Bergen County’s Readers’ Choice 2026: The Restaurants Locals Love Most
Some days call for a stack of pancakes. Others call for an ultra-thin pizza, a plate of barbecue, or a seafood dinner worth lingering over. In Bergen County, New Jersey, you can find all of them among the restaurants recognized in Bergen magazine’s 2026 Readers’ Choice results.
The magazine lists winners in individual categories, so these six restaurants aren’t an overall top-six ranking. They’re a selection of places readers recognized for everything from breakfast to French cooking. Whether you’re planning a special meal or looking for a new stop close to home, their menus offer plenty of places to start.
Matthew’s Diner: A Breakfast Stop in Waldwick
A good diner can make the first meal of the day feel like an occasion. At Matthew’s Diner in Waldwick, breakfast earned the top spot in Bergen magazine’s 2026 results. The restaurant also placed first in the Diner category, giving readers two reasons to keep it on their radar.
A previously published Waldwick menu offers a glimpse of the choices, including pancakes, Belgian waffles and specialty omelets. One pancake option combines banana, Nutella and granola with buttermilk pancakes, while an Italian omelet brings together mushrooms, sausage, mozzarella and peppers.
Those dishes are examples from the documented menu, not individual award winners. Because the menu is from 2025, check with the restaurant before visiting if you have your heart set on a particular plate.
Kinchley’s Tavern: Thin-Crust Pizza in Ramsey
If your ideal pizza starts with a thin crust, Kinchley’s Tavern deserves a look. The Ramsey restaurant placed first in the Pizza category, and its website puts its ultra-thin-crust pies front and center. For a pizza night, that distinction makes choosing where to go a little easier.
Pizza may be what brings you through the door, but Kinchley’s also offers a broader menu and a bar. That makes it a good option when one person at the table wants pizza, and someone else wants to explore.
Sanducci’s Trattoria: Italian Food and a BYO Invitation
Dinner plans can be as simple as picking a restaurant and bringing a favorite bottle. At Sanducci’s Trattoria in River Edge, that approach comes with two Readers’ Choice distinctions. The restaurant ranked first in both Italian Restaurant and BYO Restaurant categories.
Sanducci’s describes itself as a casual Italian restaurant serving Italian dishes and homemade specialties. Its website invites guests to bring their own wine or beer, so diners can pair a drink with their meal.
Sanducci’s Pizza Kitchen is also next door, and the magazine listed it separately in its Pizza category. For the Trattoria’s dinner selections and current details, visit the restaurant’s website before heading out.
Brother’s Smokehouse BBQ & Soul: A Barbecue Pick in Ramsey
Sometimes the decision is easy: You’re in the mood for barbecue. Brother’s Smokehouse, listed by Bergen Magazine as the first-place choice in its Barbecue category, gives Ramsey diners a place to start. The restaurant uses its full name, Brother’s Smokehouse BBQ & Soul, on its website.
Its ordering menu includes pepper-crusted smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and smoked chicken. Meat-combination plates are another documented option for anyone having trouble settling on just one.
The award recognizes the restaurant in the barbecue category rather than naming an individual winning dish. Browse the current menu before ordering, then choose the plate that sounds best to you.
Brasserie Mémère: French Cooking and Brunch in Closter
Brunch has a way of turning a regular morning into a reason to slow down. At Brasserie Mémère in Closter, it’s also one of several categories that earned recognition in the 2026 Readers’ Choice results. The restaurant placed first for Brunch, French Restaurant, and Outdoor Dining.
For a taste of its French brasserie cooking, the restaurant’s takeout menu lists soupe aux oignons with Gruyère cheese toast and steak frites with hanger steak and fries. Those are takeout-menu examples, so check the brunch menu separately if you’re planning a morning visit.
The multiple category placements give diners a few ways to approach a visit. You might go for brunch, look into outdoor seating, or make French cooking the focus of your plans.
Stern and Bow: Seafood and More in Closter
For a seafood-centered outing, Stern and Bow offers another reason to visit Closter. Bergen magazine listed it first in the Seafood Restaurant category and first for Date Night Restaurant. It also placed second for Brunch and tied for second in Outdoor Dining.
The restaurant’s website describes an American menu with seafood specialties and a raw bar featuring a rotating oyster selection. There are also wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, burgers, and steaks, giving the table choices beyond seafood.
If oysters catch your attention, ask what’s available when you visit. And wherever you decide to eat, check the restaurant’s current menu and hours first. A little planning leaves more time for the enjoyable part: deciding what to order.
