Ramen, macarons and Lebanese food are on the menu at these 13 new North Jersey restaurants
Hungry for something new?
From a ramen spot and a halal smoked meat place to a fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant and a Mexican BYOB, here is the latest batch of restaurants that have opened in North Jersey.
Delice Macarons, Madison
French Pastry chef Pierre Chahine has left French bakery Pierre & Michel in Elmwood Park and Ridgewood and recently opened Delice Macarons, a French patisserie, in Madison. It is the shop's third location; the first two are in Cranford and the Upper West Side. Chahine, who hails from Paris, trained and worked at the famed French house Lenôtre and the four-star Hotel Concorde Lafayette before emigrating to the United States to open Pierre & Michel. Now he makes the "most delicious" macarons in a host of flavors including raspberry, lavender, cappuccino and Earl Grey tea. The shop also offers breakfast pastries such as croissants, brioches and kouign-amann as well as sandwiches such as egg and cheese on a croissant and croque monsieur.
Open every day from 8 a.m.
Go: 82 Main St., Madison; 973-671-0844, delicemacarons.com
Naya, Montvale
Lebanese-born Hady Kfoury is on a roll. He is about to open the 20th location of his fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant, Naya in Montvale, with one more on the way in Jersey City. His first New Jersey location is in Paramus.
Naya began as a fine-dine restaurant in New York City after Kfoury's concept of a fast-casual restaurant didn't take hold. He held on to that idea, though, and found in 2008 that the concept indeed has a large audience -- even when times are very tough. He opened his first branch in New York City in 2008 and eventually moved out into Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey.
"Fortunately we survived COVID pretty well," Kfoury said. "Prior to COVID, we had six locations. Now we're in the double digits." He expects the Jersey City branch to open in five months, he said.
He described Naya as a Middle-Eastern Sweetgreen or Chopt Salad, in which customers select a roll, bowl or salad base, add a protein, and then can choose toppings (at Naya, customers can have as many as all 17 toppings at no extra charge). "It's basically a whole mezze in one plate," Kfoury said. "Instead of 15 different plates, you get one bowl with all of those plates in it." The most popular "toppings," he said, are the chicken shawarma and the hummus, which takes 72 hours to prepare. It is his mom's recipe. "It is the creamiest and most silky hummus out there," he said.
Kfoury expects the Montvale restaurant to open in the beginning of November.
Go: 330 Market St., Montvale; eatnaya.com
Bone Yard Authentic Mexican Restaurant, Sparta
This is the second location of Bone Yard, a Mexican restaurant that last year opened in Warwick. Unlike its first location, this spot is BYOB. However, there's a liquor store next door where you can pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy with the restaurant's tacos, enchiladas, soups, fajitas and nachos. The restaurant offers a host of mocktails to which many, said manager Ricky Mendias, add their own store-bought tequila. Mocarita, anyone? As to what many order? The bestselling dish, Mendias said, is the Bone Yard Combo, a combination of empanadas, tacos and enchiladas.
Open every day except Wednesday.
Go: 2 White Deer Plaza, Sparta Township; 862-342-8282, boneyardcantina.com/mexican-restaurant-sparta-home.
Cherry Blossom Cafe, Wyckoff
Cherry Blossom Cafe is a rebranding of Clean Juice, a national organic juice and food bar franchise, owned by Beata Savreski. Savreski ran Clean Juice for three years in Wyckoff but then closed it in August and rebranded it as Cherry Blossom. "We are keeping it pretty much the same," she said, offering juices, smoothies, bowls, coffee, toasts, sandwiches and salads. The number one selling item, she said, is the juice cleanses, a program where you can get five to six juices a day, packed into glass bottles. "People do it for different reasons," Savreski said. "They love juicing. They want to boost their energy. They want to boost their immune system. They want to lose weight. - Each 16-ounce bottle of cold-pressed, organic juice costs $12.99. If you order five a day, you receive 10% off; 20% off for a five-day "cleanse."
The shop can seat 12 indoors and 6 outdoors. It is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Go: 319 Franklin Ave., Wyckoff; 201-375-6595, order.toasttab.com/online/cherryblossomcafe
Awe & Wonder, Tenafly
Michelle and Michael Yom have dreamed of opening their own place. He does design work and she has worked in the hospitality industry for some time. They made their dream happen by opening Awe & Wonder, a cafe designed with Japandi (Japanese-Scandanavian) aesthetics. There are lots of organic materials such as wood, plus concrete and plants. The cafe serves special coffees plus pastries from Balthazar and cookies from Baking Mama in Hoboken.
Open every day except Sunday.
Go: 35 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-569-1461, instagram.com/awe__wonder/
Frosty Cafe & Dessertery, Bergenfield
Zai's Dessertery is no more. In its place is Frosty Cafe & Dessertery, which, according to associate manager Danielle (who did not want to give her last name),is similar to Zai's only "with more offerings." Among the offerings: muffins, croissants, bagels, coffee, acai bowls and crepes.
The dessertery can accommodate 12 guests indoors. Besides seats, it features comfy couches.
Open every day from 8 a.m.
Go: 108 N. Washington Ave., Bergenfield; 201-771-7000, frostycafenj.com/
Kailani Shave Ice & Ramen, New Milford
A ramen and shave ice restaurant? You bet. This Hawaiian restaurant serves both. The shave (that's right, not shaved) ice is Hawaiian, that is, thinly shaved and thus more powdery and snow like, that comes in a host of flavors. You can combine it with Kailani's homemade ice cream (can you think of any reason not to?), then top it with coconut strings, sea salt caramel and whipped cream for an enhanced dessert experience.
But since man and woman can't — or accurately, shouldn't — live on dessert alone, there are a variety of ramens to enjoy including miso, shoyu and tan tan (kind of like dan dan noodles with a spicy broth) onto which you can add toppings such as baby nori, baby spinach, bamboo shoots and that Hawaiian staple, spam.
Many of the ingredients come from Hawaii.
Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.
Go: 840 River Road, New Milford; 201-402-9600, toasttab.com
In addition:
Little Dubai, Passaic. A Middle-Eastern restaurant with a full bar, Little Dubai, a stunning new spot in Passaic, may just transport you to another, more exotic, world. Tin ceiling. Long banquettes. Funky lighting. And colorful, textured ottomans. Here is where you can indulge in such dishes as dolmades, stuffed grape leaves; deep-fried eggplant with honey-mustard hummus; garlic chicken kebab; and baklava served with ice cream. 427 Van Houten Ave., Passaic; 973) 433-9887, littledubainj.com.
Forte Pizzeria & Ristorante, Hackensack. This Italian restaurant replaces Picco Tavern and serves soups, salads, pizza, paninis, pasta and more. It has locations in Randolph and Caldwell. It features a full service bar. Open every day from noon. 160 Prospect Avenue; 201-277-3400, fortegroup.wpengine.com.
Libelula Bakery + Kitchen, Montclair. This Fullerton Avenue bakery serves Latin American eats for breakfast and lunch. On the menu: mashed plantain (mangu), a Dominican breakfast staple; chocolate oatmeal with coconut flakes and berries; chicarron (fried pork belly) in a green sauce; and ceviche with sweet potatoes and fried corn. The spot is owned by executive chef Brian Martinez, formerly with Roots in Summit, and pastry chef Veruska Samanez. The two met at the Culinary Institute of America. Closed Monday. 5 N. Fullerton Ave.; 973-707-2082, ibelulamontclair.com.
Mumbai Maskaa, Montclair. Crave Indian food? Montclair has got a new spot to try. Mumbai Maskaa is a culinary "love letter" to the city of Mumbai, a densely populated city on the Western coast of India. On the menu, find such streets foods as samosas, onion parkoras (fritters), vada vav (fried potatoes coated in chickpea flour); dal gash (hearty meat stew in a lentil-based curry) and Kashmiri naan. Open every day except Tuesday. 150 Valley Road, Montclair; 973-200-2024, mumbaimaskaa.com.
Zaffron Bloom, North Jersey. This primarily Persian restaurant offers lunch and dinner. The menu includes such dishes as a borek cigar (phyllo dough stuffed with cheese); Persian yogurt and cucumber dip; shishlik; Persian herb and beef strew; and baklava. Open every day from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. 194 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights; 201-571-0029, zaffronbloom.com/
Meat Moot, Paterson. This international franchise company, headquartered in Istanbul, opened a branch in Paterson recently. On the menu? Meat, of course. Halal meat. Smoked halal Meat. Including lamb shanks, lamb shoulder, lamb neck, calf ribs, calf breasts and calf legs, all served with 14 sauces and seven salads. The dish is priced by the pounds of meat ordered; each pound costs $45. Open every day from noon. 1068 Main St., Paterson; 646-804-8818 meatmoot.com.tr/
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New NJ restaurants: 13 to try in North Jersey right now
