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Zeke's Bar and Grill opens in Bridgeport
Keila Torres Ocasio
Updated 11:57 pm, Tuesday, August 26, 2014


Owner Paul Osakwe stands in the dining room at Zeke's Bar and Grill, which opened recently on Barnum Ave., in Bridgeport, Conn. Aug. 26, 2014. Photo: Ned Gerard


A bacon-cheese burger with onion rings, and double glazed baby back ribs served with macaroni and cheese, and corn bread, at Zeke's Bar and Grill, which opened recently on Barnum Ave., in Bridgeport, Conn



BRIDGEPORT -- As the general manager of Ruby Tuesday in the Trumbull Westfield mall, Paul Osakwe often thought about the lack of similar types of restaurants in Bridgeport.

The city, he noted, is known for its authentic cuisine and unique eateries, but not for attracting a lot of national-chain restaurants. "If you go around Bridgeport most of the restaurants are bars, soul food or Spanish food," he said.

So Osakwe, who lives in Norwalk, decided to give the city the next best thing. He opened Zeke's Bar and Grill -- named after his son -- at 1450 Barnum Ave., near the People's United Bank branch.

"We're like an Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday all mixed into one," he said. "I took what I thought they did the best and I mixed it together."

The 100-seat full-service restaurant serves steak and chicken dishes, pastas, burgers, salads, seafood and pizza. The ribs, Osakwe said, are a signature item and made with a Hennessy-infused barbecue sauce.

A half rack with two sides goes for $14. Sides include homemade macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, collard greens and onion rings, among others.

"I wanted you to feel like you were at a chain restaurant," he said, of his decision to make the space bright and airy with red leather booths and a large 35-seat bar.

Cocktails cost just $4 and happy hour, which features half price appetizers at the bar, runs from 4 to 9 p.m.

Osakwe, a Nigeria native, started his career as a 16-year-old dishwasher for a Pizza Hut restaurant. He soon became a second cook in restaurants in New York, where he grew up, and his career in the restaurant business took off.

"I enjoyed the idea of preparing something from nothing and serving it to people," he said. "And as a manager I enjoyed the orchestration of a dining room."

He said he chose the Barnum Avenue location because of its proximity to the proposed P.T. Barnum train station and Bridgeport Hospital, which has plans to expand its footprint.

"Bridgeport is due its turn," he said. "I think it's a good time to sign a long-term lease and wait."

And Osakwe has done just that by signing a 15-year lease for the location, with an option for a 15-year extension. He paid for the first three years up front.

Karen DelVecchio, executive director of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce, said restaurateurs are increasingly seeing the benefit of moving into Bridgeport, especially the downtown.

"It does seem like there is great potential for restaurants here in the city," she said. Although she hadn't been to Zeke's, DelVecchio said there are a few good restaurants nearby.

"Obviously the people that are opening this restaurant see the potential for more and think there's a need for it," she said.

Osakwe sees the potential for not just his restaurant, but for the city as a whole.

"Bridgeport is an up-and-coming area," he said. "It's about to undergo the gentrification that Harlem went through."

For more information about Zeke's Bar & Grill call 203-870-9960 or visit http://www.zekesbarandgrill.com/.

ktorres@ctpost.com, 203-330-6321, http://twitter.com/ktorresbpt


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