New Japanese Restaurant Coming to West Cape May – Kiba Cape May
It looks like West Cape May is getting a brand-new restaurant, and this one is bringing something a little different to the island.
Say hello to Kiba Cape May, a new Japanese-inspired neighborhood izakaya planned for 100 Park Boulevard in West Cape May.
The project recently went before the West Cape May Planning-Zoning Board, where plans for a new restaurant at the property received approval on September 1.
New Japanese Restaurant Coming to West Cape May
According to the public notice filed ahead of the meeting, Cape Lumberyard, LLC applied to convert one of the existing units at 100 Park Boulevard into a restaurant serving alcoholic beverages.
The plans also call for outdoor seating, a walk-in refrigerator at the rear of the building and six additional off-street parking spaces. Another unit at the property is expected to be converted into office space.
At the time that public notice came out, we didn’t know exactly what restaurant was planned for the site.
Well, now we do.
A new social media page for Kiba Cape May has popped up, listing its location as 100 Park Boulevard and simply saying, “Coming Soon!”
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Kiba is branding itself as a “Neighborhood Izakaya.”
If you’ve never heard the word izakaya before, think of it as a casual Japanese pub or tavern. These restaurants traditionally combine drinks with smaller Japanese dishes meant to be shared, making it a more social and relaxed dining experience rather than your traditional sit-down restaurant.
And there is another interesting piece to this story.
There appears to be a strong Cape Resorts connection behind the project.
A liquor license was previously transferred to 100A Park Boulevard through BPF Liquor, LLC. Public filings for that company have identified Curtis Bashaw, the founder and managing partner of Cape Resorts.
Kiba’s own social media activity also includes Andrew Skilton, who serves as Vice President of Food & Beverage for Cape Resorts.
While we haven’t found documentation that specifically says Cape Resorts owns Kiba, there is clearly a connection between the people behind Cape Resorts and this new West Cape May restaurant.
As of right now, Kiba has not announced an official opening date, only teasing that it is coming soon.
It’s always exciting to see something new coming to the Cape May area, especially a concept we really don’t have much of down here.
We’ll keep you posted as Kiba Cape May gets closer to opening its doors. And be sure to give their Facebook Page a follow.