February 2026: Best New Restaurants

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.

We hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

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FIRST WORD

Letter From Our Publisher: Celebrating 50 Years of New Jersey Monthly

Our magazine has been championing Garden State stories for half a century.

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