Restaurants in North Bergen

No matter what the calendar reads, it’s always October in spirit at Manor Oktoberfest, a German-style eatery that channels Munich’s lively fest of the same name. Owner Mark Gallagher serves Bavarian fare that ranges from traditional appetizers—including smoked black forest bacon and pierogies—to hearty entrees such as lamb shank and Hungarian schnitzel. It wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without a lot of beer, and the restaurant carries more than 30 varieties. Draught beers, including Hofbrau Original and Franziskaner Weissbier, come in half-liter or one-liter mugs, or in a two-liter boot if you’ve also lost one shoe.

Not content to celebrate creole cuisine alone, the chefs at Creole Restaurant fuse their skills with the cuisine’s foundational flavors to create fusion dishes, including 20 variations of gumbo. As the kitchen heats up its service each evening, chefs frame hearty bowls of soup with small orders of classic crayfish étouffée at meals’ beginnings, sear up entrees of creole vegetarian meatloaf and crayfish roasted chicken, and fry up chocolate-sprinkled sweet-potato beignets to finish.

A wall of exposed brick backs the bar, its industrial shapes softened by swaths of colorful fabrics that sweep back and forth across the ceiling like the aftermath of school-wide parachute play day. Regular live music draws from the same regional influences that define Creole Restaurant’s food, from the upbeat, hip-swinging tunes of Latin salsa night to smooth, classic soul every Thursday evening.

Striking contemporary design and a cornucopia of organic ingredients have earned Nanoosh's hummus bars and counters media recognition from publications including the NY Daily News and the New York Sun. Each location manifests the company's nationwide emphasis on nutritionally balanced food with carefully designed menus chock full of luxuriously nutritious items such as quinoa salad, hummus chicken wraps, and lavender tea. Since Nanoosh offers both table and counter service, patrons can stop by to enjoy a sit-down meal served by a waiter or quick bite to eat delivered by an easily persuaded friend.

Beneath the cascades of light that pour through a central skylight, Lina Frey's wait staff scampers past a stone bar with steaks, seafood, and crepes. Intriguing aromas draw eyes toward the kitchen, where chefs harness the recipes that serve as a tribute to Lina Frey, a French native and the grandmother of co-owner Patrice Bihina. Sauces infused with peppercorns or reduced from port wine drape across plates on a sunny enclosed terrace that brings modern comfort to natural beauty like a butterfly's track suit. Amidst expanses of polished hardwood and vintage-inspired wooden tables, diners customize the shop's crepes, which The New Yorker noted formed a "satisfying supper when paired with the lemony sautéed spinach and a cold glass of French rosé." Glasses laden with wines and cocktails rise to toasts at the full bar with the gentle clinking sound of a lazy pianist.

It might be surprising to find a kids menu at an upscale bistro, but as little ones gaze at Bistro Ten 18’s stone fireplace, they can dig into mac ‘n’ cheese with gruyere and pan-roasted chicken. Meanwhile, grownup foodies from across the city mingle with neighborhood regulars as they sip wines curated from France, Austria, and the Napa Valley, and, depending on the night, live jazz drifts past the stone fireplace and onto a patio.

For the past decade, Bistro Ten 18’s chefs have paid close attention to the tastes of their community, using only fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients to create a menu of "unpretentious yet upscale offerings," as New York magazine described the bistro’s lunch and dinner options. A cheese and charcuterie selection mixes and matches Les Frères cheese from Wisconsin-based Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese with rustic salami and chorizo. Small plates of simply spiced veggies also make for a sociable start before diners erect a silverware fence around entrees such as Prince Edward Island mussels and berkshire pork chops.