Readers Choose Their Favorite NJ Restaurants of 2024

The winners of New Jersey Monthly's 41st annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll.

plates of food
Photo: Shutterstock/SnapFocus

The results of our 41st annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll are in. They showcase New Jersey Monthly readers’ picks for their favorite dining spots, by category, in New Jersey.

Balloting took place online in February. The winning restaurants in each category received the most votes in their region—North (Ⓝ), Central (Ⓒ) or South (Ⓢ) Jersey. Ballots from duplicate email or IP addresses were disqualified. Editorial discretion was used when votes were cast for restaurants that, in our judgment, belonged in another category.

We have also added our critics’ picks (★) for the top restaurants in the various poll categories.

Qualified entrants were eligible to win our random drawing for a dinner for two at the restaurant voted Best of the Best in their region of New Jersey. A special congratulations to this year’s winner, Joe R. of Haddonfield!

So get out there and start eating!

[RELATED: The 40 Best Restaurants in New Jersey]

August 2024 issue of New Jersey Monthly

Buy our August 2024 issue here. Cover photo: Christopher Lane

Best of the Best

Ⓝ Gioia Mia, Montclair
Ⓒ Stage Left Steak, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Ebbitt Room, Cape May

Best New Restaurant

Ⓝ Gioia Mia, Montclair
Ⓒ Toca Vez, Basking Ridge
Maison Bleue, Cape May
★ Spring House, Tenafly
Maddy Rose at Liberty House, Jersey City

American | New American

1776, Morristown
Ⓒ Stage Left Steak, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Boatyard 401, Point Pleasant Beach
Agricola Eatery, Morristown and Princeton
★ Summit House, Summit
★ South+Pine, Morristown

Asian Fusion

ⓃⒸ Aikou, multiple locations
Ⓒ Teak, Red Bank
Ⓢ Xina, Toms River
★ Wabi Sabi, Bloomfield

Bagels

ⓃⒸ O’Bagel, multiple locations
ⓃⒸ Hot Bagels Abroad, multiple locations
Ⓢ Baron’s Bagels, Brick and Point Pleasant
★ Bagels By Jarrett, West Orange
★ The Bagel Cafe, Cinnaminson
★ Livingston Bagel, Livingston

Bakery

Ⓝ Calandra’s Bakery, multiple locations
Ⓒ Del Ponte’s, Bradley Beach
Ⓢ Mueller’s, Bay Head
★ Chocolatine, Denville
Dixie Lee, Keansburg
★ Ferrara’s, Ship Bottom

Bang for the Buck

Ⓝ Cucina Calandra, Fairfield
Ⓒ Old Man Rafferty’s, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Surf Taco, multiple locations
Fins, Bradley Beach
★ Popolari, Bloomfield
★ Raymond’s, Montclair and Ridgewood

Bar Scene

Ⓝ Grain & Cane, Berkeley Heights
Ⓒ Catherine Lombardi, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Boatyard 401, Point Pleasant Beach
★ Bradford Rooftop, Bridgewater
★ Brown Room, Cape May
★ Stirling Tavern, Morristown

Barbecue

Minuteman Whiskey Bar & BBQ, Morristown
Ⓒ Local Smoke BBQ, multiple locations
Ⓢ Hickory Hog, Point Pleasant
★ Boss Hog Barbecue, South Plainfield
★ Brother’s Smokehouse, Ramsey
★ Henri’s Hotts Barbecue, Hammonton

Beer Selection

Ⓝ Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell
Ⓒ Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, Asbury Park
Ⓢ The Ark Pub & Eatery, Point Pleasant; Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette (tie)
★ Capital Craft, Green Brook
★ Revolution Gastropub, Morristown

Breakfast

ⓃⒸⓈ Turning Point, multiple locations
Ⓒ Buttered Biscuit, Bradley Beach
Ⓢ Mad Batter, Cape May
★ Amy’s Omelette House, multiple locations
★ Country MKT Diner, Closter
★ The Frenchtown Cafe, Frenchtown

Brew Pub

Ⓝ Trap Rock, Berkeley Heights
Ⓒ Triumph Brewing Company, Red Bank and Princeton
Ⓢ MudHen Brewing Co., Wildwood
★ Four City Brewery, Orange
★ Montclair Brewery, Montclair
★ Pour House, Westmont

