Thirty restaurants made the cut by writer Teresa Politano and her list of 30 Best Meals: Top N.J. places to dine for special occasions for the Inside Jersey issue dated December 2016/January 2017. The common thread of these places was that they were “unique in their own way”.

Bergen County made a dent in the list, with no less than 6 entries. Most have been around a while, probably already on your special occasion list — each with a brief history/backstory of what makes the place so great.

In alphabetical order: Cafe Matisse in Rutherford (Website), Cafe Panache in Ramsey (Website), Chakra in Paramus (Website), Saddle River Inn in Saddle River (Website), 17 Summer in Lodi (Website), and Varka in Ramsey (Website).

[photo source: Inside Jersey]