Hard Grove Cafe, a restaurant that was a staple of Jersey City’s dining scene for a quarter century, has closed for good as the space prepares to be turned over to a recreational cannabis dispensary and lounge.
Over the weekend, the Cuban eatery shut down at 284 First Street. The restaurant had been a mainstay of Downtown for almost 25 years and held their last service to say goodbye to diners on March 24.
The group behind the restaurant group did announce a new event space endeavor they will be launching in the coming months called The Sophia Rooftop. Their new digs will be situated on top of the building at 143 Newark Avenue along the pedestrian plaza.
As far as what will be coming to the First Street property, cannabis is on the menu. Jersey Digs broke the news about Cream Dispensary’s plans for the now-former Hard Grove Café space last March and they later gained approval from both the city’s planning and cannabis review boards.
The Freehold-based company is a subsidiary of The Perennial Group.