If you've walked past 238 Franklin Avenue anytime in the last twelve months, you've probably lost track of what's supposed to be behind that door. It was the Franklin Steakhouse for years, then it sat closed. Then it became the Hudson Rose. Then it became Bacarosa. As of this writing, it's sitting quiet again, with no new name in the window and no announcement of what comes next.
For many Nutley residents, the changes at that address have become a topic of conversation, including at the farmers market and Bella Luce. That history also offers a way to look at the different restaurant formats on Franklin Avenue.
How the space has changed
Start with the plain facts about the property itself. The building last sold in December 2021 for $1.3 million, and it came with real infrastructure: a full basement, a first floor with a bar built to hold a crowd, and a second-floor banquet room with 14-foot ceilings that could seat 200 people for weddings, sweet sixteens, and corporate events. The Hudson Rose spent two years renovating the space before opening in August 2024.
The account that follows focuses on the two most recent concepts to occupy the space.
Two concepts, one ownership group
Look at what actually happened there and a pattern shows up fast.
The Hudson Rose opened in August 2024 with a New York-inspired menu, caviar hot dogs, whole dry-aged duck for two, and a raw bar, plus that 200-person Harlow Room upstairs for private events. It closed in July 2025, just short of a year in business.
A few weeks later, the same ownership group, GAC Hospitality, reopened the space as Bacarosa: wood-fired pizza, handmade pasta, a 90-bottle Italian wine list, and the same banquet room doing the same job under a new name. Bacarosa lasted from mid-August to December 20, 2025, when the owners closed for good. As reported by NJBIZ, the owners wrote in their farewell statement:
"The economics of this industry have always been challenging and even more so in recent times."
The quote records the owners' stated view of the restaurant industry's economics; it does not explain the Hudson Rose's closure.
Those closures alone don't establish whether Nutley has an appetite for good food. TAPinto Nutley's own coverage has pointed to places like Urban Leaf, the Oakley, and Michael's Pastaria as destination restaurants in town. Bella Luce, described below, offers another example of a restaurant with a long-running menu.
What doesn't change on Franklin Avenue
While that one address has been reinventing itself twice a year, a few blocks of the same street have been doing the opposite.
Bella Luce, at 507 Franklin Avenue, has been serving the same short rib pappardelle and grilled pork chop since it opened in March 2015 under Joe Capasso and Dino Vitagliano, the former owners of Luce Restaurant in Caldwell. No rebrand, no banquet room ambitions beyond hosting the occasional rehearsal dinner, just a 40-seat bar and a menu that hasn't needed reinventing in over a decade.
The Nutley Farmers Market is having its 17th season this year, running every Sunday from June 14 through October 25 along Booth Drive. It's free, it's run by the township with the Greenutley Committee, and it has never once needed a rebrand to stay relevant.
And on September 13, 2026, the Nutley Rotary Club will hold its 8th Annual Car and Motorcycle Show on Franklin Avenue, expecting more than 200 cars and motorcycles, with proceeds going to Camp Happy Times, the Valerie Fund's overnight camp for children with cancer. Bacarosa was actually one of the food vendors at last year's show, a small detail that captures the whole story: a restaurant that couldn't survive as a standalone destination was still a welcome presence as part of a free, recurring community event.
These examples range from a long-running restaurant to a weekly farmers market and an annual community event.
What this means for whoever takes 238 Franklin next
The recent history of 238 Franklin offers a snapshot of how the space has been used: the two most recent concepts paired restaurant dining with a large upstairs event space.
The next operator may choose a different format, but the history alone doesn't establish which approach would work best. Whatever direction it takes, the next chapter will be one more reason Franklin Avenue is worth watching closely if you're paying attention to what makes this town tick day to day, not just what's for sale on it.
If you're thinking about what a neighborhood like this actually feels like to live in, not just what the listing photos show, Nicholas Salemme has spent years working Nutley and the surrounding towns and is always glad to talk through what's really going on block by block. Let's Connect.
