5 Jersey Diner Orders That Only Make Sense If You Grew Up There
Order a sloppy joe at a North Jersey diner, and you might be in for a surprise.
New Jerseyans who’ve been eating at diners their whole lives don’t think twice about it, but visitors often do.
Here’s what the regulars get, so you can order like one next time.
1. Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese
Pork roll, egg, and cheese is the breakfast order that Jersey diners are known for.
Saveur says pork roll originated in Trenton and dates back to 1856.
It was named for its creator, John Taylor, which is where the name Taylor ham comes from.
The sandwich is fried pork roll, egg, and cheese on a hard roll.
You can also find it on a bagel, since Time Out says delis all over the state serve it on bagels.
The state’s tourism site lists a grilled pork roll and cheese at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill.
Ponzio’s has been in the family since 1964 and lures South Jerseyans with a neverending menu.
Many people who grew up with one name for it keep using that name.
Pick your side.
One Sandwich, Two Names
North Jersey residents still say Taylor ham, and Time Out says South Jersey is where you’re more likely to find pork roll on a menu.
The product lost the word ham from its name because it isn’t technically ham.
Atlas Obscura says the company rebranded it as Taylor’s Pork Roll in 1906 in response to the Pure Food and Drug Act.
2. Disco Fries
At a Jersey diner, disco fries are fries topped with cheese and gravy.
Saveur calls them a diner favorite and says they’re rare finds outside the Garden State.
NJ Family, a New Jersey (NJ) magazine, says Tops The Diner in East Newark serves classic Jersey disco fries covered in mozzarella and brown gravy.
Tops offers eight kinds of fries and serves breakfast all day and all night.
The Takeout says many trace disco fries to the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton.
You can skip the argument over who made them first.
Many people who grew up eating them treat disco fries as a late-night default.
You’ll want a fork.
Gravy wins.
Psst! How much do you know about American diners? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
How Well Do You Know American Diners?
Think you know your diner history? Take the quiz and see how many you get right.
In 1872, Walter Scott sold food from a horse-drawn “night lunch wagon” in which New England city?
3. Cold-Cut Sloppy Joe
A north Jersey sloppy joe is a cold-cut sandwich, not a ground beef sandwich.
Many people who grew up with it hear sloppy joe and picture the cold-cut kind.
If you expect ground beef, the cold cuts will surprise you.
Hold the beef.
Saveur describes thin slices of pastrami or corned beef stacked double-decker style on rye, with coleslaw, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese.
The story goes that Maplewood politician Thomas Sweeney brought the idea from Cuba in the '30s. It's named after the bar Sweeney had visited in Cuba.
The state's tourism site lists a pastrami sloppy joe at the Jefferson Diner in Lake Hopatcong.
4. Sliders at White Mana
Sliders are the order you want at White Mana, a diner in Jersey City.
Saveur describes a thin strip of beef topped with onions and pickles.
The name comes from the cooking, since each patty slides across the grill.
The Jersey City location opened in time for the 1939 World's Fair.
The address is 470 Tonnele Avenue.
It closed during World War II and opened again in 1945.
The original building was completely circular.
The cook didn't have to take more than three steps to serve a customer.
Order a few, and you'll want more.
Order two.
5. Greek Platter
The Greek platter is the order that puts a full diner menu on one plate.
NJ Family tells readers not to miss the Greek platter at the Suburban Diner in Paramus.
The plate is a triangle of moussaka, spinach pie, two skewers of pork souvlaki, stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese, and black olives.
The Suburban Diner on Route 17 North started life as a small train car in 1956.
The Time To Eat Diner in Bridgewater offers German, Greek, Italian, and Polish specialties.
Many people who grew up with these menus order a Greek plate the way you'd order eggs.
The plate holds several dishes at once, so you don't have to pick between them.
You can split it with the table.
Split it.
How Many Diners Jersey Has
Smithsonian magazine called New Jersey the most diner-supplied state in 2010, at 600-plus.
That count is more than a decade old, so treat it as a rough size.
Diners in the state number in the hundreds, according to the state's official tourism site.
If you're quoting a number, you're safer saying hundreds.
Say hundreds.
Diners That Stay Open All Night
NJ Family lists Time To Eat Diner in Bridgewater and State Street Grill in Bloomfield as 24/7 spots.
BestofNJ says the 24/7 diner lives on at Clinton Station and calls it once abundant but now rare.
The State Line Diner in Mahwah also serves patrons 24/7.
If you're driving at night, you've got a few places to stop. Hours change, so you should call before you drive.
Call first.
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