5 Central Jersey restaurants that we still miss

CENTRAL JERSEY – Thinking back, there were many restaurants in our hometowns that seemed like they would last forever. They were staples, whether because they were places to hangout with friends, a family favorite or simply, that good. 

Some of these restaurants were chains, others one-off establishments. Some catered to families and others favored a date night or more adult crowd. But, all of them, after a good long run, were no more. It saddened us to see them go and even decades after the closing, these restaurants are still remembered with fondness. 

We asked readers, colleagues, friends and family what restaurant they missed; the resulting list was long and full of longing. After much debate, we settled on five favorites.

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Raised in Monroe, and now a resident of Helmetta, Cindy Shapter lamented the closing of her local favorites. 

"Why did all these great places close?," she said. "Each had its own uniqueness about them. Now everything is about the same. So sad."

"We reminisce all the time about old places that we miss," said Denise Spicuzzo of Spotswood.

Cindy Kondratuk listed a slew of establishments that she and her family loved.

"All great places to go to, eat, drink, relax have good conversations, watch a movie," said Kondratuk of East Brunswick. "Now all the new establishments are competing for noise level and how many TVs there are."

Do you remember?

Farrell's, East Brunswick

Topping the list for Central Jersey, Farrell's in East Brunswick is an establishment that was unanimously beloved and missed. With its iconic old- fashioned 1900's fair-like atmosphere, Farrell's had a menu of classic comfort food, a penny candy area with giant jawbreakers and, of course, the Zoo — a massive ice cream extravaganza that was meant to shared. Servers ran around with it on a stretcher and drums and sirens sounded.

At Farrell's, patrons stepped back in time and had servers dressed in pin-striped vests,  ties and cane hats. The restaurant looked like an ice cream parlor from more than 100 years ago and the menu was a newspaper type style. It was quaint and homey and welcoming... and so much fun.

And of course, you always got a free ice cream sundae — not the Zoo — on your birthday. Like many, Tom Hannan of Point Pleasant Beach used to frequent Farrell's for the "birthday" perks.

"We used to just say it was someone's birthday — to get the waiters and waitresses to march around with the drum and all the singing," Hannan said.

The East Brunswick Farrell's in the Brunswick Square Mall closed in December 1991 and stood approximately where Tilted Kilt is now; there was another entrance from the inside of the mall on the J.C.Penney's side. 

Having grown up in East Brunswick, less than a mile from the Brunswick Square Mall, Sheri Watson remembers Farrell's being "great fun."

"It was embarrassing if it was your birthday because everybody sang, but the ice cream sundaes were delicious," she said. "I also love the candy you could buy and the creepy fortune telling machine! There also was the self playing piano too. It was a great place to hang with teen friends."

Dina Forbes of Red Bank and Michelle Szawaryn-Rivera of South Amboy worked at Farrell's. In 1977, Rivera was a hostess and worked in the candy store area as she was only 15. 

"I had the best time working there," Szawaryn-Rivera said. "The people were so good to us and it was just a fun environment to be in! Free food too! My favorite was the Gibson Girl. It had a bunch of sherbet on top. ... I was living in Sayreville and going to Sayreville High School when I worked there. It was fun to seat all my friends from school."

As an adult, Szawaryn-Rivera took her own children there when they were small for birthday parties.

"They loved it!" she said.

Forbes, who lived in Old Bridge at the time, had two stints working for the popular family venue during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"I started working from Farrell's during summer break from college," Forbes said. "When I graduated from college and got a full-time job, I continued to work there part-time until it closed shortly afterward — that's how much fun it was. A lot of us are still in touch."

Like hundreds, perhaps thousands, of locals, Corey Kochis of East Brunswick spent many a birthday celebration at Farrell's. 

"I had a birthday party there when I was about 5 or 6 years old," Kochis said. "I had totally forgotten about the crazy chicken prize machine until I saw this picture today! Birthdays at Farrell's were always my favorite because they would come out banging a huge drum! They also had the best ice cream sundaes!"

