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New Brunswick restaurants, 2016 thread

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Jonny S

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Feb 4, 2004
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I am no longer in the area, but I'm an occasional visitor. Unfortunately wasn't able to take any pictures this time.

First we had the frozen yogurt wars, and the burger wars, and sort of the crepe wars, with lots of casualties among them (I hope The Counter comes back and is just seasonally closed, it was pretty good.) Is New Brunswick in the midst of a taco/burrito war? Obviously New Brunswick is home to real, authentic Mexican, as well as Chipotle, which obliterated Qdoba several years back. Shaka (surf-style burritos) has been on Albany for about two years now - it never seems to have great traffic, and now appears to be temporarily closed as well. Bubbakoo's moved into the old Cluck U spot on Easton last year after the dessert place that was open for about two seconds closed.

We have a few other new competitors, with Surf Taco in the new Grease Truck lot complex seemingly a competitor to Shaka's prime demographic. Going for more of the hipster taco vibe, Tacoria opened next to Mamoun's, and it seems to have an interesting enough menu, although it's a little cramped. A few blocks down, where Kings/Barndoore used to be, there's also "Criminals and Tacos", which has received attention in the press due to its marketing. When you go it, it looks like it just opened and they're still decorating the place, but there are pictures of the likes of O.J. Simpson on the wall which are kind of disorienting, and don't exactly put you in a hungry mood.

Moving down Easton, Fritz's is in a former house rental, and is a mix of desserts and comfort food from what I can tell. I got a blondie, which was so rich I felt like I was going to go into a coma afterwards. There are a few other new ones that I haven't tried. "Barca City" opened in the old Tula Lounge. I guess there's a place for Tapas now. Yelp says there's a new Mediterranean restaurant on Somerset called "Fruit Paradise," as well as a new sushi bar on George called TeriTeri has opened, along with a Korean chicken place right off of Easton called "Inboston."

Ferren definitely remains a big eyesore, followed closely by the absurd number of vacancies on George and its side streets.
 
Jonny S said:
I am no longer in the area, but I'm an occasional visitor. Unfortunately wasn't able to take any pictures this time.

First we had the frozen yogurt wars, and the burger wars, and sort of the crepe wars, with lots of casualties among them (I hope The Counter comes back and is just seasonally closed, it was pretty good.) Is New Brunswick in the midst of a taco/burrito war? Obviously New Brunswick is home to real, authentic Mexican, as well as Chipotle, which obliterated Qdoba several years back. Shaka (surf-style burritos) has been on Albany for about two years now - it never seems to have great traffic, and now appears to be temporarily closed as well. Bubbakoo's moved into the old Cluck U spot on Easton last year after the dessert place that was open for about two seconds closed.

We have a few other new competitors, with Surf Taco in the new Grease Truck lot complex seemingly a competitor to Shaka's prime demographic. Going for more of the hipster taco vibe, Tacoria opened next to Mamoun's, and it seems to have an interesting enough menu, although it's a little cramped. A few blocks down, where Kings/Barndoore used to be, there's also "Criminals and Tacos", which has received attention in the press due to its marketing. When you go it, it looks like it just opened and they're still decorating the place, but there are pictures of the likes of O.J. Simpson on the wall which are kind of disorienting, and don't exactly put you in a hungry mood.

Moving down Easton, Fritz's is in a former house rental, and is a mix of desserts and comfort food from what I can tell. I got a blondie, which was so rich I felt like I was going to go into a coma afterwards. There are a few other new ones that I haven't tried. "Barca City" opened in the old Tula Lounge. I guess there's a place for Tapas now. Yelp says there's a new Mediterranean restaurant on Somerset called "Fruit Paradise," as well as a new sushi bar on George called TeriTeri has opened, along with a Korean chicken place right off of Easton called "Inboston."

Ferren definitely remains a big eyesore, followed closely by the absurd number of vacancies on George and its side streets.
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Tacoria is actually good; much better than Bubbakoos. Tacoria has plans to use the backyard as an outdoor seating space and they'd like to get a liquor license as well.
 
I am looking forward to trying this place next time I am back in town.
INC
 
I remember being lambasted here for mentioning that the burger places were going to shut down. When you lack originality, don't study the market, and just open up a place based on a trend, you're likely destined for failure.

