"It will be re-used, it will be a restaurant as far as I know," Saratoga Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus told NEWS10 the week Wheatfields announced its closing. "We're not losing, it's not a vacant space."
He was right about the long term. Five days after that story ran, The Scene Coffee & Cocktails was named the next tenant at 440 Broadway. The timing is the part that matters day to day. The owners told the Albany Business Review they're aiming to open in summer or fall of 2027. So the new food downtown this fall is quick, casual Asian food, served on Marion Avenue and Division Street. The biggest room on Broadway gets a long rebuild.
Thirty-Eight Years, Then A Long Gap
Wheatfields Restaurant & Bar served its last night at 440 Broadway on Saturday, September 26. It had been open in Saratoga Springs for 38 years, and Tim and Colleen Holmes had owned it for the last 22. Shimkus described the decision plainly: "They got an offer to purchase the business essentially and decided it was a good deal for them at this point in time."
The replacement came fast. Saratoga Living reported that The Scene's announcement came two days after the doors closed. Owners Mariana and Nick Forbes opened their first location at 1671 Western Avenue in July 2023. It's known for brunch, coffee and cocktails, and it was set up to serve guests from morning into late night.
Plans for the Broadway location show why it will take a while. The space is 5,000 square feet and will have a traditional bar plus a separate coffee bar, so it can move from coffee and brunch into an evening cocktail lounge. Saratoga TODAY's October 1 report lists items coming over from the Western Avenue menu:
- Daytime: Cinnamon French Toast Latte, Veggie Scramble, Chicken Pesto Panini
- Cocktails: Espresso Martini, Tiramisu Martini, Linda's Cosmo, and the Champagne Vending Machine Experience
- Evening lounge plates: Tomato and Burrata, Herbed Focaccia Bread, Prosciutto and Burrata Flatbread, Beef Slider Trio
- Extras: live music and DJs on select nights, plus catering, the Barista Box, and a gelato cart that can be booked for events
"We've had three years to learn what works, what we can do better," Nick Forbes said in the announcement. The official word on an opening date and hours is still "the coming months." The 2027 target from the Business Review interview is the most specific timeline published so far. It's a goal, not a confirmed date.
What Actually Opens This Fall Is Off Broadway
While 440 Broadway is being rebuilt, the openings that have already happened or are close are a different kind of restaurant, in different places.
Tāng Dumplings, 46 Marion Avenue. Founder Harris Siu took over the former Smashburger space, in the same plaza as KRU Coffee. The opening was set for Wednesday, September 16. On September 23, Saratoga Springs Magazine said it couldn't confirm the restaurant had opened on schedule. By September 24, Saratoga TODAY reported it open in the Fresh Market Plaza. The old burger space has been renovated into a smaller dining room with sit-down table service, an open kitchen and a juice bar, and takeout is available too. The signature pork soup dumplings are $10 for six, a price the owners say lets diners share and try more of the menu. The restaurant's site lists hours of 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The menu is expected to match the chain's Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, location: bao, pan-fried and deep-fried dumplings, ramen, noodles, fried rice, soup, general tso's chicken and orange chicken.
Kuma Ani, 23–25 Division Street. This one goes into the former Community Federal Credit Union building. Division Street runs west off Broadway at the north end of downtown, a block from the Woodlawn Avenue garage. Co-owners Eric Li and Tommy Huang already run Kuma Ani restaurants in Troy and Latham, and Saratoga will be their fourth location together. They targeted an October opening. Expect order-at-the-counter ramen with house-made noodles, plus ban mein bowls, donburi, steamed buns, gyoza, Japanese fried chicken and bubble tea. Li told the Saratoga Business Journal why the company moved away from its early sushi focus:
"Hiring and maintaining a sushi chef is not easy. More importantly, the quality is not consistent or up to our standards when there is a high turnover of chefs."
As of October 4, the Saratoga location is still listed as "Coming soon" with hours "TBD" on Kuma Ani's own store page. In August, the company gave planned hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week from April through November, then six days a week from December through March. Those are plans until the doors open.
Saratoga Springs Magazine pointed out what these two have in common. Downtown has plenty of sit-down restaurants and bars, but fewer quick, inexpensive lunch options, especially Asian food. The magazine also noted that Tāng's plaza location lets diners skip the downtown parking crunch, which could make it an easy takeout stop.
Where Each One Stands As Of October 4
| Place | Address | Status | Timing on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatfields Restaurant & Bar | 440 Broadway | Closed | Last day Sept. 26, 2026 |
| The Scene Coffee & Cocktails | 440 Broadway | Announced | Owners aiming for summer or fall 2027 |
| Tāng Dumplings | 46 Marion Avenue | Open for sit-down and takeout | Scheduled Sept. 16; reported open by Sept. 24 |
| Kuma Ani | 23–25 Division Street | Coming soon | October 2026 target; hours TBD |
The Scene is the only one of the three newcomers that will combine an all-day café with a cocktail lounge. It's also the one furthest away.
This Fall Continues A Year Of Smaller Rooms
The fall changes follow the same pattern as earlier in the year. Most of downtown's 2026 openings have been reworked or smaller-scale spaces, and none of them changed Broadway's dining scene the way a 38-year anchor leaving it does.
- Elody Restaurant opened at 54 Phila Street, a relocated and rebranded version of Patricia and Larry Weaver's former 13 North in Malta. NEWS10 reported a January 2 grand opening, and the Saratoga Business Journal called December 31, 2025, the official reopening.
- Bear's Cup Bakehouse at 543 Broadway, owned by Danielle and Louis DeSantis, was open by late December 2025 and held its ribbon-cutting January 6.
- Three Daughters Kitchen & Cocktails soft-opened in January as the Saratoga Arms Hotel's public-facing restaurant, and the Smith family owns and manages it. Its address is 497 Broadway.
- The Hi-Note Bar opened at 63 Putnam Street, from owners Robert Rezin, Brady Dillon, Corey Melancon and Ryan Reed.
- Three Vines Bistro & Bar closed at 32 Congress Street after March 28.
Add Noah's Italian, from Siro's executive chef Noah Frese, in the former District space at 43 Phila Street, and Chipotle's downtown location from late 2025. Downtown's 2026 additions include a bakery, a bar, a hotel restaurant and a relocated dining room. This fall brings a dumpling restaurant that's already open and a ramen counter on the way. The newest additions have mostly landed on Phila, Putnam, Division and Marion rather than Broadway, apart from Bear's Cup and the hotel restaurant.
For Anyone Who Had A Wheatfields Habit
The Holmeses haven't left town. Their sister restaurant, Beer Wine Pizza, known as BWP, on Weible Avenue in Saratoga stays open, and so does Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar in Clifton Park. Gift cards bought at the Saratoga Springs Wheatfields can be used at the Clifton Park location. If you still have one from last winter, that's where it works now.
Through next summer, the realistic plan for a new place to eat downtown is a lunch counter on Division Street once Kuma Ani posts its hours, or a table at Tāng on Marion Avenue, which is open now. For The Scene's opening date, the owners have pointed people to @thescenecoffeeny for updates.
I keep a close eye on which Saratoga storefronts are changing hands and what's going into them, because buyers and sellers here ask about it more than you'd expect. If you're curious what's planned for a space on your block, or how a stretch of Broadway is changing, reach out to Shari Fox and let's connect.
