The 29 Absolute Best Local Southern NJ Restaurants as Picked by Locals

If you live down the shore, you hear this question all of the time...

Where do you eat?

We are fortunate to live in an area with world-class restaurants in Atlantic City's casinos and countless highly-popular establishments in the shore towns, but for us locals, we know you don't always have to drive towards the ocean to get a tremendous meal.

Whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner, late night or pre-dawn, there are numerous places that we know are out of this world yet many other people will drive right by.

Building a big list

To build a list of the best local South Jersey restaurants as determined by locals, I first turned to the Atlantic County Eats Facebook group, which is where well over 25,000 people exchange pictures of food and look for restaurant recommendations.

There was certainly no shortage of opinions there.

Beyond that, I scoured Google reviews and the like.

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Local places picked by locals

So, if you are from out of the area, these are some of the places that those native to South Jersey like to go to. If you live down here, chances are you've been to many of these restaurants.

Some are hidden gems, some are out of the way, and some are quirky little places, but regardless, all 29 restaurants that are listed below are worth visiting.

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Call ahead

Just keep in mind that many restaurants may have different operating hours depending on the time of year and/or staffing levels, so it's best to call ahead.

And if you want a truly local experience, keep scrolling for our list of the best restaurant in every single Jersey shore town up and down the coastline.

Enjoy!