Best Restaurants in Essex County, NJ
Our picks for the best restaurants in Essex County, NJ: 15 local businesses, with phone numbers, addresses and websites. Chosen by the NJ Business Directory team; sponsored listings are labeled.
Looking for a place to eat in Essex County? This guide covers independent restaurants and taverns in Montclair, Upper Montclair, Newark, Fairfield, West Orange, Nutley, the City of Orange, Verona, Millburn, Caldwell and Livingston. Expect Peruvian and Italian kitchens, a Spanish tapas bar in Newark's Ironbound, a cafe and caterer, steakhouses, a thin-crust pizzeria, neighborhood pubs and a restaurant with indoor golf.
Several Essex County restaurants are BYOB, especially in Montclair, so check each listing before you go. Hours, menus and reservation rules change often; confirm them on each restaurant's own site.
Browse all restaurants or Essex County listings on NJ Business Directory. Heading south? See our Central Jersey restaurant guide.
Each listing is reviewed by a real person before it goes live. Own an Essex County restaurant? Add it free or claim your existing listing, and see how our listing plans compare. Questions? Reach us through our contact page.
Sources: Towns and counties: U.S. Census geography; BYOB and liquor licensing: NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (nj.gov/oag/abc); Restaurant details: each restaurant's own website.
Fusionista
Restaurants
Montclair
Fusionista is a modern Peruvian restaurant at 14 Park Street in downtown Montclair, Essex County. The kitchen works through Peruvian classics such as ceviche in house-made leche de tigre, lomo saltado, anticuchos from the charcoal grill, causa, arroz chaufa and arroz con mariscos. The drinks list includes chicha morada and fresh passion fruit juice, and desserts round out the menu. Guests can reserve a table or order for pickup through the restaurant's own site, which also lists current hours and directions.
Sapori Montclair
Restaurants
Montclair
Sapori is a modern Italian restaurant at 9 Park Street in Montclair, Essex County. It runs as a BYOB, so diners are welcome to bring their own bottle to pair with dinner. Alongside the main menu, the site lists private-event menus, a couples night menu and a mocktail list, and the restaurant books special events and sells gift cards. Reservations can be made through the website, which posts weekday and weekend hours, with earlier openings on Saturday and Sunday.
Casa d’Paco
Restaurants
Newark
Casa d'Paco is a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar on Warwick Street in Newark's Ironbound District, Essex County. The kitchen focuses on Galician cooking, with traditional tapas, seafood and meats, a daily tapas specials board and a full cocktail and drink menu. The restaurant hosts weekly events and ticketed nights, books private parties and offers a catering menu. Online ordering, gift cards and table reservations are available from its website, which also notes that it is closed on Mondays.
Five Corners Ristorante
Restaurants
Newark
Five Corners Ristorante is an Italian restaurant at 10 Wilson Avenue in Newark's Ironbound, Essex County. The menu centers on handcrafted pasta and Italian classics, with chicken, seafood and meat dishes, signature cocktails and a wine list. Brunch and lunch specials are served daily, and the restaurant offers a pre-show dining menu for evenings at nearby Prudential Center and NJPAC. Large parties, catering and holiday events can be arranged, and tables can be reserved through its own site.
The Clubhouse
Restaurants
Fairfield
The Clubhouse is a restaurant and indoor golf venue at 410 US Highway 46 in Fairfield, Essex County, open since 2016. Its lunch and dinner menu is upscale bar fare with dishes made in-house, and there is a weekend brunch menu. Guests can book golf suites for groups of one to ten, catch live music on weekends, watch games, or plan parties and corporate events for 10 to 250 people. Memberships and gift cards are offered, and online ordering runs through the venue's site.
Castle Rock Bar and Grill
Restaurants
West Orange
Castle Rock Bar and Grill is a pub at 440 Main Street in West Orange, Essex County. The kitchen serves pub food made with fresh ingredients, sourced locally when possible, alongside craft cocktails, and the bar hosts live entertainment. Private-event packages cover family parties, office happy hours and special-occasion dinners, with details available by email inquiry. Online ordering and gift cards are handled through the restaurant's hosted ordering site, which also lists its weekly hours.
