Paterson, N.J. kicks off its 2nd annual Restaurant Week
PATERSON, N.J. - The second annual restaurant week in Paterson, N.J. began Monday, and runs through Sunday.
The city started restaurant week last year to help establishments recover from the pandemic, and there's something for everyone.
For a city as diverse as Paterson, the food scene has to keep up, and apparently it does.
At Noches de Colombia, customers come for more than a meal.
"The food, the sangria is awesome. And the people," Saddle Brook resident Thomas DiBenedetto said.
A couple of miles away, Al Basha is also getting rave reviews.
"My family is visiting from L.A. and Texas, and I wanted to show them the best Palestinian restaurant in North Jersey," Hackensack resident Deyanah Othman said.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh took a lunch break Monday at Al Basha, one of many that make up a diverse restaurant scene that few cities can rival.
"You have Palestinian, Peruvian, Dominican, Jamaican. They're all here," Sayegh said.
There are ten businesses taking participating in restaurant week:
- Cafecito
- Al Basha Noches de Colombia
- Meat Moot
- Gub Khao Thai
- Dulce Patria
- El Rey De Las Arepas
- Bocaditos Bistro
- La Chata
- Lomo Saltado Peruvian Cuisine
The mayor said last year was a success for customers, and businesses.
"We want people to taste for themselves the different flavors that the city of Paterson has to offer," Sayegh said.
Meat Moot is a Turkish smoked meat concept that just opened a location in Paterson last month. Co-owner Yusef Nofal is hoping Restaurant Week will bring more people through the door.
"It's absolutely great for business. It's great for the community. It's great for everybody that hasn't gotten the chance to experience who we are or what we are to try our meats and take it from there," Nofal said.
The participating restaurants will offer dishes this week with a discounted price of $17.92, the year of Paterson's founding.