Mantoloking
Chocolate chip pancakes, apple crepes, and breakfast pizza all share the same Sunday morning lineup here. Then the carving station rolls out prime rib before lunchtime even arrives. I love a menu that refuses to pick a lane. This New Jersey spot pairs grits and cream of wheat with a...
Two grocery stores can look alike from the parking lot and work very differently inside. New Jerseyans who shop at both Wegmans and ShopRite run into rules that don’t match from one store to the next. Here’s how the two compare on the details that affect your cart.
Somewhere in Mays Landing, New Jersey, there’s a little red building with dollar bills stapled to the ceiling, and it just might serve the best all-you-can-eat crab in the entire state. Crabby’s Suds and Seafood is the kind of place that makes you wonder why you ever bothered driving...
When the boardwalk games close and the beach badges go in the drawer, a lot of people assume Jersey Shore seafood takes the winter off. It does not. A handful of fish markets and casual crab houses keep their doors open well past Labor Day, serving fresh clams, crab cakes, and lobster rolls to anyone willing to drive down in a winter coat. Off-season visits mean easier parking, shorter waits, and the same boats still bringing in the catch.
At 4:30 in the morning, Route 17 is already carrying people somewhere, and Perry’s Bagel Cafe is already feeding them. A few hours later, breakfast crowds will fill the usual places, but these early counters and diners have been busy since the sky was dark. They serve commuters watching...
Many New Jersey residents shared their favorite hidden gem restaurants and here they are.
Some New Jersey dining rooms have outlasted trends, recessions, and countless menu fads without changing much at all. The secret is usually simple: one family, one kitchen, and recipes passed down from parents to kids. This list covers eight Italian spots where the same family has kept the stoves going...
New Jersey has a diner on practically every corner, but every so often, one of them stops you cold and makes you wonder why you ever ate anywhere else. The Metuchen Diner, tucked right into the heart of Metuchen, is exactly that kind of place. Let’s talk about diners for...
Cream donuts so loaded with filling that you can buy extra tubs of the white cream on the side. That detail alone stopped me cold. I believe any place selling bonus donut filling deserves a closer look. The surprises keep stacking up from there. Beef ribs, brisket, and baby back...
Craving Pizza? 10 Toms River Pizzerias Locals Can Visit for Their Next Slice. Whether you’re craving a classic New Jersey cheese pizza, a loaded specialty pie, or a quick dinner for the family, Toms River has plenty of local pizzerias ready to satisfy your appetite. Pizza has always been...
A creamy Cacio e Pepe gets finished right beside your table at one New Jersey Italian spot. Another dining room seats only 35 people, and its Sicilian menu still manages to feel like a little party. I love that kind of surprise. Upscale dining can get expensive, but these New...
One deli in New Jersey sells eight kinds of kielbasa, smoked right on site. Eight. I had no idea a single counter could hold that much garlic and smoke. That discovery sent me down a very hungry rabbit hole. Some of these shops open before sunrise. One runs a hot...
Food truck festivals pack New Jersey parks in November, from wing eating competitions in Mullica Hill to taco and empanada celebrations in South Bound Brook. Each event brings live music and crowds looking for something beyond the usual.
Some restaurants chase trends, and some just keep the lights on for more than a hundred years. This one has been serving seafood on the Jersey Shore since 1917, back when the boats out front looked very different. Today, people still drive to Highlands for one thing in particular: a...
There are places you eat at because they’re convenient, and then there are places you drive to on purpose, and Hot Dog Johnny’s in Belvidere, New Jersey, is firmly and enthusiastically in the second category. People come from all over the state for these hot dogs, and after...
Every Monmouth County town seems to have that one bakery where the line forms early on Sunday and the box gets tied with string. Some of these shops lean old-school Italian, with rainbow cookies and lobster tails in the case. Others are newer, built around cupcakes, croissants, or one famous...
We want to hear from our readers on a very important subject: Diners. That’s right. Most of us are aware that New Jersey is known as the “Diner Capital of the World” , because, well, we have so many diners across the Garden State. And while some iconic diners have closed over the years , we still have plenty of options to fill our bellies with diner food, especially here in South Jersey. With that in mind, we created a poll so you can tell us which diner is your favorite among the ones we listed. The poll will remain open for about six or seven days so you will have time to revisit the poll. Oh, and do us a favor: We don't mind if you vote more than once, but we don't allow bots in our polls. These polls help small businesses in our communities. We don't want to have to eliminate one from the poll. Please consider a digital subscription to help support our journalism. Celeste E. Whittaker joined the Courier-Post in 1998. The Willingboro native has covered the Philadelphia 76ers, college and high school sports in her tenure and now covers food, dining, events, arts and
A New Jersey photographer looked through almost 6,000 menus to see what each place calls the breakfast sandwich. The result is an interactive map of the state’s great divide. One of New Jersey’s never-ending wars is the one between Taylor Ham and Pork Roll. Traditionally speaking, those in North...
