Two very popular Ventnor eateries are shutting down….for now. Sage and Lisa’s on Atlantic Ave. Chef Lisa Savage owned and operated both. The last meals of the 2018 season were served on Sat., Sept 15.
Sage Restaurant was her fifth restaurant which opened in 2007. It’s a 4 Star BYOB featuring Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, Spanish and American cuisine. Right next door is ‘Lisa’s’, a casual place serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tasty pizza, pasta, salads, small plates. Our favorites included their homemade soups, beef burritos, and a simply awesome, smokey shrimp salad.
For now, Savage says she’ll primarily focus on her latest project in Egg Harbor City, called Leatherhead’s.
Will she one day return to Ventnor? We’re not 100% sure…..but we kinda think so. (or, at least, hope so)
Chef Lisa Savage: trailblazer in the male-dominated restaurant industry.
We enjoyed Lisa’s at least 2x per week during the off-season. We avoided Lisa’s during the summer. Too many hungry vacationers, always packing the place.
Why would Chef Savage shut down and bail on Ventnor? Word is….she wants to focus on just one place… for now. Hmmmmm.
Crazy. Why would she leave NOW? This particular Ventnor business district is prepping for a complete streetscape make-over. This part of town is gonna look great when complete.
What do WE think is gonna happen? We’d venture a guess that a developer or restaurateur may want to build a 4-story, mixed-use condo development in this spot…with a retail storefront/eatery.
What’s next for this premium, Ventnor beach-block property?
This building is for sale. Actually, it’s now under an agreement of sale. Actual sales price unknown at this point…BUT…on July 20, 2018…the asking price was $819,900.
Our semi-educated guess/hope: The building could be knocked down or built-up. It could become a 4-story condo, with Chef Lisa Savage (hopefully) returning on the bottom floor.
Note: With the King of ‘Spot-Zoning’ & ‘High-Density’ development in charge of Ventnor, Lance Landgraf, we really think this could happen. Tax-ratables are of utmost importance to Landgraf. Squeeze out more money from premium parcels of land. Kinda like what he’s trying to do in St. Leonard’s Tract.
According to the property’s real estate sales description: Ocean views, 56 x 100 lot size. Total of 4 units. Two are commercial units facing Atlantic Ave. Two story duplex on beach block, 2 bedrooms 1 bath each. 100% rented. Possible condo conversion. Possible to build up additional 3 or 4 stories. Steps to beach and boardwalk.
Need more info? Contact Sherri Lilienfeld of Apex Prime Realty in Ventnor.
(609) 487-9996
Restaurant is a tough business to keep up especially when quality is an issue, and these restaurants were quality. The issue of running 3 places, 2 in an area in a flood zone had to be costly. I hope she sold the property if she owned it and builds up the EHT place. Good luck. hate to lose a great place close to home.
I am really upset to hear about the closing of Sage and Lisa’s.
They were two of my favorite restaurants at the shore and they will be missed.