Sweetgrass restaurant in Hopewell Borough. (click to expand)

If you’re ever in Hopewell Borough, a few miles outside of Princeton, you might happen upon this little neighborhood gem- Sweetgrass Restaurant, which opened last year at 9 East Broad Street.

Sweetgrass is easy to miss if you’re driving past, because it’s tucked down a little alley across from Nomad Pizza. The restaurant fits in beautifully to the walkable feel of downtown Hopewell.

Alley to Sweetgrass restaurant in downtown Hopewell. (click to expand.)

Noticeable by its absence is a parking lot. Parking is on the street. This would not be allowed in Princeton, where zoning requires that businesses must provide free parking (even if they charge for everything else). Parking minimums encourage driving and make it hard to open useful businesses like Sweetgrass. In a walkable town like Hopewell or Princeton, it makes more sense for parking to be provided either in garages or on the street instead of requiring each site to have its own dedicated parking. This allows parking to be used efficiently, and not sit empty when the restaurant is closed or quiet.

Plenty of diners seem to be finding their way to Sweetgrass, even without a dedicated parking lot. The menu offers a bunch of tasty-sounding options, with a southern flavor. Maybe one to check out for the upcoming Hopewell Restaurant week? If you’re driving, just remember to look elsewhere for parking…

The resataurant space at Sweetgrass in Hopewell (click to expand)

Been to Sweetgrass? How was it? Let us know in the comments section below!