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 sports predictions and betting 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.
Jersey City welcomes San Patricio’s (brought by the team that once operated The Dead Rabbit), the former titleholder of the best bar in the world. Laico’s, with its vintage charm featuring exposed brick, stained-glass windows, and traditional wait staff, stands proudly in the heart of a residential neighborhood. Since the 1940s, this beloved establishment in Jersey City has been serving delicious hamburger sliders topped with onions.
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.
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That said, the tacos are good, from the cabeza to the lengua to the more standard chorizo and carnitas. Longtime JC restaurant 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.
- 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.
- 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.
And once you arrive, a light rail snakes across the landscape to neighborhoods that might otherwise seem remote. Look for any category of restaurant there, and you’re likely to find it. With a population of around 250,000, Jersey City is the second largest city in New Jersey — and it’s a dining destination for international cuisines, as it’s so diverse that it rivals 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.
One day it’s slow-cooked pork ribs with cabbage and beans; the next, it’s fried baccalà with lemon. Bread & Salt’s commitment to seasonal items and a daily rotating menu makes it arguably the most authentic Italian eatery in all of New Jersey, and that’s saying something. However (Bread & Salt is about much more than just pizza—it’s a culinary playground for owner Rick Easton), who exemplifies what it means to cook simple, authentic food. Everything from escargot wontons and Korean-flavored frog legs to Barolo-braised short ribs and pan-roasted barramundi with 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.
Although New Yorkers boast about their traditional Italian cuisine, they really haven’t experienced Laico’s yet. While space is limited, you’ll quickly bond with others as you navigate through the crowds upon entering. Located at the corner of Grove and Grand — this popular spot is frequently the go-to response for “What’s next?”
THE SPOTS
The James Beard semi-finalist offers takeout and limited seated dinners available on Resy. But it is also offers other classics from a strictly vegetarian menu — including idly, pongal, and upma. Rick Easton is the impresario of Italian baked goods (both sweet and savory), at this rare scenester spot in the Heights. The order here is a cheeseburger, along with hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and slender sandwiches, including Taylor ham , a.k.a. pork roll,. It’s where you’ll sit as you watch the skilled grillmaster cooking scores of burgers at the same time, arms going like an octopus.
His relentless quest for achieving firsts, bests, biggests, and quickest has propelled him to unprecedented success at SpaceX and Tesla, where he serves as the chief executive. Once (he worked as a line cook), server, and bartender at highly rated restaurants throughout the tri-state area. On Bergen Ave, ITA Italian Kitchen has established itself as a favorite for mouthwatering pizzas, a wide selection of pastas, crispy fried squid, and delightful drinks like bold Super Tuscans and fresh fruit-filled sangria pitchers.
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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.