My Top 15 Favorite NJ Diner Meals (so far)
Since I’ve visited close to 275 New Jersey diners, I wanted to reflect on some of my favorite meals so far. Emphasis on “so far” since I still have a lot of diners to go. These are the meals that have stood out to me over the past 5 years.
My Top 15 Favorite NJ Diner Meals (so far):
Breakfasts
Jumboland Diner, Sussex County
I decided to order crepes and was very surprised and pleased when it arrived! Rather than have crepes with filling, this was one big crepe (which I called a crepe burrito). Extra bonuses on my meal; 1. it has real fruit inside and 2. there was CANNOLI filling on top. I mean…this may be one of the best diner meals I’ve ever had. For the full review click here.
Chef and the Builder’s Family Diner, Hunterdon County
Speaking of cannoli, all the food at this diner is homemade and fresh, including the fresh cannoli cream that comes on their OMG French Toast, which I had to get due to my love of all things cannoli. For the full review, click here.
Mustache Bill’s, Ocean County
Based on photos I had seen, I knew that this diner has a mustache shaped pancake. However, this option was not on the menu. Since that was something I was knew ahead of time I wanted to order, I asked our waitress about it. Apparently they do offer it, but it’s not mentioned on their menu! My husband and I decided to split the pancake, and when we cut it in half it also resembled a whale (The pancake also looks like two whales kissing). It was DELICIOUS! You gotta love a pancake made from scratch! For the full review click here.
Star Diner and Cafe, Cape May County
Although the diner is open all day, I highly recommend visiting there for breakfast. There’s so much to choose from, and their portions are HUGE. I went back and forth between a lot of different things, and ultimately ended up getting stuffed French Toast. My waitress wished me good luck. For the full review click here.
Vegas Diner, Cape May County
When I got to the Vegas Diner, one thing stood out to me on their menu…their Boston cream pancakes. Generally when I get a big desserty meal like this, I end up eating half and taking the rest home. But not that day! It was SO much food but it was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it. For my full review, click here.
Lunches/Dinners
Jackson Hole Diner, Bergen County
I arrived at the Jackson Hole Diner in Englewood hungry so I went with one of their Chicken Bronco Sandwich, specifically the Guacamole Chicken Sandwich. It came with melted cheddar, warm corn tortilla chips, guacamole & sour cream on the side. AND the sandwich was served on garlic semolina bread. Soooooo good. For the full review, click here.
Victoria Diner, Sussex County
The Victoria Diner is known for their BBQ and they smoke their meat on premise. I’m not a big meat eater but….when in Rome. I ordered the most delicious French Dip I have ever had. The meat was amazing. Pair that with a side of home made fries (no frozen crap here) and au jus and it was heaven on a plate. For the full review click here.
The Butler Diner, Morris County
The Butler Diner had a lot of unique…quesadillas. Yes, not just your standard quesadilla but creative options. I decided on getting a Chicken Parmigiana Quesadilla and was very, very happy with it. It was big, it was tasty, and I can definitely say I’ve never had anything like it before. The bread chicken was DELICIOUS, and the tortilla was crispy. I loved it, and would definitely recommend it. For the full review, click here.
The Alexis Diner, Morris County
While everything looks amazing at the Alexis Diner, making it harder to make a decision (a decision that took my longer than usual), I ended up getting “Challah Grilled Cheese”. Yes, grilled cheese on Challah french toast. On top of this fantastic sandwich, I also had one of the best fries I’ve ever had at a diner. The Alexis Diner has their own “Pappous Fries”, a Greek style of french fries sprinkled with cheese. So crispy, so good. I can’t stop thinking about them. For the full review click here.
The Chicken of the Egg, Ocean County
The Chegg in Beach Haven gets two special shout outs. Starting with with famous wings which definitely rank in my top ten in the state.. They were huge, juicy, and delicious.
I also ordered their fish burrito (fried cod, rice, cilantro, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato and diced onion) which came with of chips, salsa and sour cream. I added on their guacamole for an extra $2 (worth it!). For the full review click here.
Linden House Diner, Union County
One of the most underrated diners in the state! Looking to do something different, I ended up getting their Paella Tacos. Talk about an excellent choice! Chicken, shrimp, and clam paella with yellow rice, onions, and peppers, served on corn tortilla tacos. AND I got side of fries which were equally delicious. Plus sriracha and sour cream for dipping! Full review here.
New Monmouth Diner, Monmouth County
One of my favorite diners in Monmouth County, I recommend their shrimp po boy sandwich. This sandwich had fried lemon shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and cajun sauce. It was served on a very tasty hoagie roll and french fries. The cajun sauce is AMAZING! For my full review click here.
Time to Eat Diner, Somerset County
Did you know this diner has fat sandwiches? I decided to get the “Fat Juan”, which had grilled chicken, mozzarella sticks, and fries on a hard roll. Since it had grilled chicken I tried to convince myself it was healthy. For the full review, click here.
Desserts
The Pantagis Diner, Middlesex County
They have a ridiculous amount of cheesecake options, but ultimately the peanut butter cheese cake sounded the most appealing to me that day. It did not disappoint. For my full review, click here.
Kenilworth Diner, Union County
I had not one but two desserts! I ordered a traditional cream puff, which was basically the size of a burger. I thought I would only eat half of it, but no, I ruined my good eating for the week and ate the entire thing because it was definitely one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. I sat in bliss while I ate the whole thing. It was wonderful.
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Of course I had to take home a piece of their award winning cheesecake to go. Getting two desserts is way over the top for me, but NJ.com rated their strawberry cheesecake the best in the state so I had to taste it for myself. It made an excellent dinner…I mean dessert. For my full review, click here.
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