When the team behind Verana and Mykos Estiatorio took over 252 Schraalenburgh Road last summer, their email to guests said they were "honored to bring new life to a place that meant something to so many guests in the community," according to Boozy Burbs. At that point they hadn't named the restaurant or said what it would serve, or when it would open.
Now the restaurant has a name. Nikki Nikkei is open in the barnlike building that Closter knew as The Hill, and it serves Nikkei cuisine, the Peruvian-Japanese cooking that grew out of Japanese immigration to Peru more than a century ago. The building's stone fireplace and peaked roof are still there. The rest has been redone, and the restaurant now belongs to a group of three that stretches across the Northern Valley.
One Building, Three Chapters
The address has changed hands twice in ten years. Each time, the new owner kept the building and replaced what was inside it.
| Restaurant | Years at 252 Schraalenburgh Road | Who ran it |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest Bistro | 2003 to May 22, 2016 | Owner Russell Stern, "Modern French" |
| The Hill | Opened 2018, closed around June 1, 2026 | Chef Ben Pollinger |
| Nikki Nikkei | Opened fall 2026 | Partners Robert Briskin, Tommy Demaras and Chef Giuseppe Agostino |
Harvest Bistro ran for thirteen years. In his farewell message, as Boozy Burbs reported in 2016, Stern called it "a privilege" to have shared "so many wonderful experiences" with his guests. After that the building sat empty until Pollinger, a Michelin-starred chef who had spent ten years at Oceana in Manhattan, opened The Hill in 2018, according to Best of NJ. The Hill lasted eight years. The restaurant's closing post, quoted by NorthJersey.com, described it as "a place where friendships formed, milestones were celebrated, and countless evenings were shared around the table."
Nikki Nikkei moved in more quickly than The Hill did. By July 23 the new team had told guests it had officially taken over the space. On November 1, BergenMama introduced Nikki Nikkei as Closter's newest restaurant, and it was taking dinner reservations. By November 5, Boozy Burbs was reporting the restaurant open.
What Stayed, and What Got Repainted
The Hill's 2018 renovation went for light colors. New Jersey Monthly's 2018 review described the dining room under its peaked roof as "Scandinavian minimalism." The walls were pale gray and off-white, with vintage barnwood, oak tabletops and floors, blue upholstered chairs, and a stone fireplace. Before the opening, Pollinger told New Jersey Monthly that he wanted people "to feel comfortable coming just as they are."
The new owners went dark. Their private-events page describes the dining room as "dark and warm, with a mural over the stone fireplace, a hand-built Japanese slatted wall and a chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling." BergenMama called the mood "moody, intimate" and pointed out the hardwood floors and the bar's cocktail program. The fireplace and the ceiling height carried over from 2018. The colors, the art and the feel of the room did not.
The upstairs room changed too. In 2018, The Hill's upstairs private dining room seated about 54 people, with a fireplace and a 60-inch TV that could be hidden behind a custom sliding door, according to Best of NJ. Upstairs is now the Elixir Room, which Nikki Nikkei describes as "inspired by the old apothecary." It's sized for groups of up to 30, which is smaller than before and better suited to birthdays, family dinners and small corporate gatherings.
The Menu Builds on Small Plates
The menu's prices start low and climb in steps, so the cost of an evening depends on how a table orders. The restaurant's own advice is to "order for the table." These are prices from the current Nikki Nikkei menu:
- Temaki, $8 to $12. Open-faced nori hand rolls, including the Crispy Eggplant Korokke with gochujang and Asian pear jam at $8, Shrimp & Salsa Macha at $9, and the Lobster Rocoto with spicy chopped lobster at $12.
- Small plates, $12 to $29. Ceviche with ají amarillo leche de tigre and cancha is $22, Chicken Karaage is $16, and the Wagyu Oxtail Empanada, braised in miso and sold by the piece, is $24. The Wagyu Zabuton Tataki and the Pulpo al Olivo are $29 each.
- Tacos, $18 to $20. Duck Mole with seared breast and braised leg is $20. The Baja Halibut and the Rocky Mountain Lamb Barbacoa are $18 each.
- Large plates, $26 to $48. Prices run from Rocoto Yakisoba at $26 through Pollo a la Brasa at $29 and Lomo Saltado at $32, up to Miso Chilean Sea Bass at $48.
- Cocktails, $16 to $22. The Miso Coffee is $16 and the Hojicha Old Fashioned, made with bourbon and Peruvian chicha morada, is $22. Zero-proof drinks are $15.
The dishes themselves show how the cuisine combines its two sides. Lomo Saltado pairs teres major with a ginger-garlic soy glaze and white rice. Pollo a la Brasa comes with furikake sweet potato fries. The restaurant's stated rule is that neither Peru's "heat, acid and color" nor Japan's "precision and restraint" should "overwhelm the other."
Closter Joins a Northern Valley Group
The biggest change at 252 Schraalenburgh Road is who owns it. Harvest Bistro and The Hill were each built around one person. Nikki Nikkei is the third restaurant from a family that opened Verana in Norwood in 2022 and Mykos in Northvale in 2025, as Boozy Burbs reported. Executive Chef and partner Giuseppe Agostino previously cooked at Del Posto in Manhattan and is the chef and owner at Verana, where the food is modern Italian. In October 2026, New Jersey Monthly updated its list of the best Italian restaurants in New Jersey, and Verana is on it.
The group runs a single rewards program for all three restaurants. Spending at Nikki Nikkei, Mykos and Verana goes into one balance, and every $1,000 spent returns $100. A dinner in Closter, one in Northvale and one in Norwood all count toward the same reward. For a household that already eats at Verana or Mykos, Nikki Nikkei slots into an existing habit.
Planning a Weeknight Dinner
Nikki Nikkei serves dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday.
- Hours. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
- Reservations. The restaurant recommends booking, especially on weekends. If you want to eat upstairs in the Elixir Room, ask for it when you reserve.
- Walk-ins. The bar takes walk-ins.
- Parking. Valet parking is free at the rear of the building.
- Contact. The phone number is (201) 300-4550.
For bigger occasions, the restaurant books the Elixir Room for up to 30 guests and the main dining room for about 60. A full buyout, which takes in the mural-wrapped bar, the dining room and the Elixir Room, holds 100. Event menus can be served family-style, starting with ceviche and tiradito and moving on to rice, maki and larger plates from the grill. Receptions can have passed bites and a bar built around pisco, sake and Japanese whisky. Since the fireplace is still the centerpiece, a December dinner here still means eating next to the same stone hearth the building had under The Hill.
I follow changes like this one at Closter's landmark buildings as closely as I follow sales. If you have questions about Closter, whether it's which local spots are changing or what your own home on the same streets is worth, Daniel Chamoun is glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
