The Garden State Goes Global: Inside New Jersey’s International Eats

Popular conceptions of New Jersey’s food scene probably include submarine sandwiches, greasy spoons, and the state’s take on the classic American diner — a place where “disco fries,” Jersey’s answer to poutine, has been immortalized. However, in-the-know gourmands know the Garden State holds true to its name and is home to formidable wineries and many farm-to-table restaurants serving fresh New American fare.

New Jersey is also one of the most diverse states in the US, and this ethnic diversity certainly broadens its dining scene. There’s a vast spectrum of restaurants dishing out international cuisines, spanning Portuguese, Middle Eastern, East Asian, Latin American, Italian, South Asian, and more. Truly, whatever you’re craving, New Jersey’s got it — here’s where to find it.

The Ironbound: New Jersey’s Little Portugal and beyond

Photos: Emily Schindler/Lita

Campino Restaurant: 70 Jabez St, Newark, NJ 07105
Lita: 1055 NJ-34, Aberdeen Township, NJ 07747

In eastern Newark near the main train station lies the Ironbound, a neighborhood named for the railroad tracks that converge there. It’s not the iron tracks that New Jerseyans think of when the neighborhood comes up in conversation, though. It’s Portuguese food. Hence the nickname “Little Portugal.”

Historically, the Ironbound has been a community of immigrants, especially Portuguese. At Campino, a beloved traditional Portuguese restaurant since 1982, you’ll find classics like medalhões de porco molho bulhão pato (pork loin medallions served bulhão pato-style with clams and herbs) and mariscada molho (seafood stew) in a tomato-based red or parsley-forward green sauce. For the quintessential Portuguese dish, order the bacalao (salt cod) served either grilled with potatoes, onions, and peppers or in a cream sauce.

Portuguese gastronomy also exists outside of the Ironbound, particularly at Lita in suburban Aberdeen Township. There, acclaimed Chef David Viana combines his culinary talent and his Ironbound roots to elevate Portuguese staples. Viana has been featured on the Food Network and is a 2025 James Beard Semi-Finalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.

Collingswood: Lebanon’s culinary embassy

Li Beirut: 619 Collings Ave, Collingswood, NJ 08107

Collingswood may seem like simple suburb of Philadelphia on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, but for one family, it became a refuge. Escaping war, Chef Patricia and her husband Tony Massoud fled from Beirut to the US several years ago, settling in New Jersey to continue raising their three children. The resilient family has kept their spirits up — along with their passion for Lebanese cuisine and hospitality — at their restaurant, Li Beirut.

The menu goes beyond the usual pan-Middle Eastern fare of falafels, dips, shawarma, and grilled meats. One example of the restaurant’s authentic Lebanese dishes is its rendition of hummus, topped with morsels of beef and finished with pine nuts for an added dimension of flavor and texture. You’ll also find lahme ba’ajine — a sort of Lebanese pizza with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, herbs, and spices on a crispy crust — as well as mouhammara, a roasted red pepper dip with walnuts and pomegranate molasses that walks a line between spicy and sweet.

Hackensack: Unapologetically Sichuan

Hot Fish: 450 Hackensack Ave #6, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Chinese takeout has become a go-to American comfort food, but at Hot Fish in Hackensack, you won’t find the Americanized General Tso’s chicken on the menu. The sister restaurant to Michelin-recommended Chuan Tian Xia in New York City, Hot Fish hones in on China’s Sichuan province, known for spicy cuisine and seafood (hence the restaurant’s name).

Newcomers to Sichuan cuisine should enjoy the classic dish mapo tofu — tofu and ground pork, made spicy with Sichuan peppercorns, which leave a tingly feeling in your mouth. The more adventurous foodie will love the restaurant’s authentic offerings like green pepper numbing fish or spicy dry pot with frog.

Long Branch: Down the shore in El Salvador

Photo: Tanya Green/Asbury Park Press/Don Beto’s

Don Beto’s Comida Salvadorena: 20 Memorial Pkwy, Long Branch, NJ 07740

Latin American food is ubiquitous in the Hispanic enclaves closer to the Hudson River, but head down the shore for a taste of El Salvador. At casual eatery Don Beto’s in Long Branch, sit indoors or outside at a picnic table on a nice day for Salvadoran classics, including hearty soups or chicken rolled into a tamale and steamed in a banana leaf.

