The 21 greatest N.J. food towns no one knows about. All new list for 2025!

Look, we all know the big names when it comes to New Jersey dining destinations: Montclair. Newark. Red Bank. Jersey City. Morristown. Cape May. Ridgewood. Asbury Park. Hoboken. Princeton. Atlantic City. Collingswood. New Brunswick.

But what about places that deserve to be on the culinary map, where you can eat as well as — and often cheaper than — those much-heralded cities and towns?

I did an initial list of under-the-radar dining destinations in 2018, updated it for 2019, came up with whole new lists in 2021 and 2022, updated the list in 2023 and came up an all-new list in 2024.

This is another all-new list, with towns from the very top of Jersey to the bottom. None of the towns below have appeared on our previous towns-no-one-knows-about honor rolls.

You may not have heard of some of these towns, and that’s a good thing. It gives you more places, and restaurants, to explore.

Note: The entries are not meant to include every restaurant in town, but give a representative sample.

Allendale

Hackensack, Wood-Ridge, Westwood, Cliffside Park, Waldwick, Ramsey and Garfield have all represented Bergen County in previous food towns list. Now it’s Allendale’s turn. Home of the Celery Farm. But you knew that.

There’s no better place for breakfast than Morning Bloom. The truffle infused wild mushroom omelet with shaved parmigiana? Be still my heart.

Mezza Luna Bistro is one of the area’s most acclaimed Italian restaurants. Savini is another popular Northern Italian restaurant. Allendale Social is from the folks who brought you Uno Mas, the best Mexican in town. Nirvana made our best Indian restaurant list. For vegetarians, the aloo gobi (spiced potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes cooked with ginger and cumin seeds), is highly recommended. Poke, the diced raw fish served in sauce? There’s only one choice: Poke Time.

Bellmawr

No, not Belmar — Bellmawr, the Camden County town. The salsas at San Pedro Tierra Mexican may be the most distinctive at any taqueria in New Jersey. The salsa rojo (left) and salsa verde (right) are mildly spicy and majorly addictive. Neighborhood favorite Dominic’s Tavern serves up some of the state’s best wings; they were one of ten finalists in our Jersey Wing-Off competition.

The best hoagie in South Jersey can be found at Carmen’s Deli/Del Buono’s Bakery. We’re talking about the Rose’s Special, with capicola, prosciutto, regular and sharp provolone, sopressata and roasted red peppers. It finished high on our list of N.J.’s best sandwiches. For sushi, visit Sakura Sushi & Hibachi. For cupcakes, there’s no sweeter spot than Kreamies Bakery. The Club Diner, which started out on a horse-drawn cart in 1946, is now a gleaming, futuristic-looking jewel.

Brigantine

Brigantine — “An Island You’ll Love for Life” is its slogan — is in the literal and figurative shadow of Atlantic City, and its residents like it that way. Quiet, peaceful, with no big-box stores, Brigantine also boasts a healthy food scene.

Let’s start with Aversa’s Bakery, which merely makes the state’s best sticky buns and the Shore’s best torpedo rolls. Ernest and Son, which opened in 1977, is everyone’s favorite butcher shop/deli; their cheesesteak ended up on our N.J.’s best cheesesteaks list.

La Scala’s Beach House, which replaced The Laguna Grill & Rum Bar, offers “Italian American with an ocean twist,” and Andre’s Wine Bar & Grill is a casual Italian food standout. The Cove is a longtime locals favorite, with a seafood-centric menu. Hang out in the Key West Room to watch your favorite games.

Cinnaminson

Cinnaminson is another town that gets overlooked on the commercial-crazy Route 130 corridor. The Jughandle Inn serves some of the state’s best wings. Its outdoor Creekside Bar & Grill is the place to be in warmer weather. Whistler’s Inn, another popular restaurant/bar, is known for its wings and BBQ. For Japanese, the choice is Tokyo Bleu. Bagelati offers an intriguing combo: bagels and gelato. I love my soft pretzels, and my favorite Jersey soft pretzels are at Mart Pretzel Bakery. Huge, and hugely tasty.

Downe

Admit it, you’ve never heard of, much less visited, Downe. It’s in Cumberland County, on Delaware Bay, and maybe you should bring a map to get around because the last time I was there cell service was kaput. Downe has an end-of-the-road feel about it, but there are two excellent seafood restaurants in town.

Bayshore Crab House is a barn — look for the bull painted on the side — with a rustic interior, decorated with mounted fish, anchors, nets, life preservers, crab traps and more. Recommended: the mussels with linguine, and the lobster bisque.

