Newport in Jersey City — File photo/Courtesy: CBRE
By Joshua Burd
Several new retail and restaurant tenants are coming to LeFrak’s waterfront Newport district in Jersey City after a series of leases dating to last year.
According to the firm, the latest commitments total nearly 27,000 square feet and include:
- National boutique recreation studio PingPod
- Efi’s Gyro, a regional Greek restaurant debuting its first location in Jersey City
- Roast’d Coffee, local staple expanding within the area
- Seafood restaurant Blue Anchor Bar and Kitchen
- Stylebegin Barbershop
- Pawsome pet spa
- Dunhuang Food, a New York restaurant with dishes inspired by Northwest China, which is opening its first Jersey City location
- Solaz, a new Mediterranean restaurant and bar with golf simulator suites
“Newport continues to be a prime destination for shopping, dining and entertainment in one of the nation’s most successful master-planned communities,” said Ray Kawas, director of commercial leasing for LeFrak. “We pride ourselves on bringing national, regional and local businesses into our retail spaces, as our true downtown experience wouldn’t be the same without a great mix of both established and emerging concepts. We’re thrilled that tenants like PingPod, Roast’d Coffee and Efi’s Gyro recognize the value of establishing a footprint in this vibrant, thriving neighborhood.”
Several of the retailers are already open, including PingPod and Roast’d Coffee, according to a news release. Dunhuang Food, meantime, has also welcomed patrons to its 2,981-square-foot location on the ground floor of The Beach at 180 River Drive since debuting this spring, while Blue Anchor Bar and Kitchen is slated to open this summer after signing a 2,210-square-foot lease at the building.
Efi’s Gyro, which will occupy 2,746 square feet at Newport’s forthcoming residential building, is set to debut next month, LeFrak said. Blue Anchor will feature indoor and outdoor space, including patio seating overlooking the Hudson River and New York skyline and will offer fresh lobster rolls and other seasonal offerings.
The retail openings will continue throughout the fall, with the 1,075-square-foot Stylebegin Barbershop slated to arrive at 119 River Drive and Pawsome debuting inside 2,441 square feet on the ground floor of the new residential building. Solaz, which will have a bar and three golf simulator suites, signed the largest retail lease with its 10,640-square-foot commitment at the Pacific residential building and is on track to open in 2025.
Spanning 600 acres along the Hudson River, Newport is an iconic mixed-use community with 15 residential buildings and eight office towers that provide 8 million square feet of space for major employers, the news release said. LeFrak has developed the property over some four decades, capitalizing on its New York City skyline views and easy access to Manhattan, with a mix that also includes sports and wellness offerings, Newport Centre Mall, the Newport River Market, recreation and year-round community programming.