The biggest draw at Don Beto’s is the pupusas, El Salvador’s national dish — thick, pan-fried tortillas stuffed with beans, meat, vegetables, and/or cheese, including queso con loroco, which is blended with a savorous herb derived from a flower bud that’s native to Central America. For dessert, indulge your sweet tooth on a Salvadoran empanada filled with bananas and sweet cream, or try the nuegados (yucca fritters smothered in a honey sauce).

Edison: A subcontinental taste of India

Bombay Blue Indian Bistro: 1963 Oak Tree Rd, Edison, NJ 08820

Edison, NJ, and its neighboring communities are home to one of the country’s largest immigrant populations from the Indian subcontinent. With that community comes a discernment for authentic cuisine, and bustling Indian bistro Bombay Blue has risen as a crowd pleaser.

Though the restaurant is named after Mumbai (formerly Bombay), its menu presents a cross-section of dishes from around the country, including North Indian curries like the creamy, tomato-based rogan josh prepared with chicken, goat, or lamb; fish or shrimp curries hailing from the southern, seaside state of Goa; and, most notably, Hakka cuisine, which is an Indo-Chinese culinary style made popular by Chinese immigrants living in India’s port cities. For a quick bite, check out the chaat, or savory street food — don’t miss the gol gappe (crispy, hollow balls of flour stuffed with spices and veg) and bhel poori (puffed rice tossed in chutney).

Galloway: Southeast Asian in South Jersey

Oxtail Pho and Banh Mi: 319 E Jimmie Leeds Rd Suite #206, Galloway, NJ 08205

South Jersey has become home to a huge Vietnamese population, from the suburbs of Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore. About a 15-minute drive inland from the seaside casinos of Atlantic City is the town of Galloway, where you can take refuge from pricey casino buffets and get your fill of Vietnamese cuisine at spots like Oxtail Pho and Banh Mi.

The restaurant is a casual, modern spot that serves generous portions of dishes like bò lúc lắc, aka “shaking beef,” a classic stir fry. But the real stars are in the name. Velvety oxtail meat is paired with slow-cooked broth and vermicelli noodles in the restaurant’s signature pho, adorned with bean sprouts, basil, jalapeño, and lime. Bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette sandwiches) come filled with two kinds of pork, chicken, beef, or tofu and dressed with cilantro, jalapeño, cucumber, and pickled daikon and carrots for a harmonious burst of flavors.

Montclair: Italian in Sopranoland

Photo: Luigino’s Montclair

Luigino’s Parmigiana: 173 Glenridge Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042

You can’t talk about world cuisine in the state that brought us The Sopranos without mentioning Jersey’s many Italian and Italian-American restaurants. One, in particular, has become a local favorite: Luigino’s Parmigiana in Montclair.

Start with delectable antipasti dishes like pancia di maiale (slow roasted pork belly in a sweet and sour agrodolce sauce) before devouring pasta offerings like gnocchi stuffed with ricotta, black truffle, and Parmigiano and served with a creamy porcini mushroom sauce. Pork chops and filets of branzino also grace the menu, but the real specialty is the house’s namesake: Le Parmigiana. Expect heaps of pounded Sicilian eggplant, chicken breast, or veal chop that’s breaded, fried, and smothered in the house marinara, then served with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

Bergen County: BBQ in Little Korea

So Moon Nan Jip: 238 Broad Ave, Palisades Park, NJ 07650

One of the highest concentrations of Koreans in the US is found in Bergen County, NJ, specifically in the adjacent towns of Fort Lee and Palisades Park, which collectively form Jersey’s “Little Korea.” The Korean vibe is evident when you wander the streets, especially Palisades Park’s Broad Avenue, where a majority of signage uses the Korean alphabet.

There are many Korean restaurants on this main drag, but for an authentic Korean barbecue experience head to So Moon Nan Jip. Each dining table comes with a recessed, tabletop charcoal grill for you to cook (or be assisted in cooking) the hefty platters of raw meat you can order. Galbi (marinated short rib) and bulgogi (marinated sirloin) are classics, and they come nicely complemented with plentiful, varied selections of savory banchan (side dishes).

If, by any chance, you’re still hungry after all this, plan to stay a little longer. After all, eating your way around New Jersey is like eating your way around the world — with no passport required.