We all share the excitement of finding new restaurants that we love. New Jersey, with its vibrant, ever-expanding restaurant scene, sees new spots opening regularly. These are our favorite restaurants that opened their doors in the Garden State in 2025, spanning North, Central and South Jersey.
To compile the list, our editors and restaurant critics traveled to dozens of new restaurants throughout the year, trying the dishes and cocktails, studying the menus, observing the environments, rating the service.
We made sure that every single restaurant on our list features top-notch food, service and atmosphere. You’ll also find a variety of cuisines and some restaurants with truly interesting offerings. (Want to keep track of which spots you’ve visited? Print or screenshot our Best New Restaurants Bingo, then share your progress with us on social media!)
We hope you enjoy these as much as we did!
Buy our February 2026 issue here. Cover photo: Natalie Chitwood
Bar Mutz
Westwood
Whether you come to check out star chef Robbie Felice’s handiwork in his newest kitchen or because you’ve heard the rumor that a server, rolling a cart of fresh-pulled mozzarella, is going to pop a gob of warm, gooey cheese into your mouth (true, so long as you’re up for it), you’re going to have a good time at Bar Mutz. It is, per its own social media, a place where “the mutz pulls, the pasta slaps, the music’s up, and the room never stays quiet.” Don’t doubt it. Instead, ride this wave of insouciant gastronomy while you can, whenever you can. —Tammy LaGorce
90 Center Avenue
Capon’s Chophouse
Hackensack
Chef Josh Capon knows his way around a good cut of steak. Photo: Courtesy of Capon’s Chophouse/Noah Fecks
When I experienced this place for the first time in November, I was surprised to learn that the happening dining room, with its lively atmosphere, had only been open for a few weeks. But that’s to be expected from chef and restaurateur Josh Capon, who brings his signature energy and style to every bite on the menu. Tucked inside a mall (the Shops at Riverside), this eatery has all the trappings of a downtown New York City steak house. With fresh takes on steak house classics, cuts are the centerpiece of any meal here, but the appetizers also shine. Innovative approaches to hamachi sashimi and steak tartare are complemented by crowd-pleasers like hash browns and caviar and candied bacon “nuggies.” The showstopper is the Snake River Farms Wagyu New York strip, which cuts like butter, while the crust is crispy and perfect. —Jacqueline Mroz
390 Hackensack Avenue; 862-247-4037
Chez Frites
Atlantic City
French-inspired fare comes with unlimited fries. Photo: Courtesy of Ocean Casino
Stephen Starr returns to the Jersey Shore with a tightly curated, French-influenced concept. By Starr’s standards, this, the 43rd restaurant of his empire, has a more traditional bent than some of the concepts for which he’s known. This outpost is a bit of an oasis among the gaming town’s hustle and bustle. The calming interior, in hues of beigey gray, boasts architectural details like ornamental trim and a coffered ceiling. Once you’re settled into one of the booths or rattan-backed seats, the rest is easy. The opener accompanying each meal is a delicate blend of lettuce greens drizzled with a white-balsamic vinaigrette that is crisp and tangy, with a hint of sweetness. The streamlined main-course options include steak, chicken, lobster and a few other proteins, which are simply and expertly executed. A perfectly juicy, medium-well Prime New York strip with unlimited fries, which accompany each dish, is no gamble here. To add variety, there are a handful of other sides and apps, but sticking with a simple prix-fixe is a satisfying no brainer. —Deborah P. Carter
500 Boardwalk; 609-783-8000
Duke’s Steakhouse
Metuchen
Chic black walls give this 85-seat eatery a sultry, sexy appeal. The long, narrow space takes on an elegant runway feel, amplified by retro-mod wooden chandeliers, an artful tree hung with lanterns, and black-and-white artwork on the walls. A collaboration of brothers Dumond (on the business end) and chef Duke Estime, who also run Estime, a breakfast and brunch eatery in Colonia, and Ou La, a Caribbean spot in Carteret, here the focus is on Prime steak and other dishes executed with signature Haitian-inspired flair. Chef Duke has been featured at the James Beard House in Manhattan and has served in several Michelin-starred kitchens. Here, a (pricey) showstoppingly succulent 44-ounce tomahawk for two speaks volumes for him. —DPC
413 Main Street; 732-318-6075
Fork
Rahway
