The Brick City’s dining scene has been getting a lot of new blood lately, and the latest eatery coming to Newark’s downtown will be very familiar to Jersey City residents.
A property known as the Isley building at 35 Edison Place was completely renovated back in 2006 by Newark-based Hanini Group. Situated directly across the street from the Prudential Center, the ground floor retail space was formerly home to Brick City Bar & Grill, one of the first new restaurants to open near the new arena.
Many other establishments, including Edison Ale House, Redd’s Biergarten, Dinosaur BBQ, The Ainsworth, and recently O’LaLa Empanadas (also from Jersey City) increased competition in the area directly around the arena, and Brick City Bar & Grill fell by the wayside despite being the trailblazer. The restaurant closed awhile back and the building has been vacant ever since.
Jersey City-based P.J. Ryan’s officially signed a lease for the space last month, and an application has been made to Newark’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to transfer the liquor license to an entity called JC Dogs LLC. The new venture will be dubbed P.J. Ryan’s @ The Rock, a nod to the Prudential Center’s nickname.
The Newark location will be much larger than both of their Jersey City spots, consisting of two floors and 6,000 square feet. The gastropub’s menu features items like fish and chips, burgers, southern fried chicken, and mac and cheese, plus some salads and sandwiches. Beers on tap, including craft options, figure to be a big piece of the puzzle.
P.J. Ryan’s first restaurant is on Barrow Street in Downtown Jersey City and their impending Newark expansion is their second growth spurt in recent memory. P.J. Ryan’s Squared opened at 4 Path Plaza in Journal Square in 2016, although their Downtown location was put up for lease in November. However, that listing appears to have been removed.
It’s unclear if the Newark outpost will lead to the closure of one of their Jersey City spots, and there is no immediate timeline for the opening of P.J. Ryan’s @ The Rock. Jersey Digs has reached out to the restaurant for clarification and will share any updates we receive.
