New Houlihan's Restaurant in Menlo Park Slated to Open Monday

Houlihan's is opening Monday in Woodbridge, and there are at least 200 people who are thrilled to death.

Those are the new employees hired by the chain when they refurbished the old Bennigan's site on Route 1, in the Menlo Park Terrace section of the township.

Foodies who are fans of the Houlihan's chain - an eclectic mix of fine dining and casual fare, along with a fun, diverse bar menu - are probably pretty happy, too.

Until this new restaurant opens, the closest Houlihan's to Woodbridge residents would have been the one 10 miles away, in New Brunswick.

The menu features freshly-prepared items that run the gamut from wings to steaks, and traditional comfort foods such as pot roast. But the chain is listening to its customers' desires for smaller quantities and lighter fare.

The Woodbridge location will feature a new Houlihan's exclusive, the "small plate" menu. More than thirty small plate items, including such new choices as Grilled Naked Dumpling Kabobs and flat bread pizzas will be on the menu for diners who want to take advantage of excellent food in smaller, waist-watching quantities. 

As always, the classic Houlihan's menu in with traditional picks will be available.

At least some of the new Houlihan's employees may have first gotten wind of the job through Woodbridge Township municipal website, which features job listings to help unemployed residents find work. Houlihan's was a featured employer. 

The Woodbridge Houlihan's will be the 18th restaurant opened in NJ. The state franchise for Houlihan's is owned by the A.C.E. Restaurant Group, who also owns the rights to the Long Island chain sites. They are the largest Houlihan's franchisee in the country.