A large restaurant that brought southern hospitality to a lively stretch of Downtown has ended their run by thanking the community for its support over the last five years.
South House suddenly announced on Monday that they will not be re-opening their eatery at 149 Newark Avenue. The restaurant made its debut in 2015 as the vision of Texas native David Hohensee, who worked with his sisters to bring a decidedly vintage look to space that sports both a front courtyard and basement lounge.
“it is with a heavy heart that I make this announcement,” wrote Hohensee in a letter explaining the move. “Myself, and my founding right-hand team of rock star sisters, have decided to step away from the daily grind and close South House doors until a new management team is selected to carry the torch.”
It is unclear if South House could potentially re-open under new ownership with the same concept at some point in the future. Hohensee previously owned Hoboken’s Turtle Club venue, which was taken over as a new sushi-forward concept called Saku in 2018.
“I want all of you to know that I am brimming with nostalgia, gratitude and sadness because we will miss each and every one of you,” Hohensee concluded. “We will especially miss our awesome and loyal staff who have helped us achieve our goals and customer brand experience each and every day.”
The closure means the lights will be going out at a prominent restaurant along Newark Avenue’s Pedestrian Plaza, which has had a rollercoaster year. A rash of closings in early 2020 was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, although the corridor started to come back to life a bit during the summer months.
The stretch has since seen new arrivals including Grace O’Malley’s, Bang Cookies, Milk & Cereal Bar, Hudson Hound, and the upcoming Tamborim Bar & Grill. There have also been rumblings that a long-delayed renovation of the plaza could start in the coming weeks, perhaps creating some optimism that next year will be kinder to the road than this one was.
