Rutgers Chabad has opened Sparks Cafe at the Chabad House on College Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ, giving students and the surrounding community another kosher cafe on the Rutgers University campus. The cafe is under the supervision of Chabad of Rutgers, and held its grand opening on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Sparks Cafe is run by Hillel and Shaindel Polichenco. The menu includes hot and iced coffee and lattes, matcha, pastries, sourdough sandwiches, paninis, salads, yogurt parfaits and focaccia. “Everything is made fresh daily, including our coffee flavoring syrups,” Shaindel told The Jewish Link. She added that the cafe is organic, seed oil free and mostly free of refined sugars, and that all baked items, including the sourdough, are made in house.
The cafe offers curbside pickup, seating inside the Chabad House and local delivery. An introductory deal pairs a panini, a coffee and a large cookie for $10. The Polichencos post daily specials on Instagram at @sparkscafe_.
A Long History of Kosher Dining on College Avenue
Sparks Cafe joins a long list of kosher options on the College Avenue campus. The Chabad House meal plan dates to the mid-1980s, when Rabbi Baruch Goodman arrived as campus rabbi and started the program. Today the Glatt kosher meal plan serves three meals a day during the academic year at 170 College Avenue, with plans ranging from five to eighteen meals a week and Shabbat meals served free of charge.
Rutgers Hillel’s Halpern Hillel House, at 70 College Avenue, has hosted a series of kosher cafes since it opened, including Bistro 70 in 2017, the College Avenue Cafe and Crunch Cafe in 2024. The university has also sold kosher grab-and-go sandwiches at its campus dining locations.
Location, Hours and Kosher Certification
Sparks Cafe is inside the Chabad House at 170 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, and is open Sunday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cafe is under the kosher supervision of Chabad of Rutgers.
Originally reported by The Jewish Link.
