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In an industry where the nationwide failure rate for restaurants is estimated at about 30%, the Black Horse Pub & Tavern has managed to beat the odds time and time again. As New Jersey’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, the 283-year-old eatery in Mendham is known for its historic charm and classic American cuisine.

Over the past three centuries, it has served generations of families, as well as historical figures, like George Washington, and celebrities, such as late singer Whitney Houston and comedian Jim Breuer.

After closing in March 2024 for a multimillion-dollar restoration, the 40North Restaurant Group-owned property began welcoming guests back last month. Along with preserving the building’s character, the project aimed to enhance the overall experience through interior updates and a menu refresh.

“It was finding that balance of new while preserving all the heritage here,” said Kevin Felice, vice president of 40North.

Located at 1 W. Main St., the Black Horse Pub and Tavern dates to 1742.

It was originally the farmhouse home of Ebenezer Byram, one of Mendham’s founding fathers. When Byram and his family relocated to Sussex County, he turned it into a stagecoach stop at the crossroads of a popular trade route between Newark and Scranton, Pa. Back then, the house was converted into a tavern, while the barn was used as a horse stable.

Byram – who came to the area from New England – is credited with renaming the town Mendham. The origin of the name is unknown, but some speculate it came from the English village of his ancestors. But a few local historians believe Byram’s motto for fixing stagecoaches (“I’ll mend ‘em”) is what inspired the name of the town.

Now, the barn is a 164-seat pub offering tasty, laid-back meals and the tavern is dedicated to hosting private events, like birthday celebrations, corporate gatherings and weddings.

In 2007, Morristown-based Villa Restaurant Group purchased the Black Horse from Anthony Knapp, who had owned the restaurant since 1965. Knapp also sold Mackenzie’s, an eatery down the road from the Black Horse, to Villa, which transformed it into Italian bistro Piattino.

40North, a subdivision of Villa, operates the Black Horse and Piattino. Other brands under the unit’s fold include The Office Tavern Grill, Town Bar + Kitchen and NOM Mexican Table + Tequila Bar.

When Villa took on the Black Horse, the family-owned and operated company told the Star Ledger it bought the restaurant “because of what it is” and planned on continuing the legacy.

‘Timeless nature’

Felice said he and his colleagues were aware that “a level of maintenance and investment” was needed for such a historic site.

“We knew that going into it. And we just wanted to be part of something special here. This restaurant has that. So, whatever we have to do in order to maintain that, we’re committed to,” Felice said.

40North has completed several complicated construction projects at other restaurants it owns, but none as historic as the Black Horse.

Officially, work began four years ago, when 40North replaced the roof and siding. After securing the exterior, the group turned its attention inside.

Felice said, “The goal was to create a space that honored the timeless nature of a 300-year-old barn and restaurant that meant so much to so many people. We wanted to preserve that while still creating a space that felt new and inviting. So, it was a mix of updating from a look and feel perspective. And, making sure we had a sturdy building and surfaces that are more appropriate in the modern day.”

For the effort, 40North worked with Millburn-based Studio 1200 on some of the design elements, according to Felice.

“We know this space, the building, the people and the vibes better than anyone, so we took on a lot of it ourselves,” he explained. “We needed help from a designer, but we wanted to make sure that we still had control and still were able to convey to them what we needed. So, it was very much a collaboration.”

When it came to the vibe, Felice said, “The Black Horse has always been about feeling at home. So, we wanted it to feel warm, inviting and high energy … You don’t go to a place like this for a quiet dinner. You come here to see everyone in town, have a delicious meal and enjoy your evening. I think it captures all of that.”

According to Felice, 40North found new uses for several parts of the existing space, such as floorboards from the original barn.

“We are using them as beams on the mantle for the fireplace. And wood paneling from the walls became coasters and check presenters,” he said. “I think those little touches and that thoughtfulness to find a new home for them is something that people appreciate. Maybe the floorboards weren’t good to walk on anymore and needed to be updated. But it’s still really precious wood that’s been there for so long. We wanted to make sure we found the home for it. So, it was repurposing things in a manner in which that they could shine for longer and still be here.”

