Coffee & Café
Qahwah House
441 Crooks Avenue
Yemeni coffeehouse serving traditional qahwah, specialty coffee and desserts.
Clifton Food & Drink
A deep citywide guide to Clifton's coffeehouses, bakeries, bagels, breakfast spots, pizzerias, international restaurants, delis, dessert shops, pubs and North Jersey classics.
Coverage standard: Clifton is too large and diverse for a short “best-of” list. This page intentionally covers the major dining categories and multiple neighborhoods, using current city food-establishment information and current business/menu sources.
Allergy & cross-contact caution: GF and DF badges mean current menu information supports at least one gluten-free or dairy-free option. They do not mean a dedicated allergen-free kitchen. Shared fryers, ovens, grills, utensils and prep areas can create cross-contact. Guests with celiac disease or food allergies should confirm ingredients and preparation directly before ordering.
Clifton Dining Directory
Coffee & Café / Breakfast
The Happy Belly Cafe
616 Van Houten Avenue
Neighborhood coffee shop with breakfast, sandwiches, sweets and a café setting.
Coffee Shop / Breakfast
George's Coffee Shop
227 Parker Avenue
Traditional neighborhood coffee shop and breakfast stop.
Balkan Café / Coffee
Cafe Bubamara
263 Parker Avenue
Family-owned Balkan café with Turkish coffee, espresso drinks, breakfast, sandwiches, burek, desserts and a garden setting.
Puerto Rican Café
El Coquí Café
12 Market Street
Puerto Rican café serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches, pastries, empanadas and an extensive current vegan selection.
DF
Middle Eastern Café / Desserts
Damasco Cafe
600 Getty Avenue
Late-night café focused on Middle Eastern sweets, ice cream and specialty drinks.
Bakery Café
Paris Baguette
345 Allwood Road
Bakery café with breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and Lavazza coffee.
Bakery
Francesca's Bakery
70 Market Street
Scratch bakery known for breads, pastries, cakes and specialty baked goods.
Bakery
Styertowne Bakery
1039 Bloomfield Avenue
Long-running bakery known for crumb cake, strudels, breads, donuts and celebration cakes.
Colombian Bakery / Restaurant
Hornito's Restaurant & Bakery
1094 Main Avenue
Colombian bakery and restaurant with pan de bono, pastries, breakfast and full meals.
Cupcakes / Bakery
Mr. Cupcakes
1216 Van Houten Avenue
Cupcake and dessert shop offering rotating flavors and celebration sweets.
Bakery
We Bake Fresh
851 Van Houten Avenue
Local bakery recognized on Clifton's current food-establishment list.
Desserts / Sweets
Dulcera
313 Rutherford Boulevard
Dessert and sweets shop in Clifton.
Baklava / Desserts
Beyti Baklava
152 Getty Avenue
Baklava and Turkish-style pastry shop.
Desserts / Cakes
D'era House
1076 Main Avenue
Dessert shop specializing in cakes, pastries and celebration sweets.
Ice Cream
Carvel
750 Van Houten Avenue
Classic ice cream shop serving soft serve, cakes, sundaes and frozen desserts.
Frozen Desserts
Jumbo Ice
704 Van Houten Avenue
Frozen-dessert and ice shop.
Bubble Tea
ViVi Bubble Tea
750A Van Houten Avenue
Bubble tea, fruit tea and specialty drink shop.
Bagels / Deli / Breakfast
Clifton Bagels
106 Kingsland Road
Bagels baked on site, breakfast platters, deli sandwiches and catering.
Bagels / Breakfast
Dean's Hot Bagels
391 Piaget Avenue
Neighborhood bagel and breakfast shop.
Bagels / Deli
Bagel Station
1223 Van Houten Avenue
Bagels, breakfast and deli sandwiches.
Bagels / Deli
Plaza Bagels & Deli
850 Van Houten Avenue
Bagels, breakfast and deli fare.
Deli
Agamie's Deli
62 Market Street
Neighborhood delicatessen with sandwiches and prepared foods.
Deli
Henry's Deli
1224 Van Houten Avenue
Traditional deli serving sandwiches and prepared foods.
