You have to admit, one of the toughest things about the quarantine was all the South Jersey fun we were missing. We live in such a wonderful place to have dinner with friends or enjoy a family day out with the kids. Our hometowns are packed with spots that make life delicious, lively and special. We’re highlighting some we think are the best. We know you can think of a few others too. That’s what makes South Jersey so incredibly special.
-
Best Next-Level Marshmallow
The Artisan Marshmallow
theartisanmarshmallowco.comYou’ve never seen marshmallows like this before. You’ll be in ooey-gooey heaven with these unique treats. (Ever heard of a Bourbon vanilla marshmallow? Us neither, but we want one.)
-
Best Soul Food
Corinne’s Place
corinnesplace.comFor 31 years, Corinne Powers has been offering soul food and Southern cooking, and foodies from all over have been loving
it. Special treat: they also offer vegan and vegetarian options. -
Best Adventure Pass for your Pre-K’er
Adventure Aquarium
adventureaquarium.comYou’ve got until July 12 to sign up for this one, so hurry. Kids ages 2 to 5 get unlimited free visits to Adventure Aquarium for 1 year with the Pre-K Adventure Pass.
-
Have some SJ favs you’d like to shout out? Take the Best of SJ Readers’ Poll here.
-
Best Gluten-Free Food Market
Bleu Bear Market
bleubearmarket.comImagine a Wawa but all the fresh grab-and-go and made-to-order food is gluten free. That’s what Bleu Bear Market in Marlton is all about.
-
Best Spot for Your Outdoor Wedding
The Madison
cafemadison.comThere’s a lot of reasons to plan your wedding at The Madison, from the phenomenal menu to reception rooms that can be transformed to fit your vision. And then there’s the courtyard for your ceremony, with its towering stone fireplace and twinkling lights. Your day – and your photos – will be epic.
-
Best Mac & Cheese
Cheese Etc. & Gourmet Gifts
cheeseetc.comMade with homemade ingredients, these aren’t your quick boxed meals. Choose from garlic & herb, pub beer, bacon chive and pimento. It’s a lot of mac & cheese goodness.
-
Best Flavors of Summer
Latteria
latterialove.comLatteria’s all-natural, homemade ice cream comes in so many flavors you’ll be asking for samples of everything. Check their website at 3 pm for the day’s flavors. Two scoops of the Coconut Dark Chip, please.
-
Best Iced Tea
Mademoiselle Macaron
lamademoisellemacaron.comGone are the days when your only iced-tea options were sweetened or unsweetened. Wash down your homemade macarons with flavors like Raspberry Mojito or Indigo Punch.
-
Best Wings for Every Occasion
Pic-A-Lilli Inn
picalilli.comYou might think wings aren’t appropriate for every get-together (which, first of all, how dare you), but these wing sauces will change your mind. Garlic parm or Jim Bean Maple? SJ foodies can’t decide.
-
Best Gourmet Pizza
Pizza Amore
pizzaamoredelran.comGet creative with a primavera, buffalo chicken or hoagie-style pie. Amalfi pizza with ricotta and mozzarella cheese topped with tomato sauce and sausage? Sign us up.
-
Best Cut and Color
Thriv. Salon & Spa
thrivesalon.comLet’s face it: after months of quarantine, most of us needed to spend some serious quality time in a salon chair. The pros at Thriv.
are masters of the cut and color, so whether you arrive with inches of roots or an ill-advised at-home dye job, you’ll leave feeling like a whole new you. -
Best “Pickle-Bar-Included” Meal
Short Hills Restaurant & Deli
shorthillsdeli.comWondering if your homemade matzoh ball soup, plate of lox or thick sliced hot pastrami sandwich comes with pickles? Oh, you bet they do.
-
Best Way to Elevate Your Tailgate
Chickie’s & Pete’s
chickiesandpetes.comChickie’s & Pete’s isn’t just serving burgers and fries – they’ve got lobster rolls and cheesesteak nachos to up the ante at your next tailgate. Whenever that may be, it will be epic.
-
Best Mexican Meal with a Local Twist
The Tortilla Press
thetortillapress.comCome for delicious homegrown meals. The local tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, peppers and cilantro in their Jersey-fresh salsa are straight outta SJ farms.
-
Best Specialty Classes
Katz JCC
katzjcc.orgSo much more than an upscale gym, the JCC offers specialty programs for all different needs. Pedaling for Parkinson’s and Pilates for Neurological Disorders are just some of the classes that focus on promoting wellness of the mind, body and spirit.
-
Best Italian Dinner Like Your Nonna Used to Make
Sal & Joe’s Spaghetti and Pizza House
salandjoespizza.comFrom the old-world décor to homemade pasta soaked in freshly-made sauce, Sal & Joe’s will have you feeling like you stepped back in time and right into grandma’s dining room.
