Got afavorite restaurant? Sure. But that certainly doesn't meanthat as a food lover (who among us doesn't love food?) you aren't willing, make that, delighted to try a new spot.
Lucky you. Here are 12 restaurants that recently have opened in North Jersey. (Watch the video to see10 others.)
Lumis Restaurant, Fairfield
This 192-seat Italian restaurant with a full bar moved into the space that had housed Tierney's Copperhouse. It officially opened Sept. 23.
On the menu are classic Italian dishes including eggplant rollatini, pasta e fa*gioli, linguinewith clam sauce, penne vodka and chicken parmesan.
A patio for outdoor dining is availableinwarm weather only.
Go:4 Little Falls Road, Fairfield;973-944-2049,lumisrestaurant.com.
Humphrey's Coffee, Haworth
Emma Karach, a Cresskill resident, convertedan office space on Terrace Street into a cozy coffee shop with several tables, arm chairs and a comfy sofa.
"I always wanted to have a bakery," Karach said."I started working withcoffee in college. I just fell in love with the making of coffee. After COVID happened, I lost my job for a coffee company and thought,This is a great time to open up my own place."
The coffee she uses hails from Parlor Coffee Roasters in Brooklyn. In addition to drip coffee, there's cold brew and a slew of espresso-based coffees including bestselling honey-lavender iced latte, Nutella latte and peanut butter latte.
As for eats, "everyone loves the homemade chocolate chip cookies," Karach said.
Also available are pastries from Balthazar in Englewood including its heavenly croissants, scones and Danishes.
The coffee shop sits right by a park with benches and tables, so if you prefer alfresco sipping and munching, just head there.
As for the name: It belonged to the family's beagle.
Go: 160 Terrace St., Haworth; 201-338-2207, sites.google.com/humphreyscoffee.com/humphreys-coffee.
CM Chicken, Montclair
Love Korean-style fried chicken? CM Chicken, a chain restaurant with some 20 locations, includingRidgefield, opened its second New Jersey location in Montclair nearly two months ago. The restaurant offers whole chicken, half chicken, chicken tenders and chicken wingswith a variety of spices and toppings, including soy garlic,red hot pepper andsnow onion(chicken topped with a mountainof sliced onions). For sides, there are French fries, waffle fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks.
The franchise has 15 tables indoors and three outside.
Go:537 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair;201-499-5300;cm-chicken.com.
Pumpkin Blossom Bistro, Fort Lee
June Suh and her mother Nan Young Suh, who owned and operated a Michelin Gourmand Bib Korean restaurant in New York City,opened this casual Korean- and Asian-fusion restaurant a month ago on Lemoine Avenue. The 21-seat spot offers"from-scratch clean cuisine using fresh healthy ingredients," June said. "We don't use oils or many processed foods. It's simple, healthy food." The menu features rice bowls, seafood pancakes, dumplings and yubu, tofu pockets available with 10 different toppings including beef bulgogi, pork andkimchi stir-fry, avocado, fish cakes and crab meat. The restaurant also offers fresh squeezed juices.
Nan Young Suhhad owned New York Times two-star Korean restaurant Cho Dang Gol, which she eventually sold. She also had owned a Korean restaurant in Palisades Park called Yatnal Jjip.
Go:2151 Lemoine Ave., Fort Lee;201-402-9266,bistropb.com.
Victoria's Cake, Westfield
Victoria Marmet, a 21-year-old interior designer, and her mother, Laurence, lived in Miami for two years after leaving their native country, France, when Victoria decided she wanted to work with her mother. But what can the two do together?
"We both loved to bake," Laurence said. "So we decided on a 'design bakery.'" Design bakery, she said, because all of their baked goods sport edible flowers designed by the bakery.
"I love flowers and she really loves to bake," Laurence said. "We are girls."
They traveled north to find a place for their bakery and fell in love with Westfield. "It just felt like the right place," Laurence said. "I don't know why."
They found a home in Hillsborough.
The bakery specializes in stuffed cupcakes. Stuffed because, Laurence said, "we want to give our customers a surprise." They currently offer seven flavors including cookies and cream, Nutella, salted caramel and red velvet.
"Everything is made from scratch," she said. "Even the salted caramel."