The Red-Eyed Crab’s surroundings may look humble, but the menu is extensive — steam pots, fried platters, broiled fish, steaks, pasta, burgers, soups, and wings. The fried catfish here is splendid, eminently crispy and crunchy, tender white meat glistening inside. Uncle Mikey’s Pasta, with dungeness crab, snow crab, shrimp, mussels and clams in a marinara sauce, is a boatload of seafood bounty.

Both the Bayhore Crab House and the Red-Eyed Crab appeared on our list of N.J.’s best seafood restaurants, ranked.

East Hanover

East Hanover kind of gets lost amidst the clutter of towns along Route 10, but stop and eat, you’ll be rewarded. First choice: Bill & Harry’s Chinese Cuisine, in a strip mall, of course. The wonton soup smells like heaven — fragrant, spring-meadowy. And the Lake Tung Ting Shrimp (photo) is one of the best Chinese dishes I’ve had in the past five years. The East Hanover Diner is a family-run operation known for seafood and Greek dishes. And eight kinds of cheesecake! Saigon Pho for Vietnamese and for Korean, SGD Dubu Tofu & Korean BBQ. For primo coffee and other drinks, Gregory’s Coffee.

Fredon

Fredon, incorporated in 1904, is the youngest municipality in Sussex County. Winding roads take you past unparalleled scenery — farms, hills, open space. Windy Brow Farms is one of my favorite ice cream shops in New Jersey. These are the folks who unleashed Taylor ham ice cream and tomato pie ice cream on an unsuspecting world. The dark chocolate is the stuff of legend, and the vegan coconut blueberry lime is nothing short of sensational. Their current lineup includes dark dark chocolate. I’m getting in my car right now.

The Circle, located in a restored 1720 farmhouse, offers a succinct menu, but the dishes are complex. The burrata, with baba ghanoush, Meyer lemon, toasted almond and arugula, is a standout appetizer. I selected it as Sussex County’s best restaurant. And the Fredon Deli offers one of the state’s best Taylor/pork roll sandwiches. That egg tastes farm-fresh, which should come as no surprise.

Galloway

Galloway, which claims to be the largest municipality in the state (Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, would beg to differ) is another town you can drive through on the Parkway without really noticing it. Two of the state’s more singular restaurant/bars are here: Motts Creek Inn, a rustic, rambling bar popular among locals, bikers and fishermen, and the Oyster Creek Restaurant & Boat Bar, with its breathtaking panorama of water, marsh and sky. Yes, that’s a real boat at the Boat Bar.

But there’s more to Galloway. Athenian Garden is one of my favorite Greek restaurants anywhere, and Lindy Hops is a retro-resplendent shop with excellent homemade ice cream. Smithville Bakery is the breakfast stop at the charming village of Smithville, with the Smithville Inn the fine dining choice. You’ve never been to Smithville? Shame on you. Tripician’s Luscious Macaroons started on the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1910, later re-locating to Absecon and then Galloway.

Guttenberg

Bergenline Avenue, New Jersey’s best food street, comprises four towns — North Bergen, West New York, Union City, and Guttenberg. The latter, a mere 0.24 square miles in size, is the nation’s most densely populated city or town. I love John’s Fried Chicken, which serves Dominican-style fried chicken, made with Dominican oregano, garlic, pepper, salt, red and white onions. El Sombrero offers a mix of Mexican and Peruvian cuisine. Brazilian Churrasceria is a meat-lover’s dream, and Pardon My Cheesesteak — pickup and delivery only — serves up Jersey’s second favorite sandwich (after Taylor ham/egg and cheese, of course). Bella Trattoria is a popular neighborhood spot for Italian.

Harvey Cedars

Beach Haven may be Long Beach Island’s dining center, but there’s plenty of good eating in the 18-mile stretch of towns from Holgate to Barnegat Light. Take Harvey Cedars, at the island’s north end. Black Red Susans, with a compact, eclectic menu, finished #1 on my list of LBI’s 11 best restaurants. Try the roasted chicken breast, and the bread pudding.

There is no place on LBI quite like Neptune Market. Mini supermarket on one side, old-school luncheonette on the other. Their potato salad is “world famous,” their German potato salad merely “famous.” But the chicken salad is the biggest-seller. Azzurri Italian Cucina offers a tasty selection of pasta, seafood and meat dishes, while Harvey Cedars Shellfish Co., has been serving delicious seafood dishes since 1974. Agnello’s on the Cove is one of the island’s best coffee spots.

