A new Mediterranean restaurant is set to open later this month on Creek View Road in Newark, bringing branzino, pasta and a creekside patio to a city its owner says has long been missing this kind of dining spot. Noẽma, whose name draws from the Greek word for meaning, is located behind Timothy's of Newark and near the Chapel Street Players theater, overlooking White Clay Creek, according to Newark Post.
The restaurant is owned by Ilias Stamatiadis along with his wife, daughter and son-in-law, according to the Newark Post. Stamatiadis, who was born in Greece and raised in Sweden, came to the United States 35 years ago and spent much of his career helping run the Pat's Pizzeria chain, which was founded by his wife's father, per the same report. Six years ago, he and his family opened The Naked Olive, a Mediterranean restaurant in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania — and that experience is what led him to Newark.
Stamatiadis said Newark lacked a restaurant like The Naked Olive, so the family decided to try opening one here, the Newark Post reports. Noẽma shares a concept similar to its Kennett Square predecessor, though with some different menu items. On its website, Noẽma describes itself as a place to connect, laugh, celebrate, and share the table, with dine-in service and a bar.
A Family Table With Mediterranean Roots
Stamatiadis said the restaurant aims to connect people around a table, and that Noẽma is meant to evoke sitting at the Mediterranean and enjoying life, according to the Newark Post. The Naked Olive, whose dining concept The Naked Olive PA says is inspired by the family's travels through the Mediterranean, built its menu around traditional dishes with unexpected nuances and serves branzino, grilled European sea bass, and a wide selection of pastas, per the restaurant's Kennett Square location page. The Naked Olive PA notes the family has served its community in the food industry since 1974, as reported by The Naked Olive PA.
Noẽma features a large outdoor patio overlooking White Clay Creek, along with a bar area and event spaces for birthdays and other gatherings, the Newark Post reports. The restaurant's own site also lists Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., alongside regular Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and says it offers catering for gatherings outside its dine-in setting.
Part Of A Bigger Creek View Road Makeover
Noẽma was constructed as part of Lang Development Group's redevelopment of the Creek View Road complex, which also includes new apartments, office space and a theater, according to the Newark Post. Lang Development Group's own retail listings describe a 4,800-square-foot space for the restaurant at 600 Creek View Road, as noted by Lang Development Group, and the developer had previously flagged the Mediterranean concept as coming from the creators of The Naked Olive in Kennett Square.
Newark City Council voted unanimously to grant Noẽma a special-use permit to sell alcohol, the Newark Post reports. Councilwoman Corinth Ford said she likes family restaurants, while Mayor Travis McDermott said he has visited The Naked Olive many times and likes its Mediterranean platter. McDermott added that he enjoys The Naked Olive and looks forward to having a similar restaurant closer to home.
