In Jersey City Heights, OZU Foods was a foodie staple that had delicious Asian cuisine in a lowkey, cozy environment. Located at 106 Hutton Street in Jersey City, it was a go-to for locals to enjoy ramen and sushi. But on May 25th, 2024, OZU closed its doors for good, noting a new Japanese restaurant will be moving in. Ozu’s owners shared the bittersweet news about their move to Japan below.
The Announcement
Ozu’s owners posted on their Instagram about the closure and their upcoming move to Japan, noting that a new Japanese spot would be opening later this summer in Ozu’s place.
“We are sorry to announce that Ozu Foods will be closing, as we plan to move to Japan. Our last business day will be this Saturday, May 25th. We would like to thank all of our customers for supporting us throughout the years. We will miss you all.
A new Japanese restaurant will be taking over the space with a late summer opening.
All the best & much thanks,
Claude & Shinako”
Read More: The Best Sushi in Hoboken and Jersey City
All About OZU
Having opened in the fall of 2015 almost 10 years prior, Ozu quickly made itself a favorite among Heights locals, boasting seasonal Japanese cuisine with an emphasis on healthy ingredients — and some vegan options. Its owner Claude Chassagne was the former executive chef at The Fig Tree in Hoboken and had long been a professional chef. Partnered with Shinako, the duo became a staple in the neighborhood.
Upon walking into OZU, you’d find a tiny spot with just a few bar chairs and one small table — and in the summer, small tables for dining outside. But what separated Ozu was truly the food and the service, with locally-owned owners that cared about each detail. You could dine in with BYOB, takeout, or opt for delivery. Décor-wise, touches of Japanese culture adorn the walls, with a book for origami and some paper to play, Japanese magazines, and more.
A few photos from past visits:
Of course, ramen was always a safe and comforting bet here, especially if dining in — as evidenced by the beauty below — but if you wanted to expand your palate, the menu had a plethora of options for meat, fish, and veggie lovers prepared in the adjacent open kitchen.
See More: The Best Ramen Spots in New Jersey
What’s Next for the Space
In their announcement, Claude and Shinako alluded to a new Japanese restaurant opening in Ozu’s place in the Heights later this summer. And just a few days ago, they posted on @ozufoods Instagram that they were searching for an architect for an “as-built plan,” which is a model or drawing showing the exact dimensions and conditions of a building after construction.
We’ll share more about the new spot as more details unfold. Wishing Claude and Shinako the best in their new adventures abroad!
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Urban Market Hoboken Inches Towards Opening on Washington Street
Uptown Hoboken isn't starved for choices when it comes to grocery stores. Trader Joe's, Kings, and ShopRite are all accessible food shopping options in the area — and lucky for us, we're about to get another. Back in October of 2022, we reported that Brooklyn-based shop Dumbo Market is officially coming to Hoboken at 1425 Washington Street, under the name Hoboken Market (surprising, we know). Construction started at the massive space near the Hudson Tea House on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024 and signage officially went up earlier that week. In mid-July, the new market was taking steps towards opening as construction continued, and in September, we found out that Urban Market is planning to make its debut in the Mile Square this November. As of October 30th, the market was making even more moves towards opening as some food was stocked. Now, we know that Urban Market is just weeks away from making its debut on Washington Street. This move marks Dumbo Market's first New Jersey location. We've covered what you need to know about this new uptown supermarket. Read on to learn more about Urban Market, coming soon to Hoboken, New Jersey.
Updates as of February 3rd, 2025
Per an email sent out by Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher on Tuesday, January 28th, Urban Market said "they were a day away from clearing their last hurdle, which has proved to be the most challenging – their final electrical inspection. And once cleared, it would take about two weeks to get the rest ready to open."
A member of the HG team walked by on Tuesday, February 3rd, and can confirm that the market is making moves towards opening in Hoboken. This post will be updated as more details come out.
