We can't wait for these Central Jersey restaurants to open in 2024
Between inflated food costs, high rent, an ever-changing dining scene and a lack of downtown office workers, it isn't easy to run a restaurant these days.
But to our delight, local restaurateurs are still opening creative eateries in Central Jersey, ranging from a Pan-Latin spot inspired by a Peruvian goddess to a breakfast joint in a retro gas station.
Here are the restaurants we can't wait to try in 2024.
D'Serve, Flemington
In Hunterdon County, Chef Andrew Mercado has co-owned a taco restaurant in a former railyard and hosted pop-up dinner asado experiences — always prepared outdoors around a wood-burning fire — in offbeat, rustic destinations.
But now, the chef, who owns food and event company F.E.D. By Andrew, is bringing his cooking to Main Street in Flemington alongside his wife, Shannon Mercado, owner of Suga'Pie Bakehouse.
The pair will open D'Serve, an intimate bistro with about 25 seats, at 32 Main St., Flemington, the former home of Garden State Salad.
Once the eatery opens in early spring, it will feature French, Latin and Caribbean cuisine in a menu that will change every two weeks. During the day, it will also offer artisan donuts and pastries made by Shannon.
D’Serve will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will host pop-up events such as cooking classes, taco nights and private gatherings on other days. The restaurant will serve being modern fine dining in a neo bistro setting, said Andrew.
“I want it to feel sexy, like you’re in a tiny bistro in Paris or New York City, but you’re still on Main Street in Flemington,” he said. “D’Serve will bring a small city vibe to a country setting.”
Go: 32 Main St., Flemington; opening early spring; instagram.com/dserveonmain.
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FiNNBAR, Frenchtown
The Frenchtown Inn, housed in a building that is more than two centuries old, closed in March 2022. But after nearly two years, it will reopen its doors in January with an acclaimed chef, dedicated social endeavor and a re-imagined ambiance.
A vegetable-driven Italian and Mediterranean restaurant, FiNNBAR will be led by Cal Peternell, cookbook author and former head chef at Alice Water's Chez Panisse, who grew up on an 80-acre farm in Readington. The eatery will also have a full bar, and continue to feature the Frenchtown Inn's views of the Delaware River.
But it will also have a higher purpose.
A "majority," according to a release, of FiNNBAR's profits will go to Studio Route 29, a Frenchtown arts center for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The restaurant will also display artwork by the artists, and have an ADA-accessible bar and side ramp.
FiNNBAR was co-founded by Jill Kearney, founder of ArtYard, a Frenchtown center for art exhibition and performance. Studio Route 29 maintains exhibition spaces at ArtYard, and it is housed in the former home of ArtYard.
Go: 7 Bridge St., Frenchtown; opening in January; instagram.com/finnbarjersey.
Giddy's, Highland Park
Giddy's, a kosher pizzeria and Italian restaurant, will join the kosher-friendly community of Highland Park when it moves to the borough in early 2024.
The restaurant, which is currently in East Brunswick, will open at the former home of Sushiana, which closed in November, at 17 N 4th Ave.
"As part of this move, we will be upgrading our space, branding, and menu, while ensuring that we maintain the same exceptional quality that you have come to expect and love," it posted on its Facebook page.
Go: 17 N 4th Ave., Highland Park; opening in early 2024; giddyspizzeria.com.
La Colina Mexican Cantina, Cranford
Brothers Sonny and Johnny Gjuvakj, who also own nearby Lukas' Seafood & Grille, opened La Colina Mexican Cantina in Warren last December. Since then, the kitchen has been run by Eduardo Cabrera, who was born in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Now, the brothers are turning Sonny G's Brick Oven and Italian Cucina at 2 South Ave. West in Cranford — known for its wood-fired, brick-oven pizzas — into the second home of La Colina Mexican Cantina.
Opening in early 2024, La Colina will feature authentic Mexican dishes, as well as a full bar, in a vibrant, colorful space.
Go: 2 South Ave. West, Cranford; opening in early 2024; lacolinanj.com.
NaJèla, Carteret
Chef Duke Estime, owner of Estime’s Café in Colonia and former chef at Le Malt Royale in Red Bank, is opening a new, upscale Caribbean fusion restaurant in Carteret alongside entrepreneur Nagela Duperval.
NaJèla will be part of a new 65-unit Carteret apartment building with ground retail use that will open in June.
Some of the items on the menu will include Caribbean marinated island chicken with coconut rice; sea bass with miso foam, mirin and dashi; and octopus with French black lentils, lime and romesco.
The restaurant will also have a full bar featuring infused rums and fruit-forward cocktails.
Go: 29 Washington Ave., Carteret; instagram.com/najela_restaurant.
Ocean Prime Tavern, Cranford
The Gjuvakjs are also transforming their restaurant Romola's Seafood & Grille, also at 2 South Ave. West in Cranford, into the Ocean Prime Tavern, a modern, chic spot for steak, seafood and cocktails. It will open in early 2024.
Go: 2 South Avenue West, Cranford; opening early 2024; instagram.com/oceanprimetavern.
Millie's Bruncheonette, Flemington
For years, 144 Main St. in Flemington was an eyesore for the borough as an abandoned Hineline gas station it acquired through a tax foreclosure. It briefly experienced success when it was transformed into a seasonal beer garden in 2016, but the borough continued to have difficulty selling the property due to environmental problems.
