Nobody does old-school restaurants like New Jersey. (Shaddup, Brooklyn.) Ancient-wallpaper, faded-menu, Naugahyde-booth kind of places, where the waitresses have been around forever, the furnishings untouched for decades, and the words "Twitter" and "Facebook" might as well be in a foreign language."Old-school'' doesn't necessarily have to mean ancient, but a new restaurant surely cannot be old-school. It's all about a look, an attitude; visit an old-school restaurant today, come back in 10, 20 years, nothing will have changed.Here are New Jersey's 35 greatest old-school restaurants from around the state. There are neighborhood pubs and restaurants, seafood shacks and hot dog stands, delis, diners and more. All gloriously, grandly, unabashedly old-school. Note: The restaurants are not ranked by the quality of food, but the food's good at all of them. It's more about how well they fit the definition of "old-school." Ice cream stands/shops and bakeries, among others, were not considered.
34. E&V Ristorante, Paterson
Hit the ATM before you visit
E&V; the restaurant has been cash-only since it opened in 1967. The "E" and "V" stand for founders Elio Federico and Vince Ruggieri. Elio and his brother, Ralph, now run the white-tablecloth, mirror-walled restaurant. Portions are enormous; you'll be bringing home doggy bags. Recommended app: the filet mignon bruschetta.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
33. Texas Weiner I, Plainfield
Yes, hot dog joints can be old-school, too. I love the yellow lettering, windowfront grill, pale walls and swivel stools at
Texas Weiner I, which opened in 1924 and is the granddaddy of New Jersey chili spots. Paterson and Plainfield, among other places, claim to be the birthplace of the Texas weiner or chili dog. Pull up a stool, order a dog, and dig the vintage vibe.
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32. Red Lion Inn, Southampton
Outside, the Red Lion Inn is a sprawling red-brick house. Inside it resembles a 70s wood-paneled bingo hall, with spartan tables and chairs. In business nearly 100 years, the Red Lion Inn has close cousins all over New Jersey - rambling houses and inns that attract the locals and don't much care what their Yelp rating is. Don't let appearances deceive you, though; pasta is made fresh here daily. There's a meatball platter that comes with a side of pasta, and the steak and veal dishes are popular. Red Lion, by the way, is the most common pub name in Great Britain; a
Lancashire woman visited all 656 of them.