New Mediterranean Café Opens Near Rutgers In Newark: Sihana Bistro

NEWARK, NJ — A new “day-to-night café” recently opened its doors in Newark.

Sihana Bistro is located at 159 Washington Street within Urby, a mixed-use complex in downtown Newark near Rutgers University. The restaurant features a blend of Mediterranean and Georgian-inspired cuisine, complemented by a selection of cocktails, wine and beer. It is open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The menu includes:

• Khinkali: a dumpling in Georgian cuisine made of twisted knobs of dough and stuffed with meat or vegetables and spices
• Steak Frites with bearnaise sauce
• Chkmeruli: creamy garlic chicken
• French donuts, creme brulee, chocolate souffle for dessert
• Craft cocktails featuring locally produced spirits from Newark’s All Points West Distillery, including award-winning whiskies

Other features include:

COOKING CLASSES – Sihana Bistro offers guests a hands-on culinary experience with interactive cooking classes. Participants don a chef’s jacket and hat as they join an intimate class led by a friendly instructor, exploring kitchen techniques, food safety, and plating artistry. Each class culminates in a three-course meal of their own creation, complete with a bottle of wine and a plating competition where winners receive gift card prizes. Reservations are required.

LIVE MUSIC – Sunday @ the Bistro brings live music to the dining room each week. From 6 to 9 p.m., Newark-native and resident musician Janétza Miranda delivers an intimate and soulful performance.

The café is helmed by local operators Kreshnik Berisha, a Rutgers-Newark graduate, and David Khabuliani, a hospitality expert originally from the Republic of Georgia.

Their first venture, Sihana Café, opened in the Ironbound during the pandemic in 2020. Beyond serving health-focused meals, the café housed a secondhand bookshop in partnership with the Newark Library, offering affordable books to combat illiteracy, and showcased local artists, including Layqa Nuna Yawar, Gabe Ribeiro, Chrystopher Davis, and Jasmine Mans. The café also partnered with Newark Central Kitchen, a local branch of World Central Kitchen, to serve over 30,000 meals to shelters, senior centers, and places of faith during the pandemic.

“Newark is not just where we work - it’s home,” Berisha said.

“I think one of the knocks on development often is it disrupts the flow of a neighborhood,” said David Barry, founder and CEO of Urby.

“We’re committed to this public-facing bistro, where there's a local operator, a local team, that's really stitching together the existing community of Newark with the new residents in the new building,” Barry said.

“Kreshnik and David have built an impressive legacy in Newark, blending culinary excellence with a heartfelt commitment to community enrichment, and we’re thrilled to have them continue that legacy here,” Barry added.

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