The opening of Trulli Alberobello (Momento II) Restaurant, 374 Morsetown Road, is celebrated in August 1996. Alberto Dautaj, owner, is first person on the left standing. Mayor Glenn Wenzel is next in line followed by Alberto’s wife Arta. With new owners the restaurant is now called Prime 374. (
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Some popular West Milford restaurants from 1990 may no longer be around 35 years later, but the memories they created remain vivid for many longtime residents.
One such place was Pipers, located at 1555 Greenwood Lake Turnpike in Hewitt. In January 1990, the restaurant announced new management under Sandy Smith, formerly of Daniel’s Restaurant, who introduced a new lunch and dinner menu. Specialties included sizzling steaks, African lobster tails, New Orleans Cajun chicken and fettuccine primavera. Lunch was served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with dinner offered from 5 to 10 p.m. Live bands performed on Friday and Saturday nights.
The restaurant later became known as The Stadium, a popular spot for Sunday and Monday night football. Beer mugs cost 75 cents on Sundays, hot dogs were two for $1, and Buffalo wings were 10 cents each on Tuesday nights. Wednesdays featured an all-you-can-eat pasta night for $5.95. By January 1994, new management had taken over and renamed the business GG’s Lounge, featuring New York comedians and live bands such as the Roy White Band and the Rock-A-Holics.
After surviving a fire, the building remains a popular restaurant today under the name Country Kettle. Few recall that the Phillips family originally opened the location in the 1930s, serving Hungarian cuisine. After the Phillips retired, Dorothy Billings operated the Candlelight Inn, entertaining diners with piano music and ballads.
Another longtime establishment was Fritz Siefert’s Pioneer Tavern, also known as the Pioneer Bar and Grill, at 350 Warwick Turnpike in Upper Greenwood Lake. A favorite watering hole for decades, it was known for bartender Wassily Flustikoff, whose dramatic stories of fleeing on horseback as a Don Cossack during the Russian Revolution drew crowds. In 1991, the West Milford Council renewed the tavern’s liquor license but restricted use of its outdoor picnic area until fencing requirements were met. The restaurant closed permanently in 2021, and its liquor license was transferred that year to Havana Nights Tapas and Bar, though the new restaurant was never built.
Daniel’s Restaurant, located at 9 Lakeside Road, was the subject of council scrutiny in 1991 when its owner sought renewal of the liquor license without stipulations. According to an AIM West Milford report, the owner said most police incidents occurred in the parking lot, not inside the business. The council renewed the license with conditions, including staff refresher training and added security. The restaurant later closed, and its last occupant, Baldo Bistro, shut down in 2024.
In 1996, Alberto Dautaj opened Trulli Alberobello at 374 Morsetown Road, advertising fine Italian cuisine in a country setting and requesting proper attire from diners. The site previously housed Villa Carpignano, where vegetables were grown on-site. Today, the restaurant operates as Prime 374.
Other memorable spots included the Country Carousel Café in Newfoundland, known for its soup-and-salad bar and BYOB policy; Scoopy’s Ice Cream Palace, a favorite for children’s birthday parties; and the Pine Village Grove on Oak Ridge Road, which once hosted dance bands and holiday celebrations. The Pine Village Grove building is now home to Freedom Church.
Beefeaters Inn on Macopin Road, originally opened in the late 1940s as Fox Lair and famous for homemade ice cream, has since evolved into the Country Cottage restaurant.
Though the names and menus have changed, these restaurants remain an enduring part of West Milford’s shared history.
