The Old Better Days Space on Newark Ave Just Got Two New Concepts — Steak, Raw Bar, Cheesesteaks and Shakes

Newark Avenue doesn't do quiet. One of Jersey City's busiest restaurant corridors just got a double shot of new blood — two brand-new food concepts opening inside the former Better Days space at 143 Newark Avenue, and they announced their grand opening for Wednesday, September 16.

Say hello to Bembe and Steaks Shakes + Harmony — one space, two ideas, zero subtlety.

Up front is Bembe, a casual steak and raw bar concept. That's the headline one: steak and oysters in the middle of the Newark Avenue pedestrian plaza, the kind of spot you stumble into on a Friday night and end up staying for two hours. The details are still rolling out, but the concept is clear — casual enough for a regular Tuesday, serious enough for the food to matter.

Tucked away in the back is the one I think is going to blow up first: Steaks Shakes + Harmony, the new concept from Chef D. Harmon, and it's all about "real deal cheesesteaks" and milkshakes. If that sounds like comfort food with a chef brain behind it, that's exactly what it is.

Chef Harmon isn't new to this neighborhood. His name is connected to a long list of Jersey City and Philly hospitality spots — Amina, BlackHen, Fia, Avana, Don't Tell Liv, Better Days, 143 Social, Asbury Social. He's already running Steaks Shakes + Harmony at 126 Christopher Columbus Drive, so this second location isn't an experiment — it's an expansion of something that's already working.

And the menu has exactly the kind of items that make people screenshot and send to the group chat. The Birthday Cake Poundshake — served on pound cake, which is an absolutely ridiculous detail and I'm here for it. Gluten-free cheesesteak fries, which solves the "I can't eat the thing everyone loves" problem for about a third of your friends. Chef-driven comfort food with a fun twist, right in the middle of downtown Jersey City.

The timing makes sense, too. The Newark Avenue pedestrian plaza is one of the highest-foot-traffic dining stretches in the state — it's where Jersey City eats, drinks, and argues about where to eat next. A two-concept space there has to earn its rent fast, and leading with steak, raw bar, cheesesteaks, and milkshakes is about as aggressive a swing as you can take.

HDSID — the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District, the folks who keep the neighborhood's finger on the pulse — shared the news first, and The Hoboken Girl had the full breakdown: both concepts now open, grand opening celebrated September 16, and the plaza has two more reasons to draw a crowd this fall.

The one thing to watch: the former Better Days space carries history in this neighborhood. People in Jersey City remember rooms. Whatever comes into a beloved space has to live up to the ghost of what was there — and honestly, a steak-and-raw-bar room in front and a cheesesteak-and-milkshake room in back is a pretty strong answer to that pressure.

If you're in Hudson County this week, 143 Newark Avenue is the pull-up. Just don't sleep on the poundshake — that's not a menu item, that's a personality trait.