Remember the bar in Cheers, “where everybody knows your name”? Onieals feels like that. They don’t know my name yet— but after Saturday’s dinner, they’re gonna learn it!

My friend Tim and I continued our Jersey Food Tour this weekend. And although we dearly love Karma’s curries or Grimaldi’s pizza, we decided to switch it up.

So I found myself relaxing at a white clothed table al fresco. Across the street: lovely Church Square Park.

Tim slid in across. “What’s new,” I asked?

“Not much since we had dinner last night,” he quipped. Touche, Tim.

What to order…

Onieals has a little of everything. Burgers, non-burger sandwiches, even shepherd’s pie and Italian food!

I love a good burger, but I’m watching my meat intake. So I went with the crab cake sandwich.

Is that healthy? Let’s just pretend it is.

“Rajin’ cajun burger, medium.” Tim had no such pretensions.

We both made sure to request mayo with the fries. Otherwise, why be here, right?

We caught up on each other’s lives in the last 24 hours. Gym, waterfront, housework.

When you’re good friends with someone, that’s half the fun. You don’t just report the big events. You get to report all the little stuff.

Somehow, that dignifies everyday life.

Ooh food!

Before me sat a beautiful crab cake sandwich on a demi baguette. The fries were golden.

I picked it up, worried I’d destroy its perfectness. But it survived.

And I took a bite.

“This bread is so good!”

The demi baguette this sandwich is served on is absolute primo bread. That’s how you know a good restaurant — bread is never an afterthought.

The crab was slightly spicy. The remoulade, which is made of mustard, mayo and a few other goodies, lent a nice creaminess to the sammy.

“I’d put this burger up against Moran’s,” Tim said. That’s high praise — Moran’s has one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.

Fry time. I dunked one of the golden brown fellers into the mayo.

“These fries are amazing, so crispy” I explained, mouth probably still full of potato. But who’s counting?

We kept our poor waiter busy with request after request. But he was so efficient that anything we wanted seemed like it was on a conveyor belt, straight to us.

This was despite the fact that we were the only people outside! When you eat so well, and the service is so good, you want to come back.

The thing with Onieals is it’s small, and it gets busy. So, they don’t take reservations.

I imagine an empty table for someone who didn’t show is just too costly for this little restaurant.

But, you can call ahead and get on the list any time you like. Or just show up!

Waits are usually 15 minutes or less. And in the mean time, the bar is dark and convivial.

And if Hoboken is a tunnel too far, there’s also a location in Soho! Try Onieals for great food in a warm, happy setting.

What are your favorite restaurants? Leave a comment and let us know!

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More on food:

The Fragrant Curries of Karma Kafe

Miznon: The Professors of Pita

The Best Bakery in NYC (It’s Not Levain)

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