New Brunswick International Food: A Guide to the Cuisines

New Brunswick international food reflects the people who live in the city: a large Latin American community, students from around the world, and neighbors whose families came from Hungary, India, the Middle East and East Asia. The result is far more variety than the city's size suggests. Follow a craving across the map.

What does New Brunswick international food include?

A short walk can cover several continents. Latin American bakeries and restaurants, counters selling empanadas and rice dishes, noodle shops, Indian and Pakistani kitchens, Middle Eastern grills and bakeries, and Italian and Portuguese places that have been in New Jersey a long time. Rutgers brings international students who keep small restaurants busy with home cooking, and the university's hospitals and labs bring workers from around the world.

The best way to explore is to follow a craving. Pick one cuisine for an afternoon and try two places, so you can compare them.

Where is Latin American food in New Brunswick?

New Brunswick has a large Latino population, with families from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. You will find it in bakeries, grocery-store counters and small restaurants, often a few blocks from the main downtown streets. Look for a counter with a handwritten menu and a crowd at lunchtime. Order whatever the person in front of you is ordering.

Many places are family-run and cash friendly, so bring a few bills.

What is the Hungarian history in New Brunswick?

Hungarian history is part of the city's story. In the early twentieth century, many Hungarian immigrants settled around Somerset Street, building churches, shops and restaurants that made New Brunswick a center for the community in New Jersey. Some of that heritage remains in names and institutions, though the neighborhoods have changed as new communities arrived. Treat it as history rather than a list of places to visit, and ask a local museum or church for what is still open.

The lesson for eating is the same everywhere in the city: the food follows the people, and the people keep changing.

Is there Indian food near New Brunswick?

Yes, and a lot of it. Central New Jersey has a large South Asian community, and the towns along Route 27 and Oak Tree Road, a short drive from the city, are known for Indian restaurants, sweet shops and grocery stores. In New Brunswick itself you will find Indian kitchens near the university and the hospitals. For a full day of Indian eating, drive out of the center and treat it as a trip.

Spice levels vary. Say what you like and the kitchen will usually adjust.

What about New Brunswick Middle Eastern food?

Middle Eastern places in and around the city sell falafel, shawarma, grilled meat plates, flatbreads and sweets, and several cater to students who want halal food. The gluten-free, vegan, kosher and halal guide to Philadelphia explains how to look for dietary needs when you travel. In New Brunswick, ask the kitchen directly what is halal or vegetarian, because a menu line or a tag is a starting point, not a guarantee.

What should you order first, and what does a small budget buy?

Order what a place is known for and one thing you cannot pronounce. A bakery's signature pastry, a grill's house meat and a regional soup tell you more about the kitchen than the safest dish on the menu. Ask the counter for the most popular plate and let them choose. The international counters are also often the best value in the city: pastries and filled breads for the price of a coffee, large noodle bowls and lunch plates priced for workers rather than tourists. Go at midday and bring a friend to share.

How do you taste a city one cuisine at a time?

Choose the cuisine, then choose two places, then choose a dish both serve. A bakery's pastry, a grill's chicken or a counter's soup gives you a fair comparison. Rate each dish on its own, since a restaurant can be strong in one corner of the menu and ordinary in another. Write a line on what you ordered and the second place will be easier to judge.

How can tags and lists help?

In the Mosey app, raters add cuisine and need tags, and diners look for them in the Find sheet. Rating places with a tag, like Mexican or Indian, can earn a badge as you climb four levels, starting at five different places. A list called New Brunswick around the world, with sections by cuisine, is a good way to keep track and to share with friends who like to travel by fork.

Where next in New Brunswick?

The New Brunswick restaurants guide covers the downtown dining streets, and the Newark Portuguese and Brazilian food guide goes deeper on another New Jersey city's cuisine. The US food guides hold the rest of the country.

For the rest of the state, start at the Food in New Jersey page.

Next time you are out, open the Mosey app, rate one dish from a new cuisine in New Brunswick and add the place to a world-tour list you can share.