Jersey's Best Podcast

Concert season is rapidly approaching in the Garden State — and there are few better experiences in New Jersey than going to a concert at one of our myriad music venues. From massive stages like MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, Prudential Center in Newark and PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel to more intimate spots like The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, White Eagle Hall in Jersey City and Crossroads in Garwood, New Jersey’s venues truly run the gamut. Host Jeremy Schneider is once again joined by NJ.com music master Bobby Olivier to talk about why live music is so ingrained in New Jersey's DNA, break down the 11 best music venues in the state and reminisce about the now-closed concert spaces we miss the most. Then Bobby goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, concert venue edition! Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here on Jersey’s Best Podcast and at NJ.com, we are devoted year-round to highlighting New Jersey's exceedingly diverse food and dining scene. But with March being Women’s History Month, we wanted to spend an episode specifically on not just female chefs, but female chefs making arguably New Jersey’s favorite food — pizza! There are thousands of pizzerias in New Jersey and hundreds of thousands of pizza-makers across the country. And according to job search platform Zippia, less than 40% of them are female. But there are women pizza chefs across the Garden State not just making some of New Jersey’s best pizzas, but pushing to dispel the notion that pizza-making is only for men. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food and culture writer Lauren Musni to discuss her upcoming story on the women of New Jersey pizza. Listen in as they break down the obstacles some of New Jersey’s top pizza chefs have overcome to make some of the Garden State’s top pies. Then Lauren is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, pizza edition!   Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Lauren at @laurengisellemusni, and read her story on the women of New Jersey pizza here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 98th annual Academy Awards are this Sunday. And while they’re taking place 3,000 miles away across the country in Los Angeles, Jersey’s impact will be felt all the way in Hollywood. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Men’s Health culture editor and New Jersey native Evan Romano to discuss if Newark native Michael B. Jordan’s chances at Best Actor for his role in “Sinners,” why more and more movies are being filmed in the Garden State and what Netflix’s presence in the state means for the movie business and New Jersey.. Then Jeremy and Evan break down their Letterboxd Top 4 New Jersey movies before Evan is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, movie edition!   Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Evan Romano @EvanRomano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time for March Madness! But we’re less interested in talking about college basketball and more worried about food. Even for non-basketball fans, filling out a bracket is incredibly fun. Which is why we’re taking all of New Jersey’s best foods, and putting them in a bracket to decide the Garden State’s culinary king. After days of consideration (and years of eating across New Jersey) we built a bracket featuring 64 of New Jersey’s most beloved and iconic foods. These aren’t specific restaurants being considered but rather dishes that are found throughout the Garden State. We broke them down into four regions — Italian, New Jersey classics, sweet treats and international foods. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Mike Bergemann, owner of revered pizzeria Corner Slice in Maplewood, to fill out the bracket while discussing the glory of Texas wieners, if cannolis are overrated, which type of pizza reigns supreme, the proper way to serve a chicken parm and more before crowning a Jersey Food Madness champion! Then Mike goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Jersey Food Madness edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Mike Bergemann and Corner Slice at @Corner_Slice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a state filled with iconic and beloved concert venues, Asbury Lanes hold a special place in the heart of Jersey Shore punk kids. Not the swanky, sanitized version of Asbury Lanes that opened in 2018 with state-of-the-art sound and lighting, bowling ball art and a full-fledged diner. The dingy DIY venue that emerged in the bowling alley in 2003 and became not just a popular place for concerts, but one of the epicenters of the city’s cultural revival. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by photographer Mike McLaughlin, who published “Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes” in December. The two discuss the beautiful insanity of The Lanes, why it was much more than a concert venue, the rise and fall of Asbury Lanes and what has become of the space in 2026. Then Jeremy bowls Mike through the Garden State Gauntlet, Asbury Lanes edition.  Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Mike McLaughlin ⁠@mikemclaughlinphotography⁠. His book, “Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes,” is available for purchase ⁠here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is nothing this painfully opinionated state loves more than a geographical debate!  While the discussion is less philosophical and border-centric than the Central Jersey debate — the map of New Jersey counties is pretty cut and dry — the discussion is just as passionate. Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties has its special quirks and characteristics that capture just how vast and diverse the Garden State is — there’s a reason to love every one. But which county is best? Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com data reporter Katie Kausch to break rank all 21 counties, from the rural counties in the south and west to the beach counties of the Jersey Shore, bustling Hudson County and everything in between. After a heated debate, Jeremy and Katie crowned the No. 1 county in the state! Then Jeremy runs Katie through the Garden State Gauntlet, county edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Katie Kausch at @katiekausch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Valentine’s Day from Jersey’s Best Podcast. Some might cynically call Valentine’s Day a made-up holiday pushed by Hallmark and chocolate companies to sell cards and candies. We’re not here to argue with that, we’re here to talk about how romantic New Jersey is! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian Nick Fierro to discuss what romance means in New Jersey, New Jersey’s love language, and then break down the 10 most romantic places in the Garden State! Everything from a famous fast food joint and a beloved Italian restaurant to a revered Essex County overlook and some of the Jersey Shore’s best beach towns make the list. Then Nick is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, Valentine’s Day edition! Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Nick Fierro at @schtickfierro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here on Jersey’s Best Podcast we are devoted year-round to highlighting New Jersey's exceedingly diverse food and dining scene. But as February is recognized as Black History Month, we wanted to spend an episode specifically on Black-owned restaurants, which are one of many pillars of our culinary landscape. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food and culture reporter Chris Burch to discuss how Black-owned restaurants in New Jersey go far beyond soul food, the definition of soul food, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant in Camden, the history of New Jersey’s barbecue scene and more. Then Jeremy puts Chris through the Garden State Gauntlet, Black-owned restaurant edition!    Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Chris Burch at @swishburch  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Grammy Awards are coming up! And while Jersey’s Best Podcast was somehow snubbed for any nominations, New Jersey has a rich history of winning the biggest awards in music! SZA and Jack Antonoff are both up for Grammys this year, but the Garden State's musical history goes far beyond trophies.  Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com music writer (and Jersey’s Best Podcast producer) Bobby Olivier to break down why New Jersey has such an amazing music scene, the 51 best albums in New Jersey history and crown the best record from every decade. Everything from Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston and Fugees come up in the musical discussion. There was so much to cover we had to do a double episode. Like a double album! Then Bobby goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Grammy edition!   Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier  Listen to the Spotify playlist of NJ.com’s 51 best New Jersey albums here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jersey’s Best Podcast is paying its respects — because it’s the end of an era in Central Jersey. Brunswick Square, the East Brunswick mall that was a Middlesex County staple for more than 50 years, officially closed on January 10. While New Jersey’s mall culture is well-established, technology is changing shopping habits, and that means less malls. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com senior political reporter (and Brunswick Square’s biggest fan) Brent Johnson to discuss what he loved so much about Brunswick Square (3:33), some of his best memories from growing up going to the mall (4:50), the mall’s slow decline (12:42) and why New Jersey malls are fading in general (25:19). Then Brent goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, mall edition (38:03)!  Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! . Read his eulogy for Brunswick Square here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How long can we take this chance not to celebrate... the most important New Jersey band of the 21st century? This week Jersey’s Best Podcast is leaving the podcast studio and headed for a New Brunswick basement show, to talk about one of the most influential bands in Garden State history — Thursday. The emo/screamo/post-hardcore/post-whatever band from Central Jersey helped shape the scene in the early 2000s, and influenced countless other groups. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com music writer (and Jersey’s Best Podcast producer) Bobby Olivier to discuss anything and everything about Thursday — from Jeremy’s memories of seeing them live for the first time at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville (5:50) and what makes Thursday timeless and iconic (8:20) to which of their albums reigns supreme (20:28). Bobby and Jeremy then draft their favorite Thursday song (26:40) before Bobby goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Thursday edition (49:26)!   Follow us! ⁠@jerseysbestpodcast⁠ on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky ⁠Subscribe to NJ.com⁠, our journalists need you! Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows the Taylor Provisions Company as the biggest name in Taylor ham and pork roll — they literally invented it all the way back in 1856, and their cherry red packaging is as synonymous with the stuff as eggs, cheese and kaiser rolls.  What you don’t know is the family behind the company is rife with enough scandal, infighting and legal drama to make the Taylor ham/pork roll name controversy look like a footnote. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com enterprise writer Brianna Kudisch, who wrote "The untold story of Taylor ham: Inside a N.J. family legacy tainted by scandal, cruelty and a tawdry affair," the story that details the drama that surrounds the company. Jeremy and Brianna break down the history of the company and how it invented Taylor ham as we know it and why the government made them change the product's name (5:51), the woman who has taken over the company and ushered in an era of scandal (9:45) and multiple harassment lawsuits (15:00). Then Brianna goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Taylor Provisions edition (38:40)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Brianna at @BriannaKudisch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Years from Jersey’s Best Podcast! While 2025 may have been the year this podcast launched, we’re just as excited for 2026! And as New Jersey prepares for the New Year, we have some New Year’s resolutions for the Garden State. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian Jourdan McKinley to prepare for the New Year with pledges related to the 2026 World Cup coming to MetLife Stadium, some of New Jersey’s best movie theaters and the food trends we want to see (and not see) in 2026. Jourdan also explains the biggest issue facing New Jersey in 2026. Then Jeremy puts Jourdan through the Garden State Gauntlet, New Years edition! Happy New Year! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Jourdan McKinley at @jourdanmckinley  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merry Christmas Eve, fellow Jerseyans! Jeremy is off throwing bagels at elves so we are re-running one of our favorite episodes of the year! We'll be back with a new episode next week — happy listening! Our, uh, colorful New Jersey language unites us, even if it separates us from the rest of the country. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian and noted Bennie dissenter Allie Mae to break down all their favorite Jersey slang, from saltpepperketchup (7:34) and 20regularcash (14:42) to the more obscure Jersey Slide (16:29) and Goosey Night (22:38). They also bond over which New Jersey highway has not yet been lost to corporate America (13:36). Then Allie takes on our trickiest Garden State Gauntlet yet, identifying Jersey town nicknames (41:38).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Allie Mae at @defaultprogrammer  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Jersey’s Best Podcast is going out to eat! Because of all the myriad things New Jerseyans adore about the Garden State, there’s one thing we love above it all — food. We’ve done a delicious job of documenting New Jersey’s culinary obsession on Jersey’s Best Podcast. And this week is no different — we’re breaking down the best things we ate in New Jersey in 2025. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Michael Barreto aka Mikey Mortadella, the manager at Judy & Harry’s in Asbury Park, as they go down the list of the best meals of the year. From pop-up smash burgers down the Shore (16:26) and Vietnamese egg coffee in Bergen County (21:51) to a final meal at a legendary New Jersey diner (24:42), an Iberian pasta dish that showcases why anchovies are so overlooked in cuisine (31:23) and why the dining scene is a pillar of humanity in New Jersey (40:37), Jeremy and Mikey break down a very tasty year in Garden State eats. Then Jeremy puts Mike through the Garden State Gauntlet, 2025 food edition (49:45)!  