And while they don't want to be categorized as aFrench bakery, the duo does offer homemade croissants, plain and chocolate, and come Christmas, they plan to offer buche de Noel (yule log).They also offer cakes.
The bakery isdressed completely in pink and white, "of course," Laurence said.
You can enjoy your cupcake in the pink-and-white cafe with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, sitting at a — what else — bistro table anytime from 8:30 a.m Tuesday through Sunday until 5:30 pm (4:30 pm Sunday).
Go:409 Westfield Ave., Westfield;908-228-2720,facebook.com/victoriascakeofficial.
Bobby Wong’s Tao House, Rutherford
Restaurateur Bobby Wong — head of Village Restaurant Group, which runs Big Bowls, Little Plates in Rutherford, Secaucus and Paramus and formerly owned The Village Gourmet in Rutherford — has opened a new casual Chinese restaurant. Bobby Wong’s Tao House serves some of Wong’s most popular dishes.
“Bobby has been a staple in and around Bergen,” said Jacqueline Rosa, consultant for Tao House. “People expect a certain amount of quality from his food.”
Wong’s signature Tao Chicken, shatteringly crispy chicken with a sweet and sour glaze, along with chicken dumplings, bao buns and other pan-Asian dishes are customer favorites, said Rosa. Tao House is a fast, casual restaurant, set up for takeout orders.
The breading on many of the dishes, including the Tao Chicken, is gluten-free. The restaurant also offers plenty of vegan options.
Tao House shares a space with Obdubu. Other franchised Tao House locations will soon open in Hawthorne, Hackensack and Irvington. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Go:73 Park Ave., Rutherford;201-762-2007,instagram.com/bobbywongstaohouse.
Läderach, Short Hills
Swiss chocolate company Läderach will open a new location at The Mall at Short Hills onOct. 20. The shop will offer 85 kinds of artisanal Swiss chocolate, including hand-broken chocolate bark. Läderach will also include a chocolate counter where customers can choose from the array of bean-to-bar chocolate.
Go:1200 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills;973-376-7350,us.laderach.com.
Zachy Platters & Grill, Montclair
Brothers Rany and Luoye Badha, along with their dad, Mahmoud Badha, have opened Mediterranean restaurant Zachy Platters & Grill next door to their bagel shop Hot Bagels Abroad.
“My father was a chef in a Middle Eastern restaurant for a while, so we decided to use his experience to open Zachy,” said Rany. The space used to be a dry cleaners that closed during COVID-19.
Customers can’t get enough of the chicken shawarma, said Rany. Though, he’s proud of the kebabs. Zachy also offers build-your-own grain bowls, where you can pick your choice of grain, protein, vegetables and dips.
Go:150 Valley Road, Montclair;973-250-6455,search Facebook for its page.
In addition
Bamboo Village, Verona.A family-owned Vietnamese restaurant offering pho, banhmi sandwiches and noodle and fried rice dishes.636 Bloomfield Ave., Verona;973-321-9898,bamboovillagenj.net.
Scratch Taco, Maplewood. Scratchas in "from-scratch" tacos. Offerings includebarbacoa short rib, Baja fish, Cajun shrimp, Cuban pork and adobe chicken. Also on the menu:quesadilla, dirty red riceand salad.147 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood; 973-763-3313,scratchtaco.com.
Fat Taco TequilaBar, Hoboken.Coco Havana is no more. In its stead: Fat Taco. The specialty? Birria taco. And, of course, tequila.32 Newark St., Hoboken; 201-253-0401,facebook.com/fattacohhoboken.
Asante's Restaurant, Teaneck. In the mood for some peppered goat?What about banku and orkra soup? Or fufu? Welcome to the eats of Ghana,served at this fast-casual restaurant that's open every day.1280 Teaneck Road, Teaneck;201-994-4404,asantesrestaurant.com.
More:Acclaimed chef Anthony Bucco is leaving Felina in Ridgewood
Also:Ice Cream by Mike to turn into an eat-in brunch restaurant, serving ice cream at night
Don't forget:
EstherDavidowitzis thefood editor for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, pleasesubscribe todayand sign up forourNorth Jersey Eats newsletter.
Email:davidowitz@northjersey.com
Twitter:@estherdavido
