Savor Scout › Cities › New Jersey › Paterson, NJ
Where to eat in Paterson, NJ
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A few places to eat in Paterson
- Circle Cafe American · under 0.1 miles
144 Washington St, Paterson - House Lomo Restaurant Peruvian · under 0.1 miles
175 Market St, Paterson - Silk City Platters Halal · 0.1 miles
170 Market St, Paterson - Raices Dominicanas Restaurant Dominican · 0.1 miles
185 Market St, Paterson - Chantilly Bakery · 0.1 miles
14 Clark St, Paterson
The closest few by distance from central Paterson, not a ranking — local places listed ahead of chains. Listings from Overture Maps open data (September 2026); hours and openings change, so check before you go. Want one picked for what you're craving instead? Ask Savor Scout in Paterson.
The food scene in Paterson
Open listings put 544 places to eat within 2 miles of central Paterson, 150 within a ten-minute walk (half a mile). The most common: Peruvian (44), pizza (37) and bakery (34). 33 are fast-food counters; the rest are sit-down restaurants, cafés, bakeries and takeaway spots.
What stands out in Paterson is Turkish, Dominican and Peruvian — types that are listed here at 39 to 54 times the national rate.
By type of food — tap one for what to order and how to spot a good one:
Peruvian 44 Pizza 37 Bakery 34 Mexican 32 Chinese 24 Latin American 21 Dominican 21 Turkish 17 Deli 16 Italian 13
The food in Paterson
Paterson has more than enough places to eat — the trouble is choosing between them without spending longer deciding than eating.
Savor Scout picks one restaurant in Paterson and tells you why it picked it. Say what you're craving and it reads menus and reviews for that specific dish, rather than sorting places by overall star rating. Free, runs in the browser, and one search needs no account.
Eating out in Paterson
Paterson has a population of about 145,948. A city this size has real range, and range is what makes the decision slow. Savor Scout searches up to 35 miles around Paterson, so places just outside the city are still on the table when they are worth the drive.
How many places to eat are there in Paterson?
Paterson sits in Passaic County, where the Census counts 411 full-service restaurants, 389 limited-service places, 116 cafés and snack bars and 75 bars — 991 places to eat or drink in all. Paterson makes up about 28% of the county's population.
That works out at 19.1 per 10,000 residents, which is about level with the national median of 19.4 — a normal amount of choice, and a normal amount of indecision. Sit-down and counter-service places are close to balanced, with the edge to sit-down.
Those county figures also cover Clifton, Passaic, all within Savor Scout's search radius from Paterson.
County-level counts from the US Census (2022) — how we got these numbers.
What are you craving in Paterson?
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- burgers in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- ramen in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- wings in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- chinese food in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- italian food in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- thai food in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- mexican food in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- barbecue in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- seafood in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- brunch in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- indian food in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- sandwiches in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
- noodles in Paterson — what separates a good one from an average one
Near Paterson
- Clifton, NJ — about 4 miles away
- Passaic, NJ — about 5 miles away
- Hackensack, NJ — about 7 miles away
- Kearny, NJ — about 10 miles away
- East Orange, NJ — about 10 miles away
- West New York, NJ — about 12 miles away
Campuses in and near Paterson
Each has its own page: what is within walking distance and a few places to start with.
- William Paterson University of New Jersey
- Montclair State University
- Bergen Community College
- Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
- Ramapo College of New Jersey
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University-Newark
- Essex County College
How this differs from Google Maps and Yelp
Maps and Yelp are directories: they rank everything nearby and leave the deciding to you. Savor Scout makes the call and shows its reasoning — the match score, what it beat, and the evidence behind the pick. The underlying place data comes from the same public sources, so the difference is the selection, not the data.
Guides
- What to eat when… — 30 guides by situation, from a first date to a hangover to a group of twelve.
- Food guides — what separates a good taco, ramen or pizza from an average one.
- Eating out with a restriction — allergies, halal, kosher, vegan and more.
- Near a campus? — food around 637 US universities.