Rafael Fondeur/FilmMagic Sharpe James has dined at Diamondz N Da Ruff. Larry Busacca/Chime For Change/Getty Images for Gucci George Clinton is a celeb diner. Beyoncé made an appearance at the restaurant’s opening. The trio christened their new venture with a party that drew Beyoncé and Jay Z, and for the first two Sundays, a line stretched around the corner. And the understated BYOB restaurant on the corner of Clay Street (once a hub for linoleum businesses) has been attracting hoards of locals - some hoping to catch a glimpse of the rap impresario, others just for a plate of moderately priced soul food. The rapper’s mother, Gloria, opened Diamondz N Da Ruff with longtime pals Peggie Miller and Debra Holmes three weeks ago. One of the proprietors happens to have given birth to and raised superstar rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z, also known as Shawn Carter.

Why is this nondescript eatery, which is flanked by a Burger King and an AutoZone, the talk of the town? Two older women at an adjacent table overhear the conversation and nod in agreement that this tiny cafe on a rather barren stretch of Brick City has been a hot topic at their water-aerobics class. “I read about this place in the Newark Star-Ledger and wanted to try it,” says Smith, who is so spry, she looks like she’s barely scraping 75.

Jay Z visited mom Gloria Carter’s soul food restaurant to celebrate its opening earlier this month. Skipworth, a retired insurance worker who toiled in Newark, NJ, for years, leans over to note that her elderly cousin picked the venue. Bernice Skipworth is celebrating her 65th birthday at Diamondz N Da Ruff with her 94-year-old cousin, Ruby Smith.

Jay z on to the next one topic