1. Juniper Hill
Juniper Hill is an artisanal family-friendly restaurant and bar in Annandale, owned and operated by married duo Josh and Jennifer DeChellis since 2017. The restaurant is a popular day trip spot for East Coast diners, serving up excellent rotating menus of high-quality seasonal fare prepared with ingredients from top local bakers and producers.
Menus change throughout the week, but often feature favorites like vegetable coconut curry bowls, miso-grilled salmon with spring parsnip puree, squid ink spaghetti with Calabrian chilis, and slow-roasted pork shoulder and fingerling potatoes. Casual fare takes center stage at lunch, including buttermilk-fried chicken sandwiches, banh mi-style burgers, and grilled market fish tacos. New Jersey craft beer offerings are available, along with an award-winning bourbon list and a global wine list highlighting biodynamic selections.
Address: Juniper Hill, 73 Beaver Ave, Annandale, NJ 08801, Phone: 908-335-8905
2. Le Malt Lounge
Le Malt Lounge is a hip whiskey bar and cocktail lounge in Colonia that has been acclaimed by The New York Times for its extensive, carefully-cultivated liquor menus. The restaurant and bar, which was opened in 2014, is helmed by James Beard Award-nominated executive chef Duke Estime, serving up a full menu of globally-influenced tapas and gourmet entrees each evening.
Diners can choose from selections like New Zealand lamb lollipops, Haitian fried pork belly, French bone-in chicken, or Scottish cheese boards, complemented by a selection of premium teas and coffees. More than 1,000 bottles of international wines and spirits are offered for diners to choose from, including New Jersey's largest selection of brown spirits. A thoughtfully-curated cocktail program features new takes on classic favorites, while a craft beer list focuses on reserve and bourbon barrel selections.
Address: Le Malt Lounge, 1021 St Georges Ave #2, Colonia, NJ 07067, Phone: 732-510-7700
3. 100 Steps Kitchen and Raw Bar
100 Steps Kitchen and Raw Bar is a lovely raw bar and supper club in Cranford, overseen by executive chef Sean Carner and restaurateur Jack Tagmouti. Seasonally-driven New American dishes are served up at dinner each evening, including elegant selections highlighting the best daily seafood catches on the East Coast.
Diners can choose from entrees like Barnegat scallops with duck fat potatoes, dayboat Nova Scotia halibut, roasted Amish chicken breast with hoisin sauce, or sfoglini trumpet pasta with Peekeytoe crab and pepper sofrito. A three-course prix fixe menu is available on Wednesdays and Thursdays, featuring selections like crab beignets, coconut curry broth mussel pots, and housemade ice cream served on biscotti. A full raw bar is also available, showcasing selections from Duxbury, Highbar Harbor, and Tucker's Island.
Address: 100 Steps Kitchen and Raw Bar, 215 Centennial Ave, Cranford, NJ 07016, Phone: 908-276-0153
Restaurants For a Date
4. Gayeon
Gayeon is a sophisticated Fort Lee restaurant opened in 2017 by restaurateur Andrew Sung, serving up a full menu of Korean classics at lunch and dinner. The restaurant is named for a Korean word meaning "beautiful encounter," a philosophy reflected in its understated decor, which highlights industrial-chic design elements and Korean artwork. Four-course prix fixe barbecue dinners are served at dinnertime, showcasing entrees like galbi marinated short ribs, Canadian pork belly, and chicken gui thighs. Three-course tasting menus at Gayeon favor classics like sea squirt bibimbap, yuk-hwe bowls, and black cod jorim. Barbecue service is also available for the table, along with appetizers like japchae glass noodles, mushroom tangsoo, and mung bean jeon. All barbecue entrees are cooked at sleek tabletop grills, served with creative house cocktails.
2020 Hudson St, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Phone: 201-944-2056
5. 618 Restaurant
618 Restaurant is an award-winning modern American restaurant. The restaurant, which was opened in 2016, is known for its engaging scratch-made entrees, which are minimally prepared to highlight the freshness of locally-sourced ingredients. Diners can enjoy elegant selections like lobster and saffron ravioli with jumbo Gulf shrimp, Mongolian cod with edamame dumplings, Cajun barbecue shrimp and grits, or espresso-rubbed filet mignon with poblano corn gravy. Casual fare includes Southern-fried chicken breast sandwiches, vegan sweet potato and quinoa tacos, and house burgers with maple bacon and Dijon aioli. Half-price wine bottles are offered on Wednesdays, along with an extensive lounge happy hour menu.
Address: 618 Restaurant, 618 Park Ave, Freehold, NJ 07728, Phone: 732-577-0001
Recommended for Families
6. Two Fish BYOB
Two Fish BYOB is a quaint, laid-back BYOB bistro in Haddonfield, known for its rotating menus of delicious seafood fare. The restaurant opened in 2016 to rave reviews, helmed by executive chef Michael Stollenwerk, a winner of major awards from Bon Appètit for his Philadelphia restaurant Little Fish. A small 26-seat dining space showcases constantly rotating menus, which frequently showcase selections like Spanish mackerel with roasted corn barlotto or harissa vinaigrette tuna with sumac and raisin agrodolce. Clever seafood-focused appetizers include salmon belly crudo, little neck clams, Sicilian calamari, and chargrilled octopus with buttered beans and pickled poblano pepper.
6 S Haddon Ave, Haddonfield, NJ 08033, Phone: 856-428-3474
7. Porcini Italian Trattoria
Porcini Italian Trattoria is an intimate Highlands restaurant helmed by executive chefs Chris and Alexandria Atamian, recreating the atmosphere of lovely authentic bistros in Florence. Delicious, hearty Italian and global fusion pasta entrees are served up throughout the evening, including sweet Italian sausage cavatelli, rigatoni and meatballs with Sunday gravy, white clam broth seafood linguine, and Cajun shrimp fettuccine in creamy garlic tomato sauce. Main courses include pork osso buco, pan-seared sea scallops in mushroom sherry sauce, housemade crab cakes, and grilled hanger steak prepared with orange chipotle honey butter. BYOB service is offered for all guests, available alongside delicious dessert offerings like creamsicle macarons, chocolate pots de crème, and homemade gelato flavors.
168 Bay Ave, Highlands, NJ 07732, Phone: 732-291-3080
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