Back in November 2023, the team behind Millburn’s Common Lot restaurant announced plans to open a new venture in Hoboken at 800 Jackson Street. Called BYRD, the restaurant will embody a relaxed and global dining experience, according to its owners — who we got a chance to chat with back in November. More recently, The Hoboken Girl team had the opportunity to get a sneak peek of the new restaurant, and we’re sharing everything we know ahead of the soft opening next week. Read on for more about BYRD, the newest restaurant coming to Hoboken, New Jersey.
The Journey to BYRD
The team behind Millburn’s Common Lot took to Instagram to announce the opening of a second restaurant — of a different name — in Hoboken, New Jersey, back in November 2023. The post read, “We are super excited to be opening our second restaurant in Hoboken in the first quarter of 2024. We can’t wait to meet the community there and share our globally inspired food coupled with a great wine list and cocktails …because YES! BYRD will have a liquor license.”
The BYRD team shared with The Hoboken Girl on May 29th that the restaurant will be soft open in Hoboken next week, and will continue the soft opening stage over the next few weeks.
HG chatted with the team back in November and learned why the team felt Hoboken was the ideal location for BYRD. “We loved the vibe that the area was giving off, with young families and a new park across the street being built,” Chef Ryan said. The quest for the perfect location in Hoboken led the team to 800 Jackson Street.
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The space at 800 Jackson Street holds a storied history. Previously, the space was home to several eateries including the Tilted Kilt, Taphaus, and the very short-lived Privé bar and restaurant. Its most recent tenant was Sangria, a Spanish tapas wine bar, which suddenly closed in 2022. Now, the space welcomes a new chapter with the arrival of BYRD, with hopes that this restaurant has the staying power needed to thrive in West Hoboken.
What to Expect
The new restaurant will be housed near the 9th Street light rail station, Palisades elevator, and a nearby multi-story parking lot. The location includes an outdoor area plus a spacious dining room that accommodates 100 people comfortably.
“We want to attract all types of dining to our place, families that dine early, date nights, food and wine enthusiasts, and gathering friends together for a good time,” Chef Ryan shared with HG.
Common Lot in Millburn, co-owned by Chef Ehren Ryan and his wife Nadine, is known for its contemporary American cuisine with global flair. The restaurant is recognized for its upscale dining experience, great service, relaxed atmosphere, and prix fixe menu options. Ehren and Nadine both have serious culinary backgrounds — the pair met in Europe in 2010 and have since worked at various Michelin restaurants around Europe and Australia.
BYRD, according to its owners, will introduce Chef Ryan’s signature culinary vision to Hudson County. The menu will feature influences from Common Lot’s menu but with new choices of burgers, steaks, and pasta dishes, including a kids’ menu. The menu items will include dishes like salmon sashimi, burrata, a poached shrimp salad, crumbed pork cutlet, vegan mushroom bolognaise, and whole branzino, among other options. An additional experience will be a Sunday roast lunch tradition.
Each Sunday, there will be a family-style meal for $55 per person of lamb leg complemented by roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, peas and mint, gravy, potato rolls, bib lettuce, and malt vinegar. There will also be whole-roasted pork belly with roasted sweet chili potatoes, Asian-style slaw, miso apple sauce, parker rolls, seared broccolini with Vietnamese chimichurri, sesame rice, and chili ginger. The roast serves 6-8 people, and is only available for pre-order. Email [email protected] to order.
Something different about BYRD is that it will have a liquor license (though the Hoboken space always had a liquor license here), while Common Lot does not. BYRD will showcase a curated selection of wines from around the world, as well as cider, beer, and “sustainable and mindfully-crafted” cocktails, all of which will focus on smaller, artisanal brands that are locally-owned. The BYRD team said that they want patrons to “have the opportunity to explore artisanal wines and spirits”.
The house vodka — Kaatskill Mountain Spirits Co. — is local to Arkville, New York in the Catskills (PS: check out our sister brand @thecatskillsgirl on Instagram). The restaurant will also feature the first climate-positive vodka in the world, Nàdar Vodka.
For those who prefer a mocktail, BYRD will serve up NON — a non-alcoholic beverage hailing from Australia. Alcohol-free beers and wines will also eventually make their debut on the menu.
As for dessert, the restaurant will eventually feature a vegan soft-serve machine. Other allergy-friendly options here will include gluten-free soy, gluten-free bread crumbs, and gluten-free buns.
The same design team behind Common Lot’s interior, Studio 1200, is also behind the design concept at BYRD to match Chef Ryan’s vision of providing a casual, yet sophisticated atmosphere, according to its founders.
“We are excited to be opening in Hoboken and we are looking forward to being a part of the community,” Chef Ryan told HG.
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The new restaurant will be open for dinner only seven days a week, and will be open until about 12AM daily (please note these hours may change, as the details are still being worked out). There will be a lunch menu on Sundays that will eventually be family-style, as well as the Sunday roast mentioned above.
Stay tuned for further updates on BYRD’s Instagram as it prepares to open in Hoboken. To stay in the know of all the local happenings, be sure to follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram and TikTok, and sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