Updates as of October 30th, 2024
Urban Market now has some food items stocked, meaning the Washington Street spot is making even more moves towards opening.
Read More: Julietta: A New Gelato Cafe + Bakery in Hoboken Opening This February
Updates as of September 24th, 2024
Urban Market is planning for a November 1st opening on Washington Street, per an email sent out by Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher on Tuesday, September 24th.
"Ahmeed Mujalli, the owner and manager of Urban Market, gave me a tour of the space last week," Councilwoman Fisher said in the email. "The cool, industrial-feel interior is much bigger than it looks from the outside. Ahmeed is especially excited about the fresh produce, dairy, meat, and prepared food sections, and he can’t wait to introduce some interesting new offerings to our community."
Updates as of July 15th, 2024
Per an email sent out by Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, Urban Market is taking steps towards opening.
"We still do not have a specific opening date, but we are getting closer," the email read. "The interior drywall looks almost finished which means flooring and final fixtures are next so my guess is they will open in August. In the coming weeks, the city will be restriping the parking on the east side of Washington on that block, moving the loading zone from the north corner, to center on the block where it was always supposed to go, adjacent to the ramp and directly in front of the entrance to the market. More to come…"
Updates as of March 19th, 2024
Signage for Dumbo Market's first New Jersey location has officially gone up at 1425 Washington Street in Hoboken. Previously it was thought that the grocer would be called "Hoboken Market," but the team confirmed with The Hoboken Girl it will instead be called Urban Market, which is the parent company behind Dumbo Market.
The Urban Market team also shared that "Urban Market Hoboken will be a high-end supermarket with organic and conventional products." Signs outside the storefront promise residents that the uptown market is opening soon, and HG can confirm that soon means late summer or early fall of this year.
Updates as of January 2024
On Thursday, January 18th, the Hudson Tea House building sent an email notice to residents regarding upcoming construction in the area. Per the email, "a major portion of the build-out for the new Hoboken Market will begin on Tuesday, 1/23/2024." Accordingly, residents in the area can expect to hear "heavy drilling and cutting to the foundation," which is "limited to between the hours of 11:00AM to 3:00 PM on weekdays." The complete project schedule has yet to be released, but "other construction noise and workers may be present from 9:00AM to 5:00PM everyday except Sunday."
The email also corroborated previous reporting about the space, its location, and what to expect from the market. "This market is the same company that owns the Dumbo Gourmet Market and Soho Market...the location of the market will be the empty commercial space between Bond Vet and Montessori School on Washington Street, ground level."
The Lore
In 2022, Jersey Digs reported that workers broke ground on the vacant space at 1425 Washington Street — which will soon be home to Hoboken's own offshoot of Dumbo Market, called Urban Market Hoboken. This building is also home to Bond Vet, which opened in March 2023.
Currently, Dumbo Market is located at 66 Front Street in Brooklyn (in the Dumbo neighborhood, fittingly) as well as 205 Smith Street, also in Brooklyn. According to the spot's Instagram, the team aims to provide 'quality service and great customer satisfaction.' This move marks the grocery store's first venture into New Jersey.
According to Jersey Digs, this supermarket "will offer an extensive selection of organic and specialty items, and their Brooklyn locations offer fresh fish, meat, and hot food departments." It is also supposedly going to have online ordering with curbside pickup options as well.
The size of the space, according to Jersey Digs, is said to be 14,000 square feet. It's confirmed to be bigger than both Kings (about 7,000 square feet) and Trader Joe's (about 12,000 square feet) — so we're expecting a fairly massive supermarket.
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In addition to Bond Vet and Dumbo Market, this building is also home to Club Pilates, Hoboken Montessori School, as well as Hand + Stone Massage.
See More: Popular Grocery Store Brands You Might Not Know Are From North Jersey
We'll keep you updated as more details become available. Follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok to stay in the know with all of the local news, sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and check out our events calendar.
