Journal Squared at 595 Pavonia Ave. in Jersey City — Photo by Isaiah Winters / Courtesy: KRE Group’s
By Joshua Burd
A café at the landmark Journal Squared complex in Jersey City has expanded its menu and its hours, adding to what is already a destination for the surrounding neighborhood.
Its operator, Almost Home, launched the eatery in early 2025 with a daily selection of coffee, espresso drinks, baked goods, wraps and salads that are available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s now open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, offering a branded “After Hours” menu with select beers and wines as well as comfort food favorites such as loaded nachos, loaded fries, burgers, sandwiches and salads.
Located at 595 Pavonia Ave., The Café at Journal Squared has seating for more than 50 guests, providing a vibrant gathering space as part of some 36,000 square feet of street-level retail at KRE Group’s pioneering three-tower, 1,840-unit development.
“Ever since we opened The Café at Journal Squared last year our goal was to eventually expand the menu and the operating hours,” said Robert Doran, Almost Home’s founder. “KRE had the vision to build a beautiful, welcoming café right inside of its lobby and we could immediately see that this was the perfect setting for a place to hang out in the evening as well. We welcome our friends and neighbors in Journal Square to come relax, socialize and try our new menu.”
KRE President Jonathan Kusher said creating a lively lobby with a public café as its centerpiece was one of the firm’s main goals when developing Journal Squared, whose three towers were built over the course of a decade, providing a spark for thousands of new residential units in the historic commercial district.
“We enjoy working with partner businesses like Almost Home that contribute positively to the culture, vibrancy and quality of life that Jersey City residents enjoy,” Kushner said. “Our goal right from the beginning was to make the Journal Square lobby a place for community connection and we are proud that Almost Home is helping us take that goal to the next level with the launch of its After Hours concept.”
With a mix of bar seating, tables and chairs, comfy sofas and playful rope swing chairs, The Café at Journal Squared is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. Highlights of the new menu include a Thai chili fried chicken sandwich and a cowboy burger with barbecue sauce, cheddar, bacon and fried onions and four different flavors of chicken wings, among others.
Journal Squared is also home to Magnolia Landing, a public plaza at the PATH station that hosts year-round community programming. Other retail tenants include Whealth Kitchen, a farm-to-table eatery, as well as Food Story Natural Market and Cangiano’s Marketplace, a gourmet Italian market and deli.
