A beloved red sauce joint, a wood-fired pizza place, an upscale American eatery and a tropical chain all closed this summer.
Hot Grill in Clifton NJ: Most Essential Restaurants in North Jersey
Matt Cortina continues his tour of the 25 most essential restaurants in North Jersey at Hot Grill in Clifton.
Restaurants come, restaurants go — such is the circle of life in the dining industry. Still, it’s not easy to say goodbye to your favorite eatery or your local pizza spot.
In North Jersey a handful of restaurants closed in summer 2025, including a local’s favorite Italian spot in Morris County and a brick-oven pizza spot in Montclair and an esteemed upscale American eatery in Millburn. A few briefly paused operations for renovations or rebranding: the Hudson Rose in Nutley became Bacarosa, a modern Italian restaurant; The Office Tavern Grill in Morristown remodeled their space (and menu) over two weeks; RUMI, a Turkish spot in Bloomfield, rebranded to Grill & Greens; and Cafe Amici in Wyckoff turned into Wyckoff Tavern (with the same owners).
Here are a few of the restaurant closures we’ll miss most.
DaVinci’s Brick Oven Pizza, Montclair
DaVinci’s announced earlier this summer their final day in operation would be Sept. 20, 2025. For a quarter-century, folks have been coming her for wood-fired pizza, pastas, inventive European entrees and more.
Wrote the owners on their website: “For over 25 years, DaVinci’s has proudly served the Upper Montclair community. We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers who made us part of your lives. Despite a sound business model, rising labor and food costs and limited volume make it impossible to continue.”
Guerriero’s, Morristown
Morristown lost a cornerstone Italian spot in August with the closing of Guerriero’s. In a social media post, the owners wrote that closing “was not an easy decision, but one that is right for our family at this time.”
The Guerriero’s team also thanked its “amazing staff and loyal customers,” of whom there were many, who mourned the news and heralded its exceptional hospitality and food. The eatery was a longtime staple of the MOrristown dining scene, known for its pastas, Italian entrees, pizza and friendly service.
Common Lot, Millburn
After nine years in business, Common Lot closed earlier this summer. It was not only a fixture in Millburn’s burgeoning restaurant scene but one of the more acclaimed fine dining restaurants in the state. It was known for its weekend prix-fixe dinners and became a favorite for those seeking a meal before or after a show at the nearby Paper Mill Playhouse.
Owners Ehren and Nadine Ryan thanked staff and patrons in a social media post and announced they’d moving back to Australia.
“We had always believed we would stay in the US indefinitely given we have built businesses, had a family and rescued a dog here. But circumstances have changed, and we feel it is now the right decision for us to raise our children in Australia, especially our daughter,” they wrote.
Bahama Breeze, Paramus and Wayne
The casual dining chain Bahama Breeze announced it would close 15 restaurants nationwide this summer, including four in New Jersey. Included in those cuts were the locations in Paramus and Wayne.
The chain is known for its Caribbean-inspired food and tropical cocktails. Darden Restaurants, which owns the chain, says the closures were the right decision to allow the chain to “focus on its highest performing restaurants and strengthen the brand’s overall performance.”
Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/The Record. Reach him at mcortina@gannett.com.
Dining and Cooking