When you think of foodie towns in New Jersey, Old Bridge may not come to mind but it’s quickly becoming a restaurant hotspot. The Middlesex County town has been adding to its restaurant scene with everything from an upscale Mexican steakhouse and casual taco spots to Italian favorites and brunch places. The next time you’re looking for somewhere new to take the kids, start with the restaurants along Routes 9, 18 and 516. Here are some of the best family-friendly places to try in Old Bridge:
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Cafe Luna
3679 Rte. 9 North
Café Luna brought its Sicilian cuisine over the Outerbridge from Staten Island to Old Bridge. There is a selection of paninis and heros for lunch; but dinner shines with octopus salad, Mamma’s meatballs, bianco picante pizza (hot honey, whipped ricotta and shredded mozzarella), veal cutlet carpaccio, halibut oreganata and pork chop siciliano. Bring a group and order the 50-ounce porterhouse, veal chop or charcuterie board for the table.
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Cozy Café
2638 County Rd. 516
This is where you want to indulge in breakfast, and possibly be in a food coma for the rest of the day. Recent specials include white chocolate raspberry pancakes, rainbow cookie crepes, The King Benedict (a potato pancake loaded with arugula, avocado, bacon, chicken cutlet, poached eggs and chipotle hollandaise) and a cookie dough croissant.
Crave Café
258 Texas Rd.
Start your day with chicken & waffles, avocado toast topped with chickpeas and pickled onions, a pancake flight (make sure you include at least one chocolate chip), a prime rib French dip sandwich, and disco fries. You’ll also “crave” their new coffee flights – rainbow cookie is a sweet surprise, topped with a 7-layer cookie.
Elizabeth’s Italian
2658 Rte. 516
The newest concept by the team behind 618 Restaurant in Freehold and Mezcal in Old Bridge is named after the owner’s wife. Executive Chef Christopher Dutka is creating a new menu that mirrors traditional Italian Sunday dinners, focused on homemade semolina pasta and his grandmother’s meatballs recipe. Some menu items include black spaghetti with crab and jalapeno (their soon-to-be signature dish); a bolognese atop egg pappardelle; veal chop parm made your way with red, vodka or spicy sauce; and the Chef’s Dessert Cocktail of pistachio tiramisu (another highlight), cannolis, and chocolate budino with salted caramel and crushed pizzelle. The cocktails are showstopping, too – from The Stiletto served in a stiletto-shaped glass with a perfume spritz of orange essence to a limoncello flight to Diamond’s Are A Girl’s Best Friend which comes with a pair of diamond stud earrings (for real!).
Feast Italian Kitchen
The Shoppes at Old Bridge, 3899 Rte. 9 North
As the story goes, lifelong friends Steven Botta and Angelo Bongiovanni – who also have their hands in Brando’s Citi Cucina in Asbury Park and Osteria Cucina Rustica in Marlboro – wanted to combine Italian “red sauce” restaurants from Brooklyn with a cool Jersey vibe. There’s a full range of antipasti, salumi and formaggio, red and white pizza (with gluten-free options available), a clam bar, oven-baked pastas, and meat and seafood entrees. Mama Botta’s Sunday Dinner is clutch: slow-braised ribs, meatballs, sausage and braciola in gravy. Or grab your mom friends and “Feast Family Style” – parties of 6 or more get pizza margherita, mozzarella and tomato, eggplant parm, fried calamari, baked clams, pasta, steak pizzaiolo and chicken scarpariello; plus house wine or sangria. And you can’t leave without dessert – pistachio caramel ice cream cake is a huge hit, aside from Nutella pizza or a fried rainbow cookie.
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Kyuramen
The Shoppes at Old Bridge, 3885 Rte. 9
The founders of Kyuramen studied how to make the perfect ramen while in Japan, and they want customers to try all 3 different ramen styles: South Japan’s Kyushu Shio, Central Japan’s Tokyo Shouyu and the Hokkaido Miso. The menu also highlights Asian dishes like pork bao buns, rice burgers, pan-fried vegetable dumplings, chilled tofu with onion dressing, and matcha tiramisu. And – the restaurant is dog-friendly!
