Automat Kitchen, Jersey City
Photo courtesy of Automat Kitchen
Owner Joe Scutellaro is bringing back the cafeteria-style Automat popular in the 1900s, a project he’s been working on for years. The set-up allows customers to order their meal, pay via app or online, and pick up their food without interacting with others or waiting on a line. After ordering, customers are sent information to unlock a cubby/locker via text, where their food is placed when it’s ready. All dishes are made-to-order to ensure freshness and are served in under 10 minutes. Scutellaro is modernizing the experience to serve the best comfort food to his guests, including dishes like chicken pot pie, the waffle sandwich (with breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, and maple syrup), and curry pot roast. Open Monday–Friday from 8 am-8 pm and Saturday, 10 am-5 pm.
Automat Kitchen, 525 Washington Blvd, Jersey City; 201-918-5131
BB.Q Chicken, Marlton
Opening in early February, another BB.Q Chicken location is bringing premium Korean chicken to the Garden State. The menu includes an assortment of flavors, including Korean favorites like galbi (sweet and savory sauce mixed with green onions and sesame seeds) as well as gang-jeong (soy sauce with cinnamon and chilis). The new location will be celebrating their opening from February 6-12 with bubble tea specials (Buy two get one free and half-priced bubble tea with the purchase of a chicken item). Open daily from 11 am-9 pm.
BB.Q Chicken, 125 NJ-73, Marlton; 856-267-5112
Nene’s Cocina, Wanaque
A family-owned Mexican restaurant recently opened to bring delicious flavors and authentic food to North Jersey. Their menu includes an array of dishes from tacos, to alambres, to sopas, as well as house specials like lomo saltado (steak, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and fries served over rice) and camarones rancheros (shrimp cooked with garlic, tomatoes, onions, and peppers in a spicy chipotle sauce). Their dessert menu includes homemade churros, tres leches cake, flan and bread pudding. Currently only open for takeout and delivery, 11 am-9 pm, daily.
Nene’s Cocina, 548 Ringwood Avenue, Wanaque; 973-907-2470
Downtown Cookies, Haddonfield
Made with the freshest ingredients and no preservatives, Morgan Falasca brought her oversized cookies to a storefront after selling them at farmers’ markets over the years. She remembers her mother’s homemade cookies being the highlight of her Italian Sunday dinners. With each cookie named after one of Falasca’s family members, the atmosphere at Downtown Cookies makes you feel like you’re at home. Dan the Man (sea salt caramel pretzel), Tireless Tony (peanut butter chocolate), and this month’s rotating special, Jubilant Julia (hot cocoa cookie with marshmallow fluff), are just a few of the monster-sized cookies on the menu. Available to ship nationwide, Falasca’s treats can be ordered online.
Downtown Cookies, 123 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield; 856-281-9548