From secret burger spots to cheap eats, 10 foodie tips to know at the Jersey Shore

One of the fun things about being a foodie is discovering "secret" spots, like a deli in the back of a convenience store or a pizzeria in a gas station minimart.

Then there are the tips, like knowing a bakery that makes savory Italian food on the weekends and how to get a burger from a ghost kitchen.

As professional foodies, we know quite a few tasty tricks and are happy to share them — these kinds of secrets are not meant for keeping.

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Ghost kitchen eats

By night, Ott's Good Earth Garden is an elegant, farm-to-table restaurant in quiet West Creek.

But starting at 11 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, it's the home of a new ghost kitchen called The Barn Grill. The "restaurant" offers its menu through delivery apps and curbside pickup, and come spring, patio seating will be available.

Customers can order half-pound burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings and fries, with options like a Hawaii burger with Cooper Sharp cheese, grilled pineapple and Spam; a Nashville chicken sandwich with spicy slaw; and California fries topped with beer cheese, grilled chicken, avocado and white truffle aioli ($14.99 to $17.99).

Go: 771 S. Main St., West Creek; 609-594-2911, thebarngrillnj.com.

A secret sweet treat

Purple Glaze in Asbury Park is a little donut shop with a big menu, including chocolate-frosted Boston cream, Key lime with vanilla icing, and cannoli cream-stuffed donuts.

But those in the know ask for a "secret menu" item that is sometimes featured as a special: The Cinnabon. This is an apple cider or cinnamon sugar donut topped with a swirl of vanilla buttercream and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Go: 516 Summerfield Ave., Asbury Park; 732-361-5308, purpleglazedonuts.com.

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A hidden gem

At first glance, Ocean Acres Convenience Store in Stafford is like any other, with snacks, coffee and all the usual things you might need on the road.

But tucked in the back corner is a deli where customers order cheesesteaks loaded with fried onions and hot peppers, double smash burgers, North Jersey-style Sloppy Joes (meat, cheese, coleslaw and housemade Thousand Island dressing on rye), 12-inch cold subs, salads, Italian hot dogs, and a chicken cutlet sandwich with roasted peppers, mozzarella and basil mayo ($7 to $12).

Go: 1504 Route 72 West, Manahawkin section of Stafford; 609-597-5675.

Get them before they're gone

Joe Urciuoli's Big Apple Bakery in Stafford is a place to find desserts from all over Europe: Linzer cookies from Austria, pignoli cookies from Italy, and stollen from Germany.

But on the weekends, the bakery offers savory treats like freshly fried chicken cutlets, quiche, stromboli and rice balls. Big Apple's refrigerators and freezers also are stocked with housemade ravioli, sauces, soups and Italian dinners to go ($2 to $13.99).

While you're in southern Ocean County, take Route 9 north through Waretown and check out the chicken pot pies at Zano's Bros. of Brooklyn, an Italian market and restaurant, and the empanadas at sandwich shop Lunch Box on 9 (flavors vary and include chicken and cheese, beef, pepperoni pizza, and Oreo).

Go: Big Apple Bakery, 595 East Bay Ave., Manahawkin section of Stafford; 609-597-7802, thebigapplebakery.com. Zano's, 360 N. Main St. in Waretown; 609-660-0432, zanosofbrooklyn.com. Lunch Box on 9, 542 Route in Waretown; 609-549-5125, facebook.com/Lunchboxon9.

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A new addition

Get a taste of Philadelphia with a new cheesesteak at The Galley in Asbury Park.

The Philly Cooper sandwich, which owner Kris Black added to the menu last month, is made with shaved ribeye from North Jersey butcher Pat LaFrieda, Cooper Sharp cheese and onions on a seeded roll from Calandra's Bakery ($21).

Go: 1313 Memorial Drive, Asbury Park; 732-775-7711, thegalleyasbury.com.

Top-notch sandwiches

Customers visiting a whole animal butcher shop expect freshly cut steaks, freshly ground meat, housemade sausage and maybe even hearts, livers and bone broth.

But Palmer's Quality Meats in Neptune City also uses the meat its butchers cut to make sandwiches, so that nothing goes to waste. Sandwiches are available Thursdays through Sundays ($14 to $17).

"(We sell) Philly's two most popular sandwiches: cheesesteak and a roast pork, broccoli rabe (and) sharp provolone cheese," said Doug Palmer, who owns the shop with his wife, Joelle. "We also make our own cold cuts for grab-and-go sandwiches, like sliced turkey and grass-fed roast beef."

Go: 40 Steiner Ave., Neptune City; 732-361-5599, palmersqualitymeats.com.

Surprisingly good pizza

This one falls under the category of "don't knock it till you try it."

Cluck-U Chicken founder Rob Ilvento spent nearly a decade perfecting a pre-made pizza shell for Saturn Pizza, which operates out of a minimart behind a Conoco gas station in Brick. He wanted to make a crust that could compete with top pizzerias, he told the Asbury Park Press in a prior interview, "and I think we finally cracked the code."

The galatically named pies include the Mars, with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, bacon and mozzarella; the Pluto, with chicken, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing and Colby-Jack cheese; the Neptune, which has chopped clams, garlic, mozzarella and either red or white sauce; the Moon, with sausage, fresh mushrooms, goat cheese and balsamic reduction; and the Venus, with pesto, artichokes, arugula, balsamic reduction, goat cheese and mozzarella (all are $13 for thin crust, $17 for double crust).

Don't stop at the pizza: Saturn Pizza sells wings and fries, too.

Go: 592 Route 70, Brick; saturnpizzamenu.com, 848-241-9691.

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Dinner at the liquor store

Most people go to a liquor store for a six-pack or a bottle of whiskey, but others go for the food.

Walk through the front door of Portside Bar & Liquors in Middletown, continue past the alcohol and into the dive bar at the back. This bar has a kitchen, and the menu is a good one: They serve a pastrami sandwich with crispy fries, pulled pork, flat iron steak, and a French dip sandwich with hot au jus for dipping ($10 to $18).

Go: 369 Route 36; 732-769-2834, facebook.com/PortsideBar

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A beloved drink lives on

When The Inkwell Coffeehouse in Long Branch closed in 2022, its regulars lamented the loss of its signature drink, a Dutch coffee made with butter, cinnamon and vanilla.

But fans can find it at Cravings Desserts in Allenhurst, where owners Stu Kramer and Jan Walker have come up with their own version ($5.75).

"Whenever we went to the Inkwell back in the day, Dutch coffee was our go-to beverage," Stu said. The bakery's version "is very similar to the coffee from the Inkwell. We worked very hard to get the recipe correct, and everyone is enjoying them."

Go: 310 Main St., Allenhurst; 732-531-7122, cravingsdesserts.com.

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Get food at a discount

A baker's dozen of bagels, a box of scones or half a pizza for $6 — good deals, right?

Find them on Too Good To Go, an app that lets users reserve orders of unsold food and pick them up before a business closes for the day. These "surprise bags" can include anything from bagels and pastries to entrees and pizza; business owners decide what to include in the bags, which must be worth three times the cost the customer pays.

Participating restaurants in Ocean County include, among others, Butter Me Up, Silver Bay Bagels and Johnny G's Italian Restaurant in Toms River, and Agnello's in Barnegat Light. In Monmouth County, check out the offers from Once Bitten Donuts in Red Bank, Bagel Factory Cafe in Matawan, and Pat D's Pizza in Howell.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore foodie tips include secret burger spots, cheap eats