Clydz Cocktail Bar Is Relocating To The New Brunswick HELIX

First, we reported RWJBarnabas and Hackensack Meridian Health will share research labs at the HELIX, the tech/science "innovation campus" coming to the heart of New Brunswick.

Then we reported Tel Aviv University, in Israel, plans to open a satellite campus there.

Next came the news that Nokia Bell Labs will leave their Berkeley Heights world headquarters and relocate to the HELIX in 2028, joined by Portal Innovations, venture capitalists who invest in the life sciences.

And now comes the fun part: Clydz cocktail bar will relocate to the HELIX this fall. Clydz is an underground watering hole that's been open for years in New Brunswick; they will relocate to the ground floor of HELIX building 1, the first building scheduled to be completed later this year.

Clydz plans to open there in September.

And a new food hall will open there sooner, likely by June.

For those who haven't been paying attention, the HELIX is currently under construction on several vacant lots (George Street, Albany Street) in the heart of New Brunswick, steps from the train station. HELIX stands for Health + Life Science Exchange, and former Gov. Phil Murphy previously said he imagines it as a place where the next iPhone is invented, new vaccines are developed, a new Facebook is invented and so on. The door is "wide open" for New Jersey pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk (the maker of Ozempic), Merck and others to rent space at the HELIX, Murphy said before he left office last year.

The HELIX will consist of three buildings: H-1, H-2 and H-3.

• H-1 will be the first building to go up, in the front, with the Rutgers Health sign on top. It will be the new home of Rutgers Medical School and something called the NJ Innovation Hub, which will have shared research labs with the goal of being a launch pad for tech/science start-ups.
• H-2: Nokia Bell Labs plans to occupy the entire H-2 building. They are expected to move in in 2028.
• H-3 will be the building in the back with the HELIX sign on top. It will be versatile work and office space for smaller companies on the bottom floors, with residential apartments on the top.

In its new home, you can expect Clydz (currently located on Paterson Street) to continue its delectable drinks and groovy vibe that made it beloved in the first place, with these new additions:

• An expanded food and beverage menu that will start serving lunch, plus a bigger dinner menu.
• A private chef's table -- very romantic.
• An outdoor seating area on the pedestrian plaza that's coming to the HELIX.

Clydz head chef is Jackie Mazza (founder of Knead Baked Goods in New Brunswick), alongside general manager Yari Figueroa and Woody McCarthy, beverage director.

"We're thrilled to bring Clydz into this exciting new chapter at HELIX H-1, opening in early fall of 2026," said Mazza.

Strand Market @ the HELIX will open sooner, likely by June. The market will have:

• A barista coffee cafe (open all day)
• Taka Taka Salad and Bowls (open for lunch and dinner): Mediterranean-inspired salads and bowls.
• Today's Special Sandwich Shop (open for lunch and dinner): Artisanal sandwiches made fresh daily.
• DeeDee's Pizza (open for lunch and dinner): The second location of the acclaimed DeeDee's Pizza.

Gallagher's Irish Pub (open afternoons and evenings): A central, inviting Irish pub serving bar bites and proper pints -- ideal for meeting friends or relaxing before catching a train at the train station just up the street.

Forget Manhattan -- I'll take New Brunswick! Yes folks, New Brunswick may just become the new NYC.

"The HELIX is about collaboration -- in the lab and the office but also at the coffee bar, the communal lunch table and at happy hour," said DEVCO President Christopher Paladino. "Together, these venues will anchor the vibrant HELIX innovation district, delivering exceptional dining, mixology and gathering spaces for the HELIX ecosystem and the city of New Brunswick."

With all this development happening in New Brunswick, just down the street is 259 George Street, a currently empty lot where a church is located, and where two developers are fighting over who gets to build a 45-story apartment tower. Read that story: Developer Says They Were Cut Out Of Deal To Build 45-Story Tower At 259 George Street In New Brunswick (March 17)

Story by: Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff 
Photo Credit: New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO)