Whether it’s bread baking or molecular gastronomy, every year – even every month – welcomes new trends to the dining scene.
After an already-unprecedented year, 2025 is showing itself to be no different with new food trends or solidifying their footing on restaurant tables for the long haul.
We asked Central Jersey’s most inventive chefs on what dishes are trendy this year. Here’s what they said.
Dining as an experience
The annual Home Alone party at Clydz.
COVID-19 feels like a long-ago nightmare to most, but some lessons have persisted – including home cooking. Coupled with the rise in inflation, many diners are looking to restaurants to provide an experience with their meal. Otherwise, they figure, they might as well whip up something at home. That’s especially true for younger customers.
“The younger generation definitely wants more of an experience,” said Jackie Mazza, culinary director at DHS Hospitality which owns New Brunswick restaurants Clydz, Olive Branch, Taka Taka Street Greek and Tavern on George, and DeeDee’s Pizza in Highland Park.
“People don’t necessarily need to be entertained, but they want to come out for something, such as trivia, bingo, game nights or live music,” she continued.
Clydz offers one-of-a-kind events like its annual Home Alone Toy Drive party and fried chicken and Champagne night.
“These events keep you at the forefront of peoples’ minds,” Mazza said.
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International fare is the norm
Duck wing lollipops with Korean gochujang red chili glaze and sesame seeds at Seasons 52 in Bridgewater.
Central Jersey is a melting pot of cultures that diners have relished in, eager to try everything from authentic West African jollof rice at Olaide’s Kitchen in Sayreville to Pakistani-inspired Nashville hot chicken sandwiches at Namkeen in Metuchen.
Thanks to the many Asian fusion restaurants and grocery stores in the region, people − no matter their nationality − are more excited than ever to try fun, flavorful Asian ingredients that have nothing to do with a bland grilled chicken breast or drab meatloaf.
Gusto Grill in East Brunswick serves Korean sticky ribs and sesame ginger calamari, while the Martinsville Tavern in Bridgewater serves spicy sushi pizza and salmon sashimi. Both restaurants brand themselves as New American eateries.
“Many times people don’t even notice the Asian influence anymore because it pops up on menus in a way people almost expect these days,” Mazza said. “I think New American is shifting as demographics change and people expand their horizons. As a chef, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.”
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Restaurants are turning up the heat
Spicy fare, a staple of many international cuisines, will continue to be popular in 2025, especially on the heels of the chili crisp craze that started last year.
22 West Tap & Grill in Bridgewater serves a flatbread with Nashville hot chicken, and Uproot in Warren offers spicy coconut curry chicken.
“Spicy food is in quite high demand,” Mazza said. “It’s more spice than what would have been accepted years ago.”
Put it on a bun
The porchetta and broccoli rabe sandwich at DeeDee’s Pizza.
Scroll through your Instagram feed and there’s a good chance you’ll see a post featuring a piled-high sandwich. That’s because “sandwiches are still having a serious moment,” Mazza said. “They definitely were in 2024 too, but I don’t see it going anywhere.”
That popularity is evident at DeeDee’s Pizza, which serves thought-provoking takes on sandwiches such as its porchetta and broccoli rabe sandwich. It’s a riff on the iconic Philadelphia roast pork sandwich but made with herb-stuffed pork belly.
Chefs known for their haute cuisine are also getting in the sandwich game.
David Viana, co-owner of prix fixe-only restaurant Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge and other eateries, is a James Beard Award semifinalist and former “Top Chef” contestant. He’s opening an Old Bridge sandwich shop with sandwiches from around the world later this year.
It’s still all about local
‘Loose’ ravioli with honeynut squash and ricotta with lemon at Canal House Station.
Restaurants are continuing to tout local ingredients in 2025 as farm-to-table fare is more important than ever to consumers – even when ingredients are used in globally-inspired dishes.
That’s bernadette in Scotch Plains’ philosophy. Its European eats with Jersey twists are made with produce sourced from Ort Farms in Long Valley, Corner Copia in East Windsor and Old Village Farm in Milford.
“Tomatoes taste better from a New Jersey farmer than they do if they’re being sold at Whole Foods after being picked too early and put on a train,” bernadette chef Roxanne Spruance said.
Canal House Station in Milford serves a prix fixe, hyper-local menu with many ingredients sourced from just down the road. The restaurants, and its owner-chefs, have earned a slew of awards.
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Mocktails will remain on the menu
The Hibiscus Rita mocktail at bernadette in Scotch Plains.
Dry January is over, but our obsession with mocktails is not. And mocktails are tastier and healthier than ever, as they’re no longer “just juice on the rocks,” Mazza said.
bernadette makes its syrups in-house and also utilizes fresh fruits, herbs and what’s in season for its mocktails and cocktails. Those methods “are a game changer in terms of lowering or at least having natural sugars in there,” Spruance said.
Its Hibiscus Rita mocktail is especially popular which, as a play on a margarita, includes muddled kumquats, ginger, lime juice, agave and sparkling water.
Jenna Intersimone.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she’s a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State’s buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: These restaurant, food trends are on NJ menus in 2025
