N.J.'s 5 Best Dive Bars & Tiny Eateries
Patsy's Tavern
72 7th Ave
Paterson, NJ 07524
(973) 742-9596
facebook.com/pages/Patsys-Tavern
Patsy's Tavern offers some of the best, home-made Italian food and thin crust pizza in the area. Your food is brought out piping hot by the sweetest waitresses in the business. Patsy's made its mark well over 50 years ago and has been creating paper thin, crunchy pizza goodness in the same pans since the day they've opened—tasting exactly how you would hope an old-fashioned tavern would make it.
Jimmy Geez Sports Bar and Grill
436 Belmont Avenue
Haledon, NJ 07508-1316
(973) 790-9729
jimmygeez.com
Come to watch the game, stay to devour the wings. Standing alone on a Haledon corner, Jimmy Geez has an extensive array of food choices, only to be surpassed by their double-sided cocktail menu, but the wings—that's what you go there for. Coming in the standard colossal size or the boneless strips, they're battered and fried to achieve the perfect level of crunch and then tossed in your choice of buffalo sauce. Ranging from "Wimpy" to "Nuclear" in the hotness department, Jimmy Geez also offers specialty sauces such as the B&B, a delicious blend of every condiment imaginable, Thai Chili, and Hot-Aki style—just to name a few.
3 Chica's Mexican Kitchen
637 Wyckoff Ave # 24
Wyckoff, NJ 07481-1442
(201) 848-4700
3chicas.com
With a variety of authentic Mexican cuisine made with fresh food and prepared in their open kitchen, 3 Chica's has a lot of satisfying crunch to offer, but the chips and salsa bar is the menu item to rave about. Lightly salted and fried to a rich golden color, each tortilla chip packs a whopping crispy bite. Paired with homemade salsas in fresh chunky varieties and a wide range of heat levels, these chips are the best side dish with any of their delicious tacos, burritos and quesadillas.
Ibby's Falafel
303 Grove St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 432-2400
ibbysfalafel.com
A quick PATH ride will bring you right to the door step of this Jersey city gold mine. Sharing the block with a multitude of quick shops and restaurants, you could miss Ibby's if you weren't paying attention while walking down Grove Street. Holding a max of four tables inside its walls, Ibby's does amazing things with a chickpea. The falafels are crispy and fried to perfection. Get them stuffed in a fresh pita with hummus and tahini sauce - we promise they won't disappoint.
Rutt's Hut
417 River Road
Clifton, NJ 07014
(973) 779-8615
ruttshut.com
Recently featured on the Travel Channel and the Food Network, Rutt's Hut deep fried, all beef hot dogs, nicknamed "rippers," are a New Jersey classic, and not to be missed. The frying process splits and "rips" the hot dog skin, causing the nickname, but leaves the inside juicy and full of flavor. Whether you pile on Rutt's Hut famous relish, cheese or plain mustard, these rippers have a crunch from first to last bite.
