Finnbar took over the historic Frenchtown Inn on Bridge Street in 2024: a casual, good-looking room for a drink and a snack at the bar or a long dinner with friends. It opened with chef Cal Peternell, the longtime Chez Panisse chef and cookbook author, and is now led by chef Karl Wagner, who has cooked there since day one (per Finnbar's OpenTable page). The menu changes daily and is posted in Finnbar's Instagram stories; a sample menu runs from focaccia with Seka Hills olive oil to lamb loin chop with merguez and a fish-of-the-day bouillabaisse, alongside local beers and natural wines.
Finnbar publishes its vendor list: Ironbound Cidery and New Ark Farm in Asbury, Grand Cru Farm in Stockton, Jersey Artisan Co. cheeses (its burrata is on the sample menu), Lo Re pasta from Hopewell, The Bent Spoon ice cream from Princeton, and Roots to River, Schneiderwind and Tinicum CSA farms across the river in Pennsylvania. The restaurant was founded so that the majority of its profits go to Studio Route 29, a Frenchtown art studio for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, whose artists' work hangs on the walls and is for sale.
What’s here
- Served here
- A menu that changes daily, posted in Finnbar's Instagram stories · Snacks for the table such as focaccia with Seka Hills olive oil, $12, and East Coast oysters, $20 a half dozen · Small plates such as eggplant marinara with Jersey Artisan burrata, $20 · Big plates such as lamb loin chop and merguez, $45, and braised pork ribs in pasilla sauce, $36 (sample menu) · Local New Jersey beers, natural wines and cocktails · Private parties
What sets it apart
- Green falafel with hummus, pickles and tahini, $18
- Lamb loin chop with merguez and preserved lemon, $45
- Rainbow chard purse with majadra and ratatouille, $22
- Lancaster half-chicken paprikash, $42
- Bouillabaisse of the day (market price)
From the September 2026 menu; daily menus go up on Instagram. Menus change. See the current menu →
Where the food comes from
- Jersey Artisan Co., East Hanover: burrata and fresh cow's-milk cheeses (vendor list and September 2026 menu)
- Ironbound Cidery / New Ark Farm, Asbury: cider, produce, eggs (vendor list)
- Grand Cru Farm, Stockton: produce (vendor list)
- Roots to River Farm, Solebury, PA: produce (vendor list)
- Schneiderwind Farm, Upper Black Eddy, PA: produce, flowers, honey (vendor list)
- Tinicum CSA Farm, Upper Black Eddy, PA: produce (vendor list)
- Lo Re Pasta, Hopewell (Mercer County): pasta (vendor list)
- The Bent Spoon, Princeton (Mercer County): ice cream and sorbet (vendor list)
- Lancaster County chicken (farm not named), Lancaster County, PA: chicken (September 2026 menu)
- Rancho Gordo, Napa, CA: beans and chiles (vendor list)
- Seka Hills, Brooks, CA: olive oil (vendor list and September 2026 menu)
Giving back
- Founded so that the majority of its profits go to Studio Route 29, a Frenchtown art studio for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, whose artists' work hangs on the walls and is for sale; the menu puts the share at 70% of profits (2024)
Details checked against Finnbar’s own site on ; not yet confirmed by the business. Hours change, so check before you go. Spot a mistake? Tell us.