Looking to eat? Here are 11 new restaurants you must try now in North Jersey
Summer may be winding down, but the dining scene in North Jersey continues to rock.
Restaurants — all kinds — keep popping up in our midst. From a "coastal" fine-dine spot and a pizzeria serving 2-foot-long pizzas to a Chinese vegan joint and a French cafe offering cube-shaped pastries, here is the latest batch of restaurants that now are part of the North Jersey dining landscape.
Wayne Ale House & Pizza, Wayne
How hungry are you?
Wayne Ale House & Pizza, a two-story, two-bar pizza-plus joint, offers a humongous — 24-inch! — pie. It's probably impossible to finish on your own. So share the eight slices with one friend or the whole fam, depending on how famished you are.
How many varieties of the pie are there?
Exactly one "Jersey style," said Rob Corujo, chef and owner. That is sauce — not mozzarella — on top. You can get it in the more typical 12-inch pie size or even by the slice — and you can add whatever topping you'd like from pepperoni to chicken to, yes, pineapple, a la DIY.
Why such a humongous pie? "For the wow factor," said Corujo. The cost: $26.
Corujo, a resident of Pequannock and a veteran restaurateur (he has owned 14 restaurants), is also the owner of Public House 46 in Clifton and is an award-winning pizza maker. He came in 10th out of 90 contestants in the International Pizza Expo held in Vegas recently and in October he took fourth place in the Northeast pizza expo.
He learned how to make pizza in New York City four years ago, he said, and afterward went to Colorado, where he opened a concept similar to the Wayne Ale House. It was a success, he said. But "New Jersey is the pizza capital," he said. "I wanted to do it here."
In addition to pizza, Wayne Ale House offers cheesy garlic knots, oven-roasted wings, house-cut fries and meatball parm sandwiches. And craft beers, of course. "Our beers are all from New Jersey," he said. Have a beer, a pie and watch a game on one of the 40 TV sets in the joint.
Open every day from 11: 30 a.m.
Go: 611 Ratzer Road, Wayne; 973-706-5505 waynealehouse.com/
Maddy Rose, Jersey City
Award-winning chef Anthony Bucco has his fingerprints all over the rebranding of Landmark Hospitality's Liberty House Restaurant — rechristened Maddy Rose — by the banks of the Hudson River with jaw-dropping views of the New York City skyline.
Need an introduction? Bucco, a four-star chef who launched acclaimed Felina Restaurant in Ridgewood and received rave reviews as head chef of Uproot in Warren and storied Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, is today senior vice president of culinary operations at Landmark Hospitality, the events management company that owns Village Hall in South Orange, Stone House in Warren, the Ryland Inn and newly rebranded Felina Steak, ex Terra e Mare, in the Hudson House in Jersey City, among others.
Bucco is taking a close look at Landmark's properties and tweaking and rebranding as needed.
Liberty House got a total redo.
"We did a complete refresh," he said. "All new restaurant furniture, new bar top, new color palette, new menu."
The executive chef is Nicholas Paller, formerly with The Manor, a 66-year-old wedding venue in West Orange that recently permanently closed. Paller was also banquet chef at Stone House, then executive chef at Logan Inn, Hotel Du Village and Liberty House. Bucco curated the new menu, which he described as "coastal."
"It is heavy on seafood," he said, noting that the restaurant is technically located in a marina. A raw bar offers East Coast and West Coast oysters as well as a seafood tower for $150. Appetizers include a summer heirloom tomato salad, the tomatoes plucked from the gardens of the Ryland Inn and the Stone House, an Angus beef tartare with olive tapenade served on a fried brioche, and a pan-seared tuna served with a yellow tomato coulis, a dish that Bucco said he has taken with him from restaurant to restaurant.
The menu also features roasted salmon with heirloom squash, cavatelli in a Bolognese sauce, a seafood risotto and a burger with caramelized onion and cheddar.
More: Chicken wings, toasts, ramen and smoked meats: 9 new restaurants to try in North Jersey
Tom Muscolino, who worked at the Ryland Inn, is the mixologist. Among the cocktails he has created is the Meltemi, a stunning blue-colored vodka drink topped with dehydrated rose petals.
Why Maddy Rose? It is named after Landmark Hospitality co-founders Frank and Jeanne Cretella’s daughter, Maddy.
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.
Go: 76 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City; 201-395-0300, libertyhousejc.com/eat/
More: 6 biggest restaurant openings of 2023 so far
Le Carre Cafe & Patisserie, Hillsdale
Carre means square in French, which is apt for a patisserie that creates eye-catching, mouthwatering square-shaped pastries. Care for cube-shaped croissants stuffed with different fillings? What about strawberry shortcake or key lime tart?
Pastry chef Ralph Boeri and his business partner, Pierre Chaubard, completely transformed a Sylvan Learning Center in Hillsdale into an inviting, airy French cafe where pastry lovers can while away the hours enjoying specialty coffees, a fresh-baked pastry or a hand-made sandwich. Boeri, who lives in Washington Township, had been an executive pastry chef at Dean & DeLuca in Manhattan. He lives in Washington Township.
