Best Kid-Friendly Place
Raymond’s
Multiple locations
Brunch at Raymond’s is reason to get up early on a weekend—tables inside and out fill up quickly. Keep kids busy as they wait for pancakes, eggs Benedict, breakfast burritos or French toast with colorable placemats. Lunch and dinner in this subway-tiled mainstay are equally delicious—make sure to save room for the brownie sundae.
Runners Up:
2. Toast (Montclair)
3. Stony’s (South Orange)
4. Joe’s Crab Shack (Multiple locations)
5. Sapporo (Millburn)
Best Diner
Eagle Rock Diner & Restaurant
410 Eagle Rock Ave., West Orange
973-325-9057
This classic Jersey diner (undergoing a makeover right now and due to reopen later this month), is known for its gigantic menu and huge portions guaranteeing multi-meal leftovers. Locals swear by the amazing breakfast (try the Western omelet!) and anytime is a good time to enjoy a huge slice of their famous cheesecake.
Runners Up:
2. Tops Diner (East Newark)
3. State Street Grill (Bloomfield)
4. The Ritz Diner (Livingston)
5. Nevada Diner (Bloomfield)
Best Pizza
Star Tavern World Famous Pizza
400 High St., Orange
973-675-3336
A pizza joint that’s so much more than a hole-in-the-wall, Star Tavern has mastered the art of sophisticated thin crust pizza in a dive setting. Huge and crispy, the pies here bring crowds from miles away. Bonus: They’ve got a great jukebox, so make sure to load the kids up with quarters.
Runners Up:Â
2. Arturo’s Osteria & Pizzeria (Maplewood)
3. Ah’ Pizz (Montclair)
4. Calabria Restaurant and Pizzeria (Livingston)
5. Village Trattoria (Multiple Locations)
Best Burger
Stuffed Grass Fed Burgers
150 Valley Rd., Suite 1 Montclair
973-893-5805
The grass-fed beef patties here come with a surprise inside—they’re all stuffed with deliciousness like cheese, bacon, garlic aioli or arugula. Don’t miss the Montclair Blue Burger (with Blue cheese, chipotle aioli and sauteed mushrooms inside), the mac & cheese burger (with homemade macaroni and cheese in the middle of an antibiotic-free beef or turkey patty) and the turkey club burger (organic turkey stuffed with Havarti cheese, smoked bacon lettuce and tomato).
Runners Up:
2. Stony’s (South Orange)
3. Next Door (Montclair)
4 & 5. TIE Cloverleaf Tavern (Caldwell) & Hamburgao (Newark)
Best Ice Cream
Applegate Farm
616 Grove St., Upper Montclair
973-744-5900
You can’t miss this place—between the giant bright red barn and the big line of cars waiting to snag a parking spot, Applegate Farm is a big part of summer in Montclair. In business since 1848, this shop features over 50 flavors served from a row of old-school to-go windows. Summer favorites include Graham Central Station (graham cracker ice cream, graham crackers and chocolate covered candy pieces) and cantaloupe—vanilla ice cream with, you guessed it, sweet cantaloupe chunks mixed in.
Runners Up:Â
2. Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery (Bloomfield)
3. Mark & Julie’s Homemade Ice Cream (West Orange)
4. Strawberry Fields (Maplewood)
5. TIE Nasto’s Ice Cream (Newark) & Towne Scoop (Verona)
Best Cupcake
Cupcakes by Carousel
Multiple locations
With literally dozens of flavors here, you will find the perfect cupcake for your every mood. Try unique picks like cookie dough or cannoli, or sample an infused cupcake, where mild-mannered cake gets a jolt of apple compote or peanut butter cream filling. We especially love the apple pie and the s’mores cupcakes!
Runners Up:
2. Asalt & Buttery Bake Shop (Caldwell)
3. The Able Baker (Maplewood)
4. Gigi’s Cupcakes (Maplewood)
5. Sweet Retreat Boutique (Newark)
More Golden Popsicle Winners:Â
Central Jersey Winners
Morris County Winners
North Jersey Winners
South Jersey Winners
Union County Winners
