New Jersey

At the right bend in the road, New Jersey can change personalities fast: one minute you’re passing a…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 11

You can be standing on Warwick Turnpike with cars sliding past, then a few minutes later find yourself…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 11

A good New Jersey downtown knows how to multitask. It can give you a flaky pastry before noon,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 11

A giraffe looking down over dinner is not usually part of the steakhouse experience in New Jersey, but…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

There is a very specific New Jersey kind of dinner plan that starts with someone saying, “It’s only…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

Right near Nutley’s Bloomfield border, a single red-cushioned bar seat sits roped off like it has committed a…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

The best summer meals at the Jersey Shore usually come with a little sand still hiding in your…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

The sandwich does not arrive politely. It shows up heavy, glossy, and already threatening the paper it is…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

A $13 meal in New Jersey can go two very different ways. It can be a sad grab-and-go…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

The entrance is the first clue that this is not a normal hot dog situation. You are on…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

A knight lowers his lance in Lyndhurst, thunder rumbles over dinner on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, and somewhere…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 10

The pita is the first warning that Al-Basha is not playing around. It comes out warm, soft, and…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

The “Eat Heavy” sign in Clifton is practically a dare, but that is the magic of a great…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

A bronze monument sits near a quiet pond in West Windsor, honoring an invasion that never happened. No…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

Somewhere between the sandy pull-offs near Cape May and the rolling roads of Warren County, New Jersey quietly…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

By late morning, the evidence is everywhere: purple fingertips, dusty shoes, a paper bag from the bakery riding…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

A six-story elephant stands near the sand in Margate, a glow-in-the-dark mine hides beneath Sussex County, and somewhere…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

There are supposed Revolutionary War chain links sitting out in front of Ringwood Manor, which is a very…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

A perfect Trenton pizza run does not begin with a velvet rope, a two-hour wait, or someone loudly…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 9

The first clue that Rippin Coffee Roasters is not doing the usual sleepy suburban coffee routine is the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

On some New Jersey streets, the past does not hide behind velvet ropes. It is right there beside…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

The takeout bag shows up at Fornos of Spain almost like part of the meal. You sit down…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

There is a particular kind of New Jersey silence you only find after the traffic lights thin out…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

There’s a certain kind of bakery letdown gluten-free eaters know too well: the pastry looks beautiful in the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

Some New Jersey summer days don’t ask politely. They press down on the pavement, fog up your sunglasses,…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

The NJ Sandwich at Sparta Classic Diner costs $7.45, which almost feels like a dare in 2026. Taylor…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

A waterfall roars in the middle of Paterson like it forgot it was surrounded by brick mills, city…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 8

The first thing you hear is not the ocean, even though it is right there. It is the…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 7

At 7 a.m., before beach chairs start clacking open and coffee lines begin forming, New Jersey can feel…

By Duncan Edwards · Jun 7