When we were in Montclair one of the joys of the area was the plethora of late-night dining options. “The Brothers”, “The Tic”, “The Grim” … etc.
When we moved down here, we were shocked to find that there were places that called themselves “Diners” that were NOT open 24/7/365 and had no parking lot.
Really?
agreed- not that im going out till 4am anymore- but one of the joys of my youth was knowing there was p lace I could get chicken fingers or eggs with corned beef hash no matter what time I stopped drinking…
Around here- after 10PM there’s almost nothing…one time when latest Met fan was born we were waking up every cpl hours for feedings and decided at 1130 we wanted food- the worse choices you could imagine and tasted about as bad…would love a true 24 hr joint- but I suppose there’s no market for it…
I too miss the 24 hour diners. I know at the two diners I frequented from my late teens through my twenties the kitchen did a lot overnight. The bakers came in at 3AM. A lot of stuff was prepped overnight. The night kitchen crew made croutons, cole slaw, gravies etc. They also butchered meat and roasted meats. All of those thing come out of a Sysco truck at many diners now so no need to keep the kitchen open overnight. All of those things aren’t as good anymore either.
Hahahahha too funny now that you mention it I recall the same thing. (this was before I discovered the Inkwell which if not 24/7 is definitely opened late and is an after last call food spot) Supermarkets too were closed here and not open 24/7 as they were originally by me. All I was left with were 7-11 microwavable burrito’s and “hot dogs”.
Wawa seems to be open pretty late- although after say 1130PM I prefer the Sizzle to a Wawa sub. In college, the local WaWa had more people on staff at 3AM than they did at noon. Prior to the automated kiosks, they used to have people take your slip manually; line would be 25 deep minimum so I learned to skip the sub line (refuse to call it a hoagie like they did) and head straight to the sizzles.
Right there with you!!! The Tick went downhill while I was still living there, but I also loved the Colonial Diner in Lyndhurst. One of the few things I miss down here! How is it that the state known for diners has such a huge void in central NJ?
I spent a significant amount of time at my ‘local’ diner as a teenage, Key City Diner in glamorous Phillipsburg, NJ. It used to be 24 hours and had a robust smoking section! I use local in quotes because it still took us 45 minutes to get there. We also liked the New Hope Star Diner in New Hope, PA which does look like it is still 24 hours!
Ha! And I spent lots of time in diners in Parsippany, Denville, and on Rt 3 coming home from the city… nothing like a stop late at night with my friends!
Growing up, we always went to diners in Ocean County. I think they just fell out of favor with changing demographics. 1975-1985 were the best years. Then the slow decline began. (ha ha that was 35 years ago I am old)
Circa 1987 - after spending the night in the Point Pleasant drunk tank my buddies and I were released with citations in hand for drunk and disorderly or public intoxication. (something like that) Because we were minors we were released with a stern warning from the cop that they “didn’t want to see us in town” again this summer.
Fair enough…though after a rough night in the clink we worked up a bit of an appetite so off to the diner we went, the OB Diner. No sooner did we place our orders than we look up and walking in were the cops who no more than 30 mins ago released us and issued us the verbal “don’t want to see us again” warning.
That was the first time I found out the OB Diner is (or was did it close?) in PP!! Needless to say we changed our order to-go!!!
See you at the meetings 
The Inkwell! South American Revolution (coffee) and toasted homemade poundcake with ice cream and strawberries. Bliss! I miss that but it would feel wrong to eat it at 9 p.m.
Russian Revolution for me, and bagel with cream cheese and chopped olives. After last call at the Brighton Bar and not a moment sooner.
they just posted in on FB and IG- pretty curt and quick post tbh.
I liked Alphonso’s very much too.
Anyone know another Italian bakery we can get into Red Bank?
Cake Chef in SI is awesome- not as Italian focused as Alfonsos was - really a big loss tbh…but Cake Chef is awesome -has a few locations in SI; one a classic bakery, one a cookie spot, and one more of a cafe.
Locally for now I need to try Caputo’s in LB- its either them or J&M, but neither will be as comforting now as convenient.
I really wonder if that space is just too large and $$ for a bakery…Carlos was a shit-show and Alfonsos closed during a global pandemic, but that is two in a row with a following that did not make it there. So much wasted space and prime real estate cant be easy on bottom line.
I think that US Foods & Sysco have really contributed to the decline of diners. A lot of them now have huge menus but mediocre (at best) food. Nobody’s really cooking & not much in the way is specialties that are really exceptional. That also makes them more of a breakfast place.
I tend to stick to breakfast or salads these days. Can’t even trust a burger anymore tbh.
LaRosa’s on 520/Newman Springs Road
Trama’s at One Willow is now One Willow. Posted on Trama’s Trattoria FB page:
“We have some NEWS! Since Covid-19, I think a lot of us are looking at life with a new perspective, what’s important, and what makes you happy. For Pat & I, Trama’s Trattoria makes us happy; so we have decided we will be focusing 100% of our time and energy on Trama’s Trattoria. We are sorry to those who will be disappointed that we will not be in Highlands anymore. Letting people down is the hardest part. However we have to do what is in our heart. They say home is where the heart is, and for us that’s Trama’s Trattoria. We love all of our customers, and the last three nights in Long Branch seeing your faces has been such a joy. Thank you for all your support. 
”
