The Resy Guide to Outdoor Dining in North Jersey

JERSEY CITY

Keep an eye on the website (and Instagram) of this Jersey City Heights fixture. That’s how you’ll be the first to know what’s available as you dine under string lights in their tented backyard. Whether it’s a simple stuffed pasta in a Parmesan broth or heirloom tomatoes with pesto, the menu changes daily. But always expect fresh pasta, and don’t forget you can BYO. You can also call ahead for pickup; dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday, and there’s weekend lunch service, too.

Locals rejoiced last year when this modern Italian restaurant reopened after a two-year construction hiatus. For good reason: Perched on a pier in the Hudson River, Battello boasts stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. The signature gnocchi, beautifully plated desserts, and expansive cocktail and wine lists are a sight for restaurant-deprived eyes, too. Open every day except Monday, with brunch on the weekend. If you’re okay with missing the view and the live music (Thursday through Saturday nights), takeout and delivery are available, too.

You can brunch daily at this Italian spot, also in the Heights, digging into eight variations of eggs Benedict and brioche French toast in front of a charming navy-and-floral mural. Want to come back for dinner? You can do that, too. It’s open every day. Either way, it’s BYOB. 

Brothers Thomas and Dean Maroulakos’ newest endeavor, in the beautiful brownstone-filled Van Vorst Park neighborhood, only opened in January. (They’re also behind 1930s-style speakeasy Cowan’s Public in Nutley, The Barrow House in Clifton, and The Vanguard in Harrison, but this is unrelated to the other Franklin). Get your small plates — tacos, steak fries, summer vegetable tempura — with an ice-cold drink. Franklin Social has plenty of them, including frozen daiquiris and coladas and happy hour specials (remember those?) Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. You can also order online. While you’re at it, you can donate a meal to families in need or frontline responders.

Gone are the days of having to line up outside to get a table inside one of the tristate’s most acclaimed pizza places. Now, Dan Richer’s thin-crust pies, laden with local ingredients like peak season Jersey corn and tomatoes, are yours via walk-up window or online ordering. (There’s a separate window for to-go drinks.) You can grab your pies Tuesday to Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. and sit in an area for pedestrians and additional outdoor seating which has been closed down to cars. Tables are first-come, first-serve. And if you can snag Richer’s new meatball parm sandwich with burrata, do it; he says he’s been perfecting it for years.

At this cozy French mainstay, build a charcuterie or cheese board, add a plate of mussels (they’re prepared any of six ways) and a bottle of wine, and there you have it — summer served. It’s like Paris, but in a Paulus Hook patio and parking lot that seats around 40.

At Freetown Road, Chef Claude Lewis, a Chopped winner and Jersey City native, cooks up fare from his parents’ native Antigua. Whether you spring for seared snapper, or heartier oxtail or chicken curry, dine among palm trees on this Journal Square newcomer’s patio. There’s also a new weekend brunch menu, with roti to sop up egg yolks and waffles made from corn and plantain, among other Caribbean comforts. If you forget to BYOB (to add to housemade mix-ins like a no-rum punch), there’s a liquor store right across the street. Open Tuesday to Sunday, call ahead to make a reservation (for dinner Tuesday to Saturday only) or to place an order for delivery or pickup. More info here.

This isn’t just any rooftop; here, find one of the best views of lower Manhattan the Jersey City waterfront has to offer. Enjoy a Jersey-themed cocktail like the Garden State, with gin, cucumber, and elderflower, or toast nearby Lady Liberty with a prosecco- and Campari-filled Liberty Spritz. Your reservation gets you an hour and a half to savor the drinks, snack on light bites or sandwiches — and snap some skyline photos. Pro tip: Rooftop is open starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but go during or after sunset to properly enjoy the sprawling fire pit.

Normally, this Portuguese gem, set in a garden-level space, is rather unassuming. But now, Broa’s set up right in the middle of Grove Street, complete with checked tablecloths that conjure a trip to Portugal. Crack open a bottle of vinho verde (that you BYO’ed) while you watch your octopus, whole fish or steak sizzle on the grill. Tables are first-come, first-serve. More info here.

HOBOKEN

This popular cooking school has gotten creative with at-home meal kits and virtual cooking classes. But don’t sleep on outdoor dining, Tuesday through Sunday. Serving family-style and five- to six-course plated meals, with rotating themes, you can let them know of any dietary restrictions ahead of time. With spreads like “Best of New England,” and “Summer on the Mediterannean”‘ you may not be learning how to make your meal, but you’ll certainly eat well.

Come for the more than 40 wines by the glass, stay for Italianate small plates, burgers, bruschetta, and pizza. If you’d rather eat your mussels and garlic bread or eggplant Parmesan at home, takeout and delivery specials come with family-style options.

This Italian restaurant and wine bar is open for outdoor dining and delivery seven days a week, meaning you could attempt to try a new wine every day from their exclusively Italian and highly praised list. If a spritz sounds better, don’t worry. You can order those by the pitcherful, to go with antipasti such as baked polenta, zucchini with Calabrian chili, or a salumi and cheese board. For something more filling, try the housemade pastas. Sorellina might also win for quaintest parklet, as you might expect from a place with some of the most beautiful holiday decorations in town.

This uptown French-Moroccan bistro says its goal is to bring a bit of its namesake North African neighborhood in Paris to Hoboken — and, well, they’ve done it. Along with French-style roast chicken, steak au poivre, and Niçoise salad, find shawarma, tagines and grilled bronzini in preserved lemon sauce on the menu. The classic rattan bistro chairs out on the sidewalk add to the effect, but you can also get Barbès to-go by calling or ordering delivery every day except Monday.

Chef Anthony Pino (also behind Bin 14) has struck again, with a more substantial trattoria-style menu. Anthony David’s is open every day for takeout, delivery, and, of course, outdoor dining, where you can get brunch classics and Italian dinner fare with a view of main drag Bloomfield Ave. daily.

Dine al fresco at either the uptown or downtown location of this Havana-meets-Miami-in-Hoboken favorite. Ceviche, empanadas, ropa vieja, and mojitos await. Only the uptown location at 25 12th St. takes reservations; call 201-659-6090.

… AND BEYOND

You don’t have to order the Garden Party, a mix of vodka, creme de violette, hibiscus and rose tea, and lemon, but it suits the atmosphere the team here — helmed by two Daniel Boulud alums — has created. At this modern French brasserie, seasonal favorites include the ricotta and corn agnolotti, lamb ragout, and lemon sole. If you’d rather take your food to-go, call the restaurant to place an order. (On weekends, you can opt for a swanky add-on: a selection of wine curated by Philippe Marchal, their consulting sommelier.)

Chef Leia Gaccione, a New Jersey native, lucked out with having ample patio space already at South + Pine. Lucky for you, she’s been able to extend it, and taken over some space in front of the performing arts center next door, as well as an alley. Regardless of where you sit, seasonal New American fare is on offer every day of the week. Right now, that means lots of shishitos and heirloom tomatoes, plus hearty entrees, from local scallops to lamb kebabs. Pro tip: Monday dinner reservations get you a seat with live jazz. You can order online, or call in food to-go.

For real-deal garden dining, it’s hard to beat Café Matisse’s gorgeous backyard. Known for elegant prix fixe menus, it’s best to call ahead to make a reservation; there are two seatings every night, from Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations at 201-935-2995, and more info here.

If you’ve been missing Ani, the popular ramen spot is back with a condensed ‘express’ menu. After pivoting to a nonprofit model for months, making rotisserie chickens and Detroit-style pizzas for frontline workers and those in need at many of its locations, it’s back to ramen, bao buns and more. (Check your local Ani location — also including Jersey City, Montclair, and Summit — for the specific menu.) The Maplewood location, across from the train station, is open every day with 24 outdoor seats; you can also order online for pickup and delivery.

Nothing says summer quite like a lobster roll. Choose from Connecticut style, warm with butter, or the classic Maine, cold with mayo. If that’s not your thing, there’s plenty of other seafood to choose from: steamers, shrimp, mussels, fish tacos, and more. And if lobster is definitely your thing, there’s a double lobster roll — it’s giant. Reservations for the Cresskill location at 201-266-6575.