Things to do · Recommended by Johnny
Things to Do in Clifton, NJ
This is the on-the-ground rundown of where to eat, drink, shop, and get outside in Clifton, New Jersey. Every pick below is a real, operating business or a real place with its own website, chosen the way a neighbor would recommend them, not the way a brochure would. Hours and menus change, so give each place a quick look before you head out.
Every spot is in Clifton, NJ
Neighbor picks, not paid placement
Hours change, check first
Restaurants & dining
Tables worth leaving the house for
Clifton's dining scene runs from generations-deep Italian institutions to a Cuban kitchen with real energy to a diner with its own neon legacy. These are the tables worth knowing, from the ones on Valley Road to the ones a few minutes up the road.
№ 01
4.7
Matthew's
1131 Bloomfield Ave, Clifton
A Bloomfield Avenue mainstay with a big local following, the sort of Italian restaurant that fills up every weekend and keeps its regulars for decades.
№ 02
4.3
Rumba Cubana - Clifton
2 South Pkwy, Clifton
Cuban cooking with real festive energy: roast pork, plantains, and cold mojitos, served loud and proud just off Route 3.
№ 03
3.5
Tick Tock Diner
281 Allwood Rd (Route 3), Clifton
A Route 3 landmark since 1948 and one of New Jersey's best-known diners, famously featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, with a menu as big as the neon.
№ 04
4.3
Taste of Tuscany
1051 Bloomfield Ave, Styertowne Shopping Center
Tuscan-style Italian in the Styertowne center, a dependable pick when you want a proper sit-down dinner without leaving town.
№ 05
Dante's Restaurant
955 Valley Rd, Clifton
The long-running bar-and-restaurant right on Valley Road, the closest classic to 522 and a Clifton institution for good reason.
№ 06
3.9
Mario's Restaurant & Pizzeria
710 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
The neighborhood pizza-and-red-sauce standby on Van Houten, where the pie comes fast and the booths are friendly.
№ 07
Tommys Tavern + Tap
826 Route 3, Clifton
A comfortably loud tavern right off Route 3 with a deep tap list and a menu that covers everyone in the group.
№ 08
The Love of Grub
606 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
A no-fuss Van Houten kitchen turning out serious flavor at friendly prices, the kind of place you text your roommate about.
Cafes
Slow mornings, small rooms
Whether it is coffee with real ceremony, a bookshop corner, or a Balkan-style breakfast, Clifton keeps its coffeehouses unhurried. Bring a book, or just a few extra minutes.
№ 01
Qahwah House Coffee - Clifton
441 Crooks Ave, Clifton
A Yemeni coffeehouse that treats coffee with real ceremony, known for honey-sweet specialties, slow pour-overs, and a room that makes you want to stay.
№ 02
ANT Bookstore and Cafe
345 Clifton Ave, Clifton
Books, coffee, and a community table under one friendly roof, the sort of shop you step into for ten minutes and leave an hour later.
№ 03
4.3
Cafe Bubamara
263 Parker Ave, Clifton
A cozy Balkan-style cafe with strong coffee, homemade touches, and room to sit a while, tucked away on Parker Ave.
№ 04
The Happy Belly Cafe
616 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
A sunny little cafe on Van Houten where breakfast and lunch get made with care, no pretense involved.
№ 05
4.1
Istanbul Cafe and Restaurant
1378 Main Ave, Clifton
Turkish coffee, tea, and kitchen comfort on Main Avenue, a warm corner of the neighborhood with a loyal morning crowd.
Bars & nightlife
Where the evenings land
From a Colonial farmhouse pouring craft cocktails to a proper little dive, Clifton's bar scene stays low-key and friendly. No velvet rope anywhere in this section.
№ 01
3.6
The Barrow House
1296 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
A Colonial-era farmhouse turned bar and restaurant, beloved for craft cocktails, brick-oven pizza, and weekend brunch in seven quirky rooms.
№ 02
4.0
Jamie's Cigar Bar & Restaurant
915 Bloomfield Ave, Clifton
Cocktails, cigars, and a lounge-y mood on Bloomfield Avenue for slower evenings and longer conversations.
№ 03
The Clif Tavern
605 Clifton Ave, Clifton
A friendly neighborhood tavern where the barstools know everyone's name and the pour is honest.
