Millburn Deli opened its seventh New Jersey location this month, a storefront in Westwood at 301 Center Avenue, about an hour north in Bergen County. The sandwich shop got its start in 1946, when World War II veteran Samuel Fluke opened a single counter in downtown Millburn. Eighty years later, the brand has spread to Morristown, Montclair, Westfield, Bridgewater, and now two Bergen County towns, Ridgewood and Westwood, with the original storefront still anchored on the same stretch of Millburn Avenue where it started.
That outward growth is the easy story. The more interesting one is the mix taking shape across Millburn while the Deli's name spreads elsewhere. Several businesses have opened in and around downtown this year, and most of the newest additions are not betting on food the way past cycles usually have.
What Actually Moved In
The Explore Millburn-Short Hills Special Improvement District keeps a running list of new business openings downtown, and the additions from this year read differently than a typical restaurant refresh.
| Business | Address | What It Offers |
|---|---|---|
| Peel'd Juice Bar | 346 Millburn Avenue | cold-pressed juice and smoothies |
| Aroma'z Home | 344 Millburn Avenue | flooring and home finishes |
| Dilli Dilli Millburn | 27 Main Street | Indian restaurant, its first New Jersey location |
| AquaTots Swim School | 750 Morris Turnpike | swim lessons for children |
Two doors apart on the same block, a juice bar and a flooring showroom opened within weeks of each other. Neither one is a restaurant in the traditional sense, and neither is competing for the same dinner crowd the Deli, or any of downtown's sit-down spots, has spent decades building. A few blocks over, a pilates studio has also opened at 397 Millburn Avenue, adding a second fitness stop to the same short walk.
Only one of the recent additions is a full restaurant, and it is a notable one. Dilli Dilli built its name at a single Times Square flagship before opening its first New Jersey location at 27 Main Street. The chef behind the concept described the move in terms of reach rather than real estate math, saying the goal was:
"an opportunity to weave the soul of Delhi into a new community"
— as quoted by Yahoo Creators
That stated aim gives the opening a community-focused dimension beyond the address itself.
A Legacy Name Growing Out, New Names Filling In
The Deli's expansion and Millburn's newer openings are not disconnected stories. They show local businesses moving in different directions. A business that started here and built a following is now exporting itself to towns an hour away, while new businesses in and around Millburn are adding categories that never used to be the default bet downtown.
For most of Millburn Avenue's recent history, an empty storefront meant a coin flip between two outcomes: another restaurant or another boutique. This year's openings across Millburn and nearby corridors suggest a third option is part of the mix. The nearby mix includes a juice bar, a flooring showroom, a swim school, a pilates studio, and one true restaurant. That is not evidence Millburn stopped eating. Dilli Dilli's arrival at 27 Main Street, plus the Deli's continued presence at its original address, both argue against that. It is evidence that wellness and home-service categories are now part of the local mix alongside food.
What a Week on the Avenue Actually Looks Like Now
The practical effect shows up in ordinary errands rather than in headlines. A stop for a smoothie before the train now has an option at Peel'd; previously, there wasn't a juice option in town. A mudroom or basement flooring project no longer means driving to a big-box store outside Millburn, since Aroma'z Home now carries samples two doors from the juice bar. A first swim lesson for a young child no longer requires a trip to a neighboring town's rec center, since AquaTots has a dedicated location on Morris Turnpike. A Tuesday pilates class fits into the same loop as a coffee run, since a studio now sits on Millburn Avenue itself rather than a fifteen-minute drive away.
None of that replaces what the avenue already did well. Friday night still means a table at one of the established restaurants downtown, or a seat at Dilli Dilli for chaat and kebabs if that reservation books out first. The Deli's original counter is still the place for a Godfadda or a Gobbler, the same sandwiches that built the brand before it had six other addresses to its name. What has changed is the range of errands available around Millburn. This year, new options have appeared across the area: Peel'd, Aroma'z Home, AquaTots, and a pilates studio. They join the restaurants that were already part of the local mix.
Millburn Is Solving a Different Set of Errands Than It Used To
Downtown Millburn has always been dense enough to handle a dinner reservation or a coffee run without much thought. Across Millburn, the smaller, recurring errands now have more options: a flooring sample picked up on a lunch break, a swim lesson at AquaTots on Morris Turnpike, or a pilates class on Millburn Avenue. This year's openings add to those choices, alongside the restaurant scene that already makes the avenue worth walking down.
Whether that pattern holds through next year's lease cycle is impossible to say from a handful of openings. What is true right now in Millburn, in the fall of 2026, is that recent additions include a juice bar, a flooring store, a swim school, a pilates studio, and one standout restaurant, while Millburn Deli keeps building its name in other towns instead of expanding at home.
If you're weighing a move to a block like this one, where daily errands and dinner options both keep evolving, the Liz + Vikram Team can walk you through what life on a specific street in Short Hills or Millburn actually looks like before you commit to it.