Brunch

ⓃⒸⓈ Turning Point, multiple locations
Ⓒ Cross + Orange, Asbury Park
Ⓢ Mad Batter, Cape May
Blue Café, Basking Ridge
★ Comfi, Belmar
★ Maeberrie Market, Avon

Burger

Ⓝ Arthur’s Tavern, Morris Plains
Ⓒ Stage Left Steak, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Exit Zero Filling Station, Cape May
★ Committed Pig, Morristown and Summit
★ Jug Handle Inn, Cinnaminson

Caterer

Ⓝ Calandra’s Market & Deli, Caldwell
Ⓒ Cattani Catering & Kitchen, Ewing
ⒸⓈ Joe Leone’s, Mansquan and Point Pleasant Beach
★ Laurence Craig, Maplewood
★ Tuscany, Old Bridge

Chain Restaurant 

ⓃⒸⓈ Cheesecake Factory, multiple locations
ⓃⒸⓈ Jersey Mike’s Subs, multiple locations
ⓃⒸⓈ The Capital Grille, multiple locations
★ Ruth’s Chris Steak House, multiple locations

Cheese Steak

Ⓝ Piccolo’s, Hoboken
Ⓒ Hoagie Haven, Princeton
Ⓢ White House Subs, Atlantic City
★ Donkey’s Place, Camden

Chinese

Ⓝ Hunan Taste, Denville and Montclair
Ⓒ Peking Pavilion, Manalapan
Ⓢ Xina, Toms River
A&J Bistro
, East Hanover

Coffee | Tea Bar (non-chain)

Ⓝ Van Gogh’s Ear Café, Union
Ⓒ Booskerdoo, multiple locations
Ⓢ Lava Java, Lavallette
★ Common Grounds, Oaklyn
★ Grooveground, Collingswood
★ Paper Plane Coffee Co., Montclair

Deli (Italian-Style)

Ⓝ Calandra’s Market & Deli, Caldwell
Ⓒ Taliercio’s Ultimate Gourmet, Red Bank
ⒸⓈ Joe Leone’s, Mansquan and Point Pleasant Beach
★ D’Angelo Italian Market, Princeton
Fiore’s House of Quality, Hoboken
★ Salumeria Biellese, Hackensack

Deli (Kosher-Style)

Ⓝ Goodman’s Deli, Berkeley Heights
Harold’s New York, Edison
Ⓢ Kibitz Room, Cherry Hill; Irv and Karen’s Hot Pastrami, Brick (tie)
★ Eppes Essen, Livingston
★ Hobby’s Deli, Newark
★ Pickled Herring, Englishtown

Desserts

Ⓝ Calandra’s Bakery, multiple locations
Ⓒ Catherine Lombardi, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Washington Inn, Cape May
★ The Gingered Peach, Lawrenceville
★ Ladyfingers, Bloomfield
★ Rails Steakhouse, Towaco

Diner

Ⓝ Prestige, New Providence
Ⓒ Americana, Shrewsbury
Ⓢ Rainbow, Brick
★ Mustache Bill’s, Barnegat Light
Tops, East Newark

French

Bistro D’Azur, South Orange
Ⓒ Pascal & Sabine, Asbury Park
Ⓢ 410 Bank Street, Cape May
Café le Jardin, Audubon
★ Lorena’s, Maplewood

German | Austro-Hungarian

Ⓝ Wayne Steakhouse, Wayne
Ⓒ Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, Asbury Park
Ⓢ Sebastian’s Schnitzelhaus, Wrightstown

Greek

Ⓝ 12 Islands, Stirling
Ⓒ The Greek Spot, multiple locations
Ⓢ George’s Place, Cape May
★ Estia Tavern, Marlton

Hot Dog

Ⓝ Rutt’s Hut, Clifton
Ⓒ Destination Dogs, New Brunswick
Ⓢ The Original Hot Dog Factory, Voorhees
★ Jersey Johnny’s Grill, Woodland Park
★ Jimmy Buff’s, West Orange and Kenilworth

Ice Cream

Ⓝ Applegate Farm, Montclair
Ⓒ Bent Spoon, Princeton
ⒸⓈ Hoffman’s, multiple locations
★ Holsten’s, Bloomfield
★ Latteria, Swedesboro
★ Taylor’s Ice Cream Parlor, Chester

