Westfield Bareburger Delayed, Ambeli Replaced By Spice Bazaar

WESTFIELD, NJ - Downtown Westfield continues to remake itself as Mayor Shelley Brindle shared news of business openings and closings during Tuesday's council meeting.

The much-anticipated Bareburger location which was anticipated to open in the spring, complete with rooftop dining, has been delayed. Brindle told Patch she reached out to the owner for an update after seeing little progress being made on the site. According to Brindle, they ran into some setbacks and anticipate being open in the fall.

Brindle did acknowledge that Ambeli Greek Tavern on Elm Street has decided to close their Westfield location.

"In speaking with the owner, he said that managing two locations was taking its toll and has decided to focus exclusively on his original Cranford location," Brindle said.

Brindle was also quick to note the space will not remain vacant for long as another restaurant has already committed to taking the space.

"Spice Bazaar - Casual Indian Dining, the amazing Indian restaurant on Quimby Street, will be relocating to the larger Ambeli space in early May," Brindle said. "Their owner informed me that they plan on opening a Pan Asian restaurant in the current Quimby Street location shortly thereafter. While I’m sorry to see Ambeli close, I’m thrilled to know that the location will not be vacant for long."

Brindle also mentioned the recently opened Orgreen Poke and Bespoke By Gambert as part of the onslaught of businesses on their way in to Westfield.

"We will see a flurry of new openings in the spring, including Cinnaholic, Innovasion Taco, Buddha Sushi, and Portokali Modern Grill," she said. " New services, such as Downtown Dental and OsteoStrong, will also be opening in the coming weeks."

Brindle also repeated her view that she does not rely on the downtown vacancy rate as a success metric.

"And I won’t, until we have sufficiently addressed the root of the problem, which is a lack of daytime foot traffic," she said. "Retailers and restaurants can not survive on weekend business alone."

Brindle said that local employers are the biggest driver of weekday foot traffic whose employees shop in the stores and eat in the restaurants.

"We have lost hundreds of employees over the last several years due to a lack of employee parking and modern office space," Brindle said. "If we can improve daytime foot traffic, the retail problem will take care of itself, which is something I expect to be addressed in our Master Plan."

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