Highlands

Atlantic Highlands may be the prettier small town, but I’ll choose Highlands for chow. You can’t beat the views at Off the Hook, with the ocean and bay in front of you. The voodoo shrimp and sun burnt pasta are must-orders. Bahrs Landing, which has been around since 1917, is one of the Jersey Shore’s most venerable restaurants. Chilangos is the best Mexican restaurant in town, while the Lusty Lobster is the place for you-know-what, plus shrimp, crab and a wide selection of fish. Highlands Cafe, improbably wedged next to a bar, offers a breakfast empanada; it made our N.J.’s best empanadas list. Two prime waterfront dining spots: Inlet Cafe and Proving Ground. And let’s not forget the annual Clamfest, the Shore’s best seafood fest.

Lacey

If you know Lacey, it’s probably because of Popcorn Park Animal Refuge, home to 200+ animals and birds. Forked River, part of Lacey, is where the eating action is. JT’s Bagel Hut is my favorite bagel shop Down the Shore; it placed high on our list of N.J.’s best bagel shops, ranked. Forked River Diner is a delightful down-home 50s wonder; try the soups. Caffrey’s Tavern, damaged by fire in 2019 and rebuilt, remains as popular as ever. Captain’s Inn is where I ate well on my Jersey Shore walk before encountering a tornado (more on that here) Forked River German Butcher Shop offers brats, bologna, sausage, liverwurst and much more; their two smokehouses are constantly in operation. Best pizza in town: Mimmo’s. Good white pie there.

Neptune Township

Neptune City is more noted as food destination (Pete & Elda’s, Kelly’s Tavern, etc.) but Neptune Township is also worthy, mostly because of Ocean Grove, which is part of the township.

The charming small town is home to Day’s Ice Cream, one of the state’s most beloved ice cream shops. And the Ocean Grove Bake Shoppe, where I devoured several danish the morning after my initial 12-mile hike on that previously-mentioned Shore walk. The SeaGrass restaurant, with seafood, steaks and chops, offers “American dishes with a twist.‘’ In case you’re wondering, the Creamcake House does not sell cakes; it’s a beach rental. Away from Ocean Grove, the former John’s Cracker Barrel has re-opened as the River Hills Cafe Bistro; try the grandma-style Gennaro’s margherita.

Newton

The Sussex County seat has long been ignored as a dining destination; we’re going to correct that now. At The Curd & Cleaver, I had my favorite sandwich in 2024: the Italian Grinder (photo), with sopressata, cured ham, mortadella, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, and oil and vinegar. The owner, Kristen Vait, also operates The Farmer’s Daughter in town; her son is the chef at both places. Hayek’s Market, smack in the center of Newton, is the consummate deli. There may be no more restaurant or shop in the state as devoted to soups than the Copper Kettle; you can order any of 48 (!!) soups by the gallon with three-days’ notice.

North Wildwood

Wildwood gets all the attention as a summer getaway, but North Wildwood is the better food town. Rick’s Seafood ended up No. 1 on our list of the state’s best seafood restaurants. The deviled crab is divine. Maui’s Dog House is a fun, open-air hangout, with a head-spinning variety of dogs. Five girls – mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins — indeed run Five Girls Sandwich Shop. The Cubano here (photo) is loaded and luscious.

The pabellon at Papelon Latin Kitchen is a feast for the senses; the traditional Venezuelan dish of shredded beef, fried plantains, white rice and black beans pretty much screamed: Eat me, and eat me now! Balkan Fusion offers American breakfast standards and traditional Balkan favorites, from pljeskavica (homemade beef and pork mixed patty) and uvijachi chicken (stuffed with cheese and rolled in bacon). The apple borek, the crispy, flaky pastry beloved throughout the Balkan countries, was one of the two or three best desserts I had all last year. Steak “Em Up, on the boardwalk, offers a quality steak, and the Anglesea Pub is a beloved watering hole.

Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant Beach — Martell’s Tiki Bar, Joe Leone’s, Spano’s, Red’s Lobster Pot, etc. — is loaded with fine restaurants. What about poor Point Pleasant, which almost never gets mentioned on lists of area restaurants? Well, listen up. Point Creamery, open year-round, offers 30-some flavors of hard ice cream, My favorite: Almond Joy. Pat’s Pizza makes good pizza and even better cheesesteaks; they finished high on our list of N.J.’s 43 best cheesesteaks. For BBQ, Woodchuck’s and Hickory Hog. The former claims to be “the Jersey Shore’s best BBQ,‘’ the latter “Jersey’s best BBQ restaurant.” Visit both; you decide. For Italian, Graziano’s, family-owned since 1966. The Cookie Lady Cafe offers much more than cookies, with breakfast (banana split French toast!) and lunch items.

