A Hungry Autumn: The New Spots Worth Clearing Your Calendar For

I grew up in Audubon, which means I grew up believing two things without question: that the best meals happen at a table full of people who talk too loud, and that South Jersey's food scene never gets the credit it deserves. This fall is out to prove my second point for me. So loosen your belt a notch — here's where I'll be eating, and where you should be too.

A Philly legend crosses the bridge

Let's start with the one that made me actually gasp. Angelo's Pizzeria — yes, that Angelo's, the South Philly institution with the lines around the block and the roast pork that gets written about like it's a religious experience — is crossing the bridge. The plan is a full-service restaurant in West Collingswood Heights, at the former Di'Nic's Roast Pork & Beef property. I have opinions about a Philly legend setting up shop in Camden County, and most of them are unprintable levels of excited. If Angelo's brings even three-quarters of what it does on Ninth Street over here, we are all in trouble in the best possible way.

Over in Cherry Hill, the H Mart on Route 70 East is welcoming Paris Baguette, the Korean bakery-café chain whose croissants have a way of disappearing before you've made it to the register. If you've never done a proper H Mart afternoon — a wander through the aisles, a haul you can't quite justify, and a pastry and coffee to cap it off — a Paris Baguette anchoring the corner is going to make that ritual dangerously easy.

A neighborhood brewery, done well, is a community center that happens to serve beer. This region keeps proving it wants more of them.Sophia Marino

Beer, and a full pipeline behind it

For those who measure a season by what's on tap, King's Road Brewing Company is opening a third location, this time in Moorestown, under the working name Community House Brewery. The Haddonfield and Medford taprooms already have their loyalists, and there's something right about King's Road planting a flag in Moorestown — a town that knows how to turn a Main Street into a gathering place. And the pipeline doesn't stop there: word around the food world is that Haddonfield has an Italian spot in the works, and Collingswood — bless that avenue — has Mediterranean and Italian options coming down the line.

Here's what I love about a South Jersey autumn on a plate. Summer dining is all about the shore — fried everything, a slice on the boardwalk. Fall is when we come back inland and remember that some of the best cooking in this state happens in a strip-mall storefront or a corner rowhouse three towns over from the tourists. So do yourself a favor this season. Skip the chain you always default to. Drive the extra ten minutes. Try the new place before it's got a two-week wait. Bring somebody who talks too loud. I'll report back with a mouthful. That's a promise, not a threat.

Based on reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer, SJ Mag, and South Jersey Food Scene.