• 4Chicks Café, Newton, NJ
• Ariane Kitchen and Bar, Verona, NJ
• Bendix Diner, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
• Bobby's Burger Palace, Paramus, NJ
• Bogie's Hoagies, Hawthorne, NJ
• Café Panache, Ramsey, NJ
• Cellar 335, Jersey City, NJ
• Charlie's Famous Italian Hot Dogs, Kenilworth, NJ
• Clark White Diamond, Clark, NJ
• Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, NJ
• Common Lot, Millburn, NJ
• Deepwater Diner, Carney's Point, NJ
• Dickie Dee's, Newark, NJ
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Newark, NJ
• Drew's Bayshore Bistro, Keyport, NJ
• Five Guys, Union, NJ
• Heirloom Kitchen, Old Bridge, NJ
• Hiram's, Fort Lee, NJ
• Holsten's, Bloomfield, NJ
• Hot Grill, Clifton, NJ
• Jersey Shore BBQ, Belmar, NJ
• Jimmy Buff's, West Orange, NJ
• Jimmy Buff's, Kenilworth, NJ
• Juniper Hill, Clinton, NJ
• Krug's Tavern, Newark, NJ
• Libby's Lunch, Paterson, NJ
• Loaded, Garwood, NJ
• Lorena's, Maplewood, NJ
• Manny's Texas Weiners, Union, NJ
• Marcus B & P, Newark, NJ
• Miller's Tavern, Annandale, NJ
• Ninety Acres, Peapack-Gladstone, NJ
• Shut Up and Eat!, Toms River, NJ
• The Iron Horse, Westwood, NJ
• The Landmark, Livingston, NJ
• The Shepherd & The Knucklehead, Haledon, NJ
• The Stirling Hotel, Stirling, NJ
• Tierney's Tavern, Montclair, NJ
• Toby's Cup, Lopatcong, NJ
• Tommy's Italian Sausage & Hot Dogs, Elizabeth, NJ
• Truck Stop Diner, Kearny, NJ
• Turtle + the Wolf, Montclair, NJ

