Buckland Hills Is Becoming a Place to Eat and Play. Here's What's Open Now and What's Still Coming.

"One of our strengths at Buckland Hills is that the mall is set in people's backyards in Manchester, South Windsor and Glastonbury," general manager Justin Roberts told the Hartford Courant in September. "This is everyone's local mall." In the same interview he said the mall had "made a strong focus on appealing to families and bringing in some more entertainment."

Look at what has signed on at the Shoppes at Buckland Hills in 2026 and you'll see that focus everywhere. The new arrivals are two food-court kitchens, a coffee and matcha café, a Mediterranean restaurant, and an indoor adventure park filling a two-story anchor. Out on the ring road, the restaurants are buying their buildings. None of this year's commitments is a traditional store. The mall down the road is being rebuilt around the hours people spend there, and the work comes in stages, so it helps to know which pieces are ready.

The Food Court Got Two New Kitchens This Summer

The first new counter was La Street Kitchen, which opened May 31 in the food court next to China Wok and serves Latin food.

Woosmash followed on August 8, taking over the old Burger Class spot. The Connecticut Scoop describes it as Michelin chef-owned and says everything is made from scratch on-site, pickles and sauces included. The menu covers smashburgers, chicken sandwiches, and Korean-influenced dishes like bulgogi burgers, fried chicken wings and tenders, and Korean sodas. Sides include fried corn ribs, onion rings, salads and milkshakes.

By October 1, the Scoop reported that both places had "quickly gathered a dedicated following." That's a big deal for a food court. Two independent kitchens opened within ten weeks of each other, and both are aiming for a reason to visit, not just a quick stop between stores.

Two More Counters Are Close, but Not Open Yet

The next two openings move beyond the food court, and both are still in progress as of early October.

Cloudy Monkey, a coffee and matcha shop, is going into the lower-level center court between Macy's and JCPenney. CT Bites lists the address as 194 Buckland Hills Drive, Space 5537. The opening was forecast for early October. As of this week, though, the café's own Manchester page still says "Coming soon" and is hiring.

Istanbul Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant, is taking the lower-level space near Hungry Pot that used to house Bertucci's and Toro Azteca. The October 1 update said the interior was nearly finished, with new furniture and decorative tapestries, and that the restaurant would open later this year.

Here's where everything stands as of October 5, 2026:

The Anchor Space That Sat Empty Since 2021

The biggest change is happening in the two-story box Dick's Sporting Goods left in 2021, when the store moved to a smaller spot at the Plaza at Burr Corners. The space has been empty since then.

Angel Land, which also runs locations in West Hartford and Stamford, is converting all 80,000 square feet into ALI Dream Land and Apex Adventure Park. Roberts told the Courant the deal was signed last November. The past ten months went to architectural plans, structural updates, ordering custom play equipment and site prep. Tom Kwok, Angel Land's director of operations, called it "our biggest project to date."

The two floors are designed for different ages:

• Ground floor: a go-kart track, a bumper car arena, and a large soft play structure built for younger children
• Upper floor: an overhead ropes course, a ninja warrior course, open trampoline courts, drop and speed slides, and a full arcade

According to Kwok, the high-speed slides are meant to give "older kids, teens and adults that big-park rush in a safe, indoor setting year-round."

The schedule has moved. An early September report said the park would open in the fall. By mid-September the Courant put the scheduled opening at "around December," with projected hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Kwok told The Daily Campus on September 23 that both parks should open around mid-December. Patch noted that mall officials hadn't announced a firm date and pointed to the local regulatory process. So December is a target, not a promise.

The length of the deal matters more than any single attraction. Roberts said he expects the business to stay at Buckland Hills for "at least the next 10 years." That puts an indoor entertainment use in one of the mall's anchor spots well into the 2030s.

The Restaurants on the Ring Road Are Buying In

The same pattern is showing up in the buildings around the mall. In July, the Connecticut Scoop reported that the LongHorn outparcel sold for $2.75 million and the Red Robin outparcel for $2.05 million. Neither sale was expected to change how the restaurants operate. The Market Grille parcel was under contract at that point but not finalized.

Dave & Buster's took a bigger step. The chain bought the building it had been leasing for $7.569 million, in a sale that closed July 30. For comparison, Namdar Realty Group paid $25.8 million for the entire mall in early 2025. Roughly eighteen months later, one dining-and-arcade building on the edge of the property sold for close to a third of that price, and the business inside chose to own it outright.

Add it up and 2026 at Buckland Hills looks like this. The restaurants around the mall are securing their spots, the food court is filling with independent kitchens, and the largest vacancy is becoming a place to spend an afternoon. For someone who lives five minutes away, the mall's appeal increasingly comes from what you can eat and do there.

Who's Steering It From Here

One more change is worth knowing about. The October 1 Scoop update reported that Roberts has left Namdar Realty and that Ken Hibbard has joined the mall's management team. The outlet didn't know yet whether the appointment is temporary or permanent. The same report said the mall expects to announce more permanent deals in the next few months, bringing in new tenants and experiences.

Planning October Through December Around It

If you're thinking about when to go, here's how the season breaks down:

1. This week and onward: La Street Kitchen and Woosmash are both open in the food court now.
2. Early to mid-October: Watch for Cloudy Monkey in the center court between Macy's and JCPenney. Check the café's page before you make a special trip.
3. Later this fall: Istanbul Cafe near Hungry Pot, once its interior work is finished.
4. Around mid-December: ALI Dream Land and Apex Adventure Park in the former Dick's space, depending on the local approval process.

If you're running errands nearby, there's also a store just outside the mall itself. Rally House, a chain that sells sports-team gear, opened its first Connecticut location on August 21 at 1448 Pleasant Valley Road, in the old Dollar Tree space. Its store locator puts it in the Plaza at Buckland Hills, which is a separate center from the mall at 194 Buckland Hills Drive.

A busy, active mall nearby is one of those everyday things people mention when they talk about why they like living in Manchester, South Windsor and Glastonbury. If you've been wondering how changes like these play into your own plans, whether you're staying put or getting ready for a move, I'm happy to talk it through over coffee. Once Cloudy Monkey opens, that could be right in the center court. Reach out anytime through Shelby Muraski. Let's Connect.