EATONTOWN, NJ — Monmouth Square, the new apartment complex Kushner is currently building where Monmouth Mall once stood, just got a fancy new tenant:
Felice, an upscale Italian restaurant, signed a lease to open there, the restaurant confirmed. Felice, a Tuscan restaurant and wine bar, plans to open a 4,500-square-foot location in the center of the open green that will be the signature of Monmouth Square.
Felice plans to open in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Felice — pronounced Fell-eet-cHe in Italian — is a high-end Italian concept owned by SA Hospitality. There are multiple Felice locations in Manhattan (it started on the Upper East Side), one in West Chester, another in West Palm Beach and several on Long Island.
Monmouth Square in Eatontown will be their first New Jersey location.
Monmouth Mall is currently in the midst of an unprecedented demolition: It was torn down and will be re-birthed as “Monmouth Square,” which will consist of luxury apartments, shops and restaurants. Monmouth Square will have 1,000 residential units and 920,000 square feet of retail space, according to its website, all built around a center public green.
Kushner, the owner of the mall since 2002, says Monmouth Square will have an open-air feel, with walking paths and shops and an outdoor pool and fitness center in the middle (the center green will be open to the public, but the gym/pool will be residents only).
Monmouth Mall had to be torn down because “the property was losing relevance amid changing shopper tastes despite being surrounded by affluent enclaves like Rumson, Colts Neck and Shrewsbury,” it says here. “Today, Kushner Cos. is directing a $500 million redevelopment to transform the property into Monmouth Square, a ‘de-malled’ open-air center.”
These five stores already signed leases to open there: STRONG Pilates, Prince Street Pizza, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Offshore Coffee and Cava, which sells Mediterranean food, hummus and salads, ROI NJ reported.
So far, Macy’s is still slated to remain open. The Barnes & Noble also moved to a new location at 180 Rt. 35, next to the Macy’s. A Whole Foods will move into the space formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble; the Whole Foods is scheduled to open in 2026. The Anne Vogel Family Care and Wellness Center, a two-story medical building owned by RWJBarnabas Health and geared towards women, moms and children, is currently open and will be an anchor of the new Monmouth Square.
Kushner Cos. is now being helmed by Charlie Kushner’s daughter, Nicole Kushner Meyer.
Monmouth Mall was demolished last year, and construction on Monmouth Square started this year. Goodbye, Monmouth Mall As We Knew It: Demolition Underway (March 2024)
These 5 New Stores Coming To Monmouth Square, Formerly Monmouth Mall (March 2025)
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