It was sold in 2020, and will become a restaurant in mid-to-late 2024. Millie's Bruncheonette, owned by local restaurateurs Skylar Bird and Kate Attinello, will offer coffee, pastries, breakfast and lunch, with a hint of their family's Pennsylvania Dutch and German heritage.
Millie's is the namesake of Bird and Attinello's maternal grandmothers, who both went by the same nickname, according to the restaurant's website.
The space is under a complete "retro-vation," the website said, to transform it into a vintage-style filling station inspired by post-war gas stations that were once viewed as symbols of modernization and renewal.
Go: 144 Main St., Flemington; opening mid-to-late 2024; milliesbrunch.com.
Pachamama, Green Brook
Pachamama is the Peruvian goddess of nature, and restaurant group Driven Hospitality hopes that her essence will inspire the new Latin-American Pachamama restaurant opening at 215 Route 22 in Green Brook, the former home of Tacos El Tio.
Pachamama will be led by Chef Ricardo Ramires, who hails from Mission Ceviche in New York City. It will offer elevated Pan-Latin cuisine and cocktails in a space adorned with greenery and natural details once it opens in January.
Go: 215 Route 22, Green Brook; opening in January; instagram.com/pachamamagreenbrook.
Ram & Rooster, Metuchen
Sean Yan was formerly the pastry chef at Heirloom Kitchen, the acclaimed prix fixe menu-only restaurant in Old Bridge. Now, he's opening the "passion project that [he has] been looking forward to for [his] entire life" in Metuchen.
Ram & Rooster, a Chinese-inspired New American eatery that will also only have a prix fixe menu, will open at 83 Central Ave., a former CPA office, in spring of 2024.
The intimate restaurant with about 35 seats will feature an open kitchen and a 7-9 course tasting menu for $120-$128 per person. Some of the possible dishes include roasted lily bulb consomme, and sesame and chili tuna crudo.
Yan's parents were born in China, and he frequently visits his extended family there. The restaurant and its name – his parents' Chinese zodiac signs are the ram and the rooster – are an homage to them.
"A lot of people have this notion that Chinese food is cheap and greasy, but they haven't had authentic Chinese food – which isn't chicken with broccoli or General Tso's chicken," Yan said. "I want to bring influences from China and techniques people aren't familiar with to redefine Chinese cuisine."
Go: 83 Central Ave., Metuchen; opening spring of 2024; instagram.com/ramandrooster.
Stone Tavern, Bridgewater
A family-friendly Warren County restaurant with a large menu of American and Italian eats will fill the nearly 7,000-square-foot Route 22 space in Bridgewater that was formerly the home of Houlihan's.
Stone Tavern in Phillipsburg will open its second location at 1288 Route 22 East in March following a full renovation.
Stone Tavern, which features an industrial modern design, serves wood-fired steaks, seafood, burgers, pizza and Italian specialties. It offers 30 beers on tap and events every night of the week, including live music, karaoke and Sunday brunch.
Popular dishes include the 24-ounce Cowboy ribeye steak; pizza topped with vodka sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms and prosciutto; gnocchi with vodka sauce and burrata; and wood-fired salmon.
The Bridgewater location will mimic the Phillipsburg location.
The Route 22 property has been the site of landmark Central Jersey restaurants for more than a half century, including Jack O'Connor's and the Stockholm.
Go: 1288 Route 22 East, Bridgewater; opening in March; stonetavernnj.com.
Taco De Ojo Taqueria, Westfield
Driven Hospitality is known for its eye candy at its Inspiration Roll restaurants, which feature bursting, colorful sushi burritos.
The restaurant group's newest eatery Taco De Ojo Taqueria, which is slang for eye candy in Spanish, will do the same in early 2024 with Mexican eats at 106 Central Ave.
Inspiration Roll, which is currently at 106 Central Ave., will move to 35 Elm St.
Taco de Ojo will be headed by an Oaxacan-born chef, and it will feature homemade masa, a dough used for tortillas, and tamales made from ground corn.
Go: 106 Central Ave., Westfield; opening early 2024; instagram.com/tacodeojotaqueria.
Teaberry's, Flemington
After nearly 20 years at 2 Main St. in Flemington, Teaberry's shut its doors in August to move a half mile down the block to a three-story Victorian home at 171 Main St.
In spring of 2024, Teaberry's — known for its array of colorful dishware, comfort fare and afternoon tea parties — will open at the 3,400-square-foot home that dates to 1890. While it's been a law office for 30 years, the space has also been a bank, a private residence, and a doll museum and doll hospital.
Renovations are taking place both inside and outside, including the addition of a kitchen, stairs and powder room, and cosmetic work. Once it’s complete, it will look almost exactly like the former Teaberry’s, down to the same themed rooms, displayed tea sets and other memorabilia.
One of the few changes is that the new space will be able to seat 25 people with its larger porch.
“People seem very nervous that we will be changing the décor, but everything that we have up is going to come with us and be displayed. Everything will feel the same inside,” said co-owner Sara Peterson, who owns Teaberry's alongside her mother, Susan Peterson.
“Customers just want to make sure that when they enter, it’s the same experience. And it will be,” Susan added.
Go: 171 Main St., Flemington; teaberrys.com; opening in spring
More: After nearly 20 years, Teaberry's in Flemington is moving. Here's what's coming
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ restaurants opening in 2024