"This is just what the town needed," said Marybeth Chaubard, Pierre's wife. "An authentic French bakery."
Most of the ingredients — from the flour to the butter — are imported from France. They are used to make French macarons in such flavors as violet cassis and lemon yuzu as well as pain aux raisins and laminated, buttery kouign amann. The bestselling item is the square-shaped "Rocher," a six-layer creamy hazelnut mousse cake.
As for sandwiches, options include a croissant stuffed with ham and cheese, a croque monsieur and turkey and avocado.
Open every day except Monday and Tuesday.
Go: 94 Broadway, Hillsdale; 201-942-8777, lecarrepatisserie.com/
The Table at Three Acres, Jersey City
Chef Daniel Latham has moved his popular, six-year-old Downtown Jersey City restaurant, Latham House, which closed in April, to the West Side of town and renamed it The Table at Three Acres. The restaurant, an ultra-modern, airy, 80-seat spot, officially opened in July.
Latham, a Culinary of America Institute alum who has been in the restaurant industry for 30 years — he was the executive chef of Cornelia Cafe, a Greenwich Village stalwart beloved for its music, poetry readings, and other cultural events, has brought along his entire staff and liquor license. And while he plans on offering much of the dishes he offered at Latham House, which had a reputation for having a great brunch, the menu will now also include pizza ("We've never done pizza before") and rotisserie chicken.
"I have an amazing brand-new kitchen," Latham said. "This is a completely new space."
Three Acres is a new ritzy apartment complex with a rooftop garden, conference room and lots of public spaces. In fact, Latham named his restaurant after an enormous "10-ton" table that sits in an adjacent room that he might use for big ("200 to 300 people") events.
On the menu are such dishes as crispy cauliflower accompanied by avocado salsa verde, sesame-crusted salmon with pickled ginger in a wasabi mustard sauce, gnocchi bathed in a tomato cream sauce, steak frites au poivre served with skin-on fries, and organic rotisserie chicken served with salsa verde, spicy harissa and Korean BBQ.
Juan Arbodela, mixologist and spirit specialist for PKGD, a spirits hospitality consulting group, as the beverage director. On the cocktail menu: espresso martini, spicy pineapple margarita and whiskey-laced smoky or classic Paloma.
Open every day from 4 p.m., except Monday.
Go: 400 Claremont Ave., Jersey City; 201-365-3333, thetablejc.com/
Six23 Social, Sparkill
Denis Whitton, the former executive chef of now-shuttered Harvest Bistro in Closter, has turned his French-inspired restaurant Autumn, which was crushed by the pandemic before it even opened, into a sexy speakeasy in Sparkill.
Six23 Social is the first speakeasy Whitton, who has a 30-year restaurant career (he owns Pier 701 in Piermont), has opened. He did it in record time — "Two weeks, working 24/7," he said. The space resembles a Prohibition-era speakeasy, sporting antique sofas, Depression-era lights, and walls covered with black-and-white photos of speakeasy raids, mobsters and other of-the-era visuals. To get in, you have to call Six23, receive a password, ring the doorbell and then recite the password through a peephole before you are allowed in.
A small, secret dining room hides behind a faux bookshelf.
On the menu: lots of creative cocktails, wine and beer and tapas. Among the tapas: spicy tuna tartar, baked oyster Rockefeller, miso-glazed Atlantic salmon and cast-iron chicken pot pie. Dessert offerings include pecan bourbon bread pudding, ice cream soda and egg cream.
As for cocktails (Tim Morales is the beverage manager), how does a Final Ward (rye and chartreuse) strike you? What about a Godfather (bourbon and amaretto)? Then again, you might prefer a classic Prohibition-era Bees Knees (gin and honey syrup).
Open every day, except Monday, from 3 p.m.; on Sunday, it opens at 11:30 a.m.
Go: 623 Main St., Sparkill; 845-836-3398, six23social.com/
D'Boathaus Restaurant, Hewitt
Latitude 41 is gone. In its place is D’Boathaus, an expansive, seafood-centric restaurant located right on Greenwood Lake that caters to boaters (it has 40 docks) and any other transportation users looking to enjoy modern American food and a drink in a relaxed, rustic environment.
Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Peter Dulligan, once the executive chef at Elaine's in Manhattan, and then Cafe Cafe in Tenafly and Griffin's Restaurant in Cresskill, is the executive chef of the lakeside restaurant. On the menu are such fish dishes as steamed clams, seared sesame-crusted tuna, Cajun shrimp dip with crudite, lobster roll and Arctic char with roasted corn salsa. Not into seafood? Consider getting roasted chicken wings, a Cuban sandwich on a mustard-smeared ciabatta or St. Louis BBQ ribs with sweet potato fries.
"The restaurant is all glass so you get water views," said general manager Brent Cestone, formerly with Cafe Amici in Wyckoff. And the patio can seat 40.
Open every day from 11 a.m.
Go: 322 Lakeside Road, Hewitt; 973-657-5757, dboathaus.com/
Montclair Bread Company, Montclair
Not new — Montclair Bread Company opened in 2012 — but it is under new ownership with a new, make that, original name. The popular shop, which started out as a bread shop but ended up as a wildly popular doughnut shop under its founder and chef Rachel Wyman, is now owned by real estate broker and entrepreneur Wesley Berghahn, a Jersey City resident. He not only brought back bread "pretty quickly" but brought back its birthname.
