Neidy Gutierrez + Adrienne Romero, Slice of Culture 
You can taste the world without ever leaving Hudson County, New Jersey. Perhaps an exaggeration, but it’s definitely the truth.
Latin, Mediterranean, and Asian foods — and that’s just to name a few — can be found at every corner of Hudson County. From Kearny to North Bergen, Jersey City to West New York, Harrison to Hoboken, flavors from around the world are right at home — well, if you’re lucky enough to live here or be near, that is.
Slice of Culture, a Northern Hudson County news outlet, and The Hoboken Girl team are teaming up to show you some local spots that could become your new favorite throughout the region. We’re kicking off the series by showing love to the smallest — yet most densely populated — town on the Hudson: Guttenberg, New Jersey.
Although Guttenberg, located in North Hudson between North Bergen and West New York, is only several blocks long, it is home to many delicious cuisines like Thai, Brazilian, Italian, and more.
We started our food adventure at Las Chicas Bakery + Cafe on John F. Kennedy Boulevard East.
Read More: Updates on the New Taco Spot Coming to Newark Street in Hoboken
Las Chicas Bakery + Cafe | 6909 John F. Kennedy Boulevard East
Photo Credit: Adrienne J. Romero | SOC Images
Las Chicas Bakery + Cafe is an artisan Uruguayan cafe that serves up classic breakfast and brunch options, savory and sweet treats, and sandwiches paired with various hot and cold drinks like brewed coffee, matcha, and smoothies.
The bakery + cafe, which has two other locations in North Bergen and Union City, has an extensive sweet menu of bizcochos (baked pastry). We tried the membrillo y crema, which is a pastry topped with homemade pastry cream and membrillo, or quince jam, and margaritas de crema, which is a center-filled pastry topped with a thin layer of sprinkled sugar.
We also tried one of this spot’s best sellers, mini Nutella-filled croissants, which can be paired with a mocha iced coffee, café con leche, or tea.
Photo Credit: Neidy Gutierrez | SOC Images
Las Chicas has a wide variety of savory items like spinach and feta puff, four cheese empanadas, ham and cheese tart, and what we got: papa rellena, which is a lightly fried mashed potato ball filled with beef in the middle.
Aside from satisfying a sweet tooth, the cafe has a variety of seating available, ranging from comfy chairs to couches, where you’ll see many people indulging in breakfast or lunch or grabbing a quick bite in between meetings.
Lotus Thai | 7007 Park Avenue
Just a couple of blocks away, we began to get our steps in as we headed to lunch at Lotus Thai, where the ambiance transferred us to a cozy and vibrant oasis.
Lotus Thai, located on 7007 Park Avenue, has flavorful dishes like pineapple fried rice, Bangkok chicken, and its specialty dishes, crispy half duck with basil sauce and Bangkok duck.
For appetizers, we tried the Lotus Fritters, which are crispy chicken dumplings with sweet and sour dip, and of course we needed to have Lotus Thai’s famous Chicken Pad Thai. For a refresher, we had Thai Iced Tea and Thai Iced Green Tea.
Photo Credit: Neidy Gutierrez | SOC Images
The BYOB restaurant, which was voted the best restaurant in New Jersey 2022 on Daily Voice, hosts “Vibe Thursdays” every week with a live DJ, and recently held its first Drag Brunch of the year on April 5th. The next Drag Brunch took place on Sunday, April 27th, hosted by VeBeKA, owner of Lotus Thai, and special guest Kristy Blaze.
There is also a plethora of seating inside — try not to get too mesmerized with the cow print couch — but the restaurant expands further with its backyard patio that is surrounded with greenery, art, and other decorative elements.
Loco’s Burger | 152 70th Street + Broadway
Photo Credit: Neidy Gutierrez | SOC Images
Our final food stop in Guttenberg was at the mouth-watering Loco’s Burger. Guests enter into what feels like a humble abode adorned with traditional Mexican decor. From the salt and pepper shakers that symbolize Día De Los Muertos figures to the classic Jarritos sodas for sale, the owner took pride in creating everything “with love.”
Photo Credit: Neidy Gutierrez | SOC Images
We enjoyed tacos de carnitas, molcajete which contained fried cheese, grilled chicken, chorizo, meat and roasted veggies and la hamburguesa loca (crazy hamburger) with double house meat, lettuce, tomato, onion, sweet salad, mozzarella cheese, chips bacon and pineapple sauce and pink sauce.
Photo Credit: Neidy Gutierrez | SOC Images
Established at the corner of 70th Street and Broadway for almost two years, Loco’s Burger also serves Mexican-inspired hot dogs like the Perro Loco Oaxaqueno and salchipapas.
The woman-owned restaurant provides a casual dining experience and specials throughout the week, like taco Tuesdays and wing Wednesdays.
See More: Nicolo’s: Montclair’s OG Italian Bakery + Deli
Next time, we’re letting The Hoboken Girl team take the lead, and they’re taking us around to some of their favorites. Stay tuned for Part II of our series!