-
Best Breakfast Sandwich
K & A Bagel Cafe
kabagelcafe.comAs far as we’re concerned, a fresh-baked Jersey bagel is the only way to start the weekend. Pork roll, egg and cheese on sesame? It’ll be gone before you even get to the car.
-
Best Barbershop
Rizzieri Salon and Spa
rizzieri.comNothing says gentleman’s day like laying back with hot lather for a straight-razor shave. You’ll feel dapper whether you leave with the perfect fade or rockin’ mullet (we’re serious – they’re coming back).
-
Best Celebration Cake
Classic Cake
classiccake.comTry the carrot cake, with its fruity, nutty flavor blend, stick with the award-winning tiramisu cake or have something custom-made. Whatever you choose, don’t expect to have a crumb left.
-
Best Seriously Seasonal Dish
Seasons52
seasons52.comEntrées show up on the menu for only a few months, being updated as the seasons change. That can mean only one thing: you need to go all year long to try all the great dishes.
-
Best Fresh-Caught Feast
Blue Claw Seafood & Crab Eatery
crabeatery.comThere’s nothing that says “Summer in SJ” like a trip to this crab house, a Burlington institution for nearly 50 years. Tie on a bib and get cracking on a big pile of fresh-caught crabs.
-
Enter for the chance to win a Best of SJ Prize Pack!
-
Best “Just Trust Us” Treat
The Wing Kitchen
thewingkitchen.comOur new obsession is chicken-fried doughnuts. Picture golden-brown donuts dipped in buttermilk and flour, seasoned to perfection and served with powdered sugar. Look out chicken and waffles.
-
Best “Treat Yourself” Outing
DiBartolo Bakery
dibartolobakery.comTreat yourself to a ricotta cannoli cheesecake or sticky bun and you may even catch a glimpse of TV-worthy cake (literally – Al DiBartolo has competed on TLC’s “The Next Great Baker” and Food Network’s “Halloween Wars.”)
-
Best Gifts for Your Special Moments
Family Jewelers
familyjewelers.comWith more than 80 years in business, Family Jewelers has been a trusted name to generations of customers. These are jewelers with the taste, expertise and creativity to help you figure out exactly which sparkly gift you must have.
-
Best Edible Art
Golden Sun Artistry
goldensunartistry.comIf you can dream it, this small-but-mighty shop can bake it. Order a custom dessert in whatever size, shape or flavor you can
imagine. The bakers will work with you to customize a delicious work of culinary creativity. -
Best Special-Occasion Dinner for 2
The ChopHouse
thechophouse.usWhether you’re dining on the lakeside patio or picking up your meal to take home, The ChopHouse will make your celebration
one to remember. Choose from delicious entrées like their 6oz filet mignon and lobster mac n’ cheese. Save room for dessert. -
Great Food that Does Good
CK Café
cathedralkitchen.orgCK Cafe’s delicious sandwiches are named for spots in the city – try The Pyne Point or The Fairview. And as if the delicious food wasn’t reason enough to swing by, you’ll be supporting Cathedral Kitchen’s inspiring meal service and job-training programs.
-
Have some SJ favs you’d like to shout out? Vote in our Best of SJ Readers’ Poll here.
-
Best 4 PM Jukebox Breakfast
Silver Diner
silverdiner.comBring a few quarters for the jukebox, so you’ll be jiving and jamming when you dig into a big stack of blueberry buttermilk pancakes, topped off with a hand-spun black & white shake.
-
Best Gnocchi (Once Again…)
Tre Famiglia
trefamiglia.comIt’s hard to go wrong with anything at Tre Famiglia. But for us, there might as well be just one thing on the menu: the house-made gnocchi. The airy potato dumplings are so heavenly they’ve earned our recognition again and again and again…
-
Best Beer for Foodies
Iron Hill Brewery
ironhillbrewery.comFor everyone looking for the next cool flavor, these seasonal beers go straight from the taps to your table, meaning that Red Wagon strawberry rhubarb kettle sour is as fresh as it is trendy.
-
Best Buy Local Shop
The Camden Store
camdeneverything.comWith more than 50 designs that promote Camden, this is the ultimate shop for finding Camden pride wear. Make sure to sport a “Camden Fresh” tee to their open mic nights and panel Q&As.
-
Enter for the chance to win a Best of SJ Prize Pack!
