The Northern New Jersey area is full of incredible sushi restaurants. Over the past few days, The Montclair Girl has received a few inquiries about New York City and Los Angeles-based sushi restaurant, SUGARFISH — asking if it would be coming to Passaic County after noticing a listing for SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa at 610 Brighton Road on CulinaryAgents.com. According to a statement from someone close to the business, SUGARFISH runs a fish market in the Clifton space, and it will not be a new restaurant. Read on for what we know about SUGARFISH’s presence in Clifton, New Jersey.
The Details
A listing on CulinaryAgents.com says that SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa is set to open at 610 Brighton Road in Clifton, New Jersey. The page, which states the sushi and Japanese restaurant is a part of Sushi Nozawa LLC, lists the restaurant as upscale casual dining that’s “Opening Soon.” Montclair Girl readers have also been sending screenshots of the listing.
Upon further investigation, someone close to the business shared with The Montclair Girl that SUGARFISH actually just runs a fish market in the Clifton space, and it will not be a new restaurant.
Read More: Team Behind SLA Thai Opening New Japanese Restaurant in Montclair This March
About SUGARFISH
SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa is a sushi and Japanese restaurant that self-describes as “fanatical in delivering the highest quality sushi experience, consistently, for people who really love sushi.”
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Per its website, the original idea for SUGARFISH was a conversation over dinner between famed sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa, who opened Sushi Nozawa in Los Angeles in 1978, and Jerry Greenberg, a long-time fan and friend of Nozawa. Nozawa’s mission for 40 years remained simple: bring traditional Japanese sushi to America. Four decades after opening Sushi Nozawa in Studio City, Nozawa and Jerry with co-founders Tom Nozawa, Lele Massimini, Cameron Broumand, and Clement Mok created SUGARFISH with Nozawa’s demand for perfection and his commitment to sushi prepared in the traditional Japanese style.
Every piece of sushi served here is hand-selected by the team. On the menu, customers will find a variety of Nozawa-style sushi — the restaurant has a strict adherence to traditional sushi, meaning there are no California rolls, spicy tuna rolls, or teriyaki.
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The menu is broken up into categories including lunch specials, sashimi + edamame, sushi, hand + cut rolls, and limited availability items like albacore belly and pink lobster. Some of the sushi options include salmon or tuna sashimi, bay scallops, Nozawa-style shrimp, Japanese Yellowtail, and cucumber rolls, among other options. Tea, water, soda, beer, sake, and wine are also served at SUGARFISH.
The restaurant is also known for its take-out boxes (pictured below) — which breaks down what is in the box, as well as what condiments go with each piece of sushi.
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SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa currently has five locations in New York City (with an Upper West Side location coming soon), as well as 11 locations in Los Angeles, California.
See More: The Best Sushi in Hoboken and Jersey City
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Where to Find Baklava in Montclair + Essex County
Even though everyone loves desserts, it can be hard to find one dish that’s a true crowd-pleaser. Popular in many cultures like Greece and Turkey, baklava is an excellent dessert option. Known for its phyllo (or filo) dough + butter to create flakey layers, crushed nuts like pistachios + walnuts, and sweetness from syrup or honey, it touches on a lot of textures that are delicious when they work together. Regardless if you have a specific preference for baklava, there’s bound to be a spot on this list that is worth exploring. Read on to hear more about finding baklava in the Montclair + Essex County area to decide which one to visit, or stop by all of them.
Bloom Cakes + Bakery | 79 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell
Bloom Cakes + Bakery is located near the corner of Bloomfield Avenue + Linwood Terrace. The bakery has cakes, sweets, + cookie trays available for patrons as well as Turkish coffee. Baklava is listed under the sweets section of the menu and is prepared with pistachios + walnuts.
Read More: Gluten-Free Versions of Foods You Miss: A New Jersey Guide
The Bosphorus | 226 Franklin Avenue, Nutley
Located near the corner of Franklin Avenue + Centre Street, The Bosphorus serves Mediterranean-style food for lunch + dinner six days a week (closed on Tuesdays). Enjoy a kebab (available with meat or veggies), grilled octopus, or a gyro before ordering the baklava for dessert.
Chris + Angie's Dinette | 545 Franklin Avenue, Nutley
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Located on Nutley’s ever-bustling Franklin Avenue, Chris + Angie’s dinette serves breakfast, lunch, + dinner options six days a week (closed Mondays). Diners can keep it Greek by ordering a spinach feta pie from its Greek Corner menu. Then finish the meal with baklava from the dessert menu.
