In case you haven’t heard, it’s cool to eat in Hudson County. New restaurants are receiving glowing national reviews, local chefs are winning awards, and outrageous dishes are inspiring viral videos. That’s not to mention Hoboken’s 100-year-plus family-run businesses and celebrity haunts — the ones still serving the same handmade mutz and Italian pastries that long ago established the Mile Square as a veritable food city. We know it can be tough to keep track of all the accolades, so we combed through the headlines and did the work for you. Keep reading for a guide to discovering 27 Hudson County restaurants that received honorable mentions nationally.
Antique Bar & Bakery {122 Willow Avenue, Hoboken}
This Hoboken institution is located at the former site of Frank Sinatra’s favorite bakery, and the current chef still uses the original 400-square-foot, 1,000-degree brick oven to finish nearly every item on the menu. That oven, which is located right in the dining room, landed the restaurant on the New York Post’s list of the Best Fireplaces to Get Cozy in NYC. Apartment Therapy also named it the best spot in Hoboken to take an out-of-towner.
Battello {502 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City}
This waterfront restaurant and wedding venue got kudos from The New York Times for stunning views, 25-foot-ceilings, fresh seafood, and creative desserts. So if that’s not enough of a reason to visit Battello ASAP, we’re not sure what is.
Benny Tudino’s {622 Washington Street, Hoboken}
This 40-year-old pizza joint is known for selling Hoboken’s biggest slice of pizza, but it isn’t just famous in the Mile Square — the Food Insider team showed off the restaurant’s 32-inch pizzas in 2017, and The Daily Meal named it one of America’s 56 Greatest Old-School Pizzerias this year.
Bwè Kafe {1002 Washington Street, Hoboken + 140 River Drive South, Jersey City}
View this post on Instagram
Delicious coffee and a charitable mission {a portion of the proceeds help provide higher education scholarships to Haitian youth} earned this local chain a spot on The Daily Meal’s list of the best coffee shops in every state in 2018.
Bread and Salt {435 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City}
Renowned pizzaiolo Rick Easton relocated to Jersey City in June and has since been credited with serving some of the best slices in the Tri-State area. His Roman-style pizza al taglio is cold-fermented for multiple days, resulting in a light, airy crust full of air bubbles. Despite spotty service {there’s no website or public telephone number, and changes to the hours are sometimes denoted by handwritten signs on the door}, the restaurant earned a two-star review from The New York Times critic Pete Wells and a spot on The Daily Meal’s recent list of the 101 Best Pizzas in America.
Buddy Who’s {247 Washington Street, Jersey City}
View this post on Instagram
If you’re craving something super sweet, Buddy Who’s is the place to visit. Pancakes stuffed with cereals like Trix, Fruity Pebbles, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch are the move here according to Food Insider and BuzzFeed {and us!}.
See More: A Guide to Cereal-Inspired Treats in Hoboken + Jersey City
Chart House Restaurant {1700 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken}
Breathtaking Manhattan views earned this waterfront seafood restaurant a spot on OpenTable’s list of the 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in America multiple years in a row. OpenTable also named Chart House one of the 50 Best Restaurants for a Date in America in 2019 — a list based on data from more than 12 million reviews of about 30,000 restaurants across the country.
Carlo’s Bakery {95 Washington Street, Hoboken}
View this post on Instagram
This list would be incomplete without Carlo’s Bakery, a destination for cakes and Italian pastries since 1910. Under the direction of Buddy Valastro, the shop shifted its focus to designer cakes and became the subject of the hit TLC show Cake Boss in 2009. The bakery now has outposts all over America, but the original Hoboken location still draws curious fans from around the world.
Cucharamama {233 Clinton Street, Hoboken}
Cucharamama’s Maricel Presilla is a decorated culinary industry veteran: The James Beard Foundation named her the best chef in the mid-Atlantic region in 2012, and she was a semifinalist again this year. She’s also won awards for her cookbooks and food essays. The chef’s South American cooking at both Cucharamama and what was previously Zafra have earned nods from The New York Times.
Dullboy {364 Grove Street, Jersey City}
Esquire editors spent a decade searching for the best bars in America and, in 2016, published a final list of 18 — including this literary-themed speakeasy. The magazine praised Dullboy for offering “real cocktails, good food, [and] regulars who know the art of conversation.” Take the experts’ advice and order The Gibson — gin, dry vermouth, and pickled onion.
Fiore’s {414 Adams Street, Hoboken}
This more than 100-year-old deli’s legendary sandwiches have attracted famous fans, including Frank Sinatra, Danny DeVito, and The Sopranos cast. The roast beef and mutz made appearances on 30 Rock and Food Network’s Guilty Pleasures. The sandwich also represented the great state of New Jersey in People.com’s recent list of the best sandwiches in every state.
Hamilton Pork {247 10th Street, Jersey City}
Kung Pow wings, creative tacos, and churro-waffle ice cream sandwiches landed this Texas-style barbecue joint on Food Network’s list of America’s best barbecue spots.
Hooked JC {467 Communipaw Avenue, Jersey City}
MSN.com and 24/7 Wall Street combed through Yelp reviews to identify the most popular seafood restaurant in every state this year, and Hooked JC took the crown for New Jersey. Buffalo shrimp bites, polenta poppers, and fried oysters were among the noted dishes.
Honshu {95 Greene Street, Jersey City}
View this post on Instagram
Trendy date-night vibes and a rotating selection of nigiri and sashimi earned this restaurant a spot on The Daily Meal’s list of the 50 Best Sushi Bars in America for 2016.
