Toms River
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and if you’re not looking forward to spending the entire day cooking and cleaning, you’re in luck! Several Ocean County restaurants are preparing special Thanksgiving meals, giving local families the opportunity to enjoy a traditional holiday dinner without all the work. Whether...
A pound cake can still be warm when it lands in your shopping bag. That alone should tell you what kind of place this is. The pretzels get twisted by hand and brushed with butter right in front of the counter. The line for them can stretch long, and nobody seems to mind.
A diner in this lineup shows up in the original 1980 Friday the 13th movie. Fans still make trips to see it, especially when the calendar lands on Friday the 13th. Another one keeps a dining car from 1927 and has model trains as part of the scenery. A third sits in a railroad-style car built in 1938, and it’s called the oldest operating diner in New Jersey.
Cold nights in New Jersey call for a table near a real fire and a plate of hearty food. Some of the best spots in the state are old taverns, stone inns, and lodge-style dining rooms that keep the hearth going all season. This list covers six of them, from...
Thanksgiving means a break from the kitchen for plenty of Jersey Shore families this year. Twenty local restaurants are open and ready to do the cooking for you.
Ocean County business news: Raising Cane's opens in Brick, Kirkland's closes its last Shore store and Chick-fil-A and Sephora head to the Ocean County Mall.
Chili crisp, cheese, and honey on one pizza. Yeah, I’m definitely looking twice at that combo, and it’s one of the most unusual creations on the menu. The spot behind it landed on Food & Wine’s list of the nine hottest new pizzerias in the country. It was the only New Jersey pick on that list.
Peruvian food has a funny way of putting French fries where you least expect them. Order lomo saltado and they arrive tossed alongside seared beef, tomatoes, and onions, with white rice waiting on the same plate. Then there is ceviche sharpened with lime, rotisserie chicken darkened over charcoal, fried rice...
Allen Walski, a Surf City native and owner of Clemmy’s in Waretown, has been named New Jersey’s Chef of the Year. Walski was announced as the winner at the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association’s 41st annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 5. He was one of eight chefs from across the state nominated for the title, and the only one representing Ocean County. After the nomination, voting was open to the public; a total of more than 5,000 votes came in for the competition, according to the NJRHA, and Walski secured the most.
A bacon, egg and cheese fried rice sounds like something dreamed up after midnight, not the sort of dish you expect to find sharing a menu with pristine sashimi and roasted Peking duck. At Xina in Bradley Beach, though, that combination makes perfect sense. The restaurant at 415 Main Street...
Necessity is the mother of invention. And in this New Jersey pizzeria’s case, the mother of a glorious, carb-loaded Frankenstein. You have probably seen gimmicky pizzas before. Toppings piled high. Crusts stuffed with cheese. Fun, but nothing that makes you stop and stare. This place serves the Triple Threat....
Every roll on the all-you-can-eat menu gets made only after you ask for it. No buffet trays here, and no sushi sitting under a heat lamp waiting for a brave soul. The menu runs deep, too. Sashimi, special rolls, gyoza, tempura, udon, and even green tea ice cream all fall under one flat price.
The New Monmouth Diner in Middletown, NJ captures the charm of the 1950s while serving up some delicious burgers, classic breakfasts, and more.
In New Jersey, Christmas Eve dinner often starts at the fish counter, not the kitchen. Families who keep the Feast of the Seven Fishes tradition know that the best shrimp, clams, scallops, and whole fish go fast once December hits. The smart move is calling in your order early at...
COMING SOON: Smash N' Dash Burger planning a grand opening soon in Freehold, NJ
FREEHOLD -- Picture yourself in Italy, sipping an espresso, nibbling something delicious, and enjoying that feeling that comes from being someplace beautiful. Now imagine it close to home, at the newly opened Cafe Scala. Owners John and Kim Scala will officially open their cafe Saturday, Nov. 14, after a weeklong soft opening. Cafe Scala is tucked along Bannard Street, just a few blocks from the borough's busy downtown, and sits besides the couple's other business, New York Shaving Company. The cafe, John Scala said, was a true labor of love that took several years to build in the barber shop's former storage area. A window between the two lets customers of each peek through to the other side. Dining news: Freehold Italian restaurant coming from owner of LBI's Chicken or the Egg "We wanted to create a unique experience where our customers could enjoy the cross promotion," he said. "We want everyone to be able to experience both concepts." The Scalas spent a great deal of time on the details of their cafe, from the black and white-tiled floors and sparkling chandeliers to leather tufted benches and vintage doors that open to an outdoor courtyard. Pastries and sweets — sfogliatella,
Nearly 200 years ago, horse owners and racing enthusiasts traveled hundreds of miles to Trenton, where they gathered at the Eagle Tavern for food, drinks and a place to spend the night. The horses were stabled behind the building, while their owners mingled with travelers, politicians and local residents inside...
Planning dinner for a big group can be tricky, because everyone wants something different and somebody always gets bored waiting for food. Hibachi solves both problems at once. You sit around a big flat grill, a chef cooks steak, chicken, shrimp, and fried rice right in front of you, and...
Nominate a family in need for the 2026 Holiday Break In with Free Beer and Hot Wings, And 105.7 The Hawk
