New Jersey: Top-Rated Tapas Restaurant

What is the best tapas restaurant in New Jersey? If you seek the feedback of TripAdvisor, they say it's a traditional Cuban restaurant with multiple locations along the Atlantic coast.

Let's break down what you look for in a great tapas establishment and why. With the spring weather perking up, the interest in tapas-style tables will likely pick up. It's the ultimate friendly gathering setup where great food meets socializing meets a nice sit-down dinner. This shareable style of eating a meal encourages engagement and connecting with those who are seated at your table. Furthermore, it's a cuisine arrangement that is flexible enough to accommodate a group of just two or a table of ten.

Do you pick a few of the favorites off the menu that have a high chance of being fan favorites? Do you go with the restaurant's suggestions as to what their specialties are? Or do you go with the most collaborative approach and allow each person in your party to pick on tapas choice off the menu for all to pass around? Any and all of these options are acceptable.

At a great tapas restaurant these small plates are the star of the show. Nowadays, it is very common for a restaurant that is well-known for small, sharable plates to also offer entrees. True enthusiasts know however, the tapas section is meant to be the center of attention.

Located at 2801 Pacific Avenue, in Atlantic City, Cuba Libre also has a restaurant in Philadelphia, where this restaurant first started in 2000. Atlantic City was their second location to open now 20 years ago.

"Cuba Libre’s mission is to provide an “escape” to Havana through exciting food, beverage and entertainment experiences that celebrate the Cuban people and culture," they say. They are also a rum bar.

Here is what you need to know about what you will be eating while sipping rum. Cuba Libre describes its menu style as "tantalizing tastes based upon the culinary traditions of this storied island paradise."

That will certainly build your excitement and expectations as you decide between over 25 shared plate options. There are appetizer-style dishes such as tropical chips with a trio of dips. As an alternative you can also order a family-style full meal like the plato gaucho for $88. This is skirt steak, lobster tail, shrimp, citrus-marinated, grilled double chicken breast, and chorizo sausage, all served with chimichurri sauce and salsa criolla.

Then, there are two pages full of rum flights, aged and golden rum. The staff picks section can also help guide you in finding a rum that pairs best with your tapas order.

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.