Jersey City Officials and KRE Group Cut the Ribbon on New Journal Square Location of Cangiano’s Marketplace

Jersey City Councilman Richard Boggiano recently led a contingent of Jersey City officials, representatives of developer KRE Group, members of the Jersey City business community, customers, guests and other dignitaries to celebrate the opening of the new Cangiano’s Marketplace location in Journal Square.

Located at 531 Summit Avenue, on the ground floor of the Journal Squared residential towers, the new Cangiano’s location serves sandwiches, salads, hot foods, and desserts daily. Guests can stop in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or shop for specialty cheeses and a variety of Italian imports. It is an expansion from Cangiano’s Hamilton Park location, which opened in 2020.

Councilman Boggiano headlined a list of speakers that included Jon Kushner, President of KRE Group, Mira Prinz-Arey, Executive Director of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation, and Chris Bernardo, President and CEO of Commercial District Services. They joined the Cangiano’s ownership team, which consists of Cosmo Cangiano and partners Steve Maugeri and Norman Bonoan.

The ceremony was followed by a tasting of popular Cangiano’s menu items and desserts.

“We want to thank Cangiano’s for sharing their family-owned business with us here in Journal Square,” Mr. Bernardo said. “This is their second location in Jersey City and they are very much a part of and a leader in the revitalization of Journal Square.”

“What Chris said is very true and I’d like to say I’m looking forward to all of these restaurants opening,” Councilman Boggiano said. “I’m looking forward to the changes in the neighborhood and I hope these buildings fill up and that people get involved in the community, because we have a great community here.”

Mr. Kushner said selecting street-level retail tenants like Cangiano’s to serve the community is an important part of developing residential buildings like Journal Squared.

“These buildings are very big, but we build them from the ground up. And this entire team here and all of our retailers are a very important part of what we do every single day,” Mr. Kushner said. “You are the first interface for our tenants. I think you are going to do great up here. The neighborhood, thanks to Rich and Mira, and everyone in the city, is bustling.”

“To the Cangiano’s family, we thank you guys so much for investing in Jersey City, for putting down roots here,” Ms. Prinz-Arey added. “Because this is what economic development is all about. You start in one location. You grow to a second location. You’re growing your business, supporting your family, and supporting all of the other families of people who come to work for you. So, on behalf of the Economic Development Corporation thank you for investing and continuing to invest in our city.”

Cangiano’s is the latest addition to the growing list of grocery, restaurant and café businesses to open at Journal Squared. Developers KRE Group and National Real Estate Advisors made it their goal to curate a retail mix that serves the community and acts as an extended amenity for their residents. The result is an emerging food hub in the heart of Journal Square.

The Cangiano’s story dates back to 1919 when Mr. Cangiano’s grandmother opened Cangiano’s Pork Store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When he decided to open his own Italian deli in Jersey City’s Hamilton Park neighborhood in 2020, he brought back the name but put his own stamp on the business by introducing prepared foods and market items. Opening at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was difficult, but Jersey City embraced the business and the menu quickly expanded from eight sandwiches in 2020 to 33 today, as well as a sandwich of the day, pasta of the day, protein of the day, grilled salmon, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, and other hot foods.

Customers began coming from all corners of Jersey City, including Journal Square. The neighborhood soon caught Mr. Cangiano’s attention as an ideal location for expansion.

“We had a lot of customers from Journal Square who would ask me “when are you going to open something near us?” Mr. Cangiano said. “We like Journal Square because it is an up-and-coming area right near the train station, with a lot of new buildings going up. So, when the opportunity to open something here presented itself, we went for it.”

There is a lot of good food to choose from at Cangiano’s. If it is your first visit, Mr. Cangiano recommends sandwich #17: imported prosciutto aged 18 months, fresh mozzarella and a spicy fig jam on fresh-baked bread. He also recommends checking out the sandwich of the day, which on a recent day was sliced ribeye and roasted eggplant with garlic aioli and chimichurri on fresh-baked bread.

One of Mr. Cangiano’s favorite parts of the store is the dessert area. There is always an interesting selection of cookies, cheesecake and pastries, but when in doubt go for the homemade cannoli. There are also imported pastas, pantry items and other goodies.

Cangiano’s joins Whealth Kitchen, a farm-to-table eatery, Food Story Natural Market, Journal Square’s first supermarket, and The Café at Journal Squared presented by Almost Home, a lively café and gourmet coffee shop in the lobby of Journal Squared, as food-related businesses KRE Group recruited to the Journal Squared development. KRE Group also created Magnolia Landing, a public plaza at the PATH station, that is home to year-round community programming such as farmers markets, food festivals, and live performances.

Journal Squared is a three-tower development that comprises 1,840 residences, 36,000 square feet of retail spaces, and more than 100,000 square feet of lifestyle amenities. Studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes are available for lease.

For more information on Journal Squared, visit www.journalsquared.com or call 201.659.7100. For more information on Cangiano’s Marketplace, visit www.cangianosfinefoods.com.