Spring Lake Seafood
A span of styles often confounds kitchens. Yet at this wide-ranging BYOB in one of the Garden State’s classiest beach towns, its chef-owner strums merrily along on a menu at once contemporary and respectful of tradition.
Cambo Box
Sandwiches reminiscent of banh mi and rice boxes are the headliners at a downtown share space that offers one of the Garden State’s few glimpses into the cuisines of Cambodia. Fair warning: Miss the fries and you’ll be missing something very special.
Kurry & Naan
As slip-size South Asian eateries proliferate in the Garden State, offering “express” dine-in and take-out, new favorites are bound to emerge. Just watch onion bhajia fly.
Varka Estiatorio
The seafood’s still sublime at this bastion for classic Greek fare, but the menu needs to freshen its aging lineup of stalwarts with seasonal ingredients.
Micky’s Market at Reed’s
The heart of an organic, regenerative farm is a newfangled eatery that takes its harvests straight into its kitchen and spins out meals to eat on site or take home. Being there – whether it’s to have breakfast or lunch or to buy for home consumption – is a complete shared experience.
Le French Dad Boulangerie
No matter the time of year, a très-magnifique storefront in the downtown district packs perfected basics that are all you’ll need for a grand pique-nique. No passport required.
Kickoff at Sweet Amalia
A pre-reopening special-event dinner at the nationally recognized market-cum-kitchen underscores its fundamentals while tipping to what’s soon to come.
Chasni
Everything breakfast is lunch again and dessert is also brunch. Then again, back-flip any item on the menu of this sibling to the Nashville hot chicken spot next door and call it dinner.
Drew’s Bayshore Bistro
There’s a dramatic new space, new dishes already on the menu and the chance to catch riffs of kitchen conversations and whiffs of what’s cooking at the new incarnation of the Bayshore’s most beloved restaurant.
Wildflower Vegan Café
Set in the heart of the Glasstown Arts District, a plant-based café that leans seasonal and celebrates local ingredients ranks among the best of its genre anywhere.
Spice Thai Bistro
Take a chance on finding new loves by ordering what’s new on the menu of a reconceived storefront in an always-busy downtown.
Valentine’s Dining
We’re not quite Cupid, but we do like making matches between people and the restaurants that might suit them well for specific celebrations. To that end, we offer 20 recommendations for where you and yours can have a tete-a-tete with foods you love on the occasion of a holiday that aims to be about love.