The East Flour Now Open

The East Flour, 103 Columbus Drive, is celebrating their Grand Opening this week.

Crema is Now Open - and it's Great

New cafe Crema has opened at 695 Bergen Ave in McGinley Square. Shortly after Harry's Coffee abruptly closed last year, Crema took over the space, started renovations, and as of a few weeks ago, have opened their doors to the public.

Snapdragon Bringing Beignets to Jersey City

A new cafe from the owners of The Bike Hub is coming to Jersey City and it's bringing a taste of New Orleans with it.

The Cliff Prepares to Open

Photo from FB

New restaurant, The Cliff, is getting ready to open at 38 Congress Street in Jersey City Heights.

Vogue Cafe Now Open

Vogue Cafe, a French café at 177 York Street, opened their doors to the public late last week. Owned and operated by a French couple, they've created a casual but intimate feel with full coffee and tea service including a variety of specialized espresso drinks like a salted caramel mocha and a small menu comprised of sandwiches, soups, and bakery items. 

Word Bookstore - Coffee and Baked Delights

After a long wait, and much anticipation, Word Bookstore finally opened a few weeks ago and then this past Saturday, they opened up their cafe (including a walk-up window! Genius!). They're serving Stumptown coffee with a full menu of different beverages (caffeinated and non) as well as a variety of baked goods from different vendors, including some from local catering company and bakery, Bread and Spoon!

Sam a.m. Opens

During the past few months, Sam a.m. has been sharing pictures and info as work on their new cafe in the Paulus Hook neighborhood progressed. As they worked on menu items and showed off their coffee skills and got closer and closer to opening, I (and many others) watched all of this with growing excitement and hope. Over Labor Day weekend, it finally happened: Sam a.m. opened.

Here's what I don't like about Sam a.m.:
1) it's relatively small (although this is also part of the charm) so there will be crowding and wait issues.
2) I don't live in Paulus Hook so it's a bit out of the way for me.
Yeah, that's about it. Seriously.

The first time I walked in, I was immediately impressed with the space. There's lots of sunlight, gleaming copper, white walls, and warm wood and while it is small, there's still room to move around and more seating than I would have thought. It's cute without being cutesey and there's a definite charm to the place. A lot of that comes from the very friendly, enthusiastic staff. Considering how much time and work goes into opening a restaurant, I am amazed at how nice and how dedicated the entire team seems to be. They have a very small prep/kitchen area and yet seem to have the flow down pretty well. Everyone is happy to pitch in where needed and there's just this incredibly happy, welcoming vibe to the place.