Restaurants in Rahway

The name of Cervantes of Spain Restaurant honors the author of the 17th-century novel Don Quixote, considered to be one of Spain’s finest writers. The traditions of the Iberian Peninsula are held in high regard throughout the eatery, where flamenco dancers whirl billowing skirts in paintings above Spanish Renaissance–style furniture. At those tables, conversation swells around tapas such as spanish chorizo sautéed in sherry. The heat of traditional, fire-blackened pans continues to cook lobster, scallops, and sausage with saffron rice in Valencia-style paella. Live flamenco and jazz musicians fill the space with the complex rhythms of a tap dancer in a bubble-wrap factory, and open-pit pig roasts fill the outdoor patio with succulent aromas. Glasses clink together, letting the bouquets of Spanish wines blend and slices of fruit drift slowly down through six types of sangria.

At Jazmo'z Bourbon Street Café, the smooth stylings of jazz artists and soulful melodies of blues musicians mingle in the air with the aroma of spiced Cajun and creole seafood. The scents waft from bowls brimming with shrimp gumbo and platters heavy with crayfish étouffée, charbroiled oysters, and blackened catfish. The kitchen grill sizzles rib-eye steaks and Louis Armstrong burgers, whose blackened patties are topped with andouille sausage. Adventurous eaters can even munch on fried alligator bites as they listen to the nightly live performers and pretend they’re in New Orleans, where shrimp is recognized as the local currency. At the Oklahoma location, diners can also relax at outdoor tables perched right on the river canal.

At South Fin Grill, the ocean breeze mingles with a menu of upscale seafood and steakhouse dishes praised by New York magazine. Amid what critic Ethan Wolff describes as a "priceless" ocean view, servers roll out lobster, crab, swordfish, and salmon incarnated as pasta, soup, and sushi dishes. The "turf" portion of the menu showcases grilled new york sirloin, filet mignon, and barbecued pork, but the focus once again turns seaside at a raw bar that features clams and oysters kept fresh by pearl-shaped breath mints.

Beams of purple, blue, and yellow lighting hover above the interior dining tables, each blanketed with a white tablecloth and centered with a flickering candle. Outside, the ocean deck's sea-blue umbrellas shelter views of the boardwalk, ocean, and seagull beach volleyball tourneys. The restaurant bolsters its elegantly plated cuisine with occasional entertainment acts, which have included DJs and ballroom dancing lessons.

Napoli Pizza & Pasta, a recent addition to Linden’s restaurant roster, houses a team of cooks who craft traditional Italian eats, including pizzas, pastas, and specialty sandwiches. The quaint Italian bistro cultivates a relaxed ambience with linen-clad tables and dim lighting, making it an ideal place for an intimate family gathering or a romantic spaghetti-slurping contest.