Restaurants in Cherry Hill

Following Baja Fresh’s ethos set in 1990 as a healthy take on fast food, never-frozen meats sizzle atop the grill before they're tucked into made-to-order tacos and burritos. Grilled corn and flour tortillas embrace fish, carnitas, chicken, and steak, and smoky queso fundido sidles onto nachos and into burritos. Between bites, chips scoop up salsa made from farm-fresh produce rather than poured out of a can or fabricated in a space-age replicator. A complimentary salsa bar ensures no mouthful goes unspiced, and guests can scoop up their favorites as they await their dine-in, takeout, or catering orders.

The focus at Max Brenner is on chocolate, but the restaurant’s menu also offers a slew of savory sandwiches, salads, and pastas, as well as brunch and kids’ options. Turn any power lunch into an awkwardly sensuous encounter with a burger selection, such as the standard, veggie, or turkey burger, all of which come with waffle fries dusted with chili and cocoa powder ($13.50–$13.95). The eclectic lineup covers everything from a southwestern caesar salad ($12.95) to fish tacos ($12.25) to the really cheesy, really crunchy mac ’n’ cheese, which oozes with marinara sauce, fresh tomatoes, and bacon ($13.95). Soothe a sweet tooth by delving into a dessert such as a chocolate-chunks pizza ($8.75 for half, $15.95 for full) bedecked with melty double-chocolate chunks and a choice of hazelnut bits, bananas, peanut butter, or roasted marshmallows—the pizza world’s number-one topping until the discovery of the pepperoni tree.

Gianfranco’s has been feeding famished Philadelphians fresh fare from their extensive menu of pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and more for more than a decade. The aroma of Gianfranco’s specialty pizza pies—like the caper, anchovy, and romano puttanesca pie ($11+) or the aromatic broccoli rabe and garlic white pie ($10.50)—will summon the book club even more effectively than shining its Book Signal. Gianfranco's namesake pie ($18.50) blends prosciutto, salami, mushrooms, and onions, while Hawaiian pizza ($16.99) puts a grass skirt on the crust with pineapple, ham, and your choice of red or white sauce (additional toppings of coconut husks, gaudy shirts, and leis cost $2.50 each). Gianfranco’s selection of warm and cold sandwiches, calzones, veggie wraps, gyros, and burgers will supply even the most ardent pizza-protester with a satisfying supper of stromboli ($12.80+) or a midday meatball sandwich ($6.75) covered in your choice of cheese.

At any hour of the day or night, patrons can slide into Darling’s Diner’s modern, orange booths and order breakfast specialties or homestyle lunches and dinners—many with low-cal and vegan options. The cooks whip up favorites such as club sandwiches and three-egg omelets 24 hours a day as an homage to the classic diners that tirelessly fed humanity’s ancestors. On the more modern side of the spectrum, they man a full bar that’s open until 2 a.m., mixing vintage-themed cocktails and doling out beers. The indoor seating’s cozy glow of warm pendant lights is juxtaposed by the patio, where diners can nibble on cheesecake-stuffed french toast or grilled corned beef reubens—with slow-cooked kraut on Kaplan’s Rye bread—in open air. In addition to its diner dishes, the kitchen is known for its Philadelphia-style cheesecakes, which range from classic to berry cuvee with guava.

Fogged-glass light fixtures illuminate the wood-paneled walls and the polished granite bar tops that span the length of Bliss's multileveled dining room. These elegant decorative touches combine with a menu of contemporary American specialties for a sensory experience that led Esquire to praise Bliss as one of the Best New Restaurants of 2004. The magazine noted in its review that, like a schoolyard court drama or a Hawaiian-print tuxedo, the aptly named restaurant strikes "just the right balance between casual and serious." This balance is especially apparent in the Bliss kitchen, where staffers play with flavors to produce entrees such as duck breast in a spiced wine reduction and red snapper with shrimp-mousse dumplings. Other specialties include a pork tenderloin with bourbon-apple butter sauce and a filet mignon with red-wine butter sauce, both of which pair exquisitely with a freshly milked cocktail from the bar.