The places that are original are the ones with major staying power. Look at places like Destination Dogs - first gourmet dog place around & outside the box, Stage left & Frog and the Peach - both culinary innovators, Clyde's - speakeasy/martini bar. The places that last are the ones who are original and value quality.

You'll see Tapas/Small plate places blow up soon, as well as doughnuts and non-diner Greek/ Mediterranean spots.

Right now, if I'm going to NB, I'm going to INC, Stage Left for a burger, Catherine Lombardi's, or Destination Dogs. I'm intrigued to see what Dillinger is doing as well

The copying trends model also shows its ugly face not just in cuisine rip-offs, but in overall décor and/or design elements. Very very few places will open around here with an outside the box (for NJ) model. It's seriously the same crap regurgitated in different ways. There's three relatively new places I've seen who have cut from the norm in Central NJ - Asbury Festhalle, INC & B2 Bistro in Red Bank. Both don't follow conventional menus or trends. For example... there's no Tilapia or "galamad" on the menu. There's no sense of we have to have x on the menu because everyone else does.

For example B2 has no bullshit beer on tap or no Woodbridge or Yellowtail wine. You want a Miller... you get a can. Stuff like this irates the Applebees crowd, but it's indicative of what's happening in other cities in the country.

I'm sure LawMatt could attest to what he's seen in Portland. I'm in Austin yearly and see the same things. For those interested in seeing what should be happening in the culinary venture over to Brooklyn. You wont see menu after menu of seared tuna, "exotic" fried calamari, Chilean sea bass, edamame or some other random nonsensical menu item.

Sorry for the rant.
 
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INC and Dillenger both give me a reason to continue going into New Brunswick. Both of these bars have great cocktail menu and food. Dillenger is a small menu but does a few things really well. iNC had one of the best burgers I have had in a long time. Destination Dogs is great as well. Only place I have seen that has Polish Tyskie beer behind the bar.
 
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Went to INC once...not for me. Too posh.

Tacoria is killing it right now. Fritz's will be closed in a year IMO. I don't know what it's supposed to be. Papa Grande on Central and Louis St isn't bad, just a tougher location.
 
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Mediterranean is already huge in New Brunswick.

Destination Dogs opened Garden Steaks which was pretty original as well, that didn't do so well.
 
Jonny S said:
Mediterranean is already huge in New Brunswick.

Destination Dogs opened Garden Steaks which was pretty original as well, that didn't do so well.
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Yeah.. Because the idea was a carbon copy of Destination. Take hot dogs and replace it with cheese steaks. Someone said... Ohh we have a gourmet dog place, let's make a gourmet cheesesteak place. You can also grab a cheesesteak with anything in the world on it... Aka a fat sandwich all throughout NB

Re: Mediterranean: you have efes, and some Lebanese spots. I'm talking legit quick Greek/medi hybrid. They'll make their appearance.
 
INC food was pretty good but the service the night I went was awful and I'm easy going in that aspect.

Dillinger is very good! Had a lot of things on their menu already and nothing was bad so far. The cocktails are also interesting and with the bartenders they have they'll make you anything you want.
 
Zak57 said:
INC food was pretty good but the service the night I went was awful and I'm easy going in that aspect.

Dillinger is very good! Had a lot of things on their menu already and nothing was bad so far. The cocktails are also interesting and with the bartenders they have they'll make you anything you want.
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Had bad service myself at INC every time I went. It's not over the top bad, but it is noticeable. My fiance is in the food and beverage industry and often states when a chef starts up a restaurant the hardest thing for them to do is perfect the front of house service since they aren't used to the responsibility and knowing how to train servers/FOH managers properly.
 
PeteGiam07 said:
Had bad service myself at INC every time I went. It's not over the top bad, but it is noticeable. My fiance is in the food and beverage industry and often states when a chef starts up a restaurant the hardest thing for them to do is perfect the front of house service since they aren't used to the responsibility and knowing how to train servers/FOH managers properly.
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I agree with that but I was mid bite on an app and the busboy just comes over and takes me plate for no reason without asking. I couldn't believe it. Hope they figure that stuff out since the food was above average.
 
Zak57 said:
I agree with that but I was mid bite on an app and the busboy just comes over and takes me plate for no reason without asking. I couldn't believe it. Hope they figure that stuff out since the food was above average.
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ouch... I've only eaten at the bar there, so I've never seen that before.