Steve Kutno, who was raised in Old Bridge, said his memory of Farrell's was that his family went there for special occasions. 

"The atmosphere added to the celebration," he said.

Shapter added that Barbara Cottrell, a Spotswood school music teacher, purchased the Farrell's drum when the restaurant closed until 1998.

"She kept the Farrell’s drum in her classroom until she retired," Shapter said.

"Farrell's was our go to place after school drama shows," Cottrell said. "No place like it anymore! I bought the drum and two framed posters because we had such great memories, as a family and as school drama casts." 

Cottrell passed the drum to Charlie and Denise Spicuzzo. 

"It's crazy having the drum in my home," Charlie Spicuzzo said. "I use to look forward to being able to bang on it on my birthday and now I can do it any time I want — though not often."

The Wooden Nickel, North Brunswick

Located on Georges Road in North Brunswick, where Arthur's Steakhouse is now, The Wooden Nickel with its folksy Americana theme opened in 1972. The venue was covered in nostalgic signs and posters, with red oilcloth tablecloths, knotholes in the planks and a wall of old books seated about 300 in five dining areas, including the lounge. The service was known as "friendly" and there was a lot to look at in the decor.

The family fare "surf and turf" restaurant with an "amazing stuffed flounder" and "to die-for chocolate mousse bowls" also was known for its showings of popular and classic movies on a screen in the lounge, local bands who performed regularly, small pickle barrels on the tables and wooden nickel tokens.

Julie Larkin, who lived in East Brunswick and now resides in Monroe, used to go to The Wooden Nickel with a friend and that friend's father.

"The Wooden Nickel used to show movies while you ate and had the best chocolate moose in a chocolate bowl," she said. 

"Loved Wooden Nickel," said JoAnn Mccloskey, formerly of East Brunswick, and now a resident of Norwich, New York. "Oh, the Chocolate Moose Boats!"

Now living in Clermont, Floria, Walter Gilliland, originally from Spotswood, started going to The Wooden Nickel in the '70s.

"I remember it being good food and atmosphere," he said. "Didn’t they put a small tub of pickles on the table? I still have a wooden nickel token."

Spacious, there was room for events and rite of passage events, such as christenings, sweet sixteens and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Sabrina Winter Denmark of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, formerly of East Brunswick said she and her sister Jenny celebrated their Bat Mitzvah at The Wooden Nickel. Her's was in 1979, her sister's a few years later. Jonathan Richter of California had his 1976 Bar Mitzvah reception there, as did his brother Peter of Brooklyn and Matt of Westfield, when his family lived in East Brunswick. 

"I just remember dancing — with girls! — presents, limbo and good food," Richter said.

For some The Wooden Nickel was a place where love spawned. It was the perfect "first date" spot. Some held engagement parties or even wedding receptions there. Lynn Kasics of South Amboy had her first date with her to-be husband at the Wooden Nickel in 1981. Jennifer Howard, who grew up in East Brunswick, added that her mother worked at The Wooden Nickel in the late 70s and met her father there.

Michael Rosol of Somerset remembers two things about The Wooden Nickel — taking his to-be wife there and the salads. He was not alone in yearning for the salads as many others such as ex-East Brunswick residents Holly Weiss, now of Freehold, and Donna Vera now of Washington, D.C., and San Antonio, Texas, also remembered and missed the first-course special. 

"Those salads," Rosol said. "With the little baby shrimp and grated hard-boiled egg on top. Had my first real date with my wife there. An after-work stop-off when working at Korvette's in the North Brunswick Shopping Center."

"Great salads," Vera said. "If memory serves me correct, at one point they handed out wooden nickel tokens."

Many remembered the convivial atmosphere, mostly brought on by the friendly staff. 

"I worked there from 1974 to 1975," said Cherie Horvath of East Brunswick. "Fun job when you were young!"