Efi's Gyro | 521 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
Located near the corner of Bloomfield Avenue + Park Street in Montclair’s center sits Efi’s Gyro. This establishment serves up Greek dishes such as gyros, pita + dips, souvlaki, + more Monday through Saturday. Baklava is listed on the dessert menu in good company with items like rice pudding, Greek yogurt, + a triple chocolate chip cookie.
The Green Chicpea | 59 Halsey Street, Newark
Located near the corner of Halsey Street + New Street, The Green Chicpea is open Monday through Thursday and serves Middle Eastern dishes to diners. Options for starters are chicken + veggie platters, soups like vegetable or cream of broccoli, hummus with chicken or falafel, + more. Baklava exists on the dessert menu to finish this meal off right.
Jackie + Sons | 134 South Orange Avenue, South Orange
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Jackie + Sons is located in the South Orange Village and serves up breakfast + lunch options Monday through Saturday. For a sweet + savory combo, try ordering the Shakshuka (two sunny-side-up eggs, spiced tomato sauce, feta, parsley, sourdough toast) or the shawarma Bowl (chicken shawarma, rice, arugula, chopped salad, lemon cabbage salad, feta, + tzatziki). Then try the baklava from the bakery menu to end the meal on a sweet note.
La Fontaine Cafe | 12 North Willow Street, Montclair
La Fontaine Cafe is located near the corner of North Willow Street + Glenwood Avenue. The cafe serves breakfast + lunch Tuesday through Sunday (closed on Mondays) and provides options like sandwiches, crepes, smoothies, + more. Baklava options are to order a single piece, a box of three, or baklava ice cream (vanilla ice cream with a piece of pistachio baklava).
Manouche + Co. | 176 Broad Street, Bloomfield
Manouche + Co is a Lebanese restaurant located near the corner of Broad Street + Belleville Avenue. The menu consists of pies, soups, appetizers, sandwiches, + more. Baklava is listed on the dessert menu and is made with walnuts and a mist of sweet syrup.
Rumi Mediterranean Grill + Cafe | 265 Glenwood Avenue, Bloomfield
Located near the intersection of Conger Street, Glenwood Avenue, + Lackawanna Place, Rumi Mediterranean Grill + Cafe is open seven days a week from 11 AM through 10 PM. Menu options include Chicken Shish Wraps, Lamb Chops, + Falafel Plates, and food is available for dine-in, take-out, and catering. Turkish pistachio baklava is listed on the dessert menu.
Stamna Taverna | 1055 Broad Street, Bloomfield
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Located just three storefronts from Bloomfield’s Holsten’s Ice Cream + Chocolate Restaurant is Stamna Taverna. Menus are available for lunch and dinner. Diners can start their meal with a gyro wrap or lamb kebab before moving on to baklava (made with almonds + walnuts with honey) for dessert.
Sweet Kitchen | 533 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
Sweet Kitchen sits in Montclair’s town center on the corner of Bloomfield Avenue + Park Street. The establishment serves brunch-type foods all day, seven days a week. The bakery has options like muffins, brownies, croissants, + more. Baklava is listed under its dessert menu along with pies, tarts, + cakes.
Toros Restaurant | 594 Valley Road, Montclair
Located near the corner of Valley Road + Bellevue, Toros Restaurant has a Turkish menu focusing on native cuisine. The Montclair menu includes traditional Turkish dishes, kebabs with yogurt, + more. Baklava is available on the dessert menu with walnuts. There is also Kadayif available on the dessert menu. Similar to baklava, kadayif uses phyllo dough; however, it is shredded to create a stringy texture. In addition to the Montclair location, Toros has two other locations in Clifton + Paterson.
Uncle Momo | 702 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
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Uncle Momo is located on Bloomfield Avenue near the center of Montclair. Menus are available for brunch, lunch/dinner (also known as the regular menu), dessert, + drinks. Baklava is available on the dessert menu to order alone. If splitting with a friend, try ordering it with the pistachio ice cream.
See More: A Definitive List of Hoboken Desserts You Must Eat ASAP
Zeugma Mediterranean Grill | 44 South Park Street, Montclair
Zeugma sits on South Park Street between Evolve Med Spa + Chocolate Works. Menus are available for brunch, dinner, + dessert. Start with the pistachio steak burger (roasted cherry tomatoes, pistachio pesto, smoked ketchup, house-cut french fries, pickles) or the mushroom manti (handmade dumplings, stuffed with trio mushrooms and a special mix of spices served with 16-hour process double fermented warm yogurt sauce), before ordering baklava for dessert.