Madison Modern Social
The Shoppes at Old Bridge, 3801 Rte. 9
Madison Modern is all about the vibes: part New York City lounge, part speakeasy, part brunch party, part supper club – this is the place to go for an elevated night out. The purple-pink lighting and wall-to-wall decor set the mood for an epic menu of caviar service, sushi rolls, fried arancini with an Asian twist, Gold Bar mozzarella sticks, spicy lumache pasta and ribeye cap (spinals) steak smothered in a gremolata butter. More Insta-worthy dishes include the Dubai roll and The Sphere Oreo ice cream cake that is lit on fire. Our Little Secret is a brand-new event space that opened last month.
Mezcal: A Modern Mexican Steakhouse
292 Rte. 516, Old Bridge
With mezcal cocktails, a full steak menu and Mexican faves (the stuffed churros are to die for), the food here is as bold as the decor—think a flame-shooting tequila bar, colorful chandeliers from Mexico, and spectacular art in Mexican sugar skull style. From the team behind the uber-popular 618 Restaurant in Freehold, with a menu by Chef Christopher Dutka, this spot continues to get tons of buzz, with reservations hard to come by.
Ponte Vecchio Italian Seafood Grill
3863 Rte. 516 East
732-607-1650
Ponte Vecchio is the newest restaurant by the LouCas Family of Restaurants (LouCas in Edison and Fresco Steak & Seafood Grill in Milltown). This location specializes in seafood and traditional Italian cuisine. It’s pretty, too, with the three dining room areas designed after the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. Start with the raw bar, and add on an appetizer like fried shoestring zucchini or stuffed mushrooms. Pasta selections include seafood capellini, pappardelle bolognese and orecchiette with sweet sausage and broccoli rabe. Entrées range from chicken (Giambotta is sauteed with sweet cherry pepper, onions, mushrooms, potatoes and sausage), meat (grilled baby lamb chops or 10-ounce filet mignon), seafood (whole Mediterranean branzino or fresh Maine lobsters) and veal (francese or Milanese).
Sofia’s Taqueria
3030 Rte. 9, Old Bridge
The former Bridgeway Diner transformed into a bright and colorful Mexican restaurant, where the guacamole, empanadas, burritos and tacos take center stage. Possibly getting the most attention is their birthday celebration – where the guest of honor is crowned and sung to with a giant rooster statue. Weekly specials include Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wepa Wednesdays (buy one pitcher, get one free), Thirsty Thursdays (90-minute unlimited sangria), weekend brunches, and Monday to Thursday happy hour.
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Via Sposito
3857 Rte. 516
The fourth-generation Esposito brothers focus on old-world charm learned from their grandparents, bringing a taste of Italy and Brooklyn to NJ. The pride themselves on coal-fired pizzas, imported cheeses and cured meats, all sourced from Italy. There’s a selection of hot and cold antipasti, pastas, calzones, coal-fired pizzas, and parmigiana and milanese options.
Here are some more restaurant in Old Bridge set to open soon:
The Chop Shop
The Shoppes at Old Bridge
Fans who know of Chef Steven Botta from Brando’s Citi Cucina and Osteria Cucina Rustica are eagerly awaiting his dry-aged steaks, Dover sole, duck l’orange, stuffed whole salmon, and tableside-finished meals (like Caesar salad and baked Alaska).
Jersey Freeze
1447 Rte. 18
The home of Bruce Springsteen’s favorite ice cream recently opened up to franchising, and the newest location is set to open this spring in Old Bridge. Jersey Freeze is known for soft ice cream, hard ice cream, vegan flavors, Italian ice, and custom cakes with their signature chocolate fudge and rainbow sprinkles on around the outside – but most recently the buzz is all about their milkshake collabs with Livoti’s Old World Market, as well as their gluten-free ice cream cookie sandwiches.
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