5 South Jersey Restaurants Named Among Best In Area

When the weekend rolls around and you want to hit the town for a great meal, there are plenty of options in South Jersey. From nice restaurants to pizzerias to a growing number of breweries, there's no shortage of good food in the area.

But as you ponder your many delicious options this weekend, you might be wondering: where are the best dining spots in the area?

You don't have to cross a bridge to get a good meal, , according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The publication recently put out its list of the 25 top restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs. Establishments from Princeton, to Delaware County, Pa., were included in the analysis.

The following popular South Jersey restaurants made the list:

Farm and Fisherman Tavern, 1442 Marlton Pike East (Route 70), Cherry Hill, 856-356-2282.

The tavern's selection of draft beers includes local brews from Forgotten Boardwalk, Cape May and Three 3's. Cocktails made of figs and bacon and a Witch's Brew highlight the menu at the tavern, which also features a kid's menu and options for lunch and dinner. There is also a location in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Here's what philly.com said:

"Can real food - seasonal, local, scratch-made, and creatively presented - survive in the suburbs in a way that feels accessible to a wide audience weaned on chains? The answer is yes. And co-chefs and co-owners Josh Lawler and Todd Fuller have cracked the code, transitioning from their fine-dining backgrounds to create a perfect neighborhood restaurant with their second edition of F&F Tavern."

Fischer's Pelican Restaurant, 508 Hurfville-Cross Keys Road, Sewell, 856-589-6969.

Bill and Eileen Fisher's BYOB experiments with the classics, not reinvent them. Classics include linguini and clams, blackened salmon and zucchini crab cake. They offer lunch, dinner and a take-out menu, in which all items are available. There is also a "Pelican Stimulus Package."

Here's what philly.com said:

"In past meals, I’ve had outstanding whole branzino (filleted by Fischer tableside), silvery orata with orzo, creamy crab Imperial, and Chilean sea bass with frizzled leeks in citrus butter. I’ve enjoyed the non-seafood items here, too, from the seriously spicy long hots stuffed with prosciutto and Gorgonzola to an expert paccheri all’Amatriciana. But when there’s an option to order your dish with crabmeat — like the simple backfin sauté over angel hair in bright tomato basil sauce — the right answer is to always let Sewell’s fisherman-chef pile the ocean’s bounty on."

Henri's Hotts Barbecue, 1003 East Black Horse Pike, Hammonton, 609-270-7268.

"I traveled 2 hours and always satisfied. Best food and friendly service," is how a Staten Island man describes the restaurant, which was named the Best Barbecue in South Jersey in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The weekend buffet includes Henri's Famous Peach Cobbler, Baby Back Ribs and award-winning chili.

Here's what philly.com:

"Doug Henri’s big iron smokers are so powerful, they once stopped me in my tracks as I was driving home from the Shore on the Black Horse Pike. I turned my car around, went for lunch — and have been returning every year since. The fact is that Henri, a retired corrections officer who can often be seen tending his pit in polished shoes, turns out some of the best barbecue in the region, from the slow-cooked brisket to halo-pink ribs, pulled pork and tender chicken."

Mistral, 66 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, 609-688-8808.

Chef de cuisine Ben Nerenhausen has a deceptively simple credo. "It has to be fun," he says of his food. He keeps finding new ways to make it so. Chilled English pea soups are a spring staple. The dinner menu also includes a grilled kale salad and a rye potato pierogi, and the bar menu features a range of fine wines.

Here's what philly.com said about the King of Prussia location:

"Chef Craig Polignano riffs on tartare, with warm lamb and raw tuna, as well as a Thai-spiced grilled calamari show Mistral’s edgy side, while a standout burger with bacon jam, pineapple-chili-glazed chicken wings and a flatiron steak with potato pave suit more traditional tastes. Great cocktails, a focused but outstanding wine list (with a genuine somm to point out that Corsican rosé), a breezy dining room and an expansive patio view of the high-rent valet lot add to this ambitious new project’s potential as a post-shopping oasis to dine."

Zeppoli, 618 West Collings Avenue, Collingswood, 856-854-2670.

Chef/Owner Joseph Blandino has been surrounded by great food and the restaurant business his whole life. His 35-seat BYOB offers classic, simple Italian cuisine in a small romantic and very intimate setting. With black and white photos of Sicily adorning the walls, Zeppoli gets its name from the Italian pastry Zeppole.

Here's what philly.com said:

"Yes, Joey Baldino’s 32-seat Sicilian BYOB is still noisy, cramped, and predictable. But I’ve long gotten over the rustic room’s boisterous tendencies and try to avoid the crowds with midweek reservations. And when I say “predictable,” I mean in the very best way possible. As in reliably great, and even exciting, despite the fact his printed menu never changes. Few chefs these days manage to draw the kind of powerful flavors from traditional cooking that Baldino does nightly in his detail-driven tribute to classic Sicilian flavors. I dream of his tender rabbit cacciatore, the dusky taste of oregano in his velvety Ragusa tripe, the lemony savor of a juicy grilled swordfish steak, and the oceanic whiff of salty bottarga roe shaved over silky tagliatelle twirled in lemony olive oil."

Photo: Morguefile