Any suggestions on restaurants near the the Meadowlands Arena? Italian, American, Chinese, Steak house, etc. Would like to avoid chains, moderate price level. Thanks.

Is this for a pre/post event at the meadowlands, or is that the closest landmark you will be near (timing/crowd issues should be taken into consideration).

What day of the week will this be, and from which direction will you be coming. How far out of the way are you willing to go?

My favorite is Park & Orchard off of Rt 17 in Rutherford. Then you can take the back way to the stadium via Paterson Plank Road.

NJ Devils pregame dinner on a Saturday night. Staying at the Renassiance, 1 mile from arena. Would like to stay close to hotel and arena within 5-15 miles, do not want to head into NYC. Thanks.

Lots of people enjoy Park and Orchard (especially vegetarians as i think they have a few "vegan" items), i was never such a fan, but haven't been in MANY years.

Here are some suggestions i like:
Bella Napoli- Clifton, about 3 miles west on Rte 3, great italian food.

Margherita's- Hoboken reasonably priced Italian, "young crowd", great red sauce, but probably 20 minutes from where you're staying

*either of the above places i would recommend eating about 5:00 as this will give you plenty of time to eat leisurely before the game, and they get VERY crowded starting at 5:30 or so

Charlie Browns- on Paterson Plank Road (a local chain) steakhouse which is often hit-or-miss, but very reasonably priced and a great salad bar. Likely to have a large pre-game crowd, if you'd like to get "psyched" before the game

Steve's Sizzlin' Steaks- a little pricier than the others, cash only, but has a large steak following in the area

Spanish Food- there are 2 places on Rte 120 (i can get the names, and find out which one is better) which have paella, seafood, etc, gets good reviews.

If you want more specific info about any of the above, or directions/phone/address then just let me know.

Wow, that's a tough one...

it's pretty dismal around there, but there are 2 places close by the arena -- unfortunately i only know the name of 1 of them, so i'll give directions and maybe somebody else will know the name:

you're on route 3 west, right? you exit to the right for the arena (arena on the right, stadium on the left). stay to the left and GO STRAIGHT, PAST the arena. Directly under the bridge is a new place on the right, a cream colored building. Have no idea of the name, and haven't eaten there, but it's supposed to be good. Now there's a recommendation!!!

Or...

continue past the aforementioned restaurant with no name and about another mile up, on the right, is a very nice family-style Italian place called Gianna's, which i HAVE eaten at and can vouch for. (Family style = you order a bunch of different things and people share.)

Stay away from Charlie Brown.

There are a few good choices depending on what you're in the mood for. Paisano's on Park Ave in Rutherford business district has fairly good Italian and very nice atmosphere. A fe blocks down from it closer to the train station is Mignon - small cafe style steakhouse. It is said to be fairly good but all is a la carte and it can get pricey. Go just up the hill from the Renaissance to the second light and turn left on Ridge road into Lyndhurst. Just in from the corner is Il Cafone - very good Italian (I LOVE their veal saltimbocca) and it's less expensive than Paisano's by several dollars per entree (also better in my opinion. A few blocks past Il Cafone is La Cibeles (sp?)- an upscale and traditional Spanish establishment. I like their paella - it's a bit less soupy with more seafood and less rice than what is typically served at the Portuguese/Brazilian places in Newark's Ironbound District. About another four blocks past that on the left (just past new York Avenue and across from the cemetery) is Tero's. The sign says "Snack Bar" rather than restaurant due to some zoning quirk. It's quite small and the dining area is right in wiht the bar but they have some excellent Portuguese specialties and good moderately priced daily specials (I recently had a huge tuna steak there with rice and vegetables - it was only $12 or $13). Tero's is very plesant and has a very professional staff but it's sort of a laid back neighborhood place.
CK's Steakhouse is in the Renaissance but it's said to be very pricey and not all that great for what it costs. If you don't mind making a 10-15 minute drive to Nutley, there's a Vietnamese restaurant on Franklin - Little Saigon. IMHO it's the best Vietnamese in North Jersey and better than any of the Viet places in Manhattan - must reserve ahead to eat there - it's small and always busy.

Drove by the place whose name I couldn't remember a couple of posts up -- it's called REDD'S, and it doesn't look bad. It's also the closest restaurant to the arena.

if you're a seafood fan you could check out minado resto (www.minado.com), it's a japanese
seafood buffet resto... enjoy!

There is an Outback Steakhouse nearby and if you really feel adventurous, you can go to the Medieval Times for dinner. There are also tons of fast food options in that area.

Every time we go to see The Nets we always eat at Charlie Browns (which su...s) We took al's advice and tried REDD'S. It was great. The food was very good - not typical pub food and the ambiance is also very nice. Thanks al, good advice.

STEVES STEAKHOUSE!!!!!

RT 17 SOUTH.

ITS A NO BRAINER FOR A PREGAME MEAL.