La Colina Mexican Cantina Opens Its Doors in Downtown Cranford!

Last week, Downtown Cranford, DMC Board members, Mayor Brian Andrews, and Township Commissioner Kathleen Miller Prunty officially welcomed La Colina Mexican Cantina to town! La Colina is located at 2 South Avenue West and is owned by Sonny Gjuvakj, who previously owned both Sonny G's and Romola's.

La Colina is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. "All of our dishes are prepared fresh," said Sonny. "Our most popular dishes include paella, burritos, and enchiladas." La Colina has a liquor license and customers will find a large variety of drink options, including over 300 tequilas.

"I love this town, and knew I wanted to open the second location of La Colina here," said Sonny. "In the next few weeks I'll also be opening Ocean Prime Tavern. I'm so excited to offer visitors to Cranford more dining options."

You can visit https://lacolinanewjersey.com for more information about the restaurant, including its menu and drink specials. We appreciate one of Cranford's longtime business owners continuing to invest in town and wish him all the best with his new restaurant!

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Love Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch? Then You Need to Visit Toast in Downtown Cranford!

This morning, Downtown Cranford held the ribbon cutting for Toast Cranford, located at 10 Walnut Avenue, welcoming them to the community! Toast Cranford is owned by founder Amy Russo and her business partner Adam Torine. Amy and Adam had been searching New Jersey for the perfect location for Toast's next location, and when they came to Cranford they knew they had found the right place.

Toast officially opened for business this past Monday and the owners said that the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. “We joke that we make money ‘1 pancake at a time,’ which just means that every customer is important to us," said Adam. "We want all of our customers to have a terrific experience and dine with us in the future."

Toast’s Cranford location is the first iteration of what Adam and Amy refer to as “Toast 2.0.” Toast Cranford brings in elements from each of the other three locations in Asbury Park, Montclair, and Red Bank. “The design in our Cranford location is very deliberate. It has a certain feel and incorporates what we’ve learned in the past 15 years,” said Amy. "This is also the first location that I’ve opened with Adam and it was so nice that our partnership allows me to share the experience with someone.”

Adam and Amy have already become familiar with many of the neighboring businesses and business owners. They’re frequent customers at Perrotti's, Pastosa, Sweet & Fancy Emporium, and Cranford Hotel. “We’ve received warm welcomes in other towns, but Cranford has surpassed them all,” said Amy.

Toast is open Monday through Friday 8AM-2PM and on the weekends from 7:30AM-3PM. The restaurant includes a room that can be reserved as a private party space after hours, seating 40-60 people. You can visit Toast’s website, https://toastcitydiner.com/, or give the Cranford location a call at 908-312-9333. Thank you to Toast for choosing Cranford - we're thrilled to have you join our community!

Toast City Diner Announces Plans to Open in Cranford This Fall!

We are incredibly excited to announce that Toast City Diner will be joining the Downtown Cranford dining scene this fall! Toast Cranford will be taking over the space at 10 Walnut Ave (formerly Red Crab). Please see below for the official press release from Toast.

Toast City Diner is excited to announce the opening of their newest location in the heart of downtown Cranford, NJ. The store is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2023 and will be located on the corner of South and Walnut Avenue next to the Cranford Hotel.

The opening of Toast Cranford marks the start of an exciting future for founder Amy Russo and her partner Adam Torine. With 3 existing locations in Montclair, Asbury Park and Red Bank, this will be the first location that the pair is opening together. The Cranford store will be the first Toast location to showcase the new Toast 2.0 prototype which will feature a new design, updated logo and new signature menu items, while still serving the delicious food that fans of the concept know and love.

"I am so excited to bring this next chapter to downtown Cranford," Russo said. "It is the perfect town to open our next location and we look forward to fully embracing the local residents and visitors to one of the best downtowns in NJ.”

Residents of Cranford can anticipate a superior hospitality experience and delicious meal when dining at Toast, whether they go the simple route with a classic breakfast sandwich on a fresh brioche roll or try one of the signature items like the decadent carrot cake or red velvet pancakes. With such a robust offering of foods and drinks, Toast has something for everyone which makes it the perfect place to gather with family and friends.

“We can't wait to have you join us at Toast Cranford,” Torine remarked.“It will be a fun place for family and friends to enjoy a delicious breakfast, brunch or lunch together! We look forward to becoming a part of the Cranford community which will also serve as our launching point for expansion throughout NJ.”

For more information about Toast Cranford and for updates on the restaurant's progress, please contact us, ToastCityDiner.com

Pizzeria Bel Giardino Welcomes a New Owner!

Please join us in welcoming Joe Elbeyali as the new owner of Pizzeria Bel Giardino! Joe has over 30 years of experience cooking Italian cuisine. He began his cooking career in NJ, then moved to Florida where he opened successful Italian restaurants. Upon returning to NJ with his family, Joe knew he wanted to stay in the restaurant business. He heard that the owner of Pizzeria Bel Giardino was looking to sell, so Joe took a trip to Cranford. Joe immediately liked the feel of the town, and felt he could build upon Pizzeria Bel Giardino's success with his experience and skill.

Joe has made some changes to the Pizzeria Bel Giardino menu, though people will still be able to find their favorite dishes. “Our focus here is on quality ingredients,” said Joe. When asked what his favorite Italian dishes are, Joe chose Pasta with Vodka Sauce, Chicken Murphy, and Chicken Francese, as his top three.

Pizzeria Bel Giardino is located at 103 Miln Street and is open Monday 4-9PM, Tuesday-Friday 11AM-9PM, and Saturday 11AM-10PM. The restaurant is offering daily lunch specials from 11AM-3PM, as well as $3 off orders of $20+, and $2 off any pizza on the menu. Through the end of May, Joe is offering a special pizza tasting where plain slices cost $1 from 1-4PM.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting customers and hearing their feedback,” said Joe. “Whether people are familiar with Pizzeria Bel Giardino or not, I invite them to stop in and try our food. They won’t be disappointed.”

Pizzeria Bel Giardino is located at 103 Miln Street and its phone number is 908-272-2500. To view the restaurant’s menu, please visit https://www.cranfordpizza.com/.

Agave Mexican Restaurant Joins the Downtown Community

Agave Mx Cranford is now open at 117 North Union Avenue! The restaurant is owned by Jose Villanueva and his brother Christian, who have worked in the restaurant business for 15 years. The family is originally from Mexico City and the brothers wanted to open a restaurant that serves traditional Mexican dishes. The food is all made in house and incorporates traditional cooking styles.

Agave is open 7 days a week, 10am-9pm, serving lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The menu offers traditional Mexican dishes, such as guacamole, tacos, tostadas, and enchiladas, as well as salads and seafood dishes. Specialties include grilled fish and skirt steak. Agave is open for dine-in at 25% capacity, and also offers takeout and delivery through Grubhub and DoorDash.

Jose and Christian were familiar with Cranford, having visited the area numerous times to dine out. “Cranford is one of the best towns around,” said Jose. “Everyone here is very nice and we just like everything about it.”

The Downtown Cranford office recently held a ribbon cutting to welcome Agave to the business community. The ribbon cutting was attended by DMC Board President Kristen Mider, Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty, Deputy Mayor Brian Andrews, and Acting DMC Director Caren Demyen.

Agave Mexican Restaurant
117 North Union Ave.
908-989-3381

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