Opening date for first Eataly in NJ is set. We can’t wait!

New Jersey is the absolute hub of ethnic foods in all of the Northeast. There’s nothing that you can’t find here but the thing that we take the most pride in is our Italian food.

That’s why there are so many Italian specialty shops in New Jersey. I recently discovered, for instance, Uncle Giuseppe‘s, which is an amazing superstore filled with all things Italian.

That actually led me to a visit to Pastosa, which is another Italian delicacy store that New Jerseyans all rave about but I never thought I’d see the day when we would have an Eataly.

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Yes, Eataly is coming to New Jersey. It’ll be the first Eataly in New Jersey. Back in February, I wrote about the chain's expansion plans when they first announced that they would be opening in the mall at Short Hills.

At the time, though, no opening date had been announced. So it was up to us to keep on checking the news to see when the big day would come. And now it’s here. The first Eataly store in the state of New Jersey will open at The Mall at Short Hills on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m.

If you’re one of the unfortunate who does not know what it is, Eataly is an Italian marketplace with an array of restaurants, cafes, and food shops. It was founded in Turin, Italy, in 2007 and now has locations in major cities around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Istanbul.

In January 2007, Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti opened the first location of Eataly, in Turin. It has been described by The New York Times as a "megastore" that "combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a new age learning center."

The Short Hills Mall location will feature a variety of restaurants and cafes, including a pizzeria, a pasta bar, a meat and cheese counter, and a gelato shop. There will also be a retail section selling Italian groceries, cookware and tableware.

Take a visit to the Italy website.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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