New Restaurant Coming to Former Trackside Grille

Written by Megan Merrigan.

The former home of Daniella’s Trackside Grille is being transformed into The Rail Yard, an upscale New York City-style pub set to open this fall.

The long time Fair Lawn restaurant was seized in October for the non-payment of $40,000 in state sales taxes.

When the state auctioned off the restaurant’s liquor license in January, Bob Piccoli, Oakland’s former mayor and a north Jersey restaurateur with a 30-year tenure, bought the license for $67,500, and has since leased the Plaza Road property.

Piccoli said that he had noticed a lot of curiosity and excitement from Fair Lawn locals who have been walking by the property.  

“Now it’s my job to deliver,” he said.

Piccoli, who has not yet been approved by the town’s Building Department, is still finishing up his plans for the restaurant. He said he anticipates making major renovations to the “outdated” location.

The tentative plans for The Rail Yard include sectioning off the restaurant into three separate areas, according to Piccoli.

The rear section of the restaurant will be reserved for dinner tables. Another section will house couches, a bar with craft beers on tap and free Wi-Fi, being geared toward groups looking to enjoy drinks and appetizers in a relaxed setting, Piccoli said.

Additionally, the section of the restaurant which lies closest to the parking lot will lend more of a family-friendly atmosphere. It will offer the same menu, but won’t make customers feel like they are in a bar.

“We’re going to do what the Trackside was trying to do,” Piccoli said.

Piccoli, who previously owned The Pub on Route 17, had his sights set on opening a similar venue in the area when he purchased the liquor license in January. He ultimately decided on the Plaza Road location based on its availability and location.

“Like anything else it’s location, location, location,” Piccoli said of the property.

Plaza Road’s accessibility to the train and proximity to condos in the area makes the restaurant’s location commuter friendly and accessible for a younger crowd, Piccoli said.

The restaurant is tentatively scheduled to open by September, and will be open for both lunch and dinner.

“Fair Lawn is a great town, a great community, we look forward to being a part of it,” Piccoli said.