The owners behind one of the highest-profile restaurants in Jersey City over the last few years have taken such a liking to the area that they are bringing a new concept to space just off the Hudson River waterfront.
Earlier this year, construction permits were posted inside ground-floor retail space within Mack-Cali’s Harborside 10 property at 3 Second Street. Construction has been ongoing at the former home of Ground Connection coffee shop over the last few months and Jersey Digs has learned that the ownership behind DomoDomo will be bringing a new restaurant called Ondo to the address.
For those uninitiated, DomoDomo is a Domokase-style sushi and hand rolls spot that opened in Jersey City back in October 2019. Their restaurant at 200 Greene Street inside the Urby building followed their original Manhattan location, which has repeatedly been designated a Bib-Gourmand eatery by Michelin over the years.
Like DomoDomo, Ondo will be operated by co-owners Jae Park and Brian Kim. The former serves as Creative Director for the restaurant group while the latter is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who runs the restaurants’ kitchens.
New York-based design firm IDBD worked on the interior of Ondo, recently releasing some renderings of the space. They illustrate an open modern look with lots of wood and light tones, a vibe not dissimilar to spaces the firm also designed for DomoDomo.
A liquor license transfer was approved last month for Ondo, who will be taking over a license previously utilized by the now-shuttered Indio’s Place. The restaurant will be joining Hudson & Co. and The Atelier inside the Harborside 10 property, which also sports the seasonal Smorgasbar that opened during 2021’s warmer months.
There is no word yet on what might be featured on the menu at Ondo, and our attempts to contact the restaurant have thus far not generated a response. The eatery has however already created an Instagram account that can be followed at the handle @ondojerseycity.
A timeline for the restaurant’s opening has not been announced, but it is probably safe to say that Jersey City is slated to welcome another high-profile waterfront dining option to the landscape sometime next year.