The lack of quality talent in FOH & BOH is quickly reaching a breaking point. In the kitchen, everyone young "chef" thinks they should be on chopped. They don't want to do remedial tasks and think they should be paid more than they should. The working their way up the ranks idea doesn't really exist. Esp for those out of culinary school. It's bad here, but its really bad in cities like NY or SF, where there just aren't affordable places to live.
FOH boils down to training. So many places skip out on the minor details. A place like Stage Left / Catherine Lombardi excels in service, as their training program is in a league of its own locally. You also see the same FOH people there over the span of years...
 
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okieKnight908 said:
Desta is my main draw in New Brunswick. Loved Mekedas, but was way too overpriced.
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FYI, another Ethiopian place opened near Raffertys. I thought I heard it was the same owners (or maybe chef) as Makoeda. It looks to be more casual and cheaper. Haven't gotten over there yet:
 
scarlet night said:
FYI, another Ethiopian place opened near Raffertys. I thought I heard it was the same owners (or maybe chef) as Makoeda. It looks to be more casual and cheaper. Haven't gotten over there yet:
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Ethiopian should be a casual experience with family or close friends. I could go for some njara (sp?) right about now!
 
scarlet night said:
FYI, another Ethiopian place opened near Raffertys. I thought I heard it was the same owners (or maybe chef) as Makoeda. It looks to be more casual and cheaper. Haven't gotten over there yet:
Click to expand...

We're referring to the same place. That's Desta. Not sure if it's the same cook, as it tastes a bit different and they have additional dishes, but we asked and they're definitely run by different folks.
 
bob-loblaw said:
I remember being lambasted here for mentioning that the burger places were going to shut down. When you lack originality, don't study the market, and just open up a place based on a trend, you're likely destined for failure.

I'm sure LawMatt could attest to what he's seen in Portland. I'm in Austin yearly and see the same things. For those interested in seeing what should be happening in the culinary venture over to Brooklyn. You wont see menu after menu of seared tuna, "exotic" fried calamari, Chilean sea bass, edamame or some other random nonsensical menu item.

Sorry for the rant.
Click to expand...

On one hand, NB has good food options for such a small city. I can't knock it too much. But I always said the problem with NB (and perhaps central NJ) is the lack of casual full-service places that serve quality food. And some of the "ambitious" places seem formulaic, uninspired, and devoid of character.

In Portland, casual and good is pretty much the norm. The restaurants, by and large, have a "neighborhoody" feel - not a stuffy or corporate feel. We don't have an Eleven Madison Park or a Per Se, but we have countless places that make day-to-day eating really enjoyable. We don't have absurd liquor licensing laws. Every sandwich shop, pizza shop, etc., - even my local salad place - serves beer and wine. Countless places have outdoor seating, even though it rains half the year. People wait an hour to eat brunch. We have a farmer's market that absolutely dwarfs anything I ever saw in NJ. We have more breweries than any city in the US - and many of them have pubs. The city is all about hanging out and enjoying life. People stop to smell the roses. You don't get that everywhere, and it's not something you can simply replicate. And we don't serve any damn tilapia - at least not that I've seen.

By the way, it looks like two of the next big trends are poke and sushi burritos.
 
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mmmm.... poke! Been dying to check out Portland. I envision it as an Austin with worse weather
 
There is supposed to be a sushi burrito place opening in NYC soon. I enjoyed the one I had in San Fran.

Austin has lousy weather IMO- going outside in summer is like walking through hot soup. I'd take rain over that.
 
There's a sushi burrito place near me. I actually really like it, it's basically a giant sushi roll though.
 
Jonny S said:
There's a sushi burrito place near me. I actually really like it, it's basically a giant sushi roll though.
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Yeah, it's wrapped in seawood or soy paper - not a tortilla, as some imagine when they hear the name.
 
bob-loblaw said:
mmmm.... poke! Been dying to check out Portland. I envision it as an Austin with worse weather
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Worse weather in the winter, but late spring to fall here is perfect. That's why some of these intentionally homeless types apparently summer in Portland and winter in Austin. Ha.

