New Jersey

In New Jersey, Christmas Eve dinner often starts at the fish counter, not the kitchen. Families who keep…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 13

Some sandwiches are lunch, and some sandwiches are a two-day plan. In downtown Newark, one family deli has…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 13

At the quiet northern tip of Long Beach Island, families line up outside a small silver diner long…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 13

Atlantic City never really goes to bed, and one old-school pizza joint a couple of blocks off the…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

Planning dinner for a big group can be tricky, because everyone wants something different and somebody always gets…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

Some neighborhoods have a mailbox cluster and a bench. One community in central New Jersey has roughly 40,000…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

A booth is fine, but a counter stool puts you right next to the griddle, the coffee pot,…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

Some diners try to look old. A few never stopped being old-school in the first place. In Lyndhurst,…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

Toms River does not need a mall chain to tell it what a good burger looks like. Along…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 12

Some sandwiches are lunch, and some are a two-day commitment. On a busy stretch of Hoboken, a husband…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

Cold nights in New Jersey call for a table near a real fire and a plate of hearty…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

Some people drive an hour for fried fish, and they do not apologize for it. In Montclair, New…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

Every fall weekend, cars fill a big parking lot along a busy highway in Colts Neck, and people…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

Good barbecue runs on a clock, and in New Jersey that clock often stops well before dinnertime. Pulled…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

Some New Jersey breakfasts start before the sun does, and the grill at this little corner counter is…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 11

In New Jersey, a holiday table without an Italian cookie tray can look a little unfinished. Rainbow cookies,…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Some kids in Ramsey learn to ride a bike, tie their shoes, and order a thin-crust pie, roughly…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Burlington County has a pizza story that runs deeper than most people realize. Some of its best pies…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Some mornings call for a stool at the counter, a hot cup of coffee, and a plate of…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Ask anyone in North Jersey what to call that salty, griddled breakfast meat, and you will get a…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Some dinners are about the plate, and some are about the room where the plate lands. In the…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 10

Some people drive an hour and a half each way just for lunch, and they do it for…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

Some New Jersey families still treat prime rib night like a small holiday, with a reserved table and…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

South Jersey has a diner on almost every major road, but only some of them become part of…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

Snow days in Warren County have a routine. The plows come out, the schools close, and somebody in…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

New Jersey is often called the diner capital of the world, and the title still fits. Plenty of…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

Some places on a Jersey highway try hard to look old. One spot in Wall Township does not…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 9

Cumberland County grew up around rivers, sawmills, glass works, and iron shops, and those old mill towns still…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

Every November, the same scramble plays out across New Jersey. The supermarket pie shelf goes bare, the store-bought…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

Atlantic City is famous for its boardwalk, but some of its best stories sit a few blocks inland.…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

Somewhere in Toms River, the people bringing you breakfast are dressed for bed, and nobody seems to mind…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

Brunch might have a fancy reputation now, but New Jersey diners have been serving pancakes, eggs, and bottomless…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

In a lot of New Jersey Italian families, the holiday menu does not start in the kitchen. It…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 8

Remember when dinner out meant a whole evening, not just a quick bite? Supper clubs were built on…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7

Passaic County has plenty of new pizza spots, but some of its best slices come from places that…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7

Hunterdon County still runs on early mornings, back roads, and a good cup of coffee. Between the farm…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7

Some Hoboken corners change faces every few years, swapping one trendy menu for another. One corner on Washington…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7

New Jersey has a funny habit of dropping hot dogs into hot oil, and some of its stands…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7

The night before Thanksgiving has a funny way of pulling everyone back home. Old friends land at the…

By Samantha Russo · Nov 7