Millburn Avenue Lost Its Starbucks. The Coffee Counters Filling In Roast Their Own.

The Starbucks at 343 Millburn Ave. had closed for good by Sunday, Sept. 27. It was the only national coffee chain on that stretch of Millburn Avenue, and it hasn't been replaced by another chain. Two owner-operated roasters are filling the gap instead. One is already pouring on Main Street, and the other is set to open in November a few addresses from the old Starbucks. A third independent coffee shop holds a signed lease and is waiting for its approvals.

At the same time, the Township Committee rewrote the rules for where restaurants and cafes can open downtown, and the business district is running its first walking food tour. Together these changes give downtown Millburn's morning routine a different makeup than it had in late summer.

A Closure That Started Outside Millburn

The Starbucks closure was part of a corporate decision. As the Short Hills Sentinel reported, the company closed 250 North American stores in one round, about 1% of its roughly 18,000 locations on the continent. Millburn was one of only two New Jersey stores on the list. The other is in Willingboro on Route 130. In a Sept. 24 letter to employees, the company said the closing stores could not deliver acceptable financial results or the experience it wanted.

The Oct. 22 economic vitality report for Explore Millburn-Short Hills, the downtown's Special Improvement District, also listed Casa de Natas as closed. Neither the report nor the Short Hills Sentinel's coverage gave a reason for either closing. The same report included arrivals that aren't food businesses. YK Salon opened at 321 Millburn Ave. on Oct. 6, and Burn Boot Camp plans to open at 730 Morris Turnpike in Short Hills by the end of the year.

41 Main Street Kept Its Roaster and Rewrote the Menu

The first sign of the change opened before Starbucks closed. Cana Mediterranean Kitchen and Coffee Roastery is at 41 Main St., where Coffee Mill Roasters had operated since April 2013. Owner Adel Aziz, who had run Coffee Mill Roasters, rebranded the shop in August. He kept the coffee program and added a full Mediterranean kitchen with shawarma, mezze, falafel, bowls and pitas. Cana's website describes small-batch coffee roasted daily in-house.

The prices suit a weekday stop. Citing The Miller, the Short Hills Sentinel reported bowls and wraps under $18 and lattes under $8. The posted hours run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The shop is closed Mondays. Through the end of August, 41 Main St. served pastries and drinks. It now serves full meals and roasts its own coffee under the same owner.

A Roaster Moves Onto Millburn Avenue in November

The second roaster is moving onto the same block of Millburn Avenue the chain left. Tazza Organic Coffee Roasters at 353 Millburn Ave. posts "Opening This November" on its homepage, and the SID's September minutes also list it as coming in November. Tazza says it roasts small batches in Millburn with a fluid roasting process, sells organic beans by the bag and by the cup, and will serve Balthazar baked goods delivered daily. No opening day has been announced, so check before you walk over.

Once Tazza opens, downtown will have two roasters, one on Main Street and one on Millburn Avenue, while a third independent waits for its turn.

Peel'd is a juice bar, not a coffee shop, but it belongs on the same morning map. The SID expected a soft opening the weekend of Oct. 16, and its own site still described the Millburn location as almost here in late October.

The Coffee Shop Waiting on a Hearing

Roa Coffee's timeline depends on the township. Owner Will Lee has a five-year lease at 515 Millburn Ave. On Oct. 6 he told the Township Committee that he had planned the shop with architects and legal advisers on the understanding that a coffee shop was a permitted conditional use there. He also said a proposed restaurant ordinance could force him to seek a use variance, which could cause significant delays. The committee postponed its vote that night, TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills reported.

On Oct. 20 the committee unanimously adopted Ordinance 2769-26. Before the vote, Township Administrator Alex McDonald said Roa's application had already been submitted and would be reviewed under the rules in place before the ordinance. He also said any relief the project needs would likely be a conditional-use variance tied to a rear-buffer requirement, not a use variance. Officials had not yet decided whether the Planning Board or the Zoning Board would hear the application, but a Zoning Board hearing could come as early as December, according to TAPinto.

The ordinance affects any food business that applies after it. According to the public-hearing text posted by the township, food-service uses in the B-2A, B-2B, B-2C and B-3 districts are conditional uses, and only on lots fronting a primary or secondary road. The building must also sit at least 125 feet from the nearest lot line of a single-family home in a residential district, unless a street or railroad right-of-way separates the two. In the B-4 Central Business District, the downtown core, restaurants remain permitted uses where that standard is met and become conditional uses where it is not. The text also sets standards for outdoor seating, exhaust and odors, deliveries and amplified sound where a restaurant borders homes, and it bars drive-up windows. The same ordinance lets an existing pet-care and grooming business in the B-3 district pursue an expansion. This summary is general information, not legal advice. Anyone planning a food business or a property change downtown should confirm their situation with the township and their own attorney.

The First Food Tour Walks the New Mix

Explore Millburn-Short Hills is promoting the current restaurant mix through Millburn's first walking food tour. Taste of Millburn runs Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. It is a guided walk of about one mile with four to five restaurant stops, chef and owner tastings, drink pairings, and stories about downtown history and its murals. Chow Town Food Tours sells tickets at $90. The group is capped at 22, the meeting point is sent after purchase, and the booking page says the route is not ADA accessible. The SID board approved a promo code worth $25 off a ticket, with the subsidy capped at $500 in total.

The restaurants are not named. The published itinerary describes a Greek taverna, a restaurant at a cultural destination, a bakery by the historic green and a local ice cream shop. Max Gray, who founded Chow Town in 2024, told Jersey Bites that "Millburn's dining scene reflects an incredible range of culinary traditions" and that the tour lets people "travel around the world by taking an easy stroll across town."

Main Street already reflects that range. Dilli Dilli at 27 Main St. had held its grand opening by mid-September and takes reservations through Resy. The address was previously Common Lot, which served its last meal on May 9, 2025, as The Montclair Girl reported. Cana is a few doors down at 41 Main St.

Curtain Times, a Tour Date and a Move to Lot 6

Between now and mid-December, the downtown calendar runs on four dates:

1. Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 to 4 p.m.: Taste of Millburn walking tour.
2. Wednesday, Nov. 18: Mary Poppins opens at Paper Mill Playhouse and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
3. Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m.: The Explore Millburn-Short Hills board holds its next public meeting, where the next economic vitality report would come up.
4. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12, 5 to 8 p.m.: Winter Villages, held this year in Lot 6 because of expected construction at Town Hall Plaza.

The Mary Poppins run brings theater audiences downtown every week of the holiday season, and the SID has a stake in directing them to local businesses. Its board approved a $1,875 cooperative marketing grant for Paper Mill Playhouse on the condition that the theater print Explore Millburn-Short Hills QR codes on its marketing materials and handouts. Before a matinee this season, you can choose Cana's shawarma and house-roasted coffee on Main Street, or Tazza on Millburn Avenue once its doors open, a few addresses from where the Starbucks used to be.

A new roaster, a Main Street kitchen or a pending coffee shop can change how buyers see the block around a home. If you live near Millburn Avenue or Main Street and want to know how this fall's changes could affect your property, The Wright Group can show you what the current downtown means for your home's value. Request a complimentary home valuation.