• Agricola, Princeton, NJ
• Andy's Corner Bar, Bogota, NJ
• Andys' Roadside Dive, Mount Arlington, NJ
• Arthur's Tavern, Hoboken, NJ
• Back Bay Barbecue, Somers Point, NJ
• Bareburger, Hoboken, NJ
• Barnacle Bill's, Rumson, NJ
• Bello's Pub & Grill, Newark, NJ
• Big Blue's Sub Shop, Linden, NJ
• Big Daddy's, Little Falls, NJ
• Big Ed's BBQ, Old Bridge, NJ
• Big Papa Smok'M, Paramus, NJ
• Blue Monkey Tavern, Merchantville, NJ
• Bond Street Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
• Boom Burger, Rochelle Park, NJ
• Boomerang's Caribbean Soul Food, Hackensack, NJ
• Boulevard Drinks, Jersey City, NJ
• Bourbon BBQ, Wyckoff, NJ
• Brickwall Tavern, Asbury Park, NJ
• Brother Bear's BBQ, Chesilhurst, NJ
• Brother Jimmy's BBQ, New Brunswick, NJ
• Burger 25, Toms River, NJ
• Burger Deluxe, Wayne, NJ
• Cafe Matisse, Rutherford, NJ
• Callahan's, Norwood, NJ
• Chakra, Paramus, NJ
• Charlie's Aunt, Chatham, NJ
• Christine's House of Kingfish, Shamong, NJ
• Christopher's, New Brunswick, NJ
• Copeland's, Morristown, NJ
• Corinne's Place, Camden, NJ
• Cubby's, Hackensack, NJ
• Curbside Cafe, Parsippany, NJ
• Dario's, Newark, NJ
• Dee's Hut, Roselle Park, NJ
• Delta's, New Brunswick, NJ
• Dickey’s Barbeque Pit, East Brunswick, NJ
• Down to the Bone Barbecue, Stanhope, NJ
• Duke's Southern Table, Newark, NJ
• Elements, Princeton, NJ
• Father & Son Luncheonette, Linden, NJ
• Felina, Ridgewood, NJ
• Fink's BBQ Smokehouse, Dumont, NJ
• Frankie's Bar & Grill, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
• Freshwaters, Plainfield, NJ
• General Barbecue, Richland, NJ
• Genie's Weenies, Branchburg, NJ
• Graze, Little Silver, NJ
• Hamilton's Grill Room, Lambertville, NJ
• Hearthside, Collingswood, NJ
• Henri's "Hotts" Barbecue, Hammonton, NJ
• Hickory Hog, Point Pleasant, NJ
• Hot Dog House, Carlstadt, NJ
• Hot Dog Tommy's, Cape May, NJ
• Jack's Frank & Fries, Union, NJ
• Jerry's Famous Frankfurters, Elizabeth, NJ
• Jersey Joe's, Port Monmouth, NJ
• Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Morristown, NJ
• Joe Joe's Italian Hot dogs, Toms River, NJ
• Johhny and Hanges, Fair Lawn, NJ
• Kelsy and Kim's Soul Food & BBQ, Pleasantville, NJ
• Kim's In the Mix, Rahway, NJ
• Laurel & Sage, Montclair, NJ
• Left Bank Burger Bar, Jersey City, NJ
• Local Smoke BBQ, Neptune, NJ
• Local Smoke BBQ, Red Bank, NJ
• LouDogs, Sea Isle City, NJ
• Mama's Southern Style BBQ, Vauxhaul, NJ
• Maritime Parc, Jersey City, NJ
• Maui's Dog House, North Wildwood, NJ
• Max's Famous Hot Dogs, Long Branch, NJ
• Memphis Pig Out, Atlantic Highlands, NJ
• Mighty Quinn's, Clifton, NJ
• Mijo Pizza, Colonia, NJ
• Mistral, Princeton, NJ
• More Than Q, Stockton, NJ
• Mr Bill's, Winslow, NJ
• Nicholas, Middletown, NJ
• Oink & Moo BBQ, Somerset, NJ
• Papaya King, Clifton, NJ
• Peter Shields Inn & Restaurant, Cape May, NJ
• Poached Pear Bistro, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
• Red White & Que Smokeshack, Kearny, NJ
• Reuben On Rye, Cherry Hill, NJ
• Rossi's Bar & Grill, Trenton, NJ
• Saddle River Inn, Saddle River, NJ
• Shore Fire Grille, Barnegat Township, NJ
• Stage Left, New Brunswick, NJ
• State Diner, West Orange, NJ
• Steve's Burgers, Garfield, NJ
• Texas Smoke Barbecue, Jefferson, NJ
• The Bernards Inn, Bernardsville, NJ
• The Chatterbox Drive-In, Augusta, NJ
• The Committed Pig, Morristown, NJ
• The Farm & Fisherman Tavern, Cherry Hill, NJ
• The French Quarter, Montclair, NJ
• The Frog and the Peach, New Brunswick, NJ
• The Hill, Closter, NJ
• The New Corral, Clifton, NJ
• The Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster, NJ
• The Quarter House, Point Pleasant, NJ
• The Red Store, Cape May Point, NJ
• The Ryland Inn, Whitehouse Station, NJ
• The Windmill, Long Branch, NJ
• Two Fish, Haddonfield, NJ
• Uncle Dewey's Outdoor BBQ, Mays Landing, NJ
• Uncle Petey's Weenies, Colonia, NJ
• Vincentown Diner, Vincentown, NJ
• Vonda's Kitchen, Newark, NJ
• White Birch, Flanders, NJ
• White Diamond, Rahway, NJ
• White Manna, Hackensack, NJ
• White Rose System, Roselle, NJ
• White Rose System, Highland Park, NJ
• Zagursky's Bar & Grill, Whippany, NJ
• Zinburger, Clifton, NJ

American

Is American food ethnic food?  Of course it is. All food is ethnic food.

When I travel outside the United States and the conversation turns to food, hot dogs, hamburgers, and BBQ are what everyone associates with our country. Unfortunately, people often have the fast-food chain versions in mind. (Foreign definitions of American food, like our narrow understanding of many foreign cuisines, can be a little off.) If I’m sharing great American food with someone born outside the United States, I want them to try an authentic Jersey hot dog, or experience disco fries and a burger at a shiny Jersey diner. That’s why EthnicNJ features American and New Jersey as cuisine categories.

Like every other global cuisine, American food comprises iconic dishes and many distinct regional cuisines – from Creole and Cajun to Southern and Tex-Mex. So-called “New American” restaurants tend to serve food that isn’t exclusively any other global cuisine, but borrows from many. EthnicNJ puts the best of these restaurants on the map as simply “American.”

Of course, American cuisine is really the best of all the ethnic food our immigrant ancestors brought with them. Pizza, by now, is authentic American food. A generation from now, ceviche or banh mi may be as American as apple pie. That’s to be expected in a nation of immigrants. My first response when I’m asked about the best food in the USA: “You name it, we have it. Especially in Jersey.” Ethnic food is American food, and vice-versa.