A Counter-to-Culture Valentine’s Day
Highlighted in this roundup of eateries to consider for dining out on the day of hearts-and-flowers are 10 places that defy the usual. We’re pointing out the trad-restaurants, but also offering alternatives to the expected.
Mira Mediterranean Grill
Don’t be bashful and revert to hummus at this shopping center storefront in Skillman that tilts its menu Turkish. No, go for the less familiar and be smitten by mucvar, manti, musakka of a different stripe and a dessert that’s deliciously playful.
Koi Matsu
At James Dong’s newcomer to a restaurant-rich community, Japanese fare gets taken on a world tour and brings home souvenirs that inspire both fun and fancy. It’s a joy ride, and the chef wants to personally welcome you aboard.
Makana’s
Breakfast-lunch eateries have seized the dining scene and continue to make themselves at home in our downtowns. This happy place, anchored in the Jewel of the Jersey Shore, is where the work-from-café crowd congregates and the notion of “nutritious” eats promulgated. How’s that panning out?
Bonney’s
A couple with irreproachable technical skills and a love of jolly good food took fundamentals of Filipino fare and Jamaican dishes and mixed till matches were deemed sound. They call it fusion, and it’s a delicious new way of eating island-inspired foods.
Evergreen Dairy Bar
Hard on the east-west byway of Route 70 in South Jersey, a few miles east of downtown Medford, sits a drive-in that was born in 1949 and still serves ice cream and also classic breakfast and lunch fare all year long. It’s much more than throwback vintage.
Shanghai Bun
Explore the authentic Chinese menus at this dressed-up storefront near the train station at Princeton Junction and find a wealth of house specialties you’ll be hard-pressed not to order on repeat visits. The solution? Order your favorites and also order new dishes destined to become new favorites.
Chez Alice Patisserie
Tea time! The tiered trays of designed sweets and savories are a mix of fun and frustration at this upscale bakeshop offering a range of tea services in a space behind the pastry-snatching crowds coming in off the streets. Unevenness in preparation is the problem. But there’s a talented team behind the scenes who should be able to fix flaws.
Blue Point Grill
Longevity becomes a seafood-centric restaurant in an Ivy downtown, an any-night gathering place that locals count on for simple dishes that may not require ornamentation but depend on constant, mindful watch by the crew in the kitchen.
Resolutions for 2026
We share thoughts on liquor license reform, what needs to be 86’d on menus and what needs to be added, what’s wrong with entrees today, why restaurant kitchens need to be high on fiber, and what solo diners really want. And more.
A Baker’s Dozen from 2025
Culling 13 favorite dishes from 100 times that number eaten in the year now winding down is one heck of a challenging task. But once accomplished, it allows you to rest assured this selection of top eats is worth the effort to experience yourself.
New West Orange Diner
It looks and acts more like a chef-driven café than any roadside iteration of a Garden State cultural hallmark might. That’s because it is chef-driven and offers a sizable selection of well-crafted Peruvian classics in addition to the breakfast-lunch-dinner staples its moniker implies. It’s a new diner for New Jersey – and it’s terrific now and brimming with potential for a new generation.