The restaurants below are set in buildings and/or locations with historic significance. Union County is a dining mecca with many restaurants in addition to these venues – offering nearly every cuisine. Ask the staff at historic sites for their personal favorites.
These listings of dining and lodging establishments are provided as reference, and are not intended as recommendations; we suggest checking online review sites to get a sense of what others experienced at these hotels and restaurants.
Lodging
Libations
| City | Photo | Name | Street | Phone Number | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit | Summit Diner | 1 Union Place | 908-277-3286 | N/A | The US railcar-style diner opened in 1929, and is the oldest operating diner in New Jersey. The original building was replaced with the current building constructed by the Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company in 1938 | |
| Summit | Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar | 2 Kent Place | 908-277-4224 | Website | The historic Old Opera House was designed and built in 1893-1894. It originally housed shops on the ground level and upstairs, an 800-seat stage hall that featured vaudeville that became Summit’s very first movie house. | |
| Summit | Grand Summit Hotel- Hat Tavern | 570 Springfield Ave | 908-273-7656 | Website | The hotel originated as the Blackburn House in 1868 which was taken down to make way for the Summit Suburban Hotel. Following the completion of the hotel the country fell into the Depression and one of its darkest periods. As the times grew good again in the country, the hotel hit its stride and became home to the prominent set and their private and public events from all over the area. | |
| Cranford | Riverside Inn (former speakeasy) | 56 North Ave East | 908-709-9449 | N/A | There is three hundred years of history at the Riverside Inn. It now occupies what was once known as Drake's Landing in the 18th Century, the Lenape Indians used it as their resting ground and would paddle their canoes up the Rahway River, in the early 1900s the lot was a Model A Ford dealership, then during Prohibition, a florist was on the first floor while a speakeasy operated in the basement. | |
| Cranford | Cranford Hotel | 1 South Union Ave | 908-276-2121 | Website | The Cranford Hotel was built in 1893 by the Hess Family. Its convenience to the railroad tracks made is a popular stop for businessmen. The hotel was sold in 1946 and remained in use as a hotel until the early 70’s and currently still bares the resemblance to its earlier days. | |
| Scotch Plains | Stage House Tavern | 366 Park Ave | 908-322-4224 | Website | Opened in 1737 by John Sutton, The Stage House Inn served the community as a meeting place for local government and became a central location during the Revolutionary War for patriot conscription. | |
| Scotch Plains | Ashbrook Tavern at Ashbrook Golf Course | 1210 Raritan Road | 908-490-8620 | Website | The battle of Short Hill occurred at the site of the present Ashbrook Golf Course and the Monument to this battle is located in front. On June 26, 1777, on the plains below the Watchungs, Gen. Washington’s Continental Forces of less than 6,000 men fought a running battle with combined British and Hessian Troops numbering nearly 12,000. Gen. William Howe, feigning a retreat, sought to lure the colonial forces to the lowlands and crush them. What started in Metuchen would soon make its way to the Ash Swamp, where delaying tactics gave Washington’s troops and local militia enough time to return to the safety of the Watchungs. And for in depth version, click here. | |
| Plainfield | Texas Wiener | 100 Watchung Ave | 908-756-5480 | N/A | Texas Wiener is not so much a restaurant as it is a right of passage for many Plainfielders. Around since the 1920s, it’s always been one of the go to stops for a hot dog—and the toppings. Folks may move away from the Queen City, but there are those who insist that whenever they’re back visiting family or friends, a pilgrimage to Texas Wiener is a must. | |
| Kenilworth | Red Knot at Galloping Hill Golf Course | 3 Golf Drive | 908-241-8700 | Website | The club occupies the low, rounded peak of Galloping Hill, so named because of the British military dispatch riders who galloped on the road here during the American Revolutionary War. If you look towards the west, there was once a 186-foot rise known as Tin Kettle Hill, which played a vital role in the Revolutionary War. General George Washington stationed sentries on the hill to warn of any British troop advances, of which there were several, leading to the Battles of Springfield and Connecticut Farms. From 1903-1906 the Pennsylvania Rail Road leveled Tin Kettle Hill, using the soil to build a new route to New York City. |