In 1871, what is now the Soho West neighborhood of Jersey City was known as “The Horseshoe.” This area, which gives this new restaurant its home and name, describes both the shape of the gerrymandered second ward, the iron that poured from its steel mills, and perhaps, a bit of luck for new immigrants hoping to make it big in Jersey City.
The Jersey City of the 19th century was humming: noisy and chaotic—the terminus for millions of trains, trucks, immigrants and goods arriving from everywhere! Factories churned out tobacco, soap, meat, iron and more, belching smoke and opportunity. People came to build their new lives in this new world. Many can trace their family lines right back to this area—and many more benefited from the spoils of The Horseshoe.
