New Jersey

• Jersey Shore

  First things first: The Jersey Shore is not “Jersey Shore” (the TV show) Jersey Shore. The former is the first developed coastline in the United States, encompassing about 130 miles in New Jersey from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south; the latter is a drama-courting MTV reality show depicting a small slice of the demographic that joins the hordes of families, surfers, beach bums, and other perfectly normal people who go “down the Shore” each summer. Even in the context of Seaside Heights, the town in which the show is set, you can easily avoid that crowd if you wish.

  But you shouldn’t avoid the other Jersey Shore for any reason at all. For many, it’s a close-to-home summer getaway, an accessible and trustworthy slice of Americana with icons to spare: nice beaches with some of the cleanest water in the mid-Atlantic region; family-friendly boardwalks and mini-golf; historic eateries and rock ’n’ roll bars; great fishing, surfing, windsurfing, and even skydiving. And then there’s the omnipresent crashing sea, the abundant fresh seafood and the smell of salt in the air when you face east, mingling with the heady, less organic but just-as-quintessential scents of fried zeppole dough and hot pizza.

  Maybe we’re slightly biased: One-half of EYW hails from the Jersey Shore. But what’s more fun than a summer weekend at the beach, with free rein to bodysurf, grill clams, and eat funnel cake to your heart’s content? We focus a lot on boardwalk foods here, since they’re such fixtures along the Shore—the big boardwalks are in Keansburg, Asbury Park, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside, Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Wildwood—but also on fresh local fish, shellfish, and that Jersey favorite, the salty pork roll.

  Editor’s note: The Shore is still recovering from damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Please see this post for how you can help the rebuild effort, and the many people who have lost their homes there.

  First things first: The Jersey Shore is not “Jersey Shore” (the TV show) Jersey Shore. The former is the first developed coastline in the United States, encompassing about 130 miles in New Jersey from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south; the latter is a drama-courting MTV reality show depicting a small slice of the demographic that joins the hordes of families, surfers, beach bums, and…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Jersey Shore.

  Frozen custard

  Funnel cake

  Hot dog

  Local craft beer

  Local fish

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

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  Trenton burger

  Clementon
  baismais
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  Banana split

  Point Pleasant
  lsr
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  Boardwalk slice

  Point Pleasant Beach
  louis
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  The original Sloppy Joe sandwich

  South Orange
  lsr

• • The Carrot

    jlissy
    Long Branch, New Jersey, United States
    

    A kid-friendly restaurant that serves really tasty food made with all natural, local ingredients? Yes, it’s Shaka and we are lucky to have it in our back pocket...we eat there often in t…    Read more

• Blog Posts

• Dish Spotlight: Saltwater Taffy, Jersey Shore

  What is it about this soft, chewy candy that’s so transporting? Maybe it’s the packaging: bright, happy colors; wax paper wrappers; pastel boxes depicting beach panoramas. Maybe it’s the sweet creamy taste, or the sticky…   Read more

• Thoughts of the Jersey Shore, Post-Sandy

  Point Pleasant boardwalk in winter, circa 1998 In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I find my sympathies torn between two places I hold near and dear: New York City—particularly those devastated areas of Brooklyn, near where we used to live,…   Read more