THE BIGGEST MOB HIT IN YEARS

Mangia
Smitty’s Clam Bar
It’s almost summer. Can you feel it? The sky is
brightening, the salt water is beckoning, and, perhaps
the biggest harbinger of summer for those of us at the
Jersey Shore—the Clam Bar is about to open (opening
day is May 10).
The Clam Bar at Smith’s Marina in Somers Point,
known as Smitty’s to those far and wide, is an old school
Atlantic County landmark, known as much for its good
food as it is for its low prices and long waits. Picture this:
Right on the bay off of Bay Avenue, nestled between
Somers Point Marina and Dolphin Dock Marina, sits
an unassuming building with a blue and white striped
awning, surrounded by boardwalk benches.
It is here, in this low-key building—the longtime home of
Smith’s Marina—where Smitty’s Clam Bar has operated
for the past 40 years.
The story goes something like this. Peter Popovic
used to clam for Bill Smith, owner of Smith’s Marina.
Popovic, who with his friend, Dennis Deniston, had run a
restaurant in St. Croix, asked Mr. Smith if they could take
over the ‘restaurant’ portion of the marina, which at the
time served burgers and cheese sandwiches to boaters.
Mr. Smith, and his wife Claudia, who had been running
the dining area with the assistance of Mrs. Smith’s
mother, thought it was a great idea. And a clam bar was
born.
Originally, the restaurant was a 24 hour counter only
clam bar where customers would come before, and after,
going to the clubs that were legendary in the Somers
Point heyday.
When Somers Point changed direction, and became
a more ‘family-friendly’ town, the Clam Bar, in the
early 80s, changed too. They began closing earlier.
They began serving dinners. It wasn’t the smoothest of
transitions.
When they began serving dinners, they practically had
to give them away to get people to come in. “Literally,
we would just send them a dinner,” explained Patrice
28 | The Boardwalk Journal | May 2013