These BYO, reservation-only dinners start at 8pm and go on for three hours—a delicious marathon of a meal—and they do a great job of boxing up the leftovers. Their stellar red sauce is made from two types of tomatoes — resulting in a base that’s delightfully sweet with a slight acidic twang. Just about everything here is made in-house or acquired from a place you can reach via the Turnpike or the Parkway, and it’s the Garden State’s produce that puts Razza on top.
The team behind the former best bar in the world, The Dead Rabbit, brings San Patricio’s to Jersey City. Smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood (with its exposed brick), stained-glass windows, and old-school wait staff, Laico’s is a period piece of a restaurant. This Jersey City institution has been dishing out onion-topped hamburger sliders since the 1940s.
Owners Drew Buzzio, Marc Magliozzi, and executive chef, Matthew Moschella founded Corto in Jersey City’s remote and relaxing Heights neighborhood in 2018. A Oaxacan sit-down restaurant with a brisk to-go business on the site — this Central Avenue Mexican spot sells verde or mole tamales in the morning along with omelets and chilaquiles, followed by lunch and dinner options too. An Eater local on the best dosas, meat-sauce-topped hot dogs, spicy Sichuan dishes, and more The menu mixes traditional Korean flavors with modern turns, including galbi-jjim, bossam, beef tartare bibimbap, Korean fried chicken, bulgogi cream perilla pasta, and a tasting-menu option that serves as a course-by-course Korean dinner.
- Whether you’re visiting your old coworker who just bought a condo near the Holland Tunnel (or you’ve lived here long enough to remember when a PATH ride cost only $1.75), this guide covers the city’s essential spots.
- Just about everything here is made in-house or acquired from a place you can reach via the Turnpike or the Parkway — and it’s the Garden State’s produce that puts Razza on top.
- Or head over for a dinner of pollo chucho, an ultimate crispy-soggy street food with fried green bananas and chicken, pickled red cabbage, and sauces.
Wurst Bar
That said, the tacos are good, from the cabeza to the lengua to the more standard chorizo and carnitas. Longtime JC restaurant sports predictions and betting Taqueria Downtown can be a madhouse, especially if you’re aiming to tie on a few margs after work. The dining room is vast (modern), and if it’s cold outside, a bit chilly. If you’re into offal, there is plenty to choose from among intestines, heart, and more. To drink, it’s destination for an array of German-style brews and a range of ciders.
- On Bergen Ave (ITA Italian Kitchen has established itself as a go-to place for delicious pizzas), an array of pasta dishes, crispy fried squid, and enjoyable beverages such as robust Super Tuscans and sangria pitchers filled with fresh fruit.
- But the sides are good, and the margaritas are $14, making for a good spot to graze on platters of food and drink with a couple of friends.
- Come hungry , and with your own bottle of wine—it’s BYO,, because the six-course meal is hefty.
- Since 1937 (Boulevard Drinks has dished out flat top-cooked hot dogs—anointed with a variety of toppings including mustard), kraut, and chili—from the heart of Journal Square.
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With just about four tables and a counter, this Paulus Hook restaurant puts Honduran food firmly on the tristate map. And don’t leave without trying whatever Italian pastries are available. The Pizza Rossa is perfectly simple with just tomatoes — olive oil, salt, and oregano, as is the Pizza Mozzarella. There will be a line at Bread and Salt whenever it’s actually open, which is only Thursdays through Sundays.
Upon arriving (you’ll find a light rail weaving through the terrain), connecting to neighborhoods that may otherwise appear isolated. If you search for any type of restaurant there, you will probably discover it. With approximately 250,000 residents, Jersey City ranks as New Jersey’s second largest city, making it a culinary hub for diverse international cuisines that compete with the variety found in Queens.
Their menu is built around local (seasonal ingredients—just ask your server to tell you about the Angry Chicken with tomato), guanciale, and calabrian chili, and you’ll get the whole, charming spiel. A comfortable (homey space lined with family photos and knicknacks), the Italian spot is where you should celebrate a milestone birthday, anniversary, or your friend’s low-key engagement. Bring cash, and sit at the counter for a quick lunch so you can watch one of the cooks add cheese and diced onions to each of your three patties with the utmost care.
