August 2023: Best Restaurants

New Jersey dining is striking in its range of cuisines and price points, high quality of food, and the lack of pomposity in service—snootiness is not our thing here in New Jersey.

You will see all of these elements reflected in this year’s 30 Best Restaurants list, one of our most hotly anticipated cover stories each year, requiring months of research (and eating!) by our dining editor and restaurant critics to put together.

For this year’s cover, we chose to spotlight chef Robbie Felice, who has three restaurants on our list, including the brand-new, innovative and incredibly popular Pasta/Ramen in Montclair. Here, Felice merges Japanese and Italian cooking to create distinctive dishes like umi ramen carbonara and burrata with caviar.

Happy devouring.

View more back issues

GARDEN VARIETY

Newark’s Arts Director Working to Restore Symphony Hall to Glory Days

fayemi shakur, a multi-disciplinary artist and writer, is also chair of Newark Symphony Hall.

Read more

Montclair’s Vanguard Theater Company Shaking Up Cultural, Social Narratives

The theater has recast traditionally white productions and roles with BIPOC actors. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Michael Jordan have taken notice.

Read more

Photographer Aims to Capture Natural Beauty of Barnegat Bay—And Protect It

A portion of proceeds from Steve Wagner’s new coffee-table book, Birds of Barnegat Bay, benefit a local nonprofit that protects and restores wildlife habitat.

Read more

Oradell Celebrates 100th Birthday of Late Hometown Artist Ellsworth Kelly

Modern artist Ellsworth Kelly was one of the most important abstract painters of his generation.

Read more

Make-A-Wish New Jersey Marks 40 Years of Supporting Critically Ill Children

The Monroe Township chapter has granted over 12,000 wishes since its founding. The mission “gets into your blood,” says president/CEO Tom Weatherall.

Read more

Ridgewood Publishing Exec Writes Poetry on NJ Transit

Many of the poems in George Witte’s fourth collection, An Abundance of Caution, began on his Manhattan commute to St. Martin’s Press, where he is editor in chief.

Read more

Breezy Block-Printed Pieces for Summer

An ancient art is reimagined in modern fashion and home decor.

Read more

The Future of Affirmative Action in New Jersey

How will college admissions change now that the Supreme Court has banned race-conscious criteria?

Read more

FEATURES

Murder Case of 5-Year-Old Timothy Wiltsey Roils NJ 30 Years Later

After a 2021 ruling overturned the murder conviction of Wiltsey’s mother, people involved in the case are still coming to terms with the reality that there may never be justice for Timmy.

Read more

Nancy Erika Smith, Montclair Super-Lawyer Who Took on Fox News, Refuses to Back Down

Smith famously represented former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson in her successful sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman/CEO Roger Ailes. 

Read more

The 30 Best Restaurants in New Jersey

Our top restaurants span a spectrum of cuisines to satisfy every kind of eater—from French at Madame in Jersey City to Japanese-Italian fusion at Pasta Ramen in Montclair.

Read more

Poll Results: Readers Choose Their Favorite NJ Restaurants of 2023

The winners of New Jersey Monthly‘s 40th annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll.

Read more

MSNBC Anchor Stephanie Ruhle Has ‘Jersey Hustle’

Stephanie Ruhle, anchor of The 11th Hour, works hard during the week but on summer weekends kicks back with her family on Long Beach Island.

Read more

What’s Behind the Disturbing Surge in NJ Whale Strandings?

New Jerseyans are clamoring to figure out why these great mammals are dying.

Read more

HOME & GARDEN

Inside NJ Influencer Natasha Greene’s Redesigned Home

The content creator’s Camden County abode, which often serves as her stylish backdrop, combines elegance, comfort and boldness.

Read more

EAT & DRINK

At Shumi in Leonia, Sushi Senseis Hand You Their Masterworks

With much of the catch flown in daily from Japan, “the only fresher way to eat fish is on the boat,” says Shumi’s David Seo.

Read more

Jersey Shore Barbecue Joints to Savor

Up and down the coast, the invigorating salt air meets its match in the aroma of smoked meats.

Read more

West Orange Eatery Specializes in Sweet and Savory Vegan Treats

Desserts were the initial draw, but the expanded breakfast and lunch menu is prepared with the same freshness and creativity.

Read more

A Seaside Pizzeria With a Friendly, Fit-Right-In Vibe

Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. is one of the few restaurants open on Sundays in Ocean Grove.

Read more

Why Vermouth Is Much More Than a Mixer

Vermouth is not actually a spirit—it’s a wine, and you can drink it like one!

Read more

EXIT RAMP

Cultivating a Community Through Soccer

“I’d suddenly met an incredibly diverse range of people united by this simple, powerful passion.”

Read more