Diner
Tick Tock Diner
281 Allwood Road
Large 24-hour-style North Jersey diner with breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts.
Breakfast / Pancakes
IHOP
680 Route 3 West
National breakfast restaurant serving pancakes, omelets and all-day breakfast.
Halal Pizza / Italian-American
Alaeddin's Pizza
600 Getty Avenue
Fully halal Clifton pizzeria with brick-oven pizza, sandwiches and Italian-American favorites.
Italian / Wine Bar
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas
70 Kingsland Road
Italian small plates, pasta, brunch and wine; current menu marks many gluten-free items and a dairy-free seasonal sorbetto.
GFDF
Italian
Matthew's Italian Restaurant
1131 Bloomfield Avenue
Classic Italian restaurant; current menu states gluten-free pasta is available.
GF
Italian
Mario's Restaurant
710 Van Houten Avenue
Long-running Italian-American restaurant and pizzeria.
Pizza / Italian
Fratelli's Pizza & Pasta
457 Clifton Avenue
Neighborhood pizza and pasta restaurant.
Pizza
Botany Village Pizza
266 Parker Avenue
Pizzeria serving the Botany Village neighborhood.
Pizza
Bruno's Pizzeria
1006 Route 46 West
Pizza and Italian-American takeout in the Route 46 corridor.
Italian / Pizza
Taste of Tuscany
4 Styertowne Plaza
Casual Italian-American restaurant and pizzeria.
Italian / Café
Il Posto Eatery
754 Clifton Avenue
Italian-style neighborhood eatery.
Pizza / American
Uno Pizzeria & Grill
426 Route 3 West
Pizza, burgers and casual American fare.
Turkish / Mediterranean
Toros Restaurant
489 Hazel Street
Turkish and Mediterranean grilled meats, mezze and traditional dishes.
Turkish
Istanbul Cafe & Restaurant
1378A Main Avenue
Turkish café and restaurant serving traditional meals and desserts.
Lebanese / Middle Eastern
Kamil's Lebanese Cuisine
1489 Main Avenue
Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine including mezze, grilled meats and sandwiches.
Middle Eastern / Halal
Kebab Platters
1193 Main Avenue
Halal platters, kebabs and Middle Eastern fast-casual fare.
Middle Eastern / Halal
Jersey Platters
212 Dayton Avenue
Halal platters and grilled street-food style meals.
Balkan / Bakery
Burek King
223 Parker Avenue
Balkan-style burek and savory pastries.
Balkan / European
European BBQ of Clifton
224 Parker Avenue
European and Balkan grilled specialties.
Polish / Eastern European
Homemade Pirogi
1295 Main Avenue
Pierogi, Polish comfort food and Eastern European specialties.
Colombian
Noches de Colombia
1 Village Square East
Large Colombian restaurant with breakfast, lunch, dinner and bakery-style items.
Cuban
Rumba Cubana
2 South Parkway
Cuban restaurant with traditional entrées, cocktails and a full-service dining room.
Peruvian
Somos Tu Peru Cafe
117 Lakeview Avenue
Peruvian café and restaurant.
Latin American
La Posada Restaurant
1055 Main Avenue
Latin American restaurant on Main Avenue.
Latin American
Jaimito's O.K. Rico Restaurant
389 Lexington Avenue
Long-running Latin restaurant serving home-style dishes.
Mexican
Agave Cantina Mexicana
421 Piaget Avenue
Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar.
Mexican
San Antonio Mexican Restaurant
3-5 Village Square East
Mexican restaurant in the Botany Village area.
Mexican
Habanero Restaurant
729 Van Houten Avenue
Mexican neighborhood restaurant.
Mexican
Los Gueros
590 Route 3 West
Tacos and Mexican fast-casual fare.
Thai
Clifton Thai
239 Parker Avenue
Thai restaurant serving curries, noodles and rice dishes.
Japanese / Sushi / Hibachi
Ooka Sushi Hibachi Lounge
166 Main Avenue
Sushi, hibachi and Japanese dining.
Japanese / Sushi
Ino Sushi
116A Market Street
Sushi-focused Japanese restaurant.