The Black Horse was also able to refinish some historical artwork and reposition it in the restaurant. Though that can be more expensive that purchasing new art, Felice said it was important to preserve the pieces.

“It was about our guest base coming in and seeing the picture on the wall that they’ve known. Maybe it’s somewhere else and maybe it’s in a different frame, but there’s such an emotional connection to this property that we wanted to make sure that we didn’t change that,” he said.

Open to gathering

The scope of work called for improvements to the HVAC system, plumbing and electricity. It also included updating and expanding the kitchen and equipping the space with state-of-the-art appliances.

“There’s two buildings on the property. The pub and tavern were very codependent from the building perspective, so we wanted to make sure that the buildings could run independently from each other,” Felice said. “The pub basically had an entire storage and kitchen area added to it, as well as an expansion of the current kitchen. We physically expanded the building as well as part of that process.”

One of the most “impactful changes,” Felice believes, is creating a more open floor plan.

“The sight lines are significantly improved. In the space before, the booths were very high and it just wasn’t great sight lines. When you’re trying to build a place for the community to gather, being able to see everyone is important, too. Now, we have great sight lines from the fireplace all the way to Main Street. You can drive by and see the bar and the fireplace almost from the street,” he said.

“It’s such a great view,” Felice added. “We think that the more inviting open floor plan is something people will be pleasantly surprised with.”

Despite setbacks – like an electrical fire that damaged part of the property in September 2024 – work remained on track. The blaze broke out in the tavern building, which is separate from the pub building where construction was underway. No injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time, according to officials.

For Felice, the biggest challenge was “the unknown.”

“When you have an older building, until you really start working on it, you’re not always exactly sure what you’re working with,” Felice said. “Also, the pub was such a vibrant restaurant prior to the renovation, so we had to make sure that we preserved it in the right way.  We had to take our steps carefully to make sure that they were thoughtful.”

There were some fun discoveries.

“When we took the kitchen wall down, behind the wall there was the stone wall for the exterior of the building, and all the hooks that they would tie the horses to were still chiseled into the stone,” Felice recalled.

Crews also found some old menus from the 1980s and newspapers from the turn of the 20th century.

“Unfortunately, it [the newspapers] kind of disintegrated when we grabbed it. I’m guessing it was insulation at some point … But it was shoved into the crevices of the wall, and it was a newspaper from Newark back in the early 1900s,” Felice said.

“It was fun to find these things and think about all that has happened in this building over the last 280-plus years,” he continued. “It’s great to be part of that. And it’s great to have been able to do this work so that it will be here for hundreds of years to come.”

Along with an updated interior design highlighting the town’s history, Black Horse unveiled an expanded menu featuring guest favorites and innovative culinary creations.

Felice believes that was one of “the most delicate parts of the restaurant reopening” because some items had been available for decades.

“It was a difficult balance and something that, I’m sure there’s mixed feelings on, as well,” he said. “But we feel really great about the quality of product and the variety that we’re putting out there to everyone, and we know that our guests will feel the same way over time as well.

“We wanted to make sure that everything coming out of the kitchen to your table was delicious and the best version of what it could be. And inherently, there are some things that we felt should not be on the menu because of that. So, we eliminated some items. And we reinvented some dishes that had previously existed, and we found ways to improve them and as well introduce some new items that people haven’t seen here before.”

For instance, 40North removed its “bubbly shrimp” appetizer, which consisted of oven-cooked shrimp topped with shredded cheese and served alongside garlic bread.

“Typically cheese and shrimp don’t go together very well. But it was an iconic dish and something that I’ve never seen anywhere else. However, we didn’t feel like it had a place on today’s menu. So, we needed something equally as unique for the Black Horse. We came up with what we’re calling our clam dip. It’s like a crab dip, but with a clam. It’s served with saltine crackers and has really flavorful breadcrumbs on top, with some lemon chili oil and bacon,” he said.

