Home Essex County Eataly Opens at Short Hills Mall

Eataly Opens at Short Hills Mall

by The Montclair Girl Team
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Here at The Montclair Girl, we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of local happenings. We read the news, check our DMs, and do our best to stay on top of things. But one story eluded us for weeks earlier this year: a rumor that world-famous Italian market and eatery Eataly had plans for a location in the Short Hills Mall. After multiple trips to the Short Hills Mall, the mall directory revealed that Eataly would be coming to Essex County back in March — and now, Eataly has officially opened its first New Jersey location. Read on for everything we know about Eataly’s arrival in New Jersey.

eataly

What We Know

The first mention of an Eataly location bubbled up via local influencer NJ Hipsturbia Collective’s Instagram. The team shared a post reading, “Eataly is coming to New Jersey by the end of 2024 in the previous Primo Mercado location at the Short Hills Mall. This will be Eataly’s first location in New Jersey. Construction has already begun at the Mall.” When reached for comment, the team would only reveal that they had gotten the information from “a reputable source at Short Hills Mall.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by NJ Hipsturbia Collective (@njhipsturbia)

Members of the MG team have visited other Eataly locations and were excited about the possibility, so we sprung into action. Earlier this year, we contacted Eataly’s corporate headquarters. We contacted the Short Hills Mall management. We even went to Short Hills Mall to see for ourselves.

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We got: no calls or emails in response to our queries. We saw: no construction.

Meanwhile, other local news outlets reported on Eataly’s opening as fact. We saw the story in NJ.com, TapInto, Jersey Digs, and New Jersey Monthly.

Short Hills Mall Directory w Eataly

Finally, on March 10th, we were able to get confirmation with our own two eyes. The mall directory now had Eataly listed.

eataly short hills

As of September 2024, signage at the mall revealed that Eataly planned to open its first New Jersey location this fall.

A member of the MG team walked by the forthcoming Eataly location on Sunday, October 27th, and noticed a sign on the exterior of the building for an upcoming hiring event (see the photo below). The event took place on Monday, October 28th from 3PM-5PM at the event space between Gap and Vineyard Vines. There are also various job listings for the Short Hills Mall location on Eataly’s hiring website.

eataly

While the exact opening date was still unknown at that time, a construction worker at the site told MG that Eataly was aiming for a mid-late November debut in Short Hills.

Eataly officially made its debut at the Short Hills Mall on Wednesday, November 13th at 3PM, per a press release. The 17,000+-square-foot space features one restaurant + bar, several quick-service counters serving coffee, pastries, gelato, Roman-style pizza, + paninis, and a retail section with imported Italian and regional delicacies including fresh pasta.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Eataly New Jersey (@eatalynewjersey)

 

The restaurant and bar has 230 seats. Some of the dishes on the menu include antipasti dishes like prosciutto di parma and Sicilian-style calamari fritti with zucchini; primi dishes including tagliatelle alla bolognese and 18-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano; secondi dishes like pan-roasted salon and chicken Milanese; over 10 varieties of pizza; and a selection of over 100 Italian wines and seasonal cocktails.

Eataly has a 10-day schedule of events to celebrate its opening in Short Hills — including educational workshops, producer tastings, DJ nights with specialty cocktails, and chef-led dinners, among other things. More information can be found on Eataly’s website

 

 

All About Eataly

Eataly was founded in Turin, Italy on January 27th, 2007 by Oscar Farinetti, per Eataly’s website. Oscar’s vision for Eataly extended beyond creating a store — he aspired to establish an understanding of life through the lens of food. With this concept in mind, Oscar created a school, a market, and a table to bring people together in one place. Over time, Eataly expanded its footprint across the world, including locations in New York, Los Angeles, Germany, Japan, and London.

eataly short hills

^ Eataly’s Chicago location

Before Oscar opened the first Eataly in Italy, he traveled across 20 regions to select local producers who aligned with the Slow Food partner’s criteria for cuisine that is fresh and delicious. These chosen Italian producers import fresh ingredients from Italy such as Afeltra’s bronze-extruded, air-dried pasta from southern Gragnano, and Niasca Portofino’s freshly jarred pesto Genovese from northern Liguria.

Eataly is located on the first floor of the mall, near Bloomingdales’, in the space that formerly held Mercado. Eataly provides a variety of dining options like a pizzeria, a pasta bar, a meat and cheese counter, and a gelato shop. Aside from dining, Eataly is also a retail market that has Italian groceries, cookware, and tableware.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Eataly NYC (@eatalynewyorkcity)

 

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Eataly shoppers can expect the same Italian cooking and lifestyle shopping and dining experience as at other locations. In addition to shopping for Italian groceries and ingredients, the store also has home goods and personal products for sale. The food hall portion features different dining counters with different experiences. Other Eataly locations have choices such as seafood, cheese, gelato, and even one counter in Chicago is dedicated solely to Nutella. Eataly also has cooking classes and other instruction. Some selections from other locations include wine tastings and truffles.

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