№ 04
Sportzone Bar & Grill
593 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
The Van Houten spot for game days: a wall of TVs, wings, and cold pours from afternoon through last whistle.
№ 05
The Peach Bar
1055 Route 46, Clifton
A small cocktail bar on Route 46 that dresses up a night out without the trip to the city.
№ 06
Dingo's Den
615 Van Houten Ave, Clifton
A properly low-key dive on Van Houten: unpretentious, friendly, and exactly what a neighborhood bar should be.
Entertainment & things to do
Parks, screens, and stages
Movie screens, a sculpture park, a farmhouse museum, and big green parks: Clifton covers weeknights and weekends alike, and most of it is a short trip from any neighborhood.
№ 01
AMC Clifton Commons 16
405 Route 3, Clifton Commons
Clifton's big multiplex, with IMAX and Dolby screens plus discount days, right at the Clifton Commons shops.
№ 02
Empire Allwood Cinemas 6
96 Market St, Clifton
A pint-sized six-screen favorite showing discount movies since 1950, with a price tag that keeps date night cheap.
№ 03
Hamilton House Museum
971 Valley Rd, in Surgent Park
A 1700s Dutch farmhouse museum tucked into a park on Valley Road, three centuries of Clifton history a short walk from the townhouse.
№ 04
Clifton Arts Center & Sculpture Park
900 Clifton Ave, Clifton
A city-run gallery in restored barns of the old Animal Quarantine Station, with rotating exhibits, classes, and concerts set among sculpture.
№ 05
Main Memorial Park
1395 Main Ave, Clifton
Clifton's big central park: ballfields, courts, playgrounds, and plenty of green for a Sunday walk or a pickup game.
№ 06
Weasel Brook Park
1 Westervelt Pl, Clifton
A Passaic County park with a stream running through it, walking paths, and an easy playground for the kids.
№ 07
Morris Canal Park & Nature Reserve
1115 Broad St, Clifton
A tucked-away nature reserve on Broad Street for a quiet walk through the trees without leaving town.
Shopping
Two main streets, nothing you have to drive far for
Main Avenue · Downtown Clifton
Main Avenue is Clifton's downtown, a Special Improvement District that runs from the Passaic city line up to the Route 46 overpass and counts hundreds of independent shops, restaurants, services, and the diners and hot-dog counters the town is known for. It is the street to walk on a Saturday, twice.
The Downtown Clifton business districtVan Houten Avenue
Van Houten Avenue is Clifton's second commercial corridor, a stretch of storefronts, cafes, pizzerias, and bars in the 07013 section. It anchors the Athenia walkable core: Mario's, The Happy Belly Cafe, Sportzone, and Dingo's Den all sit within a few blocks of each other.
See the neighborhoodsParks and the outdoors
A mountain, a brook, and green in between
Garret Mountain Reservation
The 568-acre county reservation on First Watchung Mountain rises more than 500 feet with sweeping views of the region, and its grounds still follow the Olmsted Brothers landscape plan. Lambert Castle, Barbour Pond, miles of trails, picnic grounds, and one of the state's best birding spots, an Audubon Important Bird Area, all live here. It is a National Natural Landmark and the cliffs it holds gave Clifton its name.
Passaic County ParksWeasel Brook Park
A 19-acre Passaic County park in the Lakeview section, laid out in the Olmsted Brothers tradition with a real brook, a small lake, and curving paths. Basketball courts, a fitness circuit, a spray park, ballfields, picnic areas, and playgrounds make it the neighborhood's outdoor living room, open sunrise to sunset.
Weasel Brook Park detailsThree more green spots round out the list: Main Memorial Park at 1395 Main Ave, the city's central park with fields and courts; Clifton Arts Center and Sculpture Park at 900 Clifton Ave, with rotating exhibits and concerts set among sculpture; and Hamilton House Museum at 971 Valley Rd in Surgent Park, a 1700s Dutch farmhouse with three centuries of local history.
Seasonal events
The calendar fills up, every season
Clifton's year runs on a dependable rhythm: a downtown farmers market Wednesday afternoons from early June through October, free summer concerts at Sullivan Square in Botany Village, the annual street fairs, and Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades that the whole town turns out for. Details move every season, so the community calendar keeps the current dates.
See the community calendarYour move
Good food, good coffee, good parks. Come see what living here is like.