Salty's Beach Bar on Lake Como is closing after a three-year ownership dispute

LAKE COMO – Salty's Beach Bar will close in November, the operator said. This ends a three-and-a-half year stint that was embroiled in legal disputes behind the scenes.

The operator, Michelle Fontanez, also agreed with the property's owner, Reginald Hyde, who also owns Bar Anticipation, to drop her offer to purchase the property in exchange for a payment of $585,000, court documents show.

“It got to a point for me where even a win felt like a loss, even if we didn't settle and went to court and won,” Fontanez told the Asbury Park Press on Monday. “It was just a no-win situation.”

Salty's is a low-key bar on the Jersey Shore that replaced Paul's Tavern, a staple that had operated in the city since 1979. It offers live music and attracts an older crowd than the nearby bar Anticipation.

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It joins a list of Shore bars and restaurants, from the Boathouse Bar & Grill in Belmar to the Mad Hatter in Sea Bright, that are embroiled in legal disputes.

Jay Reed, 26, of Asbury Park, said he was devastated to hear the bar was closing. He often rode his bike to Belmar and then took a leisurely trip to Salty's.