Lucky Star Tasty Food
The foods of Fuzhou in China’s Fujian Province are the marquee dishes at this minuscule storefront that takes its comforting classics seriously.
Café at Patidar Bridgewater
Stifle the hunger pangs that can lead to less-than-optimal impulse buys by taking a break to eat Indian classics at a café conveniently cloistered within a new mega-market in Somerset County.
Motts Creek Inn
Perched within the delicate, yet resilient ecosystem that makes up the back bays of the Garden State is a well-worn tavern-with-eats where transporting experiences defy contemporary social commentary.
The Power of Blueberries and Time Travel
When Chef Andre de Waal’s Blueberry Buckle is in a nearby oven, no one has a right to sing the blues. Read on, be inspired and bake this lasagne of desserts to his specifications.
Lan Ramen
Chinese sauerkraut shines at a noodles specialist where the marquee dish can be lackluster. Is it time to break out the bubbles and feature a trend that’s thousands of years old?
Memelas and Memelitas
From villages in Mexico to Garden State restaurants come an antojito in forms that range from a comely tart to an open-face giant of a sandwich. We tip you to two.
La Morelense Plus
Sassily spiced fruits converge with jazzed-up corn and ice creams with flavors hailing from both sides of the border on a menu of Mexican snack foods that hit the spot when it’s hot and promise to cheer when it’s not.
Most Approachable Exotics
Nothing as-per-usual in TPW’s latest round of favorite eats. No, this time it’s all about the less-familiar done enticingly right.
Cucumbers to the Rescue
A minted cukes salad is destined to serve as a side show to anything grilled. Toss when its primary ingredient starts to flood our fields and markets – i.e., now – and give yourself a reprieve from heat.
Toasting the Indies, 2026
A year ago, in honor of Independence Day, we toasted some of our favorite independently owned and operates restaurants in the Garden State, culling some 32 to tout and also shout out for staying alive during particularly tenuous times. Today, as we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation declaring its own independence, we continue that tradition by noting 16 indies reviewed since the start of this year.
A Metuchen Morning
Strolling the farmers’ market, checking in at old favorites and checking out less-frequented stalls, then meandering over to a locally loved café for a late breakfast are all in a morning’s prowl when visiting this food-centric borough in Middlesex County.
Hadaka
An omakase specialist in the largest of the Garden State’s Hunterdon County River Towns comes in the form of a cloistered sanctuary in a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is presided over, appropriately, by a sushi virtuoso with the chops to respect tradition and deliver masterful performances in the art and craft of eating from the ocean.