Restaurants in Bridgeton

Salvatore DiLisi and his family immigrated from Carini, Italy in 1978, and they founded DiLisi Ristorante soon after. A few years later, his parents returned home, and Salvatore took over. The next 35 years saw some changes. Sal expanded his family to include his wife Nancy and their children Giacomo and Valeria. He made the eatery's name synonymous with family-style servings of seafood, pasta, and pizza. And he opened up a second location, connected to the original by a 10-mile-long zip line of spaghetti. Today, in DiLisi's two kitchens, chefs draw upon the culinary traditions of northern Italy and the Mediterranean, kneading dough by hand and combining meat and seafood in unexpected ways.

At Kawa Thai and Sushi, chefs concoct tasty, authentic Thai and Japanese specialties. Sushi-bar creations include the Shrek roll, a combo of crunchy lobster, tuna, and avocado with masago in green soy pepper. Noodles, curry, and tempura dishes also abound, helping guests conquer any number of cravings.

You can't remain the reigning champ of cheesesteak in Gloucester County without having a superior sandwich. And that's just what Little Beef's has, with voters continually lauding their gooey, melty cheesesteak as the best in the county for the last five years. But outside the shop's most well-known sandwich, there's a full menu of hoagies that are worthy of your lunch break. The staff create Philly classics such as the hot sausage and peppers, the meatball parmesan, and the St. Anthony loaded with proscuitto di Parma, provolone, long hots, and sliced tomatoes. These sandwiches pair well with the make-your-own pasta option, and can be swapped out for the lighter wraps or salads that burst with fresh flavors.

Barcelona Bistro's Spanish- and Mediterranean-influenced seafood and tapas earned the elegant bistro-style restaurant a Golden Fork award from South Jersey Magazine in 2012. The restaurant lives up to its accolades with a menu built around the varied tastes, textures, and astrological signs of shareable tapas plates, which include spicy bites of chorizo frito or cool forkfuls of clam in cilantro sauce. Tortilla española earns its stripes as a Spanish classic by showcasing fried potatoes and olive oil in a fluffy egg embrace, and entrees of grilled salmon, pan-seared trout, and bright jumbo shrimp exhibit the coastal influences so integral to Iberian cuisine. The BYOB restaurant's crisp, white tablecloths and dark wood seats create a sophisticated atmosphere to impress first dates, and outdoor seating on the brick patio creates a breezy atmosphere to test the tenacity of trick candles.

Whirls of steam escape from piping-hot pies and pasta, veal, chicken, and seafood dishes as they travel from kitchen to table at Venice Italian Eatery & Pizza. Across the street from the historic Broadway Theatre of Pitman, the 110-seat BYOB eatery treats patrons to a show-stopping menu of pasta favorites with noodles that can be contorted into likenesses of Willy Loman selling Hamlet a timeshare. Entrees can also be transformed into catered fare for the soiree of your choice. The chefs additionally craft an array of handheld sandwiches including burger, pita, and panini varieties.

Though the cooks at Taylor's Williamstown reflect a range of culinary traditions with dishes from veggie quesadillas to sesame ahi tuna, classic bar treats remain the core of their menu. They slather char-grilled baby back ribs with signature glazes and top burgers with ingredients such as homemade chili and beer-braised onions. To help wash down feasts, bartenders maneuver around an outdoor cabana deck bar, as well as an indoor granite-top bar, filling glasses with 10 draft beers.

Inside, 15 big-screen, high-definition televisions broadcast the latest hockey, baseball, and football games. In-house competitions also brew during beer-pong tournaments with cash prizes and contests to see who can most accurately read Latin. Over on Taylor's Williamstown's two dance floors, DJs keep guests grooving to an eclectic mix of tunes until 3 a.m. four nights a week.