“It makes you feel like you’re in New England. It’s a really unique dish,” said Felice, adding, “So far, it’s been very well received and it’s been a hit.”

The clam dip is just one item on a menu that Black Horse Executive Chef Dan Zappula says combines post-war American cuisine with contemporary flavors.

“To keep things familiar, we’ve kept our crowd favorites on the menu. Things like pot pie, chicken wings and crab cakes,” he said. “But we are thrilled to introduce some new elevated dishes, including housemade pastas, bronzini and dry-aged New York strip steak.”

A curated wine and cocktail list including specialty and prized wines as well as house favorites will complement both dinner and lunch menus. There will also be eight signature cocktails, as well as non-alcoholic mocktails, Zappula said.

He added, “Whether it’s a family or holiday celebration, casual family dinner, or date night, there is something for everyone.”

Making it special

Given the popularity of food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, Felice said 40North needed to ensure the Black Horse could continue handling online ordering and third-party delivery platforms.

“Obviously, it’s an inherent part of our business – and any restaurant’s business. But we really try to put the guest experience here at the restaurant when you’re dining with us first and foremost,” he said. You’re not going to walk in and see a shelf of bags with people’s names on them, ready to go. We do have some back of house storage, but we didn’t build a separate entrance for drivers or anything like that; the property’s not really conducive to that.”

But, Felice went on, “Even from a menu perspective, we are really prioritizing the guest experience in the building. And there’s even some menu items that we don’t offer to go because we want you to be here to eat.”

It is a privilege to have this space … The loyalty from the town, the community and the guests … the generational customers that are in coming here since they were kids, and now they’re taking their grandkids here.
– Kevin Felice, vice president of 40North Restaurant Group

Dine-in only dishes include the prime dry aged bone-in New York strip steak; seasonal oysters with house mignonette and cocktail sauce; and the Black Label smash burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, barn sauce and onion on a sesame challah bun.

Felice said, “Those entrees are items that we don’t believe travel well. We want to make sure that if you’re getting to-go food, that it’s something delicious. And also, we want people to come in and experience the space. Sometimes, you have to be there to try something.”

It’s an approach 40North takes at some of the other restaurants in its portfolio, too, according to Felice.

“There’s something – especially at the Black Horse – to being at a restaurant. Obviously, we love patrons taking our food home and dining at their houses, but there’s something special about being here, and I think we need to make it feel special too. And some of that’s about creating a sense of having to be here,” he said.

Felice described the Jan. 10 relaunch as a “humbling” experience.

“Mendham itself and the surrounding communities have been so supportive … we have had lines out the door and we’re trying to make room for people,” he said. “They’re so happy to be back and we’re happy to have them back. It’s been a very successful launch and we’re excited for that continued success for years to come.”

Planning is underway for renovations at the tavern, too.

“We’re working with the town and with our team … That building is even more historic and more unique because it’s an old house,” he said.

“That process will take us a year-plus, more than likely, from today through opening to the public. But we are excited. It’s a little early to say exactly what we are doing because we’re still working with the talent and our professionals to determine what can be done, but we look forward to what’s next there and how we can continue to elevate the property as a whole,” he said.

While the renovation process requires a lot of patience, Felice said 40North considers it a more of a “project of love.”

“It is a privilege to have this space,” he said. “We’re part of a lot of different restaurants and styles of operations and you can’t pay to create what happens here. The loyalty from the town, the community and the guests … the generational customers that are in coming here since they were kids, and now they’re taking their grandkids here.”

“That doesn’t happen very often in the restaurant business. And so, when you have it, you have to bottle it up and make sure you don’t lose it. It’s a very delicate and very important thing to maintain for us. We obviously knew that going into it that it comes with obstacles. And we were willing to tackle them because it’s super important to everyone, including ourselves,” Felice said.

“This was really about restoring the pub to its glory,” he went on. “And making sure that there’s a spot for Mendham and the broader Morris County community to call home. We’re excited about what we can do with the tavern and we’re looking forward to this being Morris County spot and something that people can cherish for years to come.”