Restaurants in New Jersey

Food Culture & Dining Scene in New Jersey

New Jersey is one of the most underrated food states in America, with a diner culture, Italian-American heritage, and immigrant-driven dining diversity that rival any state in the nation. The classic New Jersey diner, open 24 hours and serving everything from gyros to disco fries, is a cultural institution with over 600 diners statewide. The pork roll (or Taylor ham, depending on which part of the state you're in) egg and cheese sandwich is the definitive New Jersey breakfast. The state's Italian-American food tradition runs deep, from Newark's Ironbound district, which also houses extraordinary Portuguese, Spanish, and Brazilian restaurants, to the red-gravy joints and tomato pie shops of Trenton. Edison and the Central Jersey corridor are home to one of the largest Indian-American communities in the country, with an extraordinary concentration of South Indian, Gujarati, and Indo-Chinese restaurants. Jersey City and Hoboken have exploded with culinary energy, benefiting from New York City chefs crossing the river. The Jersey Shore adds boardwalk dining, fresh-catch seafood, and Atlantic City's casino restaurants. With approximately 22,500 restaurants, New Jersey feeds one of the most densely populated states with remarkable variety.