Mike’s Courtside Kitchen To Reopen After Somerville Fire

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Almost a year since a tragic fire on Main Street in Somerville displaced 18 people and damaged multiple businesses, Mike's Courtside Kitchen will rise from the ashes.

"We are shooting for this summer," said Owner of Mike's Courtside Kitchen Connor DePace to Patch. "We just finished up the architect plans... So we are getting closer."

The restaurant at 2 W Main Street was severely damaged in the blaze on June 4, 2024. Since the fire, Amr A. Khodeer, 24, of Somerville, faces charges of two counts of second-degree aggravated arson.

Since the fire, Sushi Yokohama reopened in October and Savor Restaurant reopened this past June.

Working at Mike's Courtside Kitchen was DePace's first job after graduating from Somerville High School. DePace's dad also owned multiple restaurants growing up so it was only natural for him to purchase the business from Michael Ivers in August 2023.

Not even a year after taking over his first restaurant, DePace was hit with the devastating fire.

DePace said he was at the restaurant when the fire began. He was taking a catering order on the phone and smelled smoke, so he yelled back into the kitchen, "What's burning?!"

"And they're like, 'No, nothing.' So then maybe 10 seconds go by and I'm still taking the order, and I smell it again, and I kind of yell saying, 'Guys, something's burning!'," said DePace.

Once they realized King Tut was on fire, they evacuated, luckily with no one hurt.

"It was definitely a big blow, especially when you've just taken over the business," said DePace, who did his best to support his 15 employees during the closure.

Now, DePace is planning to come back to Somerville with a new interior design with exposed brick and a more focused menu on the favorites such as wraps, burgers, wings, breakfast, and smoothies.

The whole process was a lot but DePace said he is very excited to reopen.

"In the beginning, it's a lot to comprehend, and just the weight of everything with all the employees not working," said DePace. "It can seem a little daunting to go through the whole process, but now I am very excited, very happy, especially with the support we've gotten from my dad, past employees that were helping out, moving stuff. It definitely makes me excited to bring it back to our town and see all the locals again. That's really what excites me."

For more information, visit instagram.com/mikescourtside or facebook.com/mikescourtsidekitchen.

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