Late Night Dining in NJ

[Rosie]

Where do you go for a late night dinner when you don't want to go to a diner or a bar? A friend is looking for someplace where you can get a good meal after 10 PM.

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Please note:

Host Note: I have merged a few "late night" threads, let's try to use this one as a resource for all restaurants, bars (that serve real food), and diners that have kitchens open past 10 PM, bonus points for after midnight or 24 hours!

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Edited March 7, 2006 by Rachel Perlow (log)

[Jason Perlow]

In the Fort Lee/Palisades Park area, I strongly recommend Sin Goong Jin in Palisades Park (Korean). Its open until 3am.

For diner food I recommend the Royal Cliff House on the corner of Palisades and RT 9  in Englewood, they close at 1am. They are a diner, but a exemplary one at that.

[Rachel Perlow]

Unless you know about certain types of restaurants that are generally open late (like Korean), most places are closed (kitchens at least) by 10 PM. I think a bar (which includes chains like TGIF or Bennigans) or diner is the best bet.

[jhlurie]

Boy was I surprised the first time I went to Sin Goong Jin after midnight.  The food is actually pretty good there too.

[SueWho321]

Husband was working late tonight with a friend from our home in West Orange, and wanted to go out to eat when they were finished, which was after 11:30 pm. Other than bars, which we don't frequent, are there any places I could have sent them locally - says within a 15 minute drive? They tried Eagle Rock Diner - CLOSED for the night. Husband called on cell phone looking for alternatives - I suggested Millburn Diner. Then called them back a few minutes later to offer the Huck Finn in Springfield (as a remembrance of our days when we lived in Springfield) or the Ritz or Livingston diners as options if Millburn was closed. Upon his arrival home at 2 am, he told me Millburn Diner was closed for the night as well, so they ended up at Huck Finn in Springfield.

1) Are the Ritz Diner and Livingston diners open 24 hours?

2) Other sit-down, relatively full-service menu eateries in the West Orange area open 24 hours or very late every day? We are more familiar with general locations in towns between Rt 22 & Rt 10 (i.e. Springfield, , Millburn, Maplewood, South Orange, Livingston, West Orange) than we are with anything north of Route 10 (i.e. Verona, Montclair, Cedar grove, etc) or south of rt 22.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Rosie]

Check to see if Gaffer's Pub on Eagle Rock Ave, West Orange is open that late. Also, Bice on Northfield Ave may be open.

[coughy]

I understand Bice was bought by the owners of the steakhouse that is in Nutley - the Franklin, I think. How about the Pilgrim Diner in Cedar Grove? The Tick Tock on Route 3 or the Park West on Route 46?

[Rosie]

Another thought. Town Pub in Bloomfield.

[Rail Paul]

Late night dining in the suburbs is difficult. Many places take their last orders at 9 or 930, and bars will often close their kitchens by 10 or 1030. Even Montclair has very limited accomodations if you get out of a movie at 10 pm on a Wednesday and want real food.

I worked my way up and down Route 10 in Livingston and E Hanover last year without success. Panevino accepts its last customers "around 930" they said, Mr Chu was already closed, so we ended up at the diner on 46 in Montville by New Road.

[Rachel Perlow]

OK, not really too close, but I recall going to the Madison diner at 3AM at some point 10 years ago or so. You should call all the diners in your area to find out which are open late.

[coughy]

The Tick Tock Diner on rt 3 in clifton is open 24 hours.

[NJ2FLA]

JJ's hot dog wagon on Bloomfield Avenue in Newark. Just Kidding!

All I can really think of are some diners. I don't know if Jose Tejas on Rt 46 stays open late nor TGI Friday's in West Orange and at West Belt Mall in Wayne.

Some diners open late:

Pilgrim (yuck) - Rt 23 in Cedar Grove

Versailles - Rt 46 in Fairfield

Willies & Nevada diners in Bloomfield

[Rachel Perlow]

Note: Sin Goong Jin has closed and we don't really care for their replacement (it's still Korean).

I would recommend Koreana in Fort Lee, but it's kitchen is only open until 10-10:30 PM. However, there are many other Korean places on Broad or Palisade Ave in Palisades Park that are open 24 hours.

We need other late night dining recommendations in here. I know Rosie's original post specified no diners, but not all diners are open very late. How about we use this thread as a resource similar to the Open on Monday thread and list all restaurants (diners and bars that serve real food (not just bar snacks) included) whose kitchens are open at least until midnight? It would be most helpful if you included the establishment's name, location (at least town & county), phone and hours.

[dumpling]

I ate at Han Il Kwan on Lemoine Avenue in fort Lee last night with alanz and his family. It's open late as I recall at least to 1:00 a.m. I've eaten there before with starving martial arts students so needless to say the restaurant can set a reasonable size plate. Its specialty is the Korean barbecue, but they also serve sushi and a good mixture of other Korean dishes. They have a separate sushi bar area and a main dining area.

Their assembled complimentary appetizers are good and plentiful-there was kimchi, greens, cabbage, radishes-sweet and hot, a steamed egg custard dish, spicy pancakes and a raft of other little things. One of their better complimentary appetizers was smoked mackerel. Two thin bony whole fish, very nice flavor. For those unfamiliar with this type of restaurant, you are given somewhere between 10 and a million little appetizer plates that can completely fill your table as part of the meal. Be conscious of this fact when ordering. Even when I've gone in there myself I think I still received at least ten dishes.

We started off with broiled eel and a noodle dish served like a soup in a cold broth. The eel was a big hit particularly with the kids and lauren, Mrs. alanz. Even I who am not a big eel person liked it. It came served on a hot platter over onions. The sauce on it was slightly sweet and the eel itself was incredibly soft and delicate. The noodles were a complete departure in flavor and texture. Buckwheat noodles that were something like Chinese bean thread noodles, a little beef and half an egg. The broth was mixed with mustard by the waitress to give it a bit of a kick. Interesting taste and good just not sure I would rush out to order it.

Next we had a BI Bam Bab-rice, meat and vegetables mixed together served in a hot stone dish. Good complement to the barbecued meat, we ordered the rice not spicy to balance off the other spicier dishes.

For our barbecued meat we had two orders of Gal Bi(beef short ribs) and an order of the spicy pork. With the meat you are given lettuce , some sliced spicy scallions, hot bean paste and garlic. You mix everything together inside the lettuce leaf, fold it up and you're all set. The Gal bi was delicious; that and the eel were the hits of the meal. The spicy pork was also good. I personally prefer the Gal Bi over the Bulgoki here because it's thicker; the Bulgoki tends to be very thin something like a minute steak if you've ever had those. It's tasty, just not the texture of the thicker meat.

We asked for some bowls of white rice on the side during the meal and we finished the dinner off with ice cream and rice punch. The rice and the desserts were included as part of the meal.

All in all, a very sucessful meal and a place well worth visiting.

[dumpling]

One thing to be aware of - the barbecued meat is cooked at your table only if you get at least two orders of meat. Otherwise it is cooked in the kitchen and brought to you. The cooking at the table is a neat facet of the meal. A guy will actually come out with the hot coals in a container walk up to your table and stick it in the space in the middle of the table which they will then put a rack over. It is quite hot as it passes you, believe me. They then will cook the meat for you and you can stir it and play with it if you wish.

[Rachel Perlow]

Dumpling - address/phone? I can't find this place on yp.yahoo.

[Jason Perlow]

I hate to say this, but White Castle is always my late night spot of choice.

[Rachel Perlow]

Here is the address & phone for the place Dumpling recommended above.

Han Il Kwan Korean & Japanese

2053 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ 07024

Phone: (201) 944-8699

[menton1]

If you are looking for a non-ethnic place late, this one fits the bill, and is open until 11 on weeknights and 12 on weekends. Coffee Tree Cafe in Fort Lee offers soups, sandwiches, salads, and a few entrees in a lovely European-ambience. Desserts are quite good, as well. Burgers are excellent with steak fries and a little mesclun salad served with it.

This is really a great alternative to a diner with better food and nicer ambience; prices similar to most diners--

Coffee Tree Cafe

1636 Palisade Avenue

Fort Lee

(Same shopping center as Its Greek to Me & Sally Ling's)

Outdoor seating too!

[Rosie]

Looking for a restaurant that serves food anywhere from midnight to 2 AM. Anyplace in NJ is fine.

[menton1]

Hundreds of bars and bar food available all over.

Other choices:

Bareli's-- Secaucus

Hard Grove Cafe-- Jersey City

Iberia-- Newark

and I believe the Sushi Lounge in Hoboken is open pretty late as well.

[Curlz]

The Tick Tock Diner in Clifton is hopping between 12-2am!! And it's tried-and-true JOISEY.

Edited August 11, 2004 by Curlz (log)

[Poots]

Rosie, are you looking for diners, regular restaurants, bars, fast food, or all of the above? There are a few diners in my area(maplewood/southorange) that if not 24 hrs are at least open till the early hours. There's Maplewood diner on Springfield ave right on the border of maplewood/irvington, i've eaten here at 4 in the morn. There's the sage diner on springfield ave in maplewood(im pretty sure this is open past midnight). Lots of fast food joints(just drive down tremont ave in east orange and there's almost every fast food joint ever invented and they're almost all open till 2 on the weekends) Bunnies is a pizzaria/bar/restaurant on south orange ave and they May serve till that time. El Grecos is a pizzaria on irvington ave in south orange that is usually good for a greasy pizza at 1 in the morn. Cluck U Chicken on South Orange ave in South orange i think has weekend hours(menu says open 'till late' i think).

[Rosie]

Looking for a restaurant. Not a diner. Thanks.

[menton1]

I posted 4 non-diner choices above...