Then & Now

Photo by Karen Zautyk
Photo by Karen Zautyk

Yes, there it is. Eagan’s. Long a landmark at the northeast corner of Schuyler Ave. and the Belleville Pike. While just over the border in North Arlington, the restaurant/watering hole was the home-away-home for many a Kearnyite. And Harrisonian. And whatever you call people from Lyndhurst. This particular photo is labeled as being from the 1940s, although the car in front looks at least a decade older. In any case, Eagan’s later greatly expanded and for decades flourished.

Then it disappeared, to be replaced with a CVS, which doesn’t serve french fries. If anyone can tell us when Eagan’s closed, we would appreciate it. We were not living in N.J. when it vanished and, believe it or not, no one has been able to provide a date.

A favorite source of accurate info on such matters is kearnyalumni.com, and we found an Eagan’s post from Joan Csedrik (Dvoranchik) dated April 2002 which reads: “My youth is officially gone. No more frenchies & gravy. No more onion rings. No more rice pudding.  Oh my!”

But all the responses are dated 2004. Did it take everyone else two years to answer? When did Eagan’s close?

–Karen Zautyk 

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