Photo courtesy of Ava L / Yelp.
From local restaurant deals to writer and art opportunities, here’s this week’s Hudson County news roundup.
Celebrate Local Businesses All Month Long In West New York
West New York’s Restaurant Month is back with special deals all month long, brought by Mayor Albio Sires, the Board of Commissioners and North New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
Eateries throughout the town are offering specials that include meal combos, discounts and more.
For a full list of participating restaurants and what they’re offering, visit here.
Go Out And Eat! Jersey City Restaurant Fest Is Back Next Week
The seasonal restaurant fest week is back.
The fest will be running from Saturday, March 14 until Saturday, March 28. It’s meant to provide “promotion, support and resources” for Jersey City eateries of all sizes.
Places like La Bodega, Tino’s and Choc O Pain have been part of the fest.
For restaurant deals you can visit here. For light bites, you can check it out here.
Writers Wanted! See The Call From This Jersey City Community Publication
Area of Refuge—a community publication that is working to preserve stories, beauty and resilience through photos, words and more—is looking for short written pieces for their second issue.
They are accepting op-ed essays about “neighborhood change, displacement and community memory” in Jersey City.
Submissions must be between only 200 to 400 words. No writing experience is needed, and they will pay a licensing fee to all published writers.
For more information or to submit, you can visit here. The deadline is March 29.
This Bayonne Bakery Is Donating Proceeds For Hudson County Food Distributions
Double Batch Bakery has partnered up with Hunger Free Unity In Community (UIC).
The bakery, located at 1102 Avenue C in Bayonne, has curated a “Yesterday’s Yummies” box, which includes baked goods—like cookies, brownies and other pastries—to benefit the Bayonne nonprofit to do weekly food distributions to families who need it throughout Hudson County.
“It’s our way of making sure great baked goods don’t go to waste,” they wrote in their Instagram post.
You can order ahead on their website or mobile app.
Staple Eatery To Move Out Of Marion Neighborhood Soon
Salumeria Ercolano has been a staple deli and restaurant in the Marion neighborhood of Jersey City for decades, and soon that era in that space will be coming to an end.
The deli confirmed in a Facebook post on Feb. 28 that they will be relocating to the old Miss America Diner on the opposite end of West Side, closer to the Greenville section. Miss America said goodbye to the community last November, but did confirm that another local eatery would be replacing it.
Salumeria Ercolano—whose local neighborhood association, Marion Neighborhood Association (MNA), has been fighting to keep the restaurant in its space—has been one of the focal points of the Fayette Broadway Redevelopment Plan. Developers claimed at several city council meetings that they offered a retail space in their new development, but the owner did not sign the lease.
Residents like Natalie Limon argued at the time that it’s not just the restaurant, but the community space that is extremely special.
An official date for Salumeria Ercolano’s new location at 322 West Side Avenue is to be announced.
Find The ‘Buzz’ About Bayonne’s New Free Reading Program
The Bayonne School District is helping encourage early learning with their new family storytime program “Buzz Into Books.”
The program is for ages 0 to 3 where little ones can get a storytime session and a free book to take home every time they attend. It kicked off on March 2 and will continue with specific days, times and locations.
The free program can be found at:
- Bayonne Youth Center: Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.
- Bayonne Library: Mondays at 4 p.m. and Fridays at 3:30 p.m.
- Community Day Nursery: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.
If you have questions, you can email [email protected].
Showoff Or Hone In Your Art In This Jersey City Gallery
Summer 2026 art residencies are now open at SMUSH Gallery.
The program allows artists of different mediums to use the “gallery as studio” for studio work, rehearsal, performance and/or exhibition. Artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, artists with disabilities and artists living along the other lines of oppression are “especially encouraged” to apply.
Artists can apply for one or two weeks of residency time. Applications will close on April 15.
For more information, you can visit here. To submit your application, visit here.
NJ Transit Is Trying New Bus Signs
Hudson County is one of the places that has been handpicked by NJ Transit to try out their new solar-powered signs at bus stops that display real-time arrival information for the next bus.
According to Patch.com, eight of these signs in Hoboken and Jersey City are being tested for routes going towards New York City.
This pilot program is meant to “solve” public transportation challenges.
Jersey City Mourns The Loss Of Community Leader
Angelo Estrada was known to the Jersey City community as a teacher, principal, activist and more. He was also a board member at the Italian Educational and Cultural Center at Casa Colombo.
The 76-year-old was found dead in his home on Feb. 26.
Tributes online quickly poured in for Estrada, with many reminiscing on his kindness and friendship.
An admin user on popular Facebook group “WE GREW IN JERSEY CITY” posted:
“A TRIBUTE TO ANGELO ESTRADA… We will pay tribute to Angelo Estrada and Angelo ‘s contributions to Jersey City. For those that knew Angelo Estrada, he played an important role in his community and will be missed.”
“So Sorry…..He was a great friend…May Angelo RIP…..,” one user commented.
Know any local news we should include? Email Stella Accettola at [email protected]!
