, and the food was delicious!!!
Another Yelp Review from a New Yorker!

Briglia’s Tavern is a cozy two sectioned bar and restaurant where the food is bigger than the building.  Don’t get me wrong.. everything about Briglia’s is new and beautifully styled. 

The room is actually divided into two rooms.  Upon entering the Tavern you are in the front bar and open kitchen area which is reminiscent of a local pub in Philadelphia…  if you were walked into the building while blind folded and told you were in a new hip Fishtown bar/restaurant, you’d believe it.

42Freeway Visits

There is a small bar in the front, tables along the wall… the open kitchen to the back left.. and towards the back right is a surprise bonus dining area which opens up to seat dozens of diners.  The friendly atmosphere is suitable for families, friends, or hanging out.

My wife and I visited just a few days after Christmas, several months after Briglia’s was opened with the full kitchen in play.  See, I told you I’ve been dragging my heels on this one!  We had spent the day at the world famous Berlin “Mall” Farmers Mart.  Look, you can’t go to the Berlin Mart and not have soft pretzels and a slice.  And we did.   And remember, I can be a bonehead about posting so it wasn’t until heading out of the mart that it popped into my brain “What the heck?!… we haven’t been to Matt’s place yet!”.  And yes I said “Matt”, because I know Matt (full disclosure), which makes even more sense that I took so long on this.

So we get to Briglia’s Tavern with some Mart munchies already down the chute, but we’re still looking for more and now eagerly wanting to check out what Matt has created.   So we quietly sit in the front bar area, Matt isn’t around.. and my wife and I split a Roast Beef Sandwich, an order of Truffle fries, and of course some adult beverages.

Later on when I chatted with Matt he said “You can’t go wrong with our roast beef!” and man was he accurate on that. This is roasted in house, which they hand slice right behind the bar.  The truffle fries were amazing also… and I have a french fry thing.  I may have mentioned a long time ago I worked at the Brooklawn Pat’s Steaks s a kid and became acutely aware of the need to keep on top of the fryer oil to get the best, crispiest, freshest fries.  Plus you have to cook them the right amount of time.  The Briglia truffle fries were amazing.  The roast beef was incredibly tender.

We will be back very soon to try out the Italian entrees.  I just spent too much time drooling over the Facebook photos.  But I’m well aware of Matt’s talents.

The extra nice bonus of Briglia’s Tavern… Mrs 42Freeway went with an Espresso Martini (hey, what goes better with a day at the Berlin Mall than a martini?), and she declared it the best martini she’s ever had.  Damn, I forget the bartender’s name but she was amazing.  Friendly and attentive, and I never mentioned until the end I am a world famous blogger.  (in my own mind, ha)

Matt Briglia

So I mention I knew chef and owner Matt Briglia before our visit.  The short story is, about 6-7 years ago my wife and I moved to Deptford close to the 5 points intersection, and quickly Lazy Lanigan’s become one of our regular places to stop in.  Today that restaurant is booming as the Village Pub under the Ciconte Group, but as Lazy Lanigans it was oddly very quiet.  And a very young Matt Briglia was bartending.  It was quiet enough there most visits that we had time to chat with Matt and somewhere along the way I mention my blog, and he offers up that he owns a liquor license in Winslow and planned to open a bar.  It’s an intriguing enough story for me as I live vicariously through these owners, but at the time Matt had to be in his young 20s so it caught my attention even more so.  Later visits he started sharing some of his plans for Briglia’s Tavern.

Before building out his bar restaurant, Matt moved over to Woodbriar in Berlin as a chef, and I visited there and tried out several of his amazing Italian Dishes.  Truly delicious and priced right.  Oh and I didn’t even mention his catering business also!

Needless to say Matt is a really personable and like-able guy, and I realized that with his talent, drive and personality… when this young guy opens up his place he’s going to do well. Very well.

So that’s how I know Matt, how I tried his food before he opened… and how I waited months to get his post up.  🙂

Seriously readers… give Matt and Briglia’s Tavern a shot.  A young local guy making his dreams come true.  A hardworking, very talented chef and business operator.  For those reasons alone you have to try out his Briglia’s Tavern, and then you can make up your own mind.

I would bet Matt is already planning an expansion.

Briglia’s Tavern Facebook
24 RT-73
Berlin, New Jersey 08009
(609) 567-0909

Hours and Specials from Facebook
Mon-Weds at 4PM
Thursday-Sunday at 11AM.

Happy Hour Daily!!!

Try our outstanding pasta dinner menu available Sunday-Wednesday 4pm-close.
Dinner Specials Available During the weekend!!!
Follow our page for daily lunch and dinner specials!!!