Do not read this if you're hungry
WARNING: If you're hungry, you probably shouldn't keep reading this.
Had a snack? Ah. Now keep scrolling.
Hi! 👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we're sizzling, grilling and serving up a food lover's dream and diving into the one-of-a-kind Paste BN Network 2025 Restaurants of the Year (check out the 2025 list here!). We chat with Liz Johnson, a senior director at The Record and northjersey.com, part of the Paste BN Network. Johnson, who lead the Restaurants of the Year project, shares how Paste BN's national newsrooms compiled these remarkable restaurants for our readers — and good news, many are no reservations required.
Before you take a bite, munch on a few more headlines I've read this week from Paste BN:
- An Ohio woman wanted to leave life on her own terms. So she traveled to Switzerland.
- Why is everyone so sick this winter??
- A new AI platform helps Native American tribes find funding.
- Being a digital nomad is more stressful than it sounds.
- As sports betting skyrockets, more Americans search for addiction help.
We're eating the good (and affordable) stuff in 2025
When former food writer Liz Johnson eats in a restaurant, she's not looking at her own plate. Her focus is on other tables. She studies fellow diners for signs they're enjoying their service (or not). Did they send a dish back? Was the food delayed to reach the table? Do people look happy with each bite?
She jots her notes down in the bathroom so none of the restaurant's managers can see her, hurriedly getting insights down before returning to her seat for the next bite. As a veteran food writer based in New Jersey, Johnson knows a thing or two about what makes the perfect dining out spot: timeliness, charm and affordability all stick out to her.
That's why she wanted Paste BN's 2025 Restaurants of the Year list to look different from other popular dining lists: It's written by and for expert food journalists, featuring the spots the experts actually enjoy. There's white table cloths and food trucks, burgers and Bolognese for every kind of diner: Whether you're splurging or savoring, the list has something for you.
The reach of the Paste BN Network's more than 200 newsrooms made it possible for Johnson and her colleagues to develop such a dynamic list, now in its third annual iteration, she said.
"We're really in a unique position compared to other newsrooms," Johnson said. It's not just major chefs from big cities on the list. From Des Moines to Manhattan, diners can find something for their palette. Think dripping white queso on a golden Texas burrito. Fresh-caught oysters with a view of the Atlantic. Elevated Indian street food in a New Jersey suburb.
"We made sure there is diversity in geography, dining experience and cuisine style," said Johnson, who worked with fellow food editors across the country to select the 44 top spots from at least 100 nominees. "It's not all fancy food. One is just a really well-known spot in Nevada that's been around since the 1950s."
Developing this list was no small feat, Johnson said. The months-long process involved coordinating with editors across dozens of national newsrooms to gather submissions, read (and taste with their eyes) about delicious dining destinations. Once they chose the winners, they worked extra hard on the design and experience of the list itself to make it easy and navigable for readers to find the spots that matched their budgets (and bellies).
Her wish? The restaurants Paste BN's journalists know and love become the spots you and your family go to again and again.
"They surprise and delight," she said. "Know we have vetted this spots. We wouldn't send you to a place that is bad for your dollar."
Thank you
I'll be booking a trip to taste some of these yummy dishes, now! Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you.
Best wishes,
Nicole Fallert