"This little space played a huge role in getting PopUp to where we are today," PopUp Bagels founder Adam Goldberg said in the company's September 28 announcement. "It helped us grow from three shops to more than 50, and we'll always be grateful to Newtown and the people who supported us here along the way."
The little space is 266 South Main Street. Its last day as a PopUp is Sunday, October 4. Twelve days later, Newtown starts its first Restaurant and Business Appreciation Week. Between those two dates sits a run of changes on the Route 25 corridor that share one trait. Almost every one of them involves the morning meal.
The Commissary at 266 South Main
Most people knew 266 South Main as the place to pick up bagels. It also did a second job. According to Patch's September 30 report, the location served as both a retail shop and a commissary while PopUp grew from three shops to more than 50 nationwide. The company says its production needs grew with that expansion, so it is moving production to a larger footprint elsewhere.
So the Newtown shop isn't closing for lack of business. It is closing because the company outgrew it. The final weekend is Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4. After that, the closest PopUp is in Fairfield, and the company says it plans more Connecticut locations over the next year.
A Bakery Hands the Keys to a Bakery
The space won't change category. Fatto a Mano, the Westport bakery founded by Pierluigi Mazzella, is taking over the location. "It feels special to hand the keys to friends who are ready for their own next chapter," Goldberg said.
Fatto a Mano calls itself an artisanal Italian micro-bakery. Its Westport shop at 1835 Post Road East specializes in naturally leavened sourdough, focaccia, panettone and pastries. Mazzella comes from Ischia, Italy. The bakery says it uses natural levain with no preservatives or stabilizers, and it credits him with the Connecticut Restaurant Association's 2022 Baker of the Year award.
What remains unknown is timing. PopUp said Fatto a Mano would announce its plans for the Newtown location later, and as of September 30 no opening date or format had been published. For a few weeks this fall, 266 South Main will likely sit between tenants, at the same moment the town is promoting its restaurants.
That stretch of South Main is already busy in the morning. Cosmic Cafe + Smoothie Bar is at 282 South Main. Nostrano Italian Eatery and Perfusion share 274 South Main. All three are on the Restaurant Week roster. A sourdough-and-panettone bakery at 266 would put a bread counter on the same short block as a smoothie bar and an espresso-and-cocktail bar.
The Room That Opens at 6 a.m.
Further south toward the village, the former Farmhouse Restaurant at 43 South Main Street has become Two Hounds Public House. Co-owner James Molina finished an extensive renovation, the restaurant served customers through a soft opening, and the official ribbon cutting was Friday, September 11. Economic development staff and First Selectman Bruce Walczak were expected to attend.
The hours set Two Hounds apart.
| Day | Two Hounds hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 6 a.m. to midnight |
| Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
"We are more than a coffee shop, bakery, café, restaurant, pub or bar," the business says. "We bring all of those experiences together under one roof so our guests can make us part of their entire day." The menu runs from coffee, lattes and espresso through breakfast, lunch, dinner and small plates, plus beer, wine and a full bar. The room mixes couches and lounge chairs with café tables, bar seats and standard dining tables. Two Hounds says it cooks from scratch without processed ingredients and does not charge extra for gluten-free or vegetarian options.
That makes it the corridor's newest place for a 6 a.m. coffee and also one of the latest places open on a Friday night.
Up the hill, the year's other morning arrival is already settled in. Café Duo, a café that started in Bethel, opened a second shop at 14 Church Hill Road on March 1.
The Gap at 71 South Main
One part of the 2026 story went the other way. In April, the food truck jjStacks opened its first permanent restaurant at 71 South Main Street, in the former Eggs & Co. space. The owner planned a ribbon cutting for May 18, and the menu featured burgers, sandwiches and more than 100 kinds of wings.
On Sunday, August 2, an early-morning fire damaged the South Main Street strip mall and destroyed the restaurant. No one was hurt because the fire happened before opening hours. He wrote that jjStacks Newtown was "completely lost" and promised the business would return.
