Food writer of NJ.com fame Pete Genovese waited till the new year to share his faves from the last in his The 40 dishes you need to eat around N.J. in 2019 (View Full List).

Of course Pete visits restaurants, bars, bakeries, and other spots all year long in places we’ve never heard of, though he still finds time to hit up Bergen and some of the surrounding areas in Hudson and Passaic we cover.

It appears Maywood is quite a good destination, with two entries on the list…

07. Volcano Chicken – Angie’s Place, Maywood
23. Fried Chicken – Chicken Magician, Hackensack – Link
25. Wings – Mama Chicken, Palisades Park
32. Lomo Saltado – Uncle Paulie’s Peruvian Chicken, Maywood – Link
35. Beef Empanada – The Empanada Shop, Wood-Ridge – Link
40. Roast Pork – Chefski’s, Wallington – Link