"It was a great place to work and play — David and Bert were the owners then and we had an awesome crew. The kitchen staff lived in the old house next door — it is a bank now," said East Brunswick resident Johanna DeAngelo, who worked at The Wooden Nickel in the late 80s. "We had a comedy show in the bar on Tuesday nights and the other nights movies and popcorn in the bar. The salads were the best with the little shrimp and the Shrimp Louisiana was awesome — the head chef at Arthur's is still there from Wooden Nickel days!" 

Leaning Tower of Pizza, Green Brook

Called an "engineering miracle," by locals, the Leaning Tower of Pizza on Route 22 in Green Brook was as known for its slices as it was for its unique architecture. Jean Shepherd, the legendary radio personality and author of “A Christmas Story,” immortalized The Leaning Tower of Pizza.

Shep called Route 22 "the true bastion of the slob road in America in full flower" and every time he praised the highway he mentioned the unique restaurant. There was no better example of the surrealistic road art than The Leaning Tower of Pizza, not far from those other architectural shrines, the Ivory Tower motel, the paint cans on the roof of Siperstein’s and Tiko-Taco, the only Mexican restaurant for miles before Taco Bell.

What made The Leaning Tower of Pizza stand out in the splendid clutter of Route 22 was its own leaning tower. It was about as close as anyone in Central Jersey would get to the medieval marvel in Pisa, Italy. Contemporary zoning regulations would never allow a 30-foot leaning tower to be built in front of a restaurant on Route 22, but it was an unforgettable wonder of roadside art, along with the Flagship in Route 22’s center island in Union.

"For years, as a child, I thought this was the real Leaning Tower of Pisa!," said David Jay Brown, who now lives in Santa Cruz, California. 

In an era where there was no Olive Garden or other chains and every strip mall didn’t have a pizzeria, The Leaning Town of Pizza offered reliable Italian food. If you wanted to celebrate grandma’s birthday you went to The Willows — another landmark restaurant that’s gone — but if you wanted to treat the family to a fun experience, where even the most finicky kid could find something to like, you went to the Leaning Tower of Pizza.

Lynn Hermance of Stokesdale, North Carolina, and Karen Hoelzel of Middlesex remember the Leaning Tower of Pizza as a neighborhood hang out. 

"I remember going there with the whole neighborhood every once in a while," said Hoelzel of on the "You know you're from Middlesex, NJ if..." Facebook page. Mary Galletto of Middlesex added that Leaning Tower of Pizza had the "Best pizza ever!"

It’s now an Asian restaurant and the Leaning Tower was demolished in the 1980s.

Bucky's, Bridgewater

For a long time after World War II, Bucky’s of Bridgewater was the height of middle-class sophistication in Somerset County. If you couldn’t afford the Somerville Inn, Far Hills Inn or La Brochette — the Somerville French restaurant owned by the father of the infamous and disgraced Somerset County Prosecutor Nicholas Bissell — you went out for a special occasion to Bucky’s at the intersection known as Four Corners on East Main Street and Finderne Avenue, about a mile from the county’s two biggest employers, Johns-Manville and American Cyanamid.

Bucky’s was the place to go to celebrate an anniversary, close a business or declare a dating relationship was about to become serious.

You knew Bucky’s was sophisticated because of the iconic sign. The sign featured a woman in a champagne glass, pop art before it’s time and a throwback to Art Deco. Some thought it was offensive and unduly racy; others believed it was a classy and wouldn’t be out of place in a black-and-white movie montage of sophistication.

Bucky’s was unique because it served a holy triptych of cuisine — American, Italian and Chinese. If there were three of you dining together, it was not unusual to see on the table a cheeseburger, spaghetti and meatballs and chow mein.

"Regarding Bucky's, I heard a story. Someone went into the restaurant where there was a picture. The owner said 'This is my nephew, Antonio Benedetto.' It was Tony Bennett,” said Somerville High School graduate Ted Pilalides. "Also, I heard it was one of the few, if not the only restaurant in New Jersey to receive a liquor license for free right after Prohibition ended."

Bucky's is gone, a victim of Somerset County widening the dangerous intersection when the ballpark and Bridgewater Promenade was built down East Main Street. Tearing down the restaurant and building a pocket park with a sign flashing news from the freeholders was considered an off-site improvement. Few would agree.

Circle Diner, Flemington

One of the saddest days in recent Hunterdon County history was the night the Circle Diner in Flemington burned down — March 3, 1994. The diner was on the circle where routes 202, 12 and 69 (now 31 after the state got tired of replacing the stolen signs) met.

It was the center of the Hunterdon County universe, the place where everybody went on Friday and Saturday nights to rehash the stock car races at the Flemington Speedway or conclude the delicate negotiations after a date at a time when there still were movie theaters in Flemington.

On those nights where everything seemed possible, if you were a guy, you ordered the gravy and fries, and if you were a gal, you ordered the cheesecake which, by all accounts, was the best in the world. It was also the place where your family went to celebrate a birthday, graduation. a better-than-expected report card or a walk with the bases loaded in a Little League game.

"What memories!," said Joan Siwy, formerly of Flemington, now residing in Ewing. "Went there with family after long days of shopping with my Mom and grandmother. Went with friends on Friday night dinner break from Hunterdon County National Bank. Best cheesecake ever. I really miss that place. Think of it almost every time I go around that damn circle — the diner was the best thing about the circle."

You knew the waitresses by name and they knew you. And if you misbehaved, they also knew your parents.

It was no accident that the diner burned down. James Katsaros, the owner, later pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to four years in prison. The site remained vacant until it was replaced by a TGI Friday’s — progress.

"I would say that I was at the diner 500 times with 'my crew' from age 16 to 18. Seemed like an every night thing, " Jim Rella of Flemington wrote on the "I remember the Circle Diner in Flemington, NJ" Facebook page. "Loved the jukebox at the table. Always played Foghat and Frank Sinatra, 'My Way.' "

Fondly remembered

So many waxed nostalgic — we sifted through about 1,000 responses — about favorite area restaurants. The list also included Victoria Station, York Steakhouse, East Brunswick Chateau, George's Chateau, Down On The Farm, Buxton's, Pep's, The Bedroom, Charley's Uncle, Chi Chi's, Bun 'n' Burger, Crestwood, J.C. Penney's, Woolworth's and Newberry's luncheonettes, Rustler Steakhouse, Ponderosa, Sizzler, Fuddruckers, Gino's, Ground Round, Fuddrucker's, Old Bay, Bennigan's, Old Country Buffet, Broadway Deli, Wurlitzer's, Old Bay, La Fontana, Blitzburger, J. August Cafe, Sir John's, Whalebones, Arthur Treacher Fish n' Chips, Clare and Coby's , Chowder Pot, Varsity Pub, Fat Eddie's Groaning Board, Sayreville Bar, Wagon Wheel, The Newsroom, Howard Johnson's, Mr. Bee's, the original Snuffy's, Stewart's, Raritan Valley Inn, Far Hills Inn, The Villa, Somerville Inn, Old York Inn, Readington Roadhouse, New Orleans Steakhouse, Forsgates, Jack O'Connor's, Cozzy Corner, Buffalo Bill's, Candy Kitchen, Main Street, Minuteman, Costa Del Sol, Tamarack, Evelyn's Seafood, Lenox Diner, The Brass Rail, Orlando's, Joey's Dish, Ranch Diner, Tico Taco, Jughouse, Mr. Burger, Boca's, The Little White House, Bluebird Luncheon, The Ranch Restaurant, New Market Diner, Maryann’s, Dunbar’s, The Straw Hat, Opdyke's, La Brochettes, Gino's, Catari's, Clara Louise Tea Room, Clam's, Vaughn's, The Country Gentleman, Johnny's Diner and ...

Staff Writer Cheryl Makin: 732-565-7256; cmakin@gannettnj.com