This Middlesex County restaurant is going to be featured on 'America's Best Restaurants'
Ellery’s, the longtime flagship sports bar and restaurant in Middlesex Borough, is a neighborhood spot.
But its neighborhood crowd may soon add a few more customers.
Online and social media show “America’s Best Restaurants” will feature Ellery’s at a to-be-determined date. It’s the second Somerset County restaurant to announce that it will be filmed for the show, alongside 22 West Bar & Grill in Bridgewater.
The show will film at Ellery's at 701 Lincoln Blvd. from 2 to 5 p.m. May 30. Customers are welcome to attend.
Ellery’s wants customers to help choose which menu items should be featured on the show. Customers should comment what their favorite menu items are at bit.ly/3Ve03LD by May 30 for the chance to win a $25 gift card.
There are a lot of contenders on the American comfort food menu. The restaurant is known for its 14-inch, thin-crust bar pies which are made using a house-made dough. It offers a Big Mac pizza with ground beef, bacon, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions.
Ellery's is also known for its creative burgers, which are made with a fresh burger blend following the same recipe that’s been used for at least 20 years. “We try to stay with the trends to create unique burgers,” said manager Ben Hydo.
On-screen: This Somerset County restaurant is going to be featured on 'America's Best Restaurants'
That includes a brunch burger with pork roll, a fried egg and American cheese on a Kaiser roll; as well as the rodeo burger with cheddar, bacon, barbecue sauce, jalapenos, Southwest ranch and pickles on a pretzel bun.
Customers also clamor for Ellery’s wings, which follow the same recipe that the restaurant has been using since it opened in 1997. They’re dry-rubbed and baked in the pizza oven to bake flavor into them before being deep-fried.
And there’s the stuffed Italian long hot peppers, an appetizer of peppers stuffed with ground sweet sausage and mozzarella cheese and topped with a white wine sauce.
“People come all the way from the Jersey Shore or Pennsylvania to get them,” said owner John Ellery.
Ellery’s is also one of just two bars in the state to carry actor Kelsey Grammer’s full line of beers at all times. Ellery and Grammer are good friends and “he pops in occasionally,” said Ellery.
It’s all served inside the 140-capacity bar and restaurant as well as outside on the 125-capacity patio, which includes a full outdoor bar and lounge that frequently hosts DJs, live music and other entertainment. “It’s a shore atmosphere,” said Ellery.
But to Ellery, a lifelong Middlesex resident who worked at the Lincoln Hotel for a decade before buying it and turning it into Ellery’s, it’s not the food or drinks that’s most important. It’s the dedication to the community.
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“We built the business on giving back to the community,” he said. “If you give back to the town, the town gives back to you.”
Ellery’s has raised money for local police departments, local people in need of help, the Somerville Elks, Jack’s Kids, the Kelsey Charