DUI Lawyers in City of Orange, NJ

South Orange’s downtown has a smattering of restaurants of varying cuisines, from classic Italian to a popular Ethiopian restaurant to the deli that’s the birthplace of the famed Sloppy Joe sandwich.

Most are within walking distance of the train station, making things easy for commuters who want to grab a bite after returning home from work or diners from other parts of New Jersey who don’t want to drive to experience a great place to eat. South Orange shares a school district with nearby Maplewood, and the two towns have a lot of New York City transplants used to good dining.

Below are our top picks for the best restaurants in South Orange in alphabetical order.

Why should you trust this list? Put simply, New Jersey Monthly knows New Jersey’s dining scene. Our editors and restaurant critics spend endless amounts of time traversing the state to dine at all types of establishments, from fine-dining restaurants to pizza places, old favorites to new restaurants bringing their own flavor to New Jersey’s culinary scene.

Enjoy!

[RELATED: The Best Restaurants in New Jersey]

Bistro D’Azur

When New Jersey Monthly reviewed this artisanal French-Mediterranean restaurant just a few months after it opened, we wrote of the “excellence to be found on the menu and the uplifting beauty of the space.” Now, a couple of years later, Bistro D’Azur has earned multiple accolades in NJM‘s annual readers’ poll (for French restaurant and romantic restaurant) and lots of local fans. The restaurant solely offers a prix fixe option, with two courses for $74 per person and three for $89 per person. The menu changes almost daily, but diners can expect entrées like roasted lamb rib chops, grilled swordfish and pan-seared scallops. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, a special five-course chef’s tasting menu from executive chef Richard Krug is $69 per person. The restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. BYO.

Jackie & Sons

Delicious, fresh fare is on the menu at Jackie & Sons for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner to go. Dishes range from American classics to Mediterranean-inspired food to authentic Palestinian dishes, with a variety of platters and kebabs, omelettes, pitas, wraps, greens and the popular “meze heaven” offerings, where you can choose any three for $15 or four for $18 with options like cauliflower tahini, tuna salad, lemon parsley potato salad, falafel and beet salad. The smoothies and coffee drinks are also great.

Felina Steak

Felina Steak in South Orange is the fourth Felina to open in the state by Landmark Hospitality. The South Orange spot located in a beautiful historic building that dates back to 1894 and was previously Village Hall. It’s in the heart of downtown South Orange and specializes in steak and seafood. It also has a pizza oven.

Miti Miti Latin Street Food

Tasty Latin street food is the star here, with everything from chips and nachos to a variety of empanadas, quesadillas and burritos to Dirty Birdy Chicken Wings with several sauce options. A full breakfast menu is also available. Enjoy your food either inside or on the back patio.

The Order

Opening just months before the pandemic began, the Order, a family business, has created a welcoming gathering place serving top-notch coffee drinks, plus a truly terrific seasonal menu for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. Dishes include a variety of delicious “Eggies,” as the Order calls them, plus burgers, sandwiches, salads and bowls. It’s a great place for a laidback meal catching up with a friend or two. 50 West South Orange Avenue, 973-313-1333

Reservoir Restaurant

This old-school Italian restaurant (in its current location since 1965, in operation is New Jersey since 1935) is known for its fantastic pizzas, which are great sans topping or with a variety of meat or veggie options. Reservoir also serves up hearty Italian dishes, pastas and more in its casual, family-friendly space. 106 Wesst South Orange Avenue, 973-762-9795

Town Hall Delicatessen

What’s more Jersey than a Sloppy Joe? (No, not the goopy meat sandwich you remember from high school cafeteria days, but the deli sandwich that anyone with a Jersey driver’s license should know about). Town Hall Deli is the birthplace of the Sloppy Joe (dating back to the 1930s), and it still serves a mean one with the customer’s choice of two meats plus Swiss cheese, three slices of rye bread, dry coleslaw and Russian dressing. Note that they come in a half or whole sandwich size; the whole is large and feeds 2-3 people. The small, busy lunch spot also serves other types of sandwiches, soups and more. Order at the counter, then grab a table. In celebrity trivia, this spot is a favorite of actor/director Zach Braff, who grew up in South Orange and Maplewood and raved about it to NJM when we interviewed him in 2023. 74 First Street, 973-762-4900

Walia Ethiopian Restaurant

A decade strong, this Ethiopian restaurant serves authentic cuisine and caters to diners who are familiar with it as well as newbies who are trying Ethiopian food for the first time. The staff is always helpful with recommendations and help navigating the menu. The menu is large (entrées come with two side dishes) and includes a lot of vegetarian options. 11 Village Plaza, 973-762-2186

After sitting vacant since its closing in 2005 and being on the verge of demolition, historic Orange Memorial Hospital will finally be getting a new life.

The City of Orange Township Planning Board unanimously approved a plan to revitalize the dilapidated site at 188 South Essex Ave. The $350 million project by Gateway Merchant Banking — a New York-based real estate development and investment firm — aims to transform the sprawling property into a family-friendly mixed-use development.

Orange Memorial Hospital — which was listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 2015 — was founded by the leading Victorian-era families of Orange and was the site of New Jersey's first four-year nursing school. The facility was a prominent community-based health care provider for Orange and surrounding communities for much of the 20th century, but it closed to the public in 2005.

In 2024, the property was included in Preservation New Jersey's annual list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. The program aims to give public attention to these sites and help them gain access to grants and other resources. It included Orange Memorial Hospital because the city said it could be demolished if a new use for the property couldn't be found.

"Not only was Orange Memorial Hospital an important historical institution in the Orange community, but it was also a statewide treasure. It was a leader in training opportunities for Black nurses and was the birthplace for leaders in every field. All eyes are on this transformational project as we anxiously await its revitalization after closing two decades ago," said Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren. "Gateway's plans for the property demonstrate its understanding of the site's historical significance and potential for the future."

The project, in the Central Orange Redevelopment Plan Area, is slated to begin later this year. The redevelopment plan includes the creation of 1,005 studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with up to 20% of them being affordable units. There is also the potential for designated senior and student housing units.

A variety of private amenities for residents are also expected to be included, such as a rooftop pool with cabanas and gardens, a sky lounge, fitness rooms, access-controlled package rooms and 200 electrical vehicle charging stations.

There will also be about 70,190 square feet of retail and commercial space available. This consists of 25,000 square feet of municipal office space for the City of Orange, with the remaining space leased to local businesses.

Terrence Murray, managing partner of Gateway Merchant Banking, said all of this will be centered around 1.5 acres of public space. An outdoor ice-skating or roller rink, a public plaza with an open lawn and swinging benches, terraced platform seating and children's play areas are among the amenities featured in the plan.

"The early iterations really started out as almost a fortress, where we were building from the outside in, meaning it was really set up where there wasn't any public space initially," he said. "We turned that whole thing on its head, and we thought about how we can integrate this into the existing Orange community."

Murray said two of the site's most historically significant original buildings will be preserved and reimagined as part of the project. That includes having Mary Austen Hall — the last standing structure of the state's first nursing school — becoming the site of Orange's new municipal building.

"We wanted to have a user that is, by definition, a long-term user to preserve that building. We did not want to have a situation where, even if we renovated it for a commercial use, it could fall into distress later on if the tenants weren't successful," he said. "That was kind of a leading factor for us, and that's really going to anchor the overall development site."

The Old Boiler House, which was used to generate heat for the hospital, is the second building being preserved as part of the project. Murray said the firm anticipates converting this space into a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.

Warren and Murray will be hosting two town hall meetings where members of the Orange community can learn more about the approved plan for this historic site: on Feb. 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at First Shiloh Baptist Church and on March 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew A.M.E. Church. Members of the community will also be invited to provide comments during the town halls.

Murray said representatives of Gateway Merchant Banking and Orange officials have also been holding smaller meetings with community groups for their input on the project.

"We're really trying to work with community groups and agencies to try to incorporate them into the ongoing plans of the site," Murray said. "The extra layer of success that we're looking for is real community engagement with business owners, being able to lease space and really working to create an outflow of development up and down Central Avenue with us being that anchor."

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.