Restaurant Openings:

Walnut Street Kitchen, Montclair

Focusing on locally sourced, fusion-inspired dishes, the restaurant opened April 12. Owners Beverly Lacsina and Matt Harvey opened in the former home of Corso 98, an Italian restaurant that Lacsina worked at for a year before taking over the space. The new Italian-Filipino menu includes cacio e pepe arancini, roasted monkfish, roasted bell & Evans chicken in vinegar-soy reduction and sausage & broccoli rabe risotto, in addition to a special three-course menu. Currently open Tuesday-Sunday for dinner.
98 Walnut Street, Montclair; 973-746-0789

Ondo, Jersey City

From the owners of Jersey City’s Domo Domo, this Korean eatery is set for a soft opening this week. The menu will include cocktails, pastas, seafood, spicy Korean fried chicken and more. Ondo will offer a limited number of reservations from April 12-16 and April 19-23. Reservations can be made online or via Instagram. The official grand opening will be April 26.
3 2nd Street, Jersey City; 201-721-6771

The Parkside Social, Verona

This new concept from Skopos Hospitality Group will open April 20. For the grand opening, Skopos is partnering with Verona’s Holy Spirit Food Pantry to collect non-perishable donations. In return, guests will receive a gift card to The Parkside Social. The menu includes wings, burgers, sandwiches and beer. Parkside Social takes the space formerly occupied by Ariane Kitchen & Bar, which closed in September 2021.
706 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona; 609-248-4596

Restaurant Closings:

Baumgart’s Café, Englewood

Since 1944, Baumgart’s has been serving fresh-made ice cream, milkshakes and Chinese-American dishes. Owner Steve Wu has decided to sell the building, and the café will close permanently on April 17. Two other Baumgart’s locations in Ridgewood and Edgewater will remain open.
45 E. Palisade Avenue, Englewood; 201-569-6267