Restaurants in Asbury Park

Dishing out classic, American comfort fare in retro diner fashion, the upbeat servers at EJ's charm tables with classic sandwiches, salads, and breakfast plates. Build a burger via EJ's new menu of pattied palate pleasers. The 8-ounce certified Angus beef burger is a meat paperweight adorned with ringed red onions, pickles, lettuce, and slaw or french fries (a $10 value). Diners can appease bovine BFFs by opting for an 8-ounce freshly ground chicken patty (a $9.50 value) or a jumbo veggie burger, which, though smaller than a frisbee, comes slathered with guacamole and layers of tomatoes and sprouts (a $10 value).

Asian-fare alchemists at Asian Bistro cook up everything from chinese dumplings and thai basil fried rice to veggies drenched in curry sauces and crispy shrimp tempura. Each dish arrives at the table in a colorful display, often adorned with tropical flowers or pieces of sashimi topping bamboo mats, or served in little wooden boats. Other Asian delicacies are arranged on circular, square, and rectangular white plates for hands-on practice with shapes.

Orange banquettes, curtains, and hanging lights surround Tamarind’s tables, which host mildly or wildly spicy dishes that range from poultry to vegetarian arrangements. Lamb, shrimp, and chicken cure in a clay oven with yogurt and fresh ginger, or lie enveloped in curry in steaming entrees. Handmade Indian breads such as stuffed naan and paratha mingle with chickpea- and eggplant-based veggie dishes. To quell the stimulated palate, Tamarind’s staff can enhance an Indian tea with a shot of sambuca, whip up any chosen cocktail from a vast array, or mix every cocktail simultaneously while arranging them in alphabetical order.

Edible Arrangements’ fruit bouquets, crafted at more than 1,000 locations worldwide, artfully arrange gems of seasonal produce into flower-like arrays without the use of flavor-dulling preservatives or additives. The range of creative bouquets mingle treats such as chocolate-dipped apple wedges and banana bites, pineapple daisies with cantaloupe centers, and long spears of juicy grapes, each perched together in a keepsake vase to ensure years of thoughtful memories. Shops offer same-day delivery all week long, letting customers bestow loved ones with a more meaningful last-minute gift than a run-of-the-mill flower bouquet or unwieldy fruit hat.

Buka celebrates the rich culinary landscape of West Africa with a mouthwatering lineup of traditional meals served amid cozy brick walls, flickering candlelight, and soothing strains of live music. The menu's authentic eats roar with spices and include tomato-based stews of fish, chicken or goat. Fufu⎯a staple starch of pounded cassava or yam flour—accompanies many dishes, served in a single ball that is plucked apart, reformed into a disk-like shape, and wielded with the right hand to cosset morsels of stew or pinch a grandchild’s cheeks. The diverse bill of fare includes a range of yam, egg, or bean-based vegetarian plates, as well as options for more adventurous eaters, including cooked goat head. Aside from the authentic West African fare, Buka immerses visitors in faraway cultures with a growing collection of African books and magazines and regular showings of Nigerian movies.

Big Nick's Pizza and Burger Joint, a family-owned eatery, has slung pies and beef patties on the Upper West Side since 1962. Owner Jimmy Galanopolous slays appetites with a copious menu that encompasses breakfast classics as well as authentic Italian and Greek cuisine. Patrons populate cozy booths amid the long dining area's exposed-brick walls and wood-grain tables as handsome as George Clooney in a tuxedo made of mustaches until the wee hours. 4 a.m. crowds can chomp on both evening- and morning-themed menu items such as buttermilk pancakes, sweet-potato fries, giant hot dogs, and eggplant-parmigiana hot subs.