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Michael Barreto at @Mike_Barreto  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Holidays from Jersey’s Best Podcast! The holiday season is in full swing, and what better place to be for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years than New Jersey. But we know the holidays can be stressful as you look for things to do with your family — and fine, thing to do to get away from your family. So we’re here to help! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com data reporter Katie Kausch to discuss all the funnest things to do in New Jersey during the holiday season. Jeremy and Katie draft the ultimate New Jersey holiday experience, ranging from snowshoeing in one of New Jersey’s most scenic state parks (6:25) and visiting holiday-themed aquariums (9:30) to building menorahs while eating latkes (12:38) and hitting the mall to meet Santa, even if it’s the worst time of year to be there (15:11). Then Jeremy puts Katie through the Garden State Gauntlet, holiday edition (35:16)!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NJ.com’s intrepid food team just released its biggest story ever, the 99 best restaurants in New Jersey! The list covers every county in the state, every type of cuisine you can think of and runs the gamut from fine dining to divey greasy spoons. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined once again by NJ.com food writers Pete Genovese, Lauren Musni and Chris Burch to break down everything that went into the story and some of their favorite spots that made the rankings, everything from a food truck in Morristown (6:29), a sandwich shop in a shipping container (15:21) and one of the state’s elite diners (16:49) to elite Korean barbecue (24:33), soothing ramen (22:44) and the best Iberian restaurant in the state (27:15). Then Jeremy and the team break down the top 10 of the NJ.com 99 best restaurants list (30:55), including crowning the No. 1 restaurant in the great state of New Jersey (50:30)! ⁠Read the full list of Jersey's 99 best restaurants here! ⁠ Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Pete Genovese at @petegenovese on X and @peteknowsjersey on Instagram. Subscribe to Pete’s newsletter, Jersey’s Secret Sauce, here.  Follow Lauren at @laurengisellemusni Follow Chris Burch at @swishburch  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Thanksgiving from Jersey’s Best Podcast! We have a lot to be thankful for in New Jersey this year… but plenty to be embarrassed of, as well. Jeremy is joined once again by Jersey City comedian Nick Fierro to give thanks for some of our favorite things in the Garden State in 2025, and also to crown some Garden State turkeys — the people that made New Jersey look so bad we want to disown them. Listen in as Jeremy and Nick break down why they’re thankful for old men doing karaoke in Secaucus (5:17) and a very specific Thanksgiving sandwich (10:09), plus the New Jersey turkeys who got a little too excited at a Korn concert (33:51) and cursed out their own restaurant’s customers (38:53). Then Nick goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Thanksgiving edition (43:11)!  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Nick Fierro at @schtickfierro  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re the DEVILS! Yes, the Garden State is home to plenty of professional sports teams. But only one of them puts New Jersey and New Jersey alone in their team name — the Devils of the National Hockey League! With the NHL season in full swing and the Devils playing well, it was time to talk puck. Jeremy is joined by NJ.com Devils beat writer Ryan Novizinsky as they break down what the Devils mean to New Jersey (2:52), the way the Devils have embraced the Garden State in ways other New Jersey sports teams don’t (6:59), what the franchise lost when it left the Meadowlands (10:22), what it gained when it came to Newark (13:11) and if Devils fans are crazy (17:52). Then Ryan gives us the outlook on the season for the Devils (24:35) before going through the Garden State Gauntlet, Devils edition (35:27)!   Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Ryan Novozinsky @RyanNovoNHL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Jersey highways are a fact of life in New Jersey — a necessary evil. If you want to hit the Jersey Shore, go shopping at Garden State Plaza, or head down south to Atlantic City, you’re not just taking a highway — chances are you’re taking several. You probably have a preferred route, you know which roads to skip and when to skip them. So this week, we’re handing out our second edition of the Roadie Awards to best and worst New Jersey highways! Jeremy is joined by New Jersey musician/coffeemaker/skateboarder John Cozz to break down why New Jersey is so obsessed with our highways (2:40), if New Jerseyans are actually the bad drivers in this state (7:30) and how highways shape New Jersey life in many ways (9:56). Then Jeremy and John give awards (12:13) to the state’s ugliest highways, best highways for food and the highways we will defend for the rest of our lives. Finally, Jeremy runs John through the Garden State Gauntlet, John Cozz edition (42:30)!  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow John Cozz at @john.cozz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices