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eskihomer t1_jeeq3ys wrote

Haven’t been in years but Bluewater Seafood on 18 was always one of our faves

Also Ria Mar in South River was a great Portuguese spot. Excellent paella

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Unusual-Okra9251 t1_jeerknh wrote

Gusto Grill on 18 isn't a terrible date spot. Not much else to do in EB other than bars and restaurants though. New Brunswick has better options like Destination Dogs and Batch Bin Barrel.

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mkj3322 t1_jeew40d wrote

I like gusto grill. N-Thai is great. Our mall is small and rather lame, but it has a movie theatre.

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biscovery t1_jeexa2v wrote

Pinos in Highland Park has live music over the weekend. Nightlife in New Brunswick isnt what it used to be but they have tons of good restaurants and great place for plays. Also has a geology museum and zimmerali art museum both of which are free.

If it was me I would do early date, goto both museums then eat somewhere downtown on of off george st, maybe bar hop a bit on george st and goto pinos later on to see music if you’re still energetic at that point.

Also Rutgers gardens is a great date spot but maybe not the best place for first date cause parts of it are somewhat secluded, though not all.

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ThrowinSm0ke t1_jeexj7x wrote

New Brunswick is probably a better place. Lots of restaurants and bars, all walkable. There is also a comedy club on Church Street, Stress Factory.

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biscovery t1_jeey8pq wrote

Replying to nicklor (#2,532,713)

Its the only venue in the area that consistently has good live music, they allow dogs, have video games, and do all sorts of cool shit regularly. If you’re not a music fan I’d understand thou.

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sbal0909 t1_jeeyfmh wrote

Kpot Korean bbq or Rai Rai ramen

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kktyp t1_jef1s6d wrote

The best activity to do here is leave tbh. Just grab some food and head to New Brunswick or Highland Park.

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friendfromjersey t1_jef4u5s wrote

Portuguese Fisherman in South River was my go to place when I lived in the area. Haven’t been in years but it was a great place to bring a date.

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infl1ct1on t1_jef6hs0 wrote

Replying to nicklor (#2,532,713)

The appeal is that tons of people can walk to it, and they basically have a musician or event every single night of the week. You can also bring in your own food (Except pizza since they serve that now), and HP has some pretty good restaurants to choose from.

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solidblu t1_jef76fk wrote

I see people saying New Brunswick over East Brunswick, but it also depends how n the crowed you are looking for. East Brunswick is more professional and older crowd mixed in, New Brunswick you will get a professional and younger crowd mixed in.

Fresco (Steak and Seafood) and Rice Factory (Thai) are good restaurants at the edge of East Brunswick.

In New Brunswick you will want to be around George St for example he non-college crowd, Easton Ave is more college crowd focused.

In East Brunswick it will be all paid for things like a bar or a park that closes at sundown. In New Brunswick you can walk around campus like Voorhees mall and Old Queens (next to each other and close to both Easton ave and George st. There is Stress Factory (comedy club) but that needs tickets in advance and has a two item per person requirement. There is also an escape room too.

Hope this helps, good luck on your date, if you give more info on what you are looking for in activities afterwards people will speak up more.

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rjr017 t1_jef88w4 wrote

Replying to abdul_bino (#2,534,178)

East Brunswick itself has restaurants and stuff but not really any nice walkable date areas, things are spread out…if you wanted to do like movies or bowling there they have those things. But New Brunswick has an actual downtown with lots of good bars and restaurants, outdoor seating areas, they also have a comedy club, some places may have live music…George st area is good for dates I think. Highland Park would be pretty good too, but they have less places to choose from than NB.

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11goodair t1_jef8opo wrote

Fisherman/Campozinho/Ria Mar in South River. Good Portuguese food, nice atmosphere.

If you want a smaller meal, Rai Rai is pretty good for ramen, China Poblana has good Mexican food, Jersey Shore BBQ is good for BBQ. Those 3 aren't really for dates, unless you really enjoy that type of food.

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Unusual-Okra9251 t1_jefa8t0 wrote

Replying to ThrowinSm0ke (#2,536,620)

So you went once when they were closed, and now they're permanently closed? Fucking idiot. Like I said, if you're going to say something with so much certainty, you could save yourself from looking like an idiot by taking literally 10 seconds to look. Something tells me you're more used to looking like an idiot though.

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Glittering-Rock t1_jefc8ec wrote

Love that you’re planning for your date! Hope it goes well 😊

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silentsnip94 t1_jefg0iv wrote

Dunno what vibe you're going for, but a nice walk in Johnson Park or Donaldson Park in Highland Park pre-dinner and then drive over to Destination Dogs in New Brunswick. I always like a good icebreaker in a first/second date by a little 'messy' eating (just don't eat like a slob!). There's always Ramen Nagomi if you like a good ramen. In New Brunswick, you'll have a nice selection of post-dinner drinks if it should strike you.

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noturbuddyguy101 t1_jefhn0k wrote

Bicentennial Park in East Brunswick is a nice spot to walk around and explore!

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JealousGroup2675 t1_jefmi23 wrote

Kpot on 18 it’s in the plaza with shoprite or even aroogas on 18 south in East Brunswick

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United-Stomach1317 t1_jefoa68 wrote

Take shrooms or acid and then go to the movies watch something visually stimulating then walk in the park for the night

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KookyCarpet t1_jefqs8t wrote

You're so brave- traveling all the way to East Brunswick and all. A little outside of your wheelhouse, isn't it? Hope you get lucky! Best, Kooky C

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nakedbeans t1_jefrj3u wrote

Salt is New Brunswick is our fave date spot. Best oysters I’ve ever had

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Lanky-Clock89 t1_jefs35a wrote

If you’re up for a short drive I would go to Princeton, they have some great bars/restaurants you can bounce around. Agricola is my personal favorite. Closer to east brunswick is Salt Creek Grill that’s a nice date spot too but nothing else around.

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Acrobatic_Drawing_38 t1_jefs4od wrote

🤮🤮🤮 What are you looking to spend? If the sky is the limit I would venture to Cafe Luna $$$$on route 9 10 minutes from mall. There is also Cucina Nuevo. $$$close by really good and BYOB. Pine Tavern has been my go to recently more moderately priced good quality Food and drinks. I would make a reservation and try to make it early. Raman Nagami is a great place I like the burnt Onion. off the charts still trying to figure out how they make those eggs. Very crowded small place. Old Man Rafferties was a pleasant surprise the other night the Burgers were good and beer was great. Good luck.

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Dsxm41780 t1_jefs89m wrote

Gusto Grill is a nice spot bc they have good drinks and a variety of food depending on your level of hunger and your diet.

Just in Old Bridge is a nice experience too, though it is located behind a gas station which could give an odd impression.

You won’t be fat from New Brunswick which has a nice variety of restaurants. If you like Ethiopian food, Dashen is a solid spot. You can walk up and down George Street and there are some bars and other restaurants that you can check out.

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eskihomer t1_jeg92eg wrote

Replying to ColdYellowGatorade (#2,547,320)

Same! Although my last visit was pre-pandemic so 🤷🏽. They may have also changed owners but I don’t know that for certain, although it has changed hands several times over the years and never dipped in quality.

My parents are still in the area and say it is still great but they are far from reliable in the space of food recs

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I_Reddit21 t1_jeg9r4r wrote

I’m not going on a date, but I’d love to check out the recommended restaurants. Foodie @ heart.

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the-camster t1_jegalkg wrote

The Frog and the Peach. It's in New Brunswick.

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JimmyTurnpike t1_jegjme7 wrote

The Denny's on 18 has been there for years. Solid Option.

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bastard_child_botbot t1_jegrml3 wrote

I always saw. What age group and what’s is your price range. Casual or fine dining. So many places in the area. But I saw earlier the Ramen. Super casual and fun.

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ruckh t1_jegwqia wrote

East Hana sushi or Mancini pizza

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mtol115 t1_jeh0c3i wrote

Gusto Grill and Aroogas. Edison Diner is really good too. There used to be this really good Italian place called the tomato factory but it’s been closed for years

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