Construction Updates #2 (Downtown)

Jersey City just keeps on building! Since there's been some pretty significant progress on a number of the restaurants opening around downtown and several announcements of new places, I figured it was a good time to do a run-down of what's going on.

Ahri's Kitchen, the family-run Korean spot opening at 227 7th St. (off Erie), has been hard at work for the past several months and it looks like they're at the point of finishing touches and final logistics. They've had a couple of preview diners in and the latest rumors are that they expect to be open within the next two weeks.

Raval, Satis Bistro's tapas restaurant, is opening at 136 Newark Ave. They still appear to be doing some minor construction work, but the majority of the inside appears done and they're predicting a late spring opening (hopefully around May).

South House, 149 Newark Ave, has also said they're aiming for a late spring opening, but it looks like they're a bit behind on construction. I walked by the other day, taking a couple of pictures, and while some interior wall work appeared to be done, there's a lot of plywood still up and almost nothing has happened on the facade of the building. Hopefully, if they don't make the spring opening, they'll be ready in time for summer so we can all enjoy the rooftop deck.

Recently announced arrival, Just Beclaws, a Vietnamese/Cajun/Seafood spot, appears to have completed the majority of their renovations and should be opening within the next two months.

Short Grain, newly seen at 183 Montgomery Street, expects to open within the next few weeks although they don't have a set date yet. They will be a fast/casual cafe with a specialty coffee program, fresh juice, pastries, avocado toast, and Vietnamese-style sandwiches and small plates.

Caffe Bene, chain/franchise throughout the US (similar to Au Bon Pain), is opening at 77 Hudson and is rumored to be close to opening. They put out an ad looking for help a few weeks ago.

Thanks to a Twitter tip from @maise, it also seems like a new cafe called Healthy Eats is going in right next to Caffe Benne, but I haven't found much information about it. It looks like it's pretty early in the process.

If you have any more information on these or other new places, let me know!