Sarah Griesbach 
Hudson County has become known for excellent dining experiences at every budget. The area’s rich cultural diversity has resulted in a wide cross-section of cuisine that nails local restaurateurs’ traditional heritages and boldly invents fusion tastes to draw crowds and kudos. Read on for a highlights tour of some of the many restaurants, cafes, and food trucks that are giving Hudson County its foodie credentials.
So Many Choices!
Options for dining out in Hudson County just keep multiplying. Jersey City alone has close to 1K restaurants to choose from, with new eateries popping up all over the place. Neighborhoods like Newport in Jersey City — that previously quieted down in the evening without restaurants for residents — have seen a sudden flurry in new hot dinner spots. Multiple years of Wine Spectator Awards and our own Local Girl write-ups have likely brought on the need for table reservations at the most popular places. It seems that it’s Hudson County’s culinary moment in the sun.
Recognizing Old-School Icons
From the relatively recently established iconic locals like Zeppelin Hall (est. 2009) to the long-lived Fiore’s of mozz fame and glory (est. 1913), Hudson County has been performing fabulous culinary feats to manifest all our food fantasies for ages. We respect our elder restaurants even when their fare has changed with the times and the arrival of new generations — like Liberty House’s Maddy Rose, where the view is historical and majestic but the menu is fresh and fabulous.
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Andrea Salumeria | 247 Central Avenue
Augustino’s | 1104 Washington Street, Hoboken
Barge Inn | 324 Third Street, Jersey City
Benny Tudino’s | 622 Washington Street, Hoboken
Cafe Michelina | 423 Bloomfield Street, Hoboken
Carlo’s Bakery | 95 Washington Street, Hoboken
Fiore’s Deli | 414 Adams Street, Hoboken
Leo’s Grandevous | 200 Grand Street, Hoboken
Liberty Brand Pastries & Food | 2409 Central Avenue, Union City
Liberty House | 76 Audrey Zapp Drive, Liberty State Park, Jersey City
Neptune Bakery and Deli | 1612 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City
Piccolo’s | 92 Clinton Street, Hoboken
Zeppelin Hall | 88 Liberty View Drive, Jersey City
Innovative + Trendy Hot Spots
Hudson County restaurants are not boring. The art on the walls, the many genres of live music, unique collabs, and uncommon creations — like Departed Souls’ amazing gluten-free beer or Dark Side of the Moo’s alligator sausage, wild boar tacos, kangaroo or yak burgers — provide adventuresome foodies with something new to discover just around the next corner.
87 Sussex | 87 Sussex Street, Jersey City
Ani Ramen | 218 Newark Avenue, Jersey City
Busy Bee Organics | 451 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City
The Cliff | 38 Congress Street, Jersey City
Dark Side of the Moo | 52 Bowers Street, Jersey City
Dear Maud | 205 First Street, Hoboken
Departed Souls Brewing Company | 150 Bay Street, Jersey City
Drift | 1200 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken
LoKal Eatery & Bar | 2 Second Street, Jersey City
Traditional & Fusion Heritage Homage
Like the massive portions of authentic Ecuadorian food at Bayonne’s Tagua and the glorious Peruvian sopas at Harrison’s B-52’s, these purveyors of spice done right bring rave reviews. Many of them are getting noticed, including Jersey City’s Korai Kitchen, which recently received a James Beard nomination. Here are but a tiny fraction of the abundance of restaurants bringing bountiful world flavors to our plates.
B-52’s Lounge & Restaurant Ceviche Bar | 200 North Second Street, Harrison
El Aguila Dorada | 830 Broadway, Bayonne
El Artesano Restaurant | 4101 Bergenline Avenue, Union City
El Eslabon Restaurante | 6013 Park Avenue, West New York
Korai Kitchen | 576 Summit Avenue, Jersey City
Lotus Thai Cuisine | 7007 Park, Guttenberg
Masala Cafe Chettinad | 839 Newark Avenue, Jersey City
Q’Tal Bar + Grill | 3 Kearny Avenue, Kearny
Rumba Cubana | 6909 JFK Boulevard, Guttenberg | 1807 45th Street, North Bergen | 235 Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City
Tagua | 269 Broadway, Bayonne
Takorea BBQ | 805 Frank E Rogers Boulevard, Harrison
The Indian Tapas | 101 Greene Street, Jersey City
Photo-Friendly Brunch & Rooftop Culture
Sweet and swanky restaurant spots bring cheer to a bad weather or bad mood day because fancy fabulousness is a fun solution to whatever’s got us down. Hudson County is loaded with gorgeous locations to meet up with friends over mimosas and toast togetherness in a place where the ambiance sparkles invitingly.