-
Best Summer Beers
Flying Fish Brewing Co.
flyingfish.comFlying Fish’s seasonal collection has something for everyone. Salt and Sea is perfect for a beach day. Hazy Bones is a BBQ favorite. XPA Citra Pale Ale is clutch on a fishing trip. We could go on…
-
Best One-Stop Shop for Plant People
Bespoke Home & Life
bespokehomeandlife.comEven if you don’t have a green thumb, you can still find the perfect plant from their very cool inventory.
-
Best Bar at a Bowling Alley
Pinsetter’s Bar & Bowl
pinsetterbowl.comWhat’s the next best thing to a perfect 300 game? How about a craft cocktail or a fresh-poured brew between strikes and spares.
Head to the large patio tables to keep the party going even after the pins are down. -
Best Way to Feel Fancy – Outside
Caffe Aldo Lamberti
caffelamberti.comHow can you improve on a meal of homemade pasta paired with an incredible wine? Eat it al fresco, of course. The outdoor patio at Caffé Aldo Lamberti is cozy and elegant at the same time.
-
Best Sky-High Fun
The Gravity Vault
gravityvault.comFrom team-building exercises to unforgettable birthday parties, nothing beats a trip to this indoor rock-climbing gym.
You’ll want to go back again and again. The climbing courses change monthly, so boredom is not an option. -
Best Wine Pairing Every Time
The Capital Grille
thecapitalgrille.comYou don’t have to be a fine-wine connoisseur to get a pour that expertly brings out the flavors of your meal. With more than 350 world-class wines, every dish has its perfect pairing.
-
Best 10-Napkin Stack of Ribs
Lumpy’s BBQ
lumpysrestaurant.comGrab the entire napkin dispenser. Lumpy’s has a reputation for tasty ribs slathered with just the right amount of their signature
BBQ sauce. -
Best Insta-Perfect Family Outing
Johnson’s Corner Farm
johnsonsfarm.comSwitch on portrait mode for a candid of the family hayride or pumpkin-picking outing. At Johnson’s Corner Farm, great Instagram photos make even better memories. #TooCute
-
Have some SJ favs you’d like to shout out? Vote in our Best of SJ Readers’ Poll here.
-
Best Retro Arcade
Game On! Arcade
gameonmedford.comWhether you’re looking to relive the glory days – mashing buttons and flicking joysticks – or to take virtual reality gaming for a spin, Medford’s Game On! Arcade is fun for the whole family. You can play the classics, like Donkey Kong, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man and much, much more.
-
Best Throwback Family Outing
The Pop Shop
thepopshopusa.comHave your 2000’s kids step back to a time of sock hops and chocolate malts as you dig into a deluxe burger and create-your-own ice cream sundae at the niftiest ice-cream counter in town.
-
Best Crab Cakes
Bobby Chez
bobbychezcrabcakes.comSince 1997, Bobby Chez has been a household name for one delicious reason: the gourmet, can’t-be-beat jumbo lump crab cakes that bear his name. You know them, you love them, and if you haven’t tried them yet, what are you waiting for?
-
Best Build-Your-Own Seafood Dinner
Nunzio Ristorante Rustico
nunzios.netWhat do cozze, granchio, polipo, gamberoni and branzino have in common? They’re all on the menu at Nunzio’s. (In English, that’s mussels, crab, octopus, shrimp, and European bass.) Put them together to create your own dinner.
-
Best Dinner with a View
Carlucci’s Waterfront
carlucciswaterfront.comSettle into your seat along the banks of the Rancocas Creek, order a Perfect Martini (it’s called that for a reason), and experience South Jersey’s most peaceful patio dining experience. It’s a great spot for lunch or happy hour, but the real show starts at sundown.
-
Best Specialty Foods
Wegmans
wegmans.comIf staying home for months taught us anything, it’s that our routine recipes can get real boring, real quick. Suddenly we’re all
culinary creatives, but where to find a new recipe’s special ingredient? Wegmans, of course. -
Most Fun You Can Have at a Library
Burlington County Library System
bcls.lib.nj.usForget everything you’ve ever thought a library should be. With a Burlington County Library card, you can stream movies, take online classes, learn a new language, attend virtual activities, and even borrow a day-pass to dozens of museums and attractions.
-
Best Way to Spice Up Your BBQ
Fresh Grill Paella
freshgrillpaella.comFresh Grill Paella will set up right in your backyard. Before you know it you’ll be enjoying the sight, smell – and unreal tastes – of a huge pan of paella, the classic Spanish rice dish you’ll crave even after you’ve eaten.
-
Enter for the chance to win our Best of SJ Prize Pack!
-
Best Balcony for a Wedding Photo
Camden County Boathouse
camdencountyboathouse.comCelebrate the moment your betrothed said “I do” on the expansive wrap-around balcony overlooking the Cooper River. It’s the ultimate South Jersey way to tie the knot.
Comments are closed.