If you’ve ever come up out of the Journal Square PATH station and followed the smell of onions and chili to a yellow-and-orange window, you know Boulevard Drinks. You have until November 30 to order from it there. That’s the day the nearly century-old hot dog stand, open since 1937, shuts its walk-up window for good, owner Victor Victoratos told NJ.com.
It isn’t the end of the line, though. Boulevard Drinks plans to reopen early next year across the street, in roughly 500 square feet inside the Journal Square Transportation Center, Jersey Digs reports. Victoratos told PIX11 he has signed his side of the lease and is waiting on the Port Authority to sign theirs. He expects to open in February or March, according to NJ.com. In the gap, he suggested a Boulevard Drinks hot dog truck could keep serving Journal Square while the stand is dark. The new spot would sit among other transit-hub tenants, including Jollibee and Taco Bell.
The move comes after a fight over the old space. This spring, Victoratos told NJ.com that he held a lease through 2034, but the landlord ordered him out by the end of May. He kept the window open into the summer while his lawyers fought the eviction, per Hoboken Girl. In May, Mayor James Solomon and Councilman Tom Zuppa pledged to keep the stand in the neighborhood, Hoboken Girl reported.
The original corner is slated for something much bigger. It sits on the site of a mixed-use redevelopment that the Jersey City Planning Board approved earlier this year. Developer Nasser Freres plans a 55-story tower at 2859โ2873 Kennedy Boulevard with 840 apartments, 84 of them affordable, and a ground-floor Whole Foods, Jersey Digs reports.
The menu is about as simple as street food gets: hot dogs, cheese dogs, chili dogs and sausages, plus fruit punch, piรฑa coladas and other drinks, at throwback prices. Former Eater critic Robert Sietsema, writing on his Substack, put the case for a final visit this way: “No visit to this part of Jersey City is complete without one of the franks served at this venerable hot dog window, right across the street from the PATH station.” His order: “Get it with mustard and ‘chili’ โ really, an oniony Greek meat relish.”
For New Yorkers, Journal Square is one PATH ride from the World Trade Center, which makes a farewell frank an easy trip. The window stays open through the end of November, and the stand’s future depends on a Port Authority signature that, per Victoratos, hasn’t come yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Boulevard Drinks close its walk-up window at Journal Square?
Boulevard Drinks closes its walk-up window on November 30. The nearly century-old hot dog stand has operated at Journal Square in Jersey City since 1937.
Where will Boulevard Drinks reopen after closing at Journal Square?
Boulevard Drinks plans to reopen across the street inside the Journal Square Transportation Center in roughly 500 square feet of space. The new location is pending a Port Authority lease signature.
When is Boulevard Drinks expected to reopen in Journal Square?
Owner Victor Victoratos expects the stand to open in February or March. The timing depends on the Port Authority signing the lease.
Why is Boulevard Drinks leaving its original Journal Square location?
The landlord ordered Victoratos out by the end of May, despite his claim of a lease running through 2034. The original corner is slated for a 55-story mixed-use tower with 840 apartments and a Whole Foods.
What is on the menu at Boulevard Drinks?
The menu includes hot dogs, cheese dogs, chili dogs, sausages, fruit punch, and piรฑa coladas at throwback prices. The stand is known for its oniony Greek meat relish, which food critic Robert Sietsema recommends with mustard.
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