Anthony David’s | 953 Bloomfield Street, Hoboken
Barbès | 1300 Park Avenue, Hoboken
Bin 14 | 1314 Washington Street, Hoboken
Elysian Cafe | 1001 Washington Street, Hoboken
Fork Hill Kitchen | 201 Sixteenth Street, Union City
Halifax | 225 River Street, Hoboken
Hudson + Co | 3 Second Street, Jersey City
The Kitchen Step | 500 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City
The Lola | 102 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken
The Rooftop at Exchange Place | 1 Exchange Place, Jersey City
Metropolis | 96 Hudson Street, Hoboken
Vale’s Kafe + Kitchen | 825 Twenty Second Street, Union City
Neighborhood Fixes
There are so many beloved Hudson County mom-and-pop delis and bistros that keep us well-coffeed and fed. Those favorite tucked-away places and corners are hot spots for happiness. These neighborhood staples are the setting for making memories and slowing down time, nestled in comfort, away from the world’s chaos.
15 Fox Place | 15 Fox Place, Jersey City
Cafe Dolma | 270 Grand Street, Jersey City
Cortaditos | 4501 Park Avenue, Union City
Garden Cafe + Bistro | 106 Country Road, Union City
Griot Cafe | 398 Central Avenue, Jersey City
Gussy’s Cafe | 292 Newark Avenue, Jersey City
Hamilton Inn | 708 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City
Harry’s Food & Drink | 8101 Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen
Roast & C.R.E.A.M. | 1620 Bergenline Avenue, Union City
Satis Bistro | 212 Washington Street, Jersey City
Subia’s | 506 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City
White Star | 179 Warren Street, Jersey City
New Rising Stars
New restaurants and cafes in our area have been stirring up quite a buzz. Mark Censits’ new farm-to-table restaurant, Maxwell Alley, and Korean and Japanese restaurant Yakitame Bento + Katsu are shining star examples of what can happen when brilliant entrepreneurs with exceptional taste cater to the sophisticated tastes of our region.
Apnaa Lahore | 557 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City
Blue Anchor | 166 River Drive, Jersey City
Blue Angel Artisan Cafe + Bakery| 79 Hudson Street, Hoboken
The Colonial Grill Foodtruck | 1 Newark Street, Hoboken
Forum Coffee | 1400 Washington Street, Hoboken
Haraz Coffee House | 89 Hudson Street, Hoboken
Little Mingo | 305 1st Street, Hoboken
Mile Square Cafe | 746 Park Avenue, Hoboken
Bergen Hall | 58 Maple Street, Jersey City
BRBQ | 532 Summit Avenue, Jersey City
Incontro Caffè | 351 Summit Avenue, Jersey City
Maxwell Alley | 12 Coles Street, Jersey City
Yakitame Bento + Katsu | 501 Central Avenue, Jersey City
RUN/Café | 1000 Garfield Avenue, Jersey City
Panaderya Salvaje | 9 Erie Street, Jersey City
Recent Wine Spectator Award Winners
An excellent overall experience is the norm at these celebrated restaurants, and the word has been out for quite a while now. The annual Wine Spectator awards, which highlight our region’s outstanding food destinations, are no surprise. Local foodies didn’t need an outside authority to confer credibility to their date night destination, but the recognition does feel nice.
Battello | 502 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City
Blu on the Hudson | 1200 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken
Brazeiro Churrascaria | 103 Sixtieth Street, West New York | 7420 Broadway, North Bergen
Court Street | 61 Sixth Street, Hoboken
Del Frisco’s Grille | 221 River Street, Hoboken
Felina Steak | 2 Chapel Avenue, Jersey City
Hailfax | 225 River Street, Hoboken
Maddy Rose at Liberty House, 76 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City
Molos | 1 Pershing Road, Weehawken
Sorellina Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, 1036 Washington Avenue, Hoboken
Son Cubano | 40 Riverwalk Place, West New York
Perennial Local Girl Faves Not Listed Above
There are simply too many great Hudson County food options to name them all. There’s someplace for everyone and then another someplace for all the days of the month, yet the list of local “must-try”s just keeps growing. As long as they’re cooking, we will keep tasting and savoring what comes out of these kitchens.
Antique Bar + Bakery | 122 Willow Avenue, Hoboken
Chart House | 1700 Harbor Boulevard, Weehawken
Corto | 507 Palisade Avenue, Jersey City
El Artesano | 4101 Bergenline Avenue, Union City
Faubourg | 544 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair + 1100 Avenue at Port Imperial, Weehawken
Flour | 500 Jefferson Street, Hoboken
Gaia + Loki | 346 Grove Street, Jersey City
Korai Kitchen | 576 Summit Avenue, Jersey City
La Isla | 104 Washington Street, Hoboken
Razza | 275 Grove Street, Jersey City
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