New Jersey: This Restaurant Serves The Best Soft Pretzel
Professional sports arenas, school cafeterias, and sports bars might be the most common establishments thought of when it comes to grabbing a great soft pretzel meal. However, in New Jersey, there is a restaurant that dates back to the 19th century that serves a pretzel appetizer that is worth raving about.
Located at 51 Broad Street in Ridgewood, the Steel Wheel Tavern just sounds like a place that serves the best pretzel meal in New Jersey. This restaurant is right across the street from the train station in the historic downtown area. The ambiance and mood of the area is perfectly fitting to serve such comfort foods. They not only are accommodating to those commuters getting off of work, but the Steel Wheel is your local spot to pull up a barstool and share a great time.
As for the pretzels, the order can either be shared amongst the group or held as your own meal.
Here’s Why The Steel Wheel Tavern Has The Best Soft Pretzel
There are three non-negatable elements to making a memorable pretzel. First and foremost, it has to be warm and baked fresh. This allows the pretzel to have a perfect balance of a slightly crunchy exterior that is then filled with a chewy, warm inside. Then, we have the salt. This is important because if the ratio is not right here, it can ruin the entire thing. You can certainly tell if a pretzel is freshly prepared if the salt is properly stuck upon the pretzel. If it falls off instantly like rock candy, you may have a stale or reheated frozen item in your hands where the salt was adhered by using water.
Lastly, we have the dips. Now, a great soft pretzel should be able to stand on its own. Meaning, you savor every bite without needing something to take over the taste. However, at the Steel Wheel, the warm cheese sauce that comes with their giant soft pretzel is full of flavor. It’s a cheddar ale spread that may be the perfect blend of cheese and beer ale. Sitting right beside it is a spicy mustard dip. The only challenge with this order is that it all works so well together. Before you know it, they are gone, and you’ve licked the plate clean.
The baked soft pretzel spears will cost you $9 at the Steel Wheel Tavern in Ridgewood. This town establishment is also well-known for its live music nights. You can find the full schedule of weekly entertainment here.
A 'Definitive' Ranking Of The 5 Fast-Food Restaurants
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) recently shared a study that details the top fast-food chains in the country based on customer satisfaction. While I agree with the top choice, the others are questionable. And hey, taste is subjective. I’m something of a fast-food restaurant connoisseur. So, here I will re-rank the country’s top five fast-food restaurant chains based on personal experience. (Hence, “Definitive” in quotes in the headline.)
First, let’s examine the numbers in this report, as there are certainly some valuable points to consider. It appears as if their customer satisfaction entails 11 important factors. These include areas such as the accuracy of food orders, staff courtesy, and cleanliness. Another important measurement these days is the efficiency of the chain’s app.
The ACSI report is based on 16,250 customers who were surveyed. Their top five looked like this:
- #1 Chick-fil-A
- #2 Jimmy Johns
- #3 KFC
- #4 Papa John
- #5 Domino’s
Technically “other” landed at number three, but for the sake of top brands, that is the top of the list.
Re-Ranking Methodology
While I do like the variety in cuisine displayed in ACSI’s list, I am surprised at many of the names I see there. To create this ranking, I did follow and considered the customer satisfaction criteria previously laid out in the survey. Though I am a drive-thru-first type of person, I will quickly peel out of the parking lot if I detect the joint doesn’t look like it takes cleanliness seriously. Regardless of how much I am craving that chicken sandwich. In other words, those scored questions are legit measurements.
It’s worth mentioning that I travel quite a bit as well. Whether taking my kids to a weekend lacrosse tournament or heading south to visit family, a fast-food meal is often all I have time for. Nonetheless, I don’t just stop for anything, and I do aim for the healthiest option possible (most of the time).
So, imagine I just pulled off a magical interstate exit where all of these fast food restaurants had an open establishment. I’m considering the criteria points ACSI has laid out, and looking for a quality meal. Here is my official re-ranking of the top five fast-food restaurant chains in the country.
*Side-note, the ACSI also includes statistic results on full-service chain restaurants. That is not applicable to my ranking, but Chili’s is the clear number one, with all the rest being second.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
