Start at 63 Memorial Road and walk toward 111. Since July, almost every storefront on that stretch has opened, closed, expanded or put up new window wrap. The block you pictured in spring is not the one you'll find there this week.
The new tenants share one thing. Most of them are built around a dinner reservation, a class time, a card-break event or a long meal with a group. Part of the former West Elm space now serves food from more than 20 restaurant brands. A sit-down tavern with weekend brunch plans has moved into the former Vinted space. A yoga studio and a collectors' shop with in-store events are taking spaces a few doors apart. Memorial Road is turning into a street you spend an evening on.
The Block, Address by Address
Here is the stretch as it stands heading into November, in the order you'd pass it walking from 63 Memorial Road toward 111.
- 63 Memorial Road: Fat Duck Tavern. Opened in July in the former Vinted space.
- 65 Memorial Road: Apella Wealth. Added 6,000 square feet to its existing 8,000, nearly doubling its offices.
- 67 Memorial Road: Chip City. Closed, and no replacement has been announced.
- 87 Memorial Road: Sweatfluence. A yoga studio with a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24.
- 89 Memorial Road: Monmouth Trading Cards. Now listed as open in the Blue Back Square directory.
- 91 Memorial Road: Wonder. Opened Aug. 13 in part of the former West Elm space.
- 111 Memorial Road: Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings. Under construction in the former Rizzuto's and Gran Gusto space.
That's seven addresses, and every one of them changed this season. Apella Wealth's change is the hardest to see from the sidewalk, since it's an office that just got much bigger.
Dinner Took Over Both Ends First
Fat Duck Tavern was the first new arrival. We-Ha reported that owners Anton and Tatiana Berseneva held a "very soft" and quiet opening on a Thursday night in July, with plans to add hours and menu items over the following weeks. This is the couple's second restaurant. The first opened a year earlier at 44 Boston Post Road in Madison, and the West Hartford menu was planned to match it.
The menu leans into the name. We-Ha's write-up described a Duck Bolognese of fresh tagliatelle with duck ragout, and a Fat Duck Burger that is actually beef, topped with foie gras, shaved 4-year cheddar, bacon tomato compote and frizzled onion. Vegan and gluten-free options are marked on the menu, and the bar carries craft cocktails, wine and draft beer. Opening hours were Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 9 p.m. Happy hour was set to start at 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. was planned soon after. Those are summer hours, so check the Fat Duck Tavern menu page for current times before you go.
At the other end of the block, Wonder took over part of the former West Elm space at 91 Memorial Road and held its grand opening Aug. 13. The idea is one order from more than 20 restaurants and cuisines, for dine-in, pickup or delivery. The menu includes dishes inspired by Bobby Flay, Marcus Samuelsson and Michael Symon, along with items from Tejas Barbecue and Magnolia Bakery. In a We-Ha grand-opening report, a contributor wrote that she ordered a Mediterranean bowl and her mother ordered a chicken quesadilla, both from the same kitchen.
Wonder keeps the longest hours on the block, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day. It is also the company's 11th Connecticut location, with more planned. So on most nights there's a kitchen open at 91 Memorial Road well after Fat Duck's summer hours have ended at 63.
Between Them, Two Spaces That Run on a Schedule
The middle of the block filled in more recently. These businesses depend less on someone wandering in and more on people booking a time.
Sweatfluence at 87
Sweatfluence put its sign up at 87 Memorial Road over the summer. Its opening date moved more than once. It was first announced for Sept. 26, and We-Ha later reported an Oct. 10 target. The studio's West Hartford page now gives the grand opening as Saturday, Oct. 24. That morning was set to include three free classes at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon, with light bites, raffles and studio tours. Rachel Gerould, the West Hartford studio owner, was scheduled to teach the 8 a.m. and noon classes. Pre-registration for the free classes ran through Walla, and the full class schedule was set to begin Sunday, Oct. 25. The studio is also offering a founding rate to early members.
Monmouth Trading Cards at 89
Next door, Monmouth Trading Cards had told We-Ha it hoped to open at 89 Memorial Road by the end of October. The Blue Back Square directory now lists it as open. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. The business started in New Jersey and now has stores in New Jersey and Connecticut. It sells sports cards, Pokémon and major trading card games, and it also handles grading submissions, live breaks and in-store events.
A grading drop-off, a live break or an event night gives people a reason to come back to the same counter regularly. A weekly spot in a yoga class does the same thing in a different way.
The Two Storefronts Still Waiting
Two addresses on this walk are still dark, for different reasons.
At 67 Memorial Road, Chip City has closed for good. We-Ha's Sept. 28 column reported that Chip City had been on the list for the Blue Back Burger Bash but didn't appear because it had just closed. The column also noted that all three of the brand's Connecticut locations, in West Hartford, Fairfield and Darien, were no longer listed on the company website. The store had opened in Blue Back Square in 2024. The closing was a company-wide decision, not a West Hartford one, and no new tenant for the space has been announced.
At 111 Memorial Road, work is underway. Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings applied for build-out permits for the former Gran Gusto and Rizzuto's space in July. By the Oct. 12 Business Buzz, demolition had started. Readers had asked We-Ha whether the project was still happening, and the outlet reported in late September that it was assured Nana's still plans to open, "but it's just taking a while." The window wrap, as We-Ha quoted it, sums up the concept:
"At Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings, every dish is made by hand – from the delicate pleats of our dumplings to the rich broth in our noodles."
Nana's has seven restaurants in Colorado and one in Scarsdale, New York. West Hartford will be its first in Connecticut. No opening date has been announced. Once it opens, both ends of this stretch of Memorial Road will be restaurants.
What the Block Looks Like on Dec. 3
The next evening the whole block will be busy is the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce's 39th Annual Holiday Stroll. It runs Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. in West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square. The Chamber's Holiday Stroll page lists Santa, restaurant tastings, a community Menorah Lighting, live performances, carolers, fire trucks and family activities.
This year the Stroll passes a duck-themed tavern, a dining room serving 20-plus restaurant brands, a yoga studio, a card shop and two storefronts still waiting on what comes next. Center and Blue Back Square businesses have been invited to take part, so check which Memorial Road tenants are on the list as the date gets closer.
If you're heading to Elmwood after the Stroll, GastroPark's Jingle in the Park runs Nov. 17 through Jan. 3. It has holiday events and seasonal activities at the food-truck and bar space, and more details are expected. For something to do on the weekends in between, the Veterans Memorial Skating Rink reopened Oct. 19 after months of renovations, with a new refrigeration system, new dasher boards, glass and netting, and updated locker rooms.
Blue Back Square storefronts are changing fast this fall. If you own a home within walking distance and want to know how today's market values it, Cindy Muska can put together a local comparison that reflects what's open on these blocks now. Call or text anytime, or start with a Free Home Valuation.
