August 2020: Outdoor Dining

There’s a backstory to this month’s cover story that can be summed up in one four-letter word: luck. Yes, sometimes it’s good just to have luck on your side—especially amid the turmoil and uncertainty of recent months.

More than a year ago, we sent our restaurant writers and photographers around the state to check out enticing locations for outdoor dining. How could we know that, as New Jersey entered the summer of 2020, all restaurant dining would be outdoor dining?

Now, lucky you—our readers—can read about the state’s best places for dining alfresco. In the feature, we detail 20 such dining experiences, where the views and the atmosphere are as appealing and memorable as what’s on the menu. (We wish we could also promise perfect weather. For that, you’ll have to supply your own luck.)