New home, who dis?! Sol Azteca, a Mexican restaurant that originally burst onto the thriving Mexican food scene in Jersey City in 2016, has officially opened its doors at a new location. Now located at 328 Montgomery Street, locals might remember that Sol Azteca has endured a lot throughout the past few years. And it’s all been leading up to this moment to when Sol Azteca finally opened. Keep reading to learn all about the Sol Azteca now open on Montgomery Street in Jersey City.
{Photo credit: reddit}
Sol Azteca’s History
Sol Azteca originally started its journey at 239 Barrow Street, but then moved to Montgomery in 2017. What should have been a relatively painless move and an exciting new start, turned into a bit of a nightmare.
That’s because Sol Azteca’s new spot at 328 Montgomery put the location within the Montgomery Gateway Redevelopment Plan and the Van Vorst Park Historic District. This location change, no doubt, contributed to the many months Sol Azteca’s fate has remained in question. Since the building now required both the planning board and the Historic Preservation Committee {HPC} to give approval on any construction, things ended up delayed.
In fact, you may remember that there was even a lawsuit filed. That’s right — Sol Azteca filed a lawsuit against its new landlord, 328 Montgomery LLC, in 2018. According to the complaint, Sol Azteca says it signed a five-year lease, spent $150,000 renovating the space, and despite being ready to open in October 2017, Sol Azteca’s landlord “has either refused to or has failed to comply with the City of Jersey City’s directives regarding its work to the façade of the property.” The consequence? Sol Azteca was denied a Certificate of Occupancy.
See More: Where to Find Authentic Portuguese Food in Newark
Why did all this happen? Well, Jersey City apparently issued a permit for interior work only. So, when contractors began renovating the ground floor’s exterior façade, the City issued a stop-work order. Though Sol Azteca’s applicants were given special conditions on materials, methods, and construction, they did not follow the order and the construction done was found to be in violation of the conditions. These new plans were denied since they were in violation.
In short, it’s been a long road for Sol Azteca.
Sol Azteca’s Future in JC
That long road may not be over either. In fact, many people in the comments of a Sol Azteca reddit thread expressed some concern about the future of SA. After all, 328 Montgomery Street has a reputation for businesses not lasting.
“How many taco places can Jersey City have? We need more variety,” one user wrote. To which another directly responded, “Agree. That said, they’re opening in an already over-saturated market and they seem to have put a lot of money into the build-out, so I wish them luck. Either way, it’s nice to have any new retail opening up in the area.”
Another reddit user wrote, “Ouch. That is definitely a dead zone. I wish them well, I do. But that’s a tough spot.”
Yet, despite some of the more negative talk, other locals remain positive. One user wrote, “Good to see them emerge from years of Historical Preservation hell.”
Read More: East LA: Home to Hoboken’s Infamous Frozen Margaritas
Are you excited to see Sol Azteca back up and running? Let us know in the comments!
Did you know: We started a podcast about all things news and lifestyle in Hoboken + Jersey City! Listen to the latest episode of Tea on the Hudson here and subscribe.
We release new episodes every Tuesday!
