Construction Updates #3

Expect another round of new places to check out, Jersey City! Some of these have been long term projects, others seemed to have popped up almost overnight, but we've got more restaurants and coffee shops headed our way. Here's a round-up of some of the new food and beverage spots coming to town.

On Newark Ave, past the pedestrian plaza, there are three new spots all opening within fairly close proximity to each other, extending what has become known as "Restaurant Row":
Archer Bar, which was previewed at JC Project Eats, will be opening in the former Box Spring space at 176 Newark (they moved in with More on Grove) and will focus on specialty cocktails with a limited menu available, along the lines of elevated and revamped bar food. Their original projection for opening was mid to late September and I did recently see what looked like booth seating being moved in so it seems like they're close to meeting that timeline. I think we can expect to see them open within the next month.

(they've since put up the rest of the sign and it looks great)

On the opposite side, at 189 Newark, there's a Japanese ramen place coming to town, one that according to the owners (I spoke to two of them, Japanese men, one who didn't speak much English but happily thanked me for my interest) will be a pretty authentic experience and a BYOB. Expected date of opening is by the end of September and from peeks I've had in the store, they look pretty close to meeting that date although as we all know, the inspection process from Jersey City seems to take quite some time and often delays things.

A couple of doors down from that at 193 Newark, in what was the Village Tropical Fish and Pet store is going to be a bar/lounge, a combination of an after-hours spot and general hang out lounge. I had initially heard it would be a  gay bar which would bring a little diversity to the area, but newer reports suggest that is not the case. While the bar is under construction, significant progress has been made and they're anticipating opening in December or January.

Outside of Newark Ave, we have:
Seven Sheep Coffee - Recently opened, this Brazilian/South American rooted coffee shop is still in its soft opening phase, but early reports have been positive. I stopped by for a cold brew and an alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookie) and was pleased with both. Located at 342 7th street between Monmouth and Brunswick, it's nice to see a coffee shop opening a little further away from the concentration of shops close to Grove.

On Grand Street, almost directly across from Cocoa Bakery, work has been going on quietly for the past several months at what is rumored to be a new, slightly upscale Mediterranean restaurant. Not a lot of information has been forthcoming, but the restaurant itself is fairly small, so expect an intimate atmosphere and perhaps some outdoor dining. No major construction is going on and it looks like the staff is preparing final touches so hopefully we can expect it to open sooner rather than later.

Greene Hook - run by the owners of Light Horse Tavern and with chef David Drake at the helm, this beautiful space, (lots of light and lots of wood)at 70 Greene Street in the Paulus Hook area is a full-service bar and restaurant. Similar in feel to the Light Horse, but more modern and updated, the bar will focus on craft beer and specialty cocktails while the menu will be Modern American with some more fusion and more experimentation than you might see at Light Horse. There's also a shuffleboard table. They've actually opened up for preview/soft opening dinners already (they began yesterday) and should be open to the general public within the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes peeled for announcements.

Grind Coffee - Located just off Pacific Avenue at 360 Communipaw, this coffee shop is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. While it's not open yet, when I stopped by, it looked like a lot of interior work was done although I did also see some electric work dangling so it's definitely a work in progress. They'll be brewing up La Colombe coffee and serving local baked goods.

Erie St. Burger Place - When I first wrote about all the new businesses opening up just on Erie St., I'd mentioned this spot was going to be a burger counter, sort of old-school, relaxed and casual, and close to a year later, this still holds true. A no-name sign has gone up and the work seems to be mostly done so hopefully we can expect an opening within the next couple of months although that's not actually verified.

The Warehouse Cafe is opening a second location of their sister coffee shop, Lackawanna Coffee (the first location is in Brooklyn), on 295 Grove Street between Wayne and Mercer, taking over what used to be the JC Made Shop. No dates have been given as an estimated opening yet.

Clearly, there's a lot to look forward to in Jersey City so start getting your taste buds ready now.