Best Restaurants in Middlesex County, NJ
Our picks for the best restaurants in Middlesex County, NJ: 14 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 Middlesex County? This guide covers restaurants, cafes and bars in Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge, Avenel, New Brunswick, Piscataway, East Brunswick, South River, South Amboy, South Plainfield and Jamesburg. Menus run from Mexican, Italian and Portuguese cooking to Indian, Pakistani and Nepali kitchens, a seafood and sushi buffet, a breakfast and lunch cafe, taverns and a taco shop.
Some of these places are BYOB and others have full bars, so check each listing before you go. Hours change often, and a few of these restaurants have more than one location, so confirm the address and hours on each restaurant's own site.
Browse all restaurants or Middlesex County listings on NJ Business Directory. Looking wider? See our Central Jersey restaurant guide.
Each listing is reviewed by a real person before it goes live. Own a Middlesex 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.
Meximodo Metuchen
Restaurants
5 Pearl St, Metuchen
Meximodo is a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar at 5 Pearl Street in Metuchen, Middlesex County. The Metuchen location serves weekday lunch, weekend brunch and dinner every night, with street tacos on handmade tortillas, slow-cooked meats and family-style plates meant for sharing. The bar is built around a large agave collection of tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits. Private events can be booked through the website, and the restaurant also runs a second location in Jersey City.
Cranbury Inn Restaurant
Restaurants
21 S Main St, Cranbury
The Cranbury Inn on Main Street in Cranbury, Middlesex County, has a rustic dining room seating 120. It serves lunch, dinner and brunch and provides on- and off-site catering and private events.
Hatch44 Cafe
Restaurants
25 New St, Metuchen
Hatch 44 Cafe is a family-owned breakfast and lunch spot at 25 New Street in Metuchen, Middlesex County. The cafe is open daily for breakfast, brunch and coffee, with a happy hour menu, catering and event bookings, and online ordering. The owners describe it as a cozy corner in historic Metuchen, and they also run a second location in Bradley Beach. The cafe's website offers its menus, an FAQ, a newsletter sign-up and e-gift cards.
Thumkaa Bar and Kitchen
Restaurants
34 W Railroad Ave, Jamesburg
Thumkaa Bar & Kitchen is an Indian restaurant and bar at 34 West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg, Middlesex County. It pairs a range of Indian dishes with a bar program, and the restaurant presents its dining room as an elevated, luxe experience. Thumkaa takes reservations, offers online ordering for pickup or local delivery, and caters events for groups of all sizes. Private parties can be booked, and the site posts events, policies, gift cards and current menus.
Mulberry Restaurant & Bar
Restaurants
739 Rahway Ave, Woodbridge
Mulberry Street Restaurant is an Italian restaurant at 739 Rahway Avenue in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, styled after the Little Italy neighborhood of New York. It is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays, with dinner, drink and seasonal menus, including a Thanksgiving dinner and buffet. The restaurant has hosted cooking events with its chef, books private parties and offers catering. Reservations and online orders can be placed through its website.
Khokha
Restaurants
Piscataway
Khokha is a Pakistani-American fusion restaurant at 1358 Centennial Avenue in Piscataway, Middlesex County. Its name comes from the Urdu word for a kiosk, the small wood-and-tin roadside food stalls of Pakistan, and the restaurant takes that idea in a modern direction with hearty, casual food. The menu can be ordered online, and Khokha caters events of many sizes. The restaurant also runs a second location in Jersey City.
The Portuguese Fisherman
Restaurants
11 Jackson St, South River
The Portuguese Fisherman has served Portuguese and Spanish cooking at 11 Jackson Street in South River, Middlesex County, since 1976. The menu includes shrimp in garlic sauce, caldo verde, paella, mariscada, bacalhau, carne alentejana, octopus and steaks served sizzling in garlic butter, with a full bar, wine list and sangria. A daily specials list adds new dishes each day. The restaurant handles banquets, private events, catering and online take-out orders.
Umi Seafood and Sushi Buffet
Restaurants
275 NJ-18, East Brunswick
UMI Hotpot Sushi & Seafood Buffet has an East Brunswick location in the Miracle Mall at 275 Route 18 South, East Brunswick, Middlesex County. The buffet combines seafood, sushi and sashimi, hot pot, grill items, ramen and desserts under one roof. Guests can reserve a table or join the waitlist online, and the company runs a rewards program and app. UMI operates more than 30 locations in several states, including Deptford and Egg Harbor Township in New Jersey.
Tacoria New Brunswick
Restaurants
56 Easton Ave #A, New Brunswick
Tacoria runs one of its Mexican street kitchens at 56 Easton Avenue in New Brunswick, Middlesex County. The menu is built around tacos and Mexican street food, and orders can be placed online for this shop. Tacoria also handles catering, sells gift cards, publishes allergen information and runs a rewards program through its app. The New Brunswick shop is one of 14 Tacoria locations in New Jersey, which include Piscataway, Princeton, Montclair and Morristown.
Stage Left Restaurant
Restaurants
5 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick
Stage Left Steak at 5 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, opened in 1992. The restaurant serves Wagyu, steaks and seafood, with private dining, weddings, a butcher shop and a wine shop.
J J Bitting Brewing
Restaurants
33 Main St, Woodbridge
Woodbridge Brewing Co. is a family restaurant and beer bar at 33 Main Street in Woodbridge, Middlesex County. The kitchen serves appetizers and entrees with a drinks list of beer, wine and cocktails, and there is an outdoor patio with live music. The venue hosts trivia nights, events and sports-star signings, and its space can be booked for private gatherings. Online ordering and an online shop are available through its website.
Xperience Kitchen & Cocktails
Restaurants
505 Avenel St, Avenel
Xperience Kitchen & Cocktails is a restaurant and lounge at 505 Avenel Street in Avenel, Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County. The chefs combine global flavors and techniques into fusion dishes, and the room includes a VIP lounge for signature cocktails. Evenings feature a live DJ and other entertainment such as show performers and a sax player, plus dinner-and-show nights by RSVP. The restaurant offers brunch, weekday specials, a kids menu, party packages and online ordering.
Hector’s Bistro
Restaurants
6250 NJ-35 #9, South Amboy
Hector's Bistro is a restaurant at 6250 Route 35 in South Amboy, Middlesex County, with a menu built around quesadillas and tacos. Quesadillas are made to order with fillings ranging from vegetables and crispy chicken to cheesesteak, birria and surf-and-turf. Bistro tacos come on warm flour tortillas with options such as birria, carne asada, shrimp and vegetables. A lunch menu runs on weekdays, and the restaurant offers delivery, catering and online ordering.
Moksha EATS
Restaurants
140 Maple Ave, South Plainfield
Moksha Eats is a Nepali and Indian restaurant at 140 Maple Avenue in South Plainfield, Middlesex County, serving Himalayan and Indian dishes such as momos, curries and tandoori plates. The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout and delivery, along with catering for events and parties. It is closed on Mondays and open the rest of the week for lunch and dinner. The website lists the menu, a photo gallery and contact details for the South Plainfield and Edison area.
