Agra Indian Masala is under construction at the onetime home of Monmouth Music. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two long-vacant spaces in downtown Red Bank are showing signs of returning as new restaurants.

Also in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn: two restaurants that proved short-lived.

A restaurant called Saffron is under construction in the former home of the Front Street Trattoria. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

• Agra Indian Masala is under construction at 30 Monmouth Street, the longtime home of Monmouth Music, an instrument shop that closed five years ago and has been empty ever since.

Churn was unable to reach Tanzu Akhter, who’s identified on building permits as the contact, for information about the menu and estimated opening date.

• Interior construction also has been underway at 31-33 West Front Street, where Front Street Trattoria operated for 35 years before closing in 2020.

A permit in the window indicates the restaurant will be called Saffron, owned by Sage & Salt LLC. The limited liability company’s members are Amrita Jogi and Manish Kumar of Millstone. They did not immediately respond to a request for information.

Mirsad Hodzic and Chris Battaglia bought the building in February, 2021, for $1.18 million. They have not responded to text messages.

• Another downtown restaurant, El Gavilan Tio Juan, which opened at 51 Broad Street just seven months ago, has closed, its manager confirmed Thursday.

The space was long occupied by Shapiro’s New York Style Delicatessen.

• Juanito’s Charcoal Grill, which opened just 14 months ago in a new apartment building at 191-193 Shrewsbury Avenue, is “closed for renovations,” a sign in the window said last week.

“Restaurant coming soon,” said another sign.

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