A restaurant that made its Jersey City debut just about two years ago will be opening their second spot in a new neighborhood as Naya is slated to launch an outpost in Newport on February 4.
Naya launched their Exchange Place location in 2024 and will now be opening inside Newport Tower at 525 Washington Boulevard. Founded in 2008, Naya has become a go-to destination for modern Lebanese flavors with 42 locations across the northeast.
The company says their growth strategy focuses on densely populated “live, work, play” environments with complementary co-tenancies, making their Newport location an ideal fit.
To celebrate the opening Naya will be hosting an invite-only charity event in support of the York Street Project on February 3 and a continuation of a partnership that began with the first Jersey City location. The company donated over $13,000 to the organization in support of their mission to give back to local families with programs that provide an environment to shelter, feed, educate and promote the healing of persons in need, especially women, children, and their families.
The festivities will continue the next day with a Grand Opening set to be attended by Naya founder Hady Kfoury. The first 50 guests will get a free bowl or roll and a complimentary custom tote bag, and diners all day long can virtually “Spin the Wheel” to win promotions and discounts.
For those uninitiated, the Lebanese restaurant allows diners to customize their experience via a roll, bowl, or fresh salad with sumac pomegranate vinaigrette. Proteins like chicken shawarma, shish taouk, kafta lamb kebabs, or falafel give customers a nice variety of combinations, and an epic mixture of 17 toppings, including hummus, baba ghannouj, or lemon tahini, adds to the fun.
The appetizer menu at Naya has lighter fare like tabboule or grape leaves, plus unique dishes like kibbe (fried beef dumplings) or rekakat (three Mediterranean cheeses wrapped in phyllo, deep-fried). Desserts like nutty baklava or nammoura round out the menu.
Naya’s latest Jersey City location will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. The company can be followed on Instagram at the handle @eatnaya.
