Restaurants in Paterson

Within Mr. Biggs Bar & Grill’s boisterous tavern atmosphere, icy bottles of beer clink together at tables alongside plates filled with thick burgers and hearty portions of seafood. Hands not occupied applauding karaoke singers can grasp juicy burgers and sandwiches or applaud a stirring performance by their ketchup bottle. Patrons can dig into rich cakes from the dessert menu while staring up at rows of televisions emanating sporting excitement from the tavern’s brick walls.

The glow from flickering flat-screen televisions spills across a burnished-wood bar at Slattery’s Midtown Pub, where craft suds from Smithwick’s and Guinness complement pub grub and upscale entrees, including bowls of signature chicken curry and homemade crab-cake sandwiches. On weekends, diners can unfurl heavy eyelids with traditional Irish breakfast, which provides appetizing alternatives to Irish alarm clocks that loudly belt out choruses from age-old drinking songs. Televised sports incite rousing cheers from Slattery’s friendly clientele, echoing throughout two floors of seating surrounded by luminous wall sconces and modern wood accents.

Open since 2009, Tutuma Social Club is one of the first Afro-Peruvian jazz venues in the city. Helmed by owner Santina Matwey, the club mimics those found in Lima, combining a party atmosphere with contemporary Peruvian cuisine. Peru's international chefs, Carlos Testino and Rodrigo Conroy, craft a dinner menu of ceviche and seafood dishes made with ingredients native to South America.

As diners spoil taste buds with flavors from Peru, ear-tongues can savor live music from Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet or from national touring artists, whose schedules can be found on the club's event calendar. Long tables line the white walls of the venue, ending with a small stage pronounced by an eye-popping red wall.

UFC’s lightly fried, thoroughly crispy, delicately sauced Korean-style fried chicken has been both praised and profiled by the New York Times and New York Magazine. Fresh cuts of meat fry in oil free of trans fat and cholesterol, pulling out the fat in the skin and leaving each piece without the build-up of grease that makes American fried chicken so difficult to properly throw. The resulting crunchy exterior gets doused in a coat of one of four sauces, including traditional Korean soy garlic or tangy American barbecue mustard.

Candles flicker against Club 21's exposed-brick walls and vintage couches as executive chef Tomas Wartownik forges a menu of hearty Eastern European eats. Plates pile high with schnitzel, pierogi, and potato pancakes as bartenders fill glasses with bubbly brews and aromatic wines hailing from around the globe. Friday and Saturday nights bring a live DJ to the club's stage, facilitating revelous dancing and sauerkraut-themed raps, and the week's work comes to a savory conclusion with a lavish Sunday brunch.

Cucina di Pesce's only connections these days are to the dockworkers who give the chefs their pick of fresh seafood each morning. Back in the '20s and '30s, however, the exposed brick and hardwood joint served as mob boss Charles "Lucky" Luciano's casino. History still hangs thick in the restaurant's dimly lit atmosphere, along with the smells of a modern Italian kitchen.

Armed with butter, garlic, and tomatoes, chefs craft sauces with which to decorate monkfish, shrimp, and tuna steaks. They sauté littleneck clams in white sauce before plating them in nests of fresh linguine. They work with the fruits of the land as well as the sea, stuffing ravioli with pumpkin and dousing sizzling steaks in red-wine sauces. On weekdays, they host happy hours during which guests can enjoy unlimited mussels served by confused bodybuilders.