Munchie’s owners Sophia and Reid Taylor (Facebook)
Fans of Munchie’s Take a Lickle Taste, the much-loved Jamaican restaurant on Irvington Avenue in South Orange, were dismayed and shocked a couple of weeks ago to learn that the restaurant had been shut down.
The doors were closed, and a sign taped on the door said the restaurant had been seized for non-payment of taxes.
Regular customers worried that the area’s best jerk chicken, oxtails and patties were gone forever.
Happily, it was just a short bump in the road, and as of last Friday (March 20), Munchie’s was up and running again.
“It is with profound relief that I can announce that we [reopened Friday],” said Reid Taylor, who owns the restaurant with his wife Sophia, who is responsible for the delicious food. “We are both still feeling a bit shell-shocked by the whole ordeal, but getting back in to the restaurant and getting busy prepping for opening does a lot to allay any lingering trauma.”
In an email to the Seton Village Committee, Taylor said he and his wife had resolved the issue to the state’s satisfaction and had a “new lease on life.”
Taylor continued, “…we will be very pleased to continue being a part of all the positive energy and development of Irvington Ave. Thank you to all who have had us in their prayers, and Sophia and I both apologize for any undue inconvenience (or hunger), our confusion and mess might have caused.”
Taylor told The Village Green that Munchies would be marking its 5th anniversary in May, and were contemplating having some sort of public celebration. More details will be available as the date gets closer.
Fans of Munchie’s as well as local officials were relieved and thrilled that the restaurant would remain a mainstay of Irvington Avenue.
“Both Reid and Sophia are not only passionate about their food and delivering a high quality product at Munchies, but they also bring an energy and spirit to our collective efforts over the past year and a half to improve the entire Seton Village business district,” said Sheena Collum, South Orange Trustee and liaison to the Seton Village Committee, in an email. “I’m so happy to see them reopen because they’ve been great partners and make great jerk chicken – which is a win/win for all of us.”
Munchie’s Take a Lickle Taste, 307 Irvington Ave., South Orange, NJ, 973-821-5471.