Chinese
China House
402 Lexington Avenue
Chinese takeout and delivery.
Chinese
Hunan Wok
859 Clifton Avenue
Chinese restaurant and takeout.
Chinese
New China Wok
90 Market Street
Chinese restaurant serving the Allwood area.
Chinese
New Taste of China
655 Van Houten Avenue
Chinese takeout and delivery.
Chinese
Happy Garden
1154A Main Avenue
Chinese restaurant on Main Avenue.
Hot Dogs / NJ Classic
Rutt's Hut
413-417 River Road
Historic Clifton roadside landmark famous for deep-fried 'ripper' hot dogs.
Hot Dogs / Texas Wieners
The Hot Grill
669 Lexington Avenue
Classic Clifton hot-dog and Texas-wiener institution.
American
The Barrow House
1296 Van Houten Avenue
Rustic American restaurant with brunch, dinner, cocktails and craft beer.
Wings / Seafood Bar
Sharky's Wings & Raw Bar
545 Highland Avenue
Sports bar known for wings, seafood and raw-bar items.
Bar / Pub Food
Dingo's Den
615 Van Houten Avenue
Neighborhood bar and casual pub-food spot.
Sports Bar
Bogey's Sports Bar
103 Valley Road
Local sports bar.
American / Pizza / Bar
Tommy's Tavern + Tap
826 Route 3 West
Large casual restaurant with pizza, burgers, salads and bar service.
Barbecue
Mighty Quinn's BBQ
850 Route 3 West
Barbecue restaurant in the Route 3 corridor.
American
Jamie's Restaurant
915 Bloomfield Avenue
Neighborhood American restaurant.
Burgers
Burgerstrasse
14 Market Street
Burger-focused fast-casual restaurant.
Burgers
Burger Station
1164 Broad Street
Burgers and casual American fare.
Current restaurant rosters change frequently. NJTGO favors establishments supported by recent city food-establishment records or current operating information.
Coffee, Bakeries & Breakfast Are a Major Part of Clifton
Independent Coffee
Clifton has several distinctive café cultures, including Yemeni coffee, Puerto Rican coffee, Balkan/Turkish coffee and traditional neighborhood coffee shops.
Bakeries
The bakery scene ranges from classic New Jersey crumb cake and scratch breads to Colombian baking, French-style bakery cafés, baklava, cupcakes and specialty desserts.
Bagel Shops
Clifton supports multiple dedicated bagel and deli shops across Kingsland Road, Piaget Avenue, Van Houten Avenue and Market Street.
Breakfast & Diner Culture
Traditional diners, coffee shops, cafés and bagel counters make breakfast one of the city's strongest everyday dining categories.
Dietary-Option Notes
Spuntino GF DF
The current Clifton menu marks many dishes as gluten-free, offers gluten-free pasta, and lists a seasonal sorbetto as both dairy-free and gluten-free. The restaurant also cautions that allergens may be present in shared preparation areas.
Matthew's GF
The current menu explicitly states that gluten-free pasta is available.
El Coquí Café DF
The current menu includes a substantial vegan section. Vegan items support dairy-free selection, but allergy-related preparation should still be confirmed directly.
Neighborhood Food Clusters
Parker Avenue / Botany Village
Coffee, Balkan food, burek, Thai, Mexican and neighborhood restaurants make this one of Clifton's densest independent-food areas.
Main Avenue
Polish/Eastern European, Colombian, Lebanese, Turkish, bakery and casual dining stretch along the corridor.
Van Houten Avenue
Bagels, cafés, ice cream, Italian restaurants, bars and neighborhood takeout serve the city's central residential districts.
Allwood / Route 3
Bagels, diner food, bakery cafés, Italian dining, chains and destination restaurants cluster near the highway-shopping corridor.
Lakeview / Lexington
Latin American, Peruvian, Chinese, hot dogs and neighborhood takeout reflect Clifton's eastern neighborhoods.
Keep the Clifton Guide Useful
Local restaurants, cafés, bakeries and residents can submit corrections, additions or ask about advertising and enhanced listings on NJTGO.com.
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