Montclair Bars Gradually Reopening Outdoors Amid Coronavirus

MONTCLAIR, NJ — As of Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy still hasn’t allowed indoor dining to resume in New Jersey – and that includes bars. But restaurants and taverns have the green light to open outdoors if they take coronavirus precautions, and several in Montclair have been pouring out cold ones for their patrons in the meanwhile.

One of the latest to reopen is The MC Hotel’s rooftop bar, Alto. Located on the ninth floor of the hotel through the building’s Bloomfield Avenue entrance, the rooftop space – which has a view of New York City – is open for drinks from Wednesday to Sunday.

“We have reopened ALTO under stringent new cleaning and social distancing protocols and are thrilled to welcome guests through our doors again,” General Manager Oscar Fontana said.

The MC Hotel, which is part of the Aparium Hotel Group portfolio, is one of the first to resume operations in some capacity since closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening of the property’s food and beverage venues serves as the MC Hotel’s first phase of reopening, with rooms ramping up to reopen in the fall.

Other bars in Montclair have also started serving customers again – although outdoors only, for now.

Tierney’s Tavern on Valley Road has been hosting an outdoor dining room, with limited table service and a focus on to-go food.

Egan & Sons on Walnut Street has also set up an outdoor dining area with takeout service on its deck and in its parking lot. See a video here.

The patio at Just Jakes on Park Street is open for dining, with a “complete redesign” to allow for social distancing, its website states.

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