Casa de Masala
Take classics from culinary canons Indian and Latin, pair thoughtfully and cook just right, and the result can be a menu of long-term, lovable partnerships. Like the ones found at a newcomer to the Bayshore.
Tiam Tiam
Thrillingly flavorful foods mark the menus at this modest, but mighty storefront piloted from original market to destination restaurant by an extraordinary and idiosyncratic wife-husband team of chefs, Jennifer Cheng and Jesse Kim. It’s a dine card must.
Ideal Eating
Call this a U.O.U. and take a few minutes to plan for some pleasurable dining-out time while summer’s still in its prime. It’s a personal process, one that involves a bit of ruminating and selecting, so we’ve got some recommendations to get your thinking off and running.
Casdeluna
In the ‘Burg of today, all eats Latin are hotter than asphalt in July. This Venezulean arepas specialist, which also makes a mean cachapa, is exactly where you ought to go, with the latest Stephanie Plum mystery in hand, to read and catch the food beat as orchestrated by restaurateur Mirna Castellanos.
Al-Hara Shawarma
Follow the scents of spit-roasting meats to this darling of a yearling in a restaurant-proud downtown filled with ethnic options. It’s where sincerity meets the most satisfying of authentic eats.
Green Olive
The fundamentals of one of the prized cuisines in the Mediterranean vernacular are disgraced at a new Greek restaurant in a charming town that deserves much, much better.
Keyport Fishery
A landmark in the Bayshore borough for 90 years in its present form, this steadfast seafood shack may best strut its famous fried fishes as part of a twosome with neighbor 3BR Distillery, a couple blocks away and welcoming those bearing takeout from Keyport eateries with not only a place to sit and eat, but 20 percent off cocktails. Now that’s synergy!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.