Photo by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.
From Greenville to The Heights, there’s good eats to go around all of Jersey City.
But not everyone knows that. So, for the next two weeks, Jersey City Restaurant Fest is making sure it’s known.
The second annual Summer Jersey City Restaurant Fest returns Saturday, July 5 and will continue until Saturday, July 19. The promotional two-week event, hosted by the Jersey City Restaurant Owners Coalition, highlights a diverse pool of local businesses who offer exclusive deals, ranging from fine dining to light bite items of different cultural tastes. Melanie Rudin, co-founder of the fest and head of the JC Restaurant Owners Coalition, emphasized the important role restaurants play in “our society and our economy.”
“Restaurants face a tight profit margin: 0 to 15%—the lowest earning industry. And most restaurants don’t turn a profit until three or five years and 49% [of restaurants] will fail within the first five years,” Rudin said during the kickoff presser at City Hall on Monday.
“It’s a miracle that you guys [restaurant owners] can do what you do… If I were to ask anything from our officials and Councilman [James] Solomon and Council President [Joyce] Watterman [who] have been key in working for our restaurants… try and find ways to modify the cost for startup and simplify the process for opening a food business.”
Last summer, for the inaugural summer restaurant fest, Slice of Culture interviewed a number of participating restaurants like Luna in Downtown; La Bodega and Choc O Pain in The Heights; and Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. in the Paulus Hook neighborhood, who all echoed the same sentiment: business can be hard, but their passion and dream-chasing goes harder.
Other foodie spots like Meryandang Pinoy in Historic Downtown and Tart-Da! near Grove Street has also since joined the restaurant fest.
Here’s the 2025 restaurant fest’s list of participants:
- Ani Ramen
- Better Days
- Bistro La Source
- Blue Anchor
- Box Cafe
- Buddy’s JC
- Cafe Monticello
- Casa Cubana Catering & Cafe
- CAVANY FOODS LLC
- Chocopain (3 locations)
- Departed Soles Brewing Co
- Eggs Up
- Ela Greek Kitchen
- Fire & Oak
- Fluffy Fluffy GO!
- Franklin Social
- Freetown Road Project
- House of Wings Jersey City
- Jersey & Co. Gelato
- Juicy City
- Just Friends Cafe
- Kat Khao
- La Bodega Latin Cuisine
- Lady G’s Empanadas
- Liberty Prime Steakhouse
- Luna
- Maxwell Alley
- Perquin
- Samurai Sushi
- Skinner’s Loft
- South House
- The Kitchen Step
- The Table Kitchen & Bar
- Tros Greek Street Food
- Vibez juice & Vegan Cafe
- Wurstbar
Going through the list, you’ll find more than restaurants: bakeries, cafes, breweries and pizzerias, highlighting “all the ways to dine in Jersey City,” the press release said. For a breakdown of restaurants and light bites, you can visit: https://jcrestaurantfest.com/.
Back at the steps of Jersey City’s City Hall stood Council President Watterman, Councilman Solomon, Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC) Executive Director Mira Prinz-Arey and Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) Executive Director Rachel Sieg who echoed Rudin’s advocacy for supporting local eateries.
Several restaurant owners also shared the mic to voice their stories including Maricarmen Antigua, co-owner of La Bodega; Linda Kerly, co-owner of The Box Café; and Alejandro Fuenmayor, owner and chef of Cavany Foods.
“My message is to the owners. We are not competition. We are family, we are community,” Fuenmayor, an immigrant from Venezuela, said.
“… We have to be together… We have to bring experience and we have to show up. But the only way to show up is to be together. Whatever it is, Melanie is doing it—putting our faces together just to help.”
You can find sample menus on the eateries’ respective social media accounts or on Jersey City Restaurant Fest’s official Instagram account.
“You’ve got to go out and support your community, support your local restaurants or else you’re gonna be cooking for yourselves and then you’d only have yourselves to blame!” Rudin smiled and told Slice of Culture.
“So come on out and eat something!”