Indian

Ⓝ Mehndi, Morristown
Ⓒ Aarzu, Freehold
Ⓢ Aamantran, Toms River
★ Indian Masala, Newton

Italian

Ⓝ Cucina Calandra, Fairfield
Ⓒ Catherine Lombardi, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Spano’s, Point Pleasant
★ Battello, Jersey City
★ Popolari,  Bloomfield
★ Scalini Fedeli, Chatham

Japanese

Ⓝ Ani Ramen House, multiple locations
Ⓒ Taka, Asbury Park
Ⓢ Xina, Toms River
★ Aki, Bloomfield
★ Mr. Pi’s, Highland Park

Latin American | Caribbean

Ⓝ Cuban Pete’s, Montclair
Centrada, Red Bank
Ⓢ 410 Bank Street, Cape May
★ Jaimito’s Peruvian, Clifton
★ Pachamama, Greenbrook
★ Samba, Montclair

Lunch

Ⓝ Calandra’s Il Vecchio Café, Caldwell
Ⓒ Cattani Kitchen & Catering, Ewing
Ⓢ Blue Pig Tavern, Cape May
★ The Bistro, Haddonfield
Sunday Motor Co., Madison

Mexican

Ⓝ Casa Maya, Gillette
Ⓒ Toca Vez, Basking Ridge
El Pueblo Taqueria, North Cape May
★ Barrio Costero, Asbury Park
★ Julio’s on Main, Vineland

Middle Eastern | Turkish

Ⓝ Chutzpah Kitchen, Maplewood and Westfield
Ⓒ Reyla, Asbury Park
Ⓢ Zaffron, Haddonfield
★ Al-Basha, Paterson
★ Evelyn’s, New Brunswick
★ Li Beirut, Collingswood

Pizza

Ⓝ Star Tavern, Orange
Ⓒ Vic’s, Bradley Beach
ⒸⓈ Brooklyn Square Pizza, multiple locations
★ Brooklyn Original Pizzeria, Haddon Heights
Coniglio’s Old Fashioned, Morristown
★ Denino’s, Aberdeen and Brick

Romantic

Ⓝ Bistro D’Azur, South Orange
Ⓒ Catherine Lombardi, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Ebbitt Room, Cape May
★ Peter Shields Inn & Restaurant, Cape May
★ Restauarant Serenade, Chatham

Seafood

Ⓝ Limani Seafood Grill, Westfield
Ⓒ Bahrs Landing, Highlands
Ⓢ Lobster House, Cape May
★ Halifax, Hoboken
★ Kleins, Belmar
★ Black Eyed Susans, Harvey Cedars

Soup | Salad | Sandwich

Ⓝ Calandra’s Il Vecchio Café, Caldwell
Ⓒ Frank’s Deli, Asbury Park
Ⓢ Blueplate, Mullica Hill

Southeast Asian | Thai

Ⓝ A Taste of Asia, Chatham
Ⓒ Bamboo Leaf, Bradley Beach
Ⓢ A Little Thai Kitchen, Cherry Hill
★ Muang Thai, Red Bank
★ Rice Factory, Milltown
★ Topaz Thai, Belleville

Southern  | Soul Food

Ⓝ Vonda’s Kitchen, Newark
Ⓒ Drew’s Bayshore, Bistro Keyport
Ⓢ Kelsey’s, Atlantic City
Corinne’s Place, Camden
Marcus Live!, East Rutherford

Spanish | Portuguese

Ⓝ Don Pepe, Newark
Ⓒ Mar Belo, Long Branch
Ⓢ Spanish Potato Grill, Brick
★ Sabor Unido, Newark
★ Ria Mar, South River

Steak

Ⓝ Roots Steakhouse, multiple locations
Ⓒ Stage Left Steak, New Brunswick
Ⓢ Primal, Cape May
★ Fox & Falcon, South Orange
★ Strickland’s Steakhouse, Woodbridge
La Fusta, North Bergen

Vegetarian | Vegan

Ⓝ Veggie Heaven, multiple locations
Ⓒ Good Karma Café, Red Bank
Ⓢ Wildflower Vegan Cafe, Millville
Brick City Vegan, Montclair and Newark
★ Goodbeet, Haddon Township
★ How Delish, West Orange

Wine List

Restaurant Latour, Hamburg
Ⓒ Nicholas Barrel & Roost, Red Bank
Ⓢ Ebbitt Room, Cape May
★ Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster


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