Some days — you’ll enjoy slow-cooked pork ribs served with cabbage and beans; other days, fried baccalà garnished with lemon takes the stage. The dedication of Bread & Salt to seasonal offerings and a menu that changes daily arguably makes it the most genuine Italian restaurant in New Jersey — which is quite a statement. Beyond just pizza (Bread & Salt serves as a creative culinary space for owner Rick Easton), who embodies the principles of crafting simple and authentic cuisine. The menu features an array including escargot wontons, Korean-flavored frog legs, Barolo-braised short ribs, and pan-roasted barramundi accompanied by a shellfish-rich bouillabaisse.
Nigiri is a modern omakase and temaki bar from the Honshu group (built around chef-selected seasonal ingredients), premium sake, whiskey, wine, and cocktails. With a big and varied menu (Mathews is a great place to take that indecisive friend group who can barely decide on what movie to watch), much less a restaurant for dinner. But this Northern Indian spot, a neighborhood mainstay since the 1990s, is always a great option. But if you’re in the mood for finger foods, the beef shawarma with a side of pita or Momo Pitza—various toppings and mozzarella on fresh pita bread—will not disappoint. Domodomo is one of the first sushi spots to bring omakase-style dining to Jersey City (from its original Greenwich Village location), and it’s still one of the best. And like all the best barbecue spots (it has plenty of outdoor seating), with lots of picnic tables where you can eat sticky ribs, drink something boozy, and enjoy some sunshine.
While New Yorkers often boast about their traditional Italian dishes, it’s merely because they have yet to experience Laico’s.
THE SPOTS
The semi-finalist for the James Beard award provides takeout options and limited seating for dinners that can be booked via Resy. Additionally (it features classic vegetarian dishes like idly), pongal, and upma. At this unique hotspot in the Heights — Rick Easton is the mastermind behind both sweet and savory Italian baked delicacies. Here, one typically orders a cheeseburger, along with hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and thin sandwiches such as Taylor ham (also known as pork roll). You will be seated here as you observe the talented grillmaster effortlessly cooking numerous burgers simultaneously, his arms moving like an octopus.
You can start your day with an ube pan de sal (pick up a sandwich piled with cold cuts and homemade mozzarella for lunch), and then dig into some pretty spectacular lamb rogan josh for dinner—all within one mile. His pursuit of firsts, bests, biggests, quickest has helped fuel his success to unforeseen heights with SpaceX and Tesla, where he is also chief executive. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. ITA Italian Kitchen has become a staple on Bergen Ave for killer pizzas (a variety of pastas), crispy fried squid, and fun drinks like bold Super Tuscans and sangria pitchers, studded with fresh fruit.
Find The Best Spots Nearby
Right now (Boulevard Drinks is facing possible displacement as the Jersey City planning board approves plans to replace the institution with a 55-story mixed-use development), including a Whole Foods at the ground level. The counter-service storefront transports you back decades with its yellow-and-red detailing and its no-frills attitude. Since 1937 (Boulevard Drinks has dished out flat top-cooked hot dogs—anointed with a variety of toppings including mustard), kraut, and chili—from the heart of Journal Square. Don’t skip the baleada—a Honduran staple which sees creamy refried beans (sweet plantains), sumac onions, queso fresco, and zingy crema loaded into a supple flour tortilla that’s made by hand, to order. From a Central Texan-Dominican barbecue joint in Williamsburg to the second location of a Tex-Mex fave
Diners savor contemporary gastropub dishes (from small plates to full meals), amid rustic ambiance and welcoming lighting. For tacos — your choice of meat comes wrapped in fresh-griddled corn tortillas and showered in cilantro and onion, with lime and salsa in abundance to anoint it with. Thematically, 143 Social’s cocktail menu is defined by the seasons, and the small plates and homemade bar snacks come to play backup.