Top 10 Restaurants In Union City New Jersey

Although the restaurants of New Jersey are often neglected due to their proximity to NYC, the Garden State’s Union City has seen major redevelopment recently. This has led to a number of great restaurants strong enough to compete with their neighbour. We take a look at some of these…

Beyti Kebab

Butcher, Restaurant, Turkish

Achieving the rare feat of a successful transition from butcher shop to popular restaurant, Beyti Kabob has become a popular choice for Turkish food from these humble beginnings. Serving delicious combinations of chicken, lamb and veal with a various of delicious breads, dips, marinades and sides, all of which reflects the chef’s upbringing in Turkey. Put simply, this is some of the most authentic Turkish food you will find in New Jersey, with some incredibly moist meat and sides to die for.

Casa di Napoli

Restaurant, Italian

Serving homemade, rustic Italian food a million miles away from the generic Italian restaurants and chains that swamp major American towns, the trattoria vibe of Casa di Napoli makes it a cut above. The restaurant is BYOB and cash only, with a specials board that is small and ever-changing, but always features a number of lovingly cooked and prepared Italian classics that have made it a restaurant with a small but dedicated following in the area.

De Palma Pizzeria

De Palma has gained itself a reputation as ‘the best pizza in town’. That is not to exclude some of their other dishes that keep fans coming back again and again for some De Palma pleasure. These are the classics; chicken Caesars, meatball parms – done exceptionally well with the lashings of sauce and cheese that screams Italian-American cuisine.

El Artesano

Restaurant, Cuban

A Typical Mural from Havana on the Hudson

Consistently voted one of the best restaurants in New Jersey, El Artesano is a cut above the already excellent and famed standard of Cuban restaurants in Union City. Its always vibrant atmosphere has kept El Artesano a brilliant bustling restaurant for nearly 40 years. More than just a busy restaurant, this Cuban joint really makes you feel like part of a community, even if its only your first visit, offering everything from early breakfast to late night, Cuban-strength coffee.

El Unico de Elena

Restaurant, Cuban

Another fantastic Cuban joint in the city that many call ‘Havana on the Hudson’, El Unico de Elena does things the old fashioned way. If you are looking for somewhere offering great food (and a lot of it) at great prices, then El Unico is the place for you. For homespun fare such as lechón, empanadas or churrasco this cafeteria is the closest you can get to real Cuban cuisine in the state.

Masina Tratoria Italiana

Bar, Restaurant, Italian

Just over five minutes drive out of Union City in nearby Weehawken, Masina Trattoria offers a take on Italian food as classy as its stunning Hudson river views of New York City. The restaurant takes its name from Giuletta Masina, the wife of Fellini, which just gives some indications of the ‘la dolce vita’ elegance of this restaurant. With bar and restaurant menus offering delicious, hand-prepared Italian food, it is really a restaurant to be visited multiple times; at least once for the food and once ore for the views.

Mi Bandera

Restaurant, Cuban

Mi Bandera continues Union City’s long-standing tradition for fantastic Cuban fare. What Mi Bandera offers is a sense of fun as strong as its menu. Palm trees, vibrant decor and a tropical theme greet you in this restaurant above an inauspicious supermarket. What is more, they offer the best sangria you will find in Union City, a fruity accompaniment to all the Cuban favourites they have been making for over two decades.

Noches Restaurante

After a long trip through Central America and Union City, rest your feet at Noches Restaurante, a Colombian gem. With the aim to revive and renew Colombiancuisine in New Jersey, they have expanded to four restaurants, all equally committed to keeping the best of the country’s cuisine alive. Of these four, however, their Union City location is probably the best, benefitting as it does from the great quality of Cuban food in the city.

Park Avenue Bar & Grill

Bar, Restaurant, American, Pub Grub

Over four floors of a beautiful 19th century building, Park Avenue Bar & Grill offers five dining rooms, each as exquisitely decorated as the last. With such a large restaurant comes a varied menu packed with reasonably priced global takes on New American and Latin dishes. In warmer weather, it also offers a rooftop for wonderful views over the river.

Pizzaras

Restaurant, Italian

Another competitor for Union City’s best pizza, Pizzarras also offers yet another take on Latin American cuisine, this time from Uruguay. The restaurant brands itself as the ‘Taste of Uruguay’, and it is hard to argue with the authenticity of the food. That is not, to say, however, that it offers nothing for those with less hispanic palates, with their pizzas and pastries a unique treat beloved by so many in the area.

About the author

Samuel Spencer

Samuel is a London-based freelance writer who studied English Literature at King’s College London. In his work, he combines highbrow and lowbrow culture, which has seen him writing about everything from Michelangelo to Madonna (and sometimes both at the same time) for publications including NME, The Telegraph and Penguin Books. At The Culture Trip, he mostly writes about museums and restaurants, but his wide ranging interests have seen him discussing (amongst others) kung fu films, Cambodian temple-robbing and Norman Wisdom.