Strand Market at HELIX New Brunswick: What's Open So Far

"If we tried to do that we would miss the mark, there is no way to recreate that magic. We are going to make new magic." That is how Chef Jackie Mazza describes moving Clydz out of the basement it occupied for almost three decades and into the ground floor of HELIX, the Health and Life Science Exchange across from New Brunswick Station.

Mazza isn't only reopening a bar. She leads the culinary and beverage program for Clydz owners Doug Schneider and Harriet Sideris, and she also curates the food at Strand Market, the food hall that shares the H-1 building with Clydz. So the first public-facing part of a 1.5 million-square-foot research campus is being built by a team that has run a New Brunswick bar since 2001. That changes what HELIX means for someone who lives here. It has a front door now, and the people behind it are familiar.

A Food Hall Designed Around Researchers, Open to Everyone

The city's April announcement said the purpose plainly. Clydz and Strand Market would "serve the 4,000 people expected to work, innovate and live within the 1.5 million-square-foot HELIX ecosystem." H-1 opened to Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School students in July 2026. It also holds research facilities and the New Jersey Innovation Hub. When TAPinto toured the building that month, the space then called the Market Hall had tables in place but no chairs yet. The espresso equipment was still waiting for a barista.

By early September, NJ.com reported that the Strand is open to the public, with an outdoor seating area planned for the HELIX pedestrian plaza. HELIX sits at George and Albany streets, across from the station. HELIX's own description is short: "feed the people, whenever they want to be fed." It describes a covered pavilion and large operable doors, and pitches the hall as a place for coffee at dawn, lunch between meetings, or a pint at the end of the day.

The hall is opening in stages, so it helps to know which counter is which. The table below draws on HELIX's vendor roster and the most recent status report found, NJ.com's story from Sept. 5. Anything listed as planned was a forecast at that point and hasn't been independently confirmed since.

You'll see the bowl counter spelled two ways. HELIX's website uses "Taka Taka," while NJ.com printed "Taca Taca." MyCentralJersey reports that Gallagher's menu will also include select dishes from the other Strand vendors. That makes the pub a natural place to sit if one person wants pizza and another wants a sandwich. Dee Dee's is owned by DHS Hospitality, the group Schneider runs, so the pizza counter is part of the same local operation as Clydz.

Clydz Trades a Basement for Windows

The Clydz move explains why HELIX's ground floor looks the way it does. The bar opened in 1997 in a building that dates to 1861. It closed May 17 to make way for the HELIX project. The old room was known for an underground speakeasy feel, with exposed brick and fireplaces. When it closed, the cocktail list ran to 65 drinks, including the Hub City Layback, a clarified piña colada that bartenders poured directly into customers' mouths.

The new space in H-1 has large windows and high ceilings. Brick and artwork from the old location are being worked into it. It will seat 131 people and plans to open Monday through Saturday until 2 a.m., with lunch, dinner, and bar menus. The city's April release also mentioned a private chef's table and an expanded food program that includes lunch, which the Paterson Street location never served.

Some things aren't changing. The Victoria's Secret and the Bourbon and Cigarette stay on the menu, and the bar is keeping its no-television policy. "Talking to strangers and meeting new people … it doesn't always happen so much anymore. It happens at Clydz," Mazza told NJ.com. During the closure, Clydz kept its entire kitchen staff on by taking catering jobs and helping open the food hall.

On timing, the April announcement aimed for a September opening. NJ.com's September report pushed that to "mid-fall." No confirmed reopening date had been published as of the first of October. The Clydz website still shows the 55 Paterson St. address and the old hours, so don't rely on it for directions.

The Plaza Is Built for Fall and Winter

The Strand itself is an open-air walkway connecting H-1 with H-2 and H-3, the two buildings still under construction. Its centerpiece is a three-piece art installation that includes a red piece more than 30 feet tall, edged in neon blue. It was painted with the kind of paint used on airplane exteriors.

The paving matters most for anyone thinking about January. The paver stones use a radiant heat system. "The beautiful part is we're never going to have to do any kind of snow removal," a DEVCO official told TAPinto. The food hall windows open onto the walkway, so the hall and the walkway are designed to open into each other when the weather allows.

Plans for programming include weekend brunches, book clubs, and trivia. The first event was a Rutgers watch party on Sept. 11 with a giant screen and speakers. No recurring calendar or posted hours for the Strand had been published yet, so check before you build a Saturday around brunch there.

George Street Is Filling In Between HELIX and Downtown

HELIX's ground floor is getting new neighbors along the George Street corridor. Miss Birria at 367 George St. was in its soft opening when TAPinto reported on it Sept. 26. It serves birria tacos and birria ramen. A few doors away, The Spot at 380 George St. was still being fitted out in early September. Its co-owner hoped to open by the end of the month, but no opening had been confirmed as of this writing.

On the college end of town, Knight & Day opened in early September at 15 Easton Ave. It's a Rutgers apparel and lifestyle shop run by a longtime Rutgers superfan. This summer's seasonal George Street pedestrian plaza, which closed the Albany-to-Church and Paterson-to-Bayard blocks to cars, ended Sept. 7. That leaves the Strand as the closest car-free outdoor seating to the station heading into fall.

October Dates Within Walking Distance

The month's calendar sends people downtown on most weekends, and the station corner is on the way to several of these events.

1. Rutgers Homecoming and Family Weekend, Oct. 1–4, with charity bed races and the football game on Saturday, Oct. 3.
2. Hub City Jazz Festival, Oct. 1–4, at venues across the city.
3. Annual Corazon Latino & Mercado Esperanza, Oct. 10, 2–6 p.m., a free family event at Joyce Kilmer Park, 143 Joyce Kilmer Ave.
4. New Brunswick Oktoberfest, Oct. 11, noon–6 p.m., at Monument Square Park, 2 Livingston Ave., with food and drink vendors, live music, and a steinholding contest.
5. Jersey Boys at the State Theatre, Oct. 16–17, followed by The Temptations & The Four Tops on Oct. 18.
6. coLAB Arts' Art City Outdoor Arts Festival, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., across Bayard, Railroad, and New streets, with Oct. 25 as the rain date.
7. American Repertory Ballet's Swan Lake at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Oct. 23–25.
8. Rutgers Community Farmers Market, Fridays 11 a.m.–3 p.m. through Nov. 20, at 112 Log Cabin Rd.

Art City runs on Railroad Street, a short walk from George and Albany. A coffee at Barista and a bowl from Taka Taka fit easily before or after.

Big projects like HELIX change how a block feels long before they show up in any housing report, and a new corner by the station is part of what makes a street feel like home. If you're thinking about what the next few years of downtown might mean for your own plans in New Brunswick, in English or Spanish, Cesar Rosado is glad to talk it through over coffee. Let's Connect.