Wyman, author of "Will Run for Doughnuts: The Montclair Bread Company Cookbook" (she is an avid marathon runner), is now on the faculty of her alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
A year ago Wyman, who Berghahn credits with building a great brand and product, renamed the shop Rabble Rise Doughnuts, eliminating lunch sandwiches and grain breads and, according to Berghahn, inadvertently confusing customers. "A lot of people thought it was closed," Berghahn said.
Berghahn, who had been searching for a business to buy, sampled Wyman's doughnuts — and didn't hesitate. As of June 1, he has been its owner.
He has invested in new equipment, hired a few new people, rearranged pick and pack processes and bumped up production by more than 40%, the latter to help avoid running out of doughnuts, a perennial happening at the shop. People frequently would line up early in the morning to up their odds of not leaving empty-handed.
Breads are now available every day of the week, he said, with the most popular by far being the sourdough. "On the weekends alone, we sell 50 loaves of sourdough, 20 of ancient grain and 30 baguettes," he said.
As for doughnuts, you can count on the same quality, Berghahn said, noting the Boston Cream, filled with custard and dipped in dark chocolate glaze, is still the best seller. The s'mores is a big hit this month. And the apple cider doughnut? "I was looking to season it out," he said. "But it sells so well, I'm leaving it alone."
Go: 16 Label St., Montclair; 973-509-2525, rabblerise.com/
Freakin' Vegan, Ridgewood
Freakin’ Vegan, a plant-based comfort food joint, has closed its Prospect Park spot and opened a shop in Ridgewood. "It's a better location," said Kurt Biroc, owner and chef. In May, he closed his Cliffside Park location.
The new spot is approximately 700 square feet, too small for sit-ins. So it's takeout only, although Kiroc hopes to offer outdoor seating in the future.
He has expanded his menu to include, he said, to include breakfast offerings such as "egg ploufs," vegan eggs with vegetables in a puff pastry. He is also planning to offer more salads and more sandwiches. Of course you can expect Freakin' Vegan's empanadas, mac 'n' cheese dishes, plus subs and sliders.
Open every day except Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Go: 39 Godwin, Ridgewood, 201-677-2421, freakin-vegan.com/
Fat Choy, Englewood
Fat Choy, the well-received Chinese vegan restaurant in Manhattan that closed during the pandemic, has been reborn in Englewood.
"It's so exciting," said chef and owner Justin Lee, who has been commuting from New York City, first by public transportation, and now by hiring cars, to his new, 40-seat restaurant on East Palisade Avenue. "But eventually I want to go back to public transportation. One, because, it's way less expensive, and two, it's better for the environment." Adding that he's "a weird environmental hippie I guess."
A weird environmental hippie who has worked with such notable New York City chefs as Jonathan Waxman, Andrew Carmellini and Scott Bryan, and then went on to wow critics and diners alike with his unique Chinese vegan eats at Fat Choy on the Lower East Side.
Fat Choy Version Two offers such unusual dishes as General Lee's cauliflower (a play on General Tso's cauliflower but, Lee said, "I'm such an egomaniac that I named it after myself"); kung pao tots and tofu (fried tater tots and tofu in a spicy peanut sauce); Lee's famous mushroom sloppy joes; and a made-with-potatoes-mushrooms-and-chickpeas burger that is proving to be a bestseller.
"We worked on variations of it, and finally nailed it," said Lee, who noted that it is "the least Chinese dish we have on the menu." The plant-based patty is deep-fried and served on an Orwashers bun. "I think it's the best bun."
Besides being vegan and Chinese, the restaurant is also kosher (certified by the International Kosher Council). "Part of the team is observant and a big part of the community is observant. We wanted to make them feel comfortable," Lee said. Adding: "Is it a kosher restaurant? Yes. Is it only a kosher restaurant? No."
It is unequivocally a BYOB, serving "beautiful, delicious non-alcoholic drinks," Lee said, such as alcohol-free beers, Aperol spritz and margarita. "They have interesting textures and tastes. Of course you won't feel it like a cocktail, but you also won't feel it the next day as you would a cocktail."
Nor will you feel logy after dining at Fat Choy. "You feel good after you eat this food," he said. "You don’t feel tired, exhausted, wiped out."
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.
Go: 52 E. Palisade Ave., Englewood; 201-408-4581, fatchoyworld.com/
In addition:
Butter Lane Cupcakes, East Rutherford. This is the first New Jersey location of this seasonal cupcake bakery. It had a location in the East Village but that closed. The bakery, now located at American Dream Mall, is known for not using an excessive amount of sugar for its treats. 1 American Dream Way, 1st Floor, East Rutherford; 212-677-2880, butterlane.com/
Holy Cow, Paterson. This burger joint started life in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It offers gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian burgers. 245 Market St., Paterson; 973-200-2780, holycow.nyc/.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ restaurants: 11 places to try now near North Jersey