It came back faster than many expected, though not yet in Newtown. In early September, jjStacks partnered with Woodbury Brewing Company and now serves food there five days a week while it plans to rebuild at home. This October, then, two South Main addresses are between chapters, 71 and 266. One is waiting for a rebuild. The other is waiting for a bakery.
Where Restaurant Week Lands
All of this is the backdrop for the town's new promotion. Newtown's Economic and Community Development office is running Restaurant and Business Appreciation Week from October 16 to 25 with The Restaurant Week Company. ECD Director John Voket said the plan builds on earlier local Restaurant Weeks and extends the spotlight to other businesses through the town's new directory at newtown.org. The organizers say participating restaurants will offer prix-fixe or special menus, with regular menus still available.
The official roster has 21 restaurants. Grouped by street, it shows where the week is concentrated:
| Street | Participating restaurants |
|---|---|
| South Main Street | Two Hounds Public House at 43, Newtown Deli & Catering at 79, Sal e Pepe at 97, Fusion 25 at 123, The Ranch Pub at 160, Station 25 Restaurant at 255, Nostrano Italian Eatery and Perfusion Bar at 274, Cosmic Cafe + Smoothie Bar at 282 |
| Church Hill Road | Marketplace Kitchen & Bar and Taco Dia at 32, Cover Two Sports Cafe at 100, Gino's Parlor of Sandy Hook at 102, Dolce Italian Ice & Gelato at 117 |
| Main Street | Good Old Days and Marygold's On Main at 19 |
| Queen Street | Boost Bowls at 6, My Place Restaurant at 8 |
| Glen Road | Mangia Mi East at 24 |
| Elsewhere | NewSylum Brewing Co. on Keating Farms Avenue, Tambascio's Italian Grill at 1 Dodgingtown Road |
Nine of the 21 are on South Main, and five more are on Church Hill Road. That puts two-thirds of the roster on the two roads where this year's openings, closings and handovers took place. Two Hounds is on the list in its first full month of business. At capture, every entry still read "Menu coming soon," so the actual specials are yet to be posted.
The kickoff comes the night before. Sip & Savor brings 14 local eateries together at the Newtown Community Center on Thursday, October 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. Guests vote for Best Appetizer and Best Cocktail/Mocktail. Tickets cost $50, and the Newtown Bee reports that part of the proceeds goes to Real Food CT. The 14 are Boost Bowls, Cosmic Cafe + Smoothie Bar, Dolce Italian Ice & Gelato, Fusion 25, Gino's Parlor of Sandy Hook, Good Old Days Pizzeria & Cocktail Den, Mangia Mi East, Market Place Kitchen & Bar, Marygold's On Main, Perfusion Espresso & Cocktail Bar, Nostrano Italian Eatery, Station 25 Restaurant, Taco Dia and Two Hounds Public House.
Local businesses not yet on the roster can still be included by registering for a free listing in the newtown.org directory. The ECD office takes questions at 203-270-4282.
The Corridor's October, in Order
- October 3 and 4. PopUp Bagels' final weekend at 266 South Main Street.
- After October 4. Fatto a Mano takes over the space, with an opening date still to be announced.
- October 15, 6 to 9 p.m. Sip & Savor at the Newtown Community Center.
- October 16 to 25. Restaurant and Business Appreciation Week across the 21 participating restaurants.
- Through October 27. The Newtown Farmers Market at Fairfield Hills continues on Tuesdays, 2 to 5:30 p.m.
PopUp leaves 266 South Main on October 4, Fatto a Mano follows on a date not yet announced, and Restaurant Week runs October 16 to 25 at 21 tables, most of them within a few blocks of those two addresses.
On The Harbor follows these storefront changes as closely as it follows sales, because they shape the Newtown mornings that buyers ask about. If you own a home near South Main or Church Hill Road and want to know how this corridor shows up in your home's value, Libby McKinney Tritschler and the On The Harbor team can provide a discreet, private valuation.