Eatery Cafe Kitchen
Restaurants
Fairfield
Eatery Cafe Kitchen is a cafe and caterer at 1275 Bloomfield Avenue in Fairfield, Essex County. Its kitchen starts each morning preparing comfort food and pastries, and the coffee program uses house blends with their own roast profiles. The owner opened the business in 2019 after more than 25 years in hospitality and food-industry roles. It caters casual get-togethers, corporate events and holiday parties, and offers takeout, delivery, custom cakes and a loyalty program.
Turtle + The Wolf
Restaurants
Montclair
Turtle + the Wolf is a restaurant at 622 Valley Road in Upper Montclair, Essex County, founded by two Montclair natives and Montclair High School alums. Its kitchen cooks seasonal food with ingredients sourced as locally as possible. The restaurant serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday and lunch Wednesday through Saturday, with takeout, large-format meals and special events. Private events can be booked, and the website posts reservations, upcoming closures and an FAQ for planning a visit.
Primavera Ristorante
Restaurants
West Orange
Primavera Ristorante is an Italian restaurant at 500 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, Essex County. The kitchen leans on traditional recipes handed down through generations, built around fresh ingredients and straightforward flavors. Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and the restaurant is closed on Mondays. It offers outdoor dining, drink and wine lists, and catering and banquet service, and its website posts the full menus and contact details.
Woodcroft Steakhouse & Seafood
Restaurants
24 Washington Ave, Nutley
Woodcroft Steakhouse & Seafood is a steakhouse at 24 Washington Avenue in Nutley, Essex County. Its steaks are dry-aged for 28 days, and the restaurant describes itself as a traditional steakhouse with a modern, rustic edge. Beyond steak, the menu includes seafood, poultry and vegetarian dishes, and the kitchen chooses suppliers based on the quality of their produce. Diners can reach the restaurant by phone or email through the contact page on its own website.
Star Tavern
Restaurants
400 High Street, Orange
Star Tavern is a pizzeria at 400 High Street in the City of Orange, Essex County, serving thin-crust pizza since 1945. The restaurant sits at the far northern end of Orange, close to Glen Ridge, Montclair and West Orange, and it has been a family spot for generations of local customers. The menu centers on its thin-crust pies, and there is a dedicated private event space. Parking is available in two lots, one in front and a larger lot next door on Washington Street.
The Parkside Social
Restaurants
706 Bloomfield Ave, Verona
The Parkside Social is a neighborhood restaurant and bar at 706 Bloomfield Avenue in Verona, Essex County, inspired by nearby Verona Park. The New American menu covers share plates, salads, burgers, tacos, sandwiches, fish, steak and pasta, paired with a cocktail program built on fresh ingredients and house-made syrups. There is a weekday happy hour and weekend brunch. The Oak Room serves as a private dining room, and a seasonal garden adds outdoor seating in warmer months.
Basilico
Restaurants
324 Millburn Ave, Millburn
Basilico is an Italian restaurant at 324 Millburn Avenue in Millburn, Essex County, with a casual dining room and homemade pastas and desserts. Lunch is served Wednesday through Saturday and dinner every day of the week, with takeout available by phone. The restaurant also handles catering and banquets, keeps a wine list and sells gift certificates. Reservations are taken through OpenTable, and delivery runs through DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Angeloni’s Restaurant and Pizzeria
Restaurants
6 Brookside Ave, Caldwell
Angeloni's Restaurant & Pizzeria has served Caldwell, Essex County, since 2012 from 6 Brookside Avenue. Its signature is the crispy 'Thinny Thin' pizza, offered in several thin-crust varieties, alongside an Italian-inspired menu of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and seafood, chicken and veal dishes. Orders can be placed by phone for pickup or delivery, online, or through the restaurant's app. Catering and party menus are available for larger gatherings.
Nero’s Restaurant & Lounge
Restaurants
618 S Livingston Ave, Livingston
Nero's Grille is a steakhouse with Italian roots at 618 South Livingston Avenue in Livingston, Essex County. It opened in 1969 as Nero's Italian Restaurant and has since added grilled primal cuts of steak, seafood, freshly ground burgers, cold-water lobsters and a chilled raw bar. White-linen dining rooms, an outdoor terrace and a bar room all serve the full menu, which is also available for takeout and delivery. Private dining areas can host events of up to 200 guests.