Korai Kitchen {576 Summit Avenue, Jersey City}
{Photo credit: Alisha Rana}
Jersey City’s first Bangladeshi restaurant opened in 2018 and quickly earned a glowing New York Times review. Lunch and dinner are served buffet-style with offerings like chicken biryani, egg curry, vegetarian bhorthas {mashes}, and daal. Yelp also named the restaurant the number one place to eat in New Jersey in 2018, number 22 on its list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. in 2019 and the Best Budget Restaurant in Every State for New Jersey.
La Isla {104 Washington Street, Hoboken + 25 12th Street, Hoboken}
Guy Fieri and the rest of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives crew stopped in this tiny Cuban restaurant’s downtown Hoboken location for papa rellena {mashed potato stuffed with ground beef breaded and fried with salsa ranchera} and tasajo con boniato {braised dry-cured shredded beef with Cuban sweet potato and rice} back in 2012. The restaurant expanded with the opening of a much bigger uptown location in 2015.
Left Bank Burger Bar {194 Newark Avenue, Jersey City}
Barbecue titan Michael Symon took his Food Network show Burgers, Brew and ‘Que to try the Ghostface Burger: a brisket short rib patty with smoked Gouda cheese, sweet potato bacon tots, and ghost chile jam. The Jersey Devil Fries {buffalo sauce, bleu cheese dressing, and crumbled bleu cheese} are also a fan favorite.
M & P Biancamano {1116 Washington Street, Hoboken}
Saveur dedicated its April 2016 issue to New Jersey, calling the state America’s unsung dining hero. This deli took home top honors for having the state’s best handmade mozzarella.
Milk Sugar Love {394 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City + 19 McWilliams Place, Jersey City}
The New York Times praised this ice cream shop as one of New Jersey’s best inland spots to get a taste of the shore, and the rotating list of creative flavors and outrageous treats like the Fruity Pebble Mac Daddy have captured the attention of Food Insider. Despite its Jersey location, Milk Sugar Love also made Food Network’s list of the best ice cream shops in New York City.
O’Bagel {600 Washington Street, Hoboken}
This shop’s bagel sandwiches draw crowds to Washington Street every Saturday and Sunday morning. But over-the-top novelty items like a 30-pound bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich have caught the attention of national outlets, including Thrillist, ABC News, Food Network, and Food Insider.
Porta {135 Newark Avenue, Jersey City}
View this post on Instagram
Porta has a claim to fame we can all appreciate — it made GQ’s 2016 list of the most popular spots to get drunk food in every state. Night owls can order the restaurant’s Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza until 2:00AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Porta’s original Asbury Park location also represented New Jersey in Food Network Magazine’s list of the most Instagrammable restaurants in America this year.
Read More: Augustino’s: Hoboken’s Legendary Italian Restaurant
Piccolo’s {92 Clinton Street, Hoboken}
This old-school cheesesteak destination made an appearance on the “cheesiest and meatiest” episode of Food Network’s Guilty Pleasures, per the recommendation of Hobokenite Buddy Valastro.
Pilsner Haus & Biergarten {1422 Grand Street, Hoboken}
Hoboken’s authentic Austro-Hungarian biergarten serves warm Bavarian pretzels, schnitzels, and beer by the liter. Food Network’s Michael Symon brought his Burgers, Brew & ‘Que team to town for the Eastern European pot roast, which takes five days to make.
Razza {275 Grove Street, Jersey City}
The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells stirred up some controversy when he said New York’s best pizza was actually at Razza in Jersey City. He gave the wood-fired pizza place a stellar three-star review, and the accolades just keep coming. Chef +owner Dan Richer was a James Beard semifinalist for best chef in the mid-Atlantic region this year, and the Naples-based global pizza-reviewing organization 50 Top Pizzas named Razza the best pizzeria in North America. The Daily Meal has also included Razza on more than one of its best pizza in America lists, and Thrillist named it the best pizza in New Jersey. So, yes, it’s worth the wait for a table!
Satis Bistro {212 Washington Street, Jersey City}
View this post on Instagram
This European-style café and market in Paulus Hook received a top review from The New York Times in 2013 for its specialty cheeses and meats and other stellar dishes.
Tony Boloney’s {263 1st Street, Hoboken}
Two words: Taco Pizza. Tony Boloney’s is known for inventive menu items, but it was this outrageous 30-pound, $80 special that caught the attention of websites like Thrillist, Eater, Delish, Refinery29, The Daily Meal, Mashable, and Time in 2017. The pizza and sub shop has also made headlines for its ramen pizza and unicorn mozzarella sticks.
Trattoria La Sorrentina {7831 Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen}
View this post on Instagram
The Lasagna Napoletana at this Italian spot earned the sixth spot on The Daily Meal’s ranking of the 25 Best Places to Get Lasagna in America last year.
Vito’s Deli {806 Washington, Hoboken}
Chopped host Ted Allen named this Hoboken institution’s Smokey sandwich {smoked mutz, fresh mutz, tomatoes, and pesto} his favorite smoked food on an episode of Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
Have you visited one of these top-notch restaurants? Let us know in the comments!
Did you know: We started a podcast about all things news and lifestyle in Hoboken + Jersey City! Listen to the latest episode of Tea on the Hudson here and subscribe.
We release new episodes every Tuesday, starting again January 14, 2020 for Season 2.
