A new Italian restaurant called Chickie’s has officially opened in GP’s former location in Hamilton Park as of December 13th. Located at 236 Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City, Chickie’s has been in the works since January 2020. Hoboken Girl has the details of what residents can expect from this brand new neighborhood eatery. Read on for more information about Chickie’s in Jersey City.
About the Space
Chickie’s is owned and operated by Michael Gondevas, the co-owner of Hamilton Park hot spots Hamilton Inn, located at 708 Jersey Avenue, Hamilton Pork, located at 247 10th Street. Michael, a born and raised Jersey City resident, told Hoboken Girl exclusively back in August that Chickie’s will be “your real basic everyday Italian neighborhood restaurant.” At that time, the menu was still being finalized but Gondevas mentioned that there would be various pizza pies, a few pasta dishes, sandwiches, and a full bar – and that rings true!
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He also shared how the concept behind “Chickie’s” came about. “My wife and I and my brother, we were sitting around kind of kicking around names. Every neighborhood that we all grew up in, everyone had a ‘Chickie’ in their life — an Aunt Chickie, Uncle Chickie, or a guy named Chickie,” he said. “So we just thought it was a really cute name and a common name and easy to say and catchy I think like, ‘Hey I’m going to Chickie’s!’”
Timeline of Chickie’s Opening
(Photo credit: @chickies_jc)
Although the restaurant has just opened less than 24 hours ago, Gondevas said this is something that he and his hard-working crew have been building for over a year and a half now.
Back in December 2019, GP’s Jersey City informed fans of the restaurant that the local Italian favorite was closing its doors on January 5th, 2020 to focus on its original location in Guttenberg, NJ.
(Photo credit: @chickies_jc)
The post read, “To our valued customers and community: As of January 5th, 2020, GP’s Hamilton Park will be closing & making way for new ownership. Sharing this journey for 8 years has been wonderfully rewarding & heartfelt. We’ve decided to evolve the GP’s brand by going back to our roots & focusing on our original location, @gpsrestaurants. So with love & gratitude, we say farewell, & thank YOU for making it possible. It’s been a pleasure serving you, we hope to see you in Guttenberg!”
Shortly after, Jersey Digs uncovered the new owner who was taking over. “Vanessa Imme, Silverman’s Director of Leasing and Sales, has confirmed to Jersey Digs that Michael Gondevas, the co-owner of Hamilton Inn and Hamilton Pork, has purchased GP’s and is opening a new restaurant,” the website reported.
^ Pasta dish from The Hamilton
(Photo credit: @thehamiltoninn)
Then, on March 10th, JC Families posted a photo on Facebook of the name of the new restaurant taking over: Chickie’s. “Attention foodies! Chickie’s is opening in the former GP’s spot in Hamilton Park. It is expected to open later this spring in #JerseyCity,” JC Families shared.
After that, businesses were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is why construction and the opening have been delayed.
Chickie’s Jersey City Debut
See More: Exploring Jersey City: The Hamilton Park Neighborhood
“We’re so excited to bring it to Hamilton Park and to Jersey City. It’s been a long time coming. Covid really slowed us down, but we’re so excited to get it open. We can’t wait,” Gondevas tells Hoboken Girl.
Follow Chickies on Instagram at @chickies_jc.