Rockaway/Rockaway Township

The borough and township are often lumped into one, so they go as a joint entry here. How could you resist a place called The Barn? Restaurant/sports bar/all-around happy place. Good craft beer selection, too. Thai Nam Phet made our list of the state’s best Thai restaurants; the pork chop prik khing (photo) is a meaty, marvelous dish: a nicely grilled chop topped with chili paste, string beans and bell peppers.

Zoelily Empanadas continues to delight with its Colombian and Puerto Rican-accented empanadas. They’re hefty, and loaded with flavor and goodness. The plantain guava empanada is dynamite. They made our recent N.J.’s best empanadas list. Mexican: Riviera Maya. Mediterranean: Mezeh. My favorite place in town: Adam’s Beer Garden, just before the Rt. 80 on-ramp. fun, festive, unforgettable. There’s even a cigar deck.

Sandyston

Way at the top of Jersey is Sandyston, population 2,000 or so, and if you think that means no good eating, you’d be wrong. Smokin’ Mo’s Southern BBQ offers quality ‘cue; the ribs rock. Also on Rt. 206 is Gyp’s Tavern, one of my absolute favorite Jersey dive bars, perched prettily on South Kittatinny Lake. The Mountain House, also on the lake, is an atmospheric restaurant/bar. One of these days, I’m going try their blueberry coconut mojito. For great pies, look no further than the Hainesville General Store. And the all-beef hot dogs at the Layton Cattle Co. pack some serious oomph.

South Plainfield

South Plainfield, Plainfield, North Plainfield – three different Plainfields, three different counties. For food, South Plainfield is my favorite. The Park Avenue Diner — I love their grilled lamb chops — finished high on my list of the state’s 24-hour diners, ranked. Sherban’s Diner, open since 1959, is a locals hangout, Must try: the cucumber salad. Boss Hog BBQ made my list of NJ’s best barbecue joints. Angelina’s Tavern is known for its wood-fired pizza, and Fuego Lento is a good spot for tacos, tortas and chicken dishes. Burgers? Head to the Firehouse Grill.

Tuckerton

Tiny Tuckerton may be surrounded by Little Egg Harbor, but for food it outshines its much-bigger neighbor. Kostas Grill is one of my favorite Greek restaurants in the state; I can never get enough of their Village salad. Union Market, in Tuckerton Seaport, offers omelets, pancakes, sandwiches, wraps, and excellent coffee and hot chocolate, the latter so good, you’ll be drinking it year-round. Two must-orders: the Jersey Boi, with pork roll, egg and cheese on a good Kaiser roll; and the BLT, with loads of crispy bacon. Papa D’s Original, on Route 9, is hidden well behind a two-story house out front; no wonder they ended up on our list of N.J.’s best hidden restaurants. They specialize in sandwiches — sausage and peppers, cheesesteaks, meatballs, and chicken parm, among others. Lokotas Empanadas made our list of N.J.’s best empanadas. Lizzie Rose is a tea room in a restored Victorian home. Grapevine Restaurant & Lounge offers an expansive menu; check the daily lunch and dinner specials. Mickey’s Port of Call Pub is a good spot for seafood, steaks, burgers, pizza and more.

West Cape May

No, not Cape May but West Cape May.

There’s no more beautiful breakfast or lunch spot in Cape May County than Beach Plum Farm. The grounds are gorgeous; place an order inside at the kitchen, and it will be brought to your picnic table.

Good Earth Organic Eatery sources from local farmers and fishermen. The yellow Thai coconut curry, the cioppino, and vegan crab cake sandwich are all highly recommended. Exit Zero Filing Station is home to the Shore’s most outlandish dish — the Kraken, a pitch-black concoction with shrimp and roasted chicken in a black squid ink sauce with cayenne, red curry, jalapenos, pineapple and a shot of Kraken rum. The hot chik sandwich made our most recent N.J.’s best fried chicken list.

Housed in a stately but not stuffy Victorian, Sapore Italiano is my favorite Italian restaurant in Cape May County. Try the linguine alla pescatore. The lines stretching down Sunset Boulevard attest to Elizabeth Degener’s popularity. She is the Bread Lady, who has been selling her fresh-baked loaves for 15-plus years. Black Duck on Sunset is housed in a glay-clapboard Victorian; the desserts (whiskey bread pudding!) are a must. Chez Michel is one of my top three Jersey Shore bakeries. The pastries are light, lovely, luscious.

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Peter Genovese may be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter, @petegenovese. On Instagram, @peteknowsjersey and @themunchmobile.