That's not a bad comparison, but Portland is more densely populated and with fewer surburban-feeling areas. And, of course, the surroundings are different. Here, we have the Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, wine country, and the coast - all within an hour. Not too shabby.
 
Upstream said:
That goes a long way toward helping profitability of small restaurants. Unfortunately New Jersey's antiquated liquor laws preclude that from happening here.
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Exactly. This is a major problem in NJ (and perhaps elsewhere).

This also impacts revitalization efforts - especially in smaller towns/cities.

Unless there has been a recent change, municipalities can't issue a new license unless and until the total number of licenses in the municipality is fewer than one per every 3,000 residents. This results in licenses being bought/sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is absolutely ridiculous.
 
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Located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, New Brunswick is an ethnically diverse and buzzing city in the USA. Home to Rutgers University, and a number of university hospitals, the city is also known as the ‘Healthcare City’. However, with its mix of cultures from all corners of the globe, New Brunswick’s restaurants are also worth noting. From tantalizing Italian cuisine to Nouvelle American grub, here is a list of the top 10 restaurants in New Brunswick.


http://theculturetrip.com/north-ame...op-10-restaurants-in-new-brunswick-new-jersey
 
Tango Two said:
Located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, New Brunswick is an ethnically diverse and buzzing city in the USA. Home to Rutgers University, and a number of university hospitals, the city is also known as the ‘Healthcare City’. However, with its mix of cultures from all corners of the globe, New Brunswick’s restaurants are also worth noting. From tantalizing Italian cuisine to Nouvelle American grub, here is a list of the top 10 restaurants in New Brunswick.


http://theculturetrip.com/north-ame...op-10-restaurants-in-new-brunswick-new-jersey
Click to expand...
Hmmm lets go to wiki for a bunch of towns and try to write clickbait seo articles. (yawns)
 
Actually Fritz's on Easton has been really good the couple times I've been there - great desserts and the sandwiches are good too. Step above everything in that immediate area IMO.
 
Tango Two said:
Located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, New Brunswick is an ethnically diverse and buzzing city in the USA. Home to Rutgers University, and a number of university hospitals, the city is also known as the ‘Healthcare City’. However, with its mix of cultures from all corners of the globe, New Brunswick’s restaurants are also worth noting. From tantalizing Italian cuisine to Nouvelle American grub, here is a list of the top 10 restaurants in New Brunswick.


http://theculturetrip.com/north-ame...op-10-restaurants-in-new-brunswick-new-jersey
Click to expand...

sorry to be old, but I'm not sure I want to get my restaurant advice from someone who "dyes her hair blue or pink."
 
a new gen brunch spot is desperately needed. getting a good breakfasat in NB is rough. Granted hanzle and gret is good but its not a sit down place to get an interesting omlette or a new take on eggs benedict. If you want to experience some awesome brunch come to philly. check out this menu for breakfast: http://www.cafelamaude.com/
 
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mentulbloc said:
a new gen brunch spot is desperately needed. getting a good breakfasat in NB is rough. Granted hanzle and gret is good but its not a sit down place to get an interesting omlette or a new take on eggs benedict. If you want to experience some awesome brunch come to philly. check out this menu for breakfast: http://www.cafelamaude.com/
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The Sunday brunch at Due Mari is very good, and not as formal or expensive as you might expect from Due Mari. I havent tried it yet, but I saw the Garden State Ale House on George Street had a brunch menu. If that surprises someone, they have upgraded their menu and food options. I think the Dillinger Room might have a sunday brunch also ... not sure, but I think i saw that.
 
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George Street Ale house has a bottomless brunch where you get all you can drink mimosas and bloody marys for 3 hours every Saturday and Sunday. Went with a few friends once it was a good time.
 
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Sounds like there are now some actual brunch options in NB. When I lived there, it felt like a brunch desert. There was Rafferty's w/ its buffet and not much else.
 
Just saw this thread but a few things.
1. Tacoria came out of nowhere and killed it at the end of the school year. Very different from Chipotle but also very good. NIce change of pace.
2. Daniel's Pizzeria by Courtlandt became the hottest pizza joint in town - my new personal favorite pizza place in New Brunswick.
3. Very interested to see how the new places on College Ave do in the fall, as they will provide some additional options in town.
4. Also can't wait for Wingz Over to make it's comeback (if it ever does). For those who don't know it burned down in I believe December.
 
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