Fork is intimate and urban chic, with brick walls accented by handsome panels that add architectural depth. On a Friday night, there’s date-scene energy bustling about this well-heeled crowd. The menu mirrors the vibe, with trendy items like pan-seared octopus and sushi pizza, while it also steps out of the box with a signature imprint. Take the complimentary bread, served with an apple-honey mustard spread—the ideal balance of sweet and savory. I was tempted to spread it on everything I ordered. Next, the ubiquitous grilled octopus gets a refreshing treatment in a brothy cream sauce, speckled with corn and white beans. Other solid offerings include the lightly seasoned 16-ounce New York strip and the ahi tuna, perfectly rare and crusted with sesame seeds, pistachios and wasabi aioli. Sides include broccolini and white beans in a bath of butter and garlic, and a pile of succulently wilted mushrooms. —DPC
1519 Main Street; 732-669-7752
The Feathered Fox
Jersey City
The Feathered Fox moved from Livingston to a sleek space in Jersey City. Photo: Courtesy of the Feathered Fox/Max Flatow
This is the place to come if you’re looking for a night out with stunning views of the New York City skyline and Hudson River along with top-notch dining. This modern steak house with seafood and a sushi bar was formerly located in Livingston and is now in a fabulous location within the Maritime Parc event venue in Liberty State Park, overlooking the Liberty Landing marina. The menu, created by executive chef Chris Siversen, includes an impressive selection of steak cuts and chops, such as Wagyu strip steak and venison chops; an extensive raw bar including a seafood plateau; and a unique sushi program featuring fish flown in from Japan. Starters include broiled oysters served with bacon, leeks and cream, and Spanish octopus with olives and crispy potato. Side dishes like duck confit mac ‘n’ cheese and mashed potato rings are also worth a splurge. The restaurant has a split-level outdoor terrace for dock-and-dine patrons who arrive by boat. —J. Mroz
84 Audrey Zapp Drive; 201-419-6791
Italiana by Zod
Montclair
Pies are composed of house-made mutz and gluten-free dough. Photo: Courtesy of Italiana by Zod/Joey Palmieri
It is true that, when Zod Arifai came onto the North Jersey restaurant scene, this magazine recognized his culinary skills and dubbed him the Wizard of Zod. Returning to Montclair after stints in other New Jersey towns and New York City (where he earned a Michelin plate), it is clear Arifai intends to keep his title. This time, Arifai is shining his considerable light on a well-trodden food category and is busy to show what more this genre can offer. All of the Italian must-haves are on the menu, with, of course, surprising new combos to shake up your taste buds. Standouts on a standout menu include the spicy Lacinato kale caesar salad; the deeply truffled truffle pizza sizzling from the wood-fired Acunto oven imported from Naples, Italy, cranked to nearly 650 degrees; and house-made pastas like creamy bucatini cacio e pepe, so full-bodied it will slow you down after a few bites as the richness sates you. Arifai means for these robust dishes to give you pause, demanding your full attention and allowing the palate to savor the high and low notes of each offering. —DPC
558 Bloomfield Avenue; 973-433-9213
Judy & Harry’s
Asbury Park
Judy’s matzo ball soup Photo: Courtesy of Judy & Harry’s/Michael Persico
Who woulda thunk that combining your grandma’s recipes for traditional Jewish dishes with your nonna’s fave Italian classics would create a unique fine-dining experience like the one offered at this beautiful spot in the St. Laurent hotel? From the James Beard-nominated team behind Heirloom Kitchen and Lita, David Viana and Neilly Robinson offer dishes such as Judy’s matzo ball soup, the Parm, and roast chicken savoy (the chef’s spin on the Belmont Tavern classic). After your meal, head to the companion cocktail bar, Harry’s, for a drink. The restaurant and bar are named for Robinson’s parents, who inspired the menu. —J. Mroz
408 7th Avenue; 732-795-2582
Madison Modern Social
Old Bridge
Madison Modern Social in Old Bridge has a spacious, upscale setting and inventive cuisine. Photo: Courtesy of Madison Modern Social/Smart Marketing
This see-and-be-seen spot masters high style—Instagram-ready sleek surfaces, glitzy lighting, a huge semicircular bar, and thumping club music in the background—and innovative eats and drinks. The owners include Frank Brusco, who owns Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse and Patricia’s of Holmdel in his native town, and Demetri Rexinis, a co-owner of the Gramercy at Lakeside Manor in Hazlet. Any given night, you may catch these hands-on owners moving about the crowd greeting diners. The broad menu brings American, Italian, Mexican and Japanese (sushi) classics to the fore, with lots of specialty, bar-raising touches. Take the milk bread and butter tasting with a trio of creamy spreads, including blended butter with inventive herb combos, mustard and honey. The menu takes liberties to create new classics using novel treatments, such as reviving the sometimes lowly mozzarella stick. Here, it’s house made and drizzled with truffle aioli and topped with osetra caviar. Similarly, the St. Louis ribs capture traditional spicy sweetness with the introduction of black garlic, deeply smoky, spicy harissa, and maple syrup, finished with a balancing squeeze of tart lime. The beverage program takes the same approach, with excellent combos and fanciful presentations. —DPC
3801 US-9; 732-242-9392
MM by Morimoto
Montclair
The sophisticated vibe is perfect for a date night or lively evening out with friends. Photo: Courtesy of MM by Morimoto/Peter Bonacci
When Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto decided to open his first place in New Jersey, he chose culinary hotspot Montclair. The former chef of Nobu and a TV star in his own right, he made MM by Morimoto all that you’d expect and more. The decor is sleek and sophisticated, and the vibe is perfect for a night out with a date or friends. The food is fabulous, too. The steak, including the Australian and Japanese Wagyu, is transcendent, and the braised black cod with ginger-soy reduction is reminiscent of one of the dishes that put Nobu on the map. But be sure to make reservations—tables at this popular eatery get snapped up quickly. In October, they opened OEN by Morimoto, a 12-seat omakase experience, located next door. —J. Mroz
193 Glenridge Avenue; 862-333-4833
Maxwell Alley
Jersey City
Layered cardamom tres leches. Photo: Courtesy of Maxwell Alley/Paolo Verzani
Upon entering this model of stylish earth tones, globe chandeliers and lacquered concrete floors, you expect the cuisine to equally be elegant, forward thinking and bold. Indeed, the team here (which includes CoolVines retail store founder Mark R. Censits) infuses every dish with the same eclectic, creative energy and thoughtfulness that went into the interior design. The menu leans on local, high-quality meats, fish and inspired vegetarian/vegan offerings. The bread a restaurant serves is often a barometer of the kitchen’s commitment, and the proffered crusty sourdough with cultured butter and sea salt spares nothing. Take the Asian pears, whose sweetness lifts savory miso and subtly blends with kicky salsa macha and creamy aged gouda. It is delightful. Light, crunchy and deeply flavorful, this simple salad is a bonafide treat, as is the entirety of the menu, including desserts, like the layered cardamom tres leches. —DPC
12 Coles Street; 201-331-0160
Minoru
Montclair
This vibrant, upscale restaurant features traditional and contemporary Japanese options such as Wagyu tataki—a lightly seared, thinly sliced Wagyu beef served with ponzu sauce, karaage (fried marinated chicken thigh with Japanese garlic mayo) and tonkatsu ramen. Chef and co-owner Meiji Pattamasingcha also owns SLA Thai, a popular nearby eatery. She previously trained at the same location when it was known as Daikichi, an iconic sushi spot, and has now returned to her culinary roots with Minoru. Don’t miss the delicious desserts: matcha parfait, served with matcha jelly, red bean paste, house cream cheese, caramel cornflakes and green tea ice cream; and the mango parfait, served with seasonal mango. —J. Mroz
608 Valley Road; 908-275-1732
The Morris Proper
Morristown
The open, airy Morris Proper Photo: Courtesy of Morris Proper/Corry Arnold
A strong, clean design sets the stage for a menu that is at once fresh and familiar. Natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows floods the dining room of this 12,000-square-foot restaurant. There is a roomy 360-degree bar and a viewable kitchen. The farm-to-table edict guiding the cuisine comes from executive chef David C. Felton, well known as the founding chef of Ninety Acres in Peapack-Gladstone. Meals here follow suit. The local rotisserie chicken, served with chili-herb aioli, is succulent and juicy, and the tuna tartare is tangy and fresh. —DPC
100 Morris Street; 973-750-0999
Mutiny Beach
Asbury Park
How do you raise the bar when you are already the best barbeque spot in town? For Asbury Park’s beloved Mutiny BBQ, the answer was simple—expand. Their second location—dubbed Mutiny Beach—sits inside Convention Hall and features oceanfront views, a full bar, and a revamped menu packed with unquestionably craveable new items such as the maple-bourbon pork belly burnt ends and the True Beef-Liever—a near-perfect sandwich of slow-smoked brisket topped with queso and pickled jalapeños. —Ryan Loughlin
1300 Ocean Avenue; 732-455-8500
Olea
Spring Lake
Incredible ambience awaits at Olea. Photo: Courtesy of Olea
Chef Brandon “Bud” Carter does it again as he opens Olea, a lushly decorated, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant focused on steak, seafood and pasta dishes. Formerly of the Butcher’s Block in Long Branch, Carter nails all three categories with playful flair. Buffalo octopus makes for a sassy opening act for heartier main and mid-course dishes, including the Spicy Rig, which balances mild creaminess with a subtle punch-up from Calabrian chilis. The squid ink tonnerelli is a true showstopper, paired with king crab and served in a butter emulsion with sublime hints of saffron and lemon. The near-perfect Prime filet isn’t the most expensive steak on the menu (the 48-ounce Prime tomahawk is $195), but we can’t imagine a more tender or more delicious cut arriving at our table, no matter the cost. It seems a hard act to follow—until dessert arrives and pulls off the impossible in the form of an unforgettable trio of delicately deep-fried churro crullers dusted in cinnamon sugar and paired with a divine vanilla-bean gelato. —RL
700 NJ-71; 732-359-8580
Revell Hall
Burlington
After cooking beside Michelin-starred legends around the world, chef Joseph Sergentakis brings his global experience to Revell Hall, near historic Burlington’s riverfront. The sleek gastropub opened in December. Applying his formal French training to dishes he developed while living in Europe and Asia for more than a dozen years, Sergentakis, 42, is turning out imaginative and artistic dishes that shout with flavor, from skewered pork bellies with perfectly rendered fat and tangy Korean BBQ sauce, to earthy squid-ink pasta topped with buttery chunks of lobster, to dome-plated salmon infused with billowing smoke that gets released tableside. The earth-toned, 6o-seat dining room with recessed lighting makes for a romantic night out, while the lively L-shaped bar attracts a hipster set, drawn to mixologist Steve Mazzuca’s inventive seasonal cocktails. —Jill P. Capuzzo
219 High Street; 609-232-7555
Sam’s Table
Montclair
Rising star Sam Stymest makes such dishes as cod with broad-leaf arugula. Photos: Courtesy of Sam’s Table/Rob Yaskovic
Sam Stymest, 33, is a rising star in the Garden State’s restaurant world. In September, he opened this tiny, 26-seat spot in downtown Montclair that rivals some of the finest places around. It serves a four-course, prix-fixe seasonal tasting menu, with choices for three of the courses. And the choices, many of them vegetable forward, are brilliant—starting with the house-made milk buns served with honey butter, which are worth the carbs. The carrot crêpe with roast Thumbelina carrots, served with chickpea yogurt, was unusual and delicious, as were the cured striped bass and tea-smoked duck. Each dish on the menu is interesting and flavorful. He describes his cooking as modern American with a Scandinavian influence. Stymest earned his stripes working in Montclair for Fascino, Upstairs and Corso 98 before heading to Cape Cod, where he cooked at the well-regarded Ceraldi before returning to his hometown of Montclair. It’s a homecoming that was worth the wait. —J. Mroz
377 Bloomfield Avenue; 973-200-2092
The Saint Clair
Montclair
Pumpkin opera cake, served with almond brittle and a dark-chocolate fondue. Photo: Natalie Chitwood
As one of the few top female chefs in the Garden State, Leia Gaccione had a tall order to fill when she opened her restaurant, The Saint Clair, in Montclair over the summer. The chef, who formerly held top positions in several Bobby Flay restaurants and appeared on the TV cooking shows Top Chef and Chopped, has hit her stride in her new spot in this foodie hub. She likes to make her cooking approachable, with dishes like cast-iron cornbread, duck-fat tater tots, and crispy rice with jumbo lump crab and squid-ink aioli. My favorite entree was the halibut served in a coconut broth with shiitake mushrooms and couscous. I’m counting the days until I can go back for more. —J. Mroz
32 Church Street; 973-867-8387
Thumkaa
Jamesburg
Chef Ruby Bhalla and husband Sunil Ratwani serve some of the best Indian food in Jersey. Photos: Courtesy of Thumkaa Bar & Kitchen/Ed Murray
Be prepared for a fully immersive experience when you come to Thumkaa, where you cannot help but get caught up in the festive atmosphere of this restaurant, which is serving some of the best Indian dishes in the state. Since opening in March, Thumkaa has been discovered by Central Jersey diners in the know, who come to sample the restaurant’s vast selection of intensely spiced tandooris; richly sauced lamb, chicken and vegetarian masala dishes studded with cardamom, ginger and chilis; and puffy cheese-and-garlic-filled naans. Founder and executive chef Ruby Bhalla, who has been cooking since she was eight, says her goal in opening the restaurant was to create food that “connects cultures, with flavors that unite people.” —JPC
34 W Railroad Avenue; 732-338-9012
Xina
Bradley Beach
Don’t miss the delicious seafood and more at Xina. Photo: Courtesy of Xina/Rick Lee
Xina opened its new Bradley Beach location in the quirkiest of spaces—a former 7-Eleven. Owner Rick Lee’s reworked menu is packed with wildly inventive sushi rolls, oysters, reworked Chinese takeout faves, and unique specials. Playfully executed dishes like their BEC fried rice (yes, that’s a bacon, egg and cheese fried rice) share menu space with other cultural-fusion items such as tuna guacamole and the out-of-this-world Contra roll, a perfect cylinder of snapper, guajillo chili salsa, salsa verde, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna and jalapeño. And the roasted Peking duck, which comes with bao buns so you can make your own mini duck sliders, is reason enough to make the trip. Xina’s Toms River location was already popular, so the new restaurant in this beach town is sure to become another hot dining spot. —RL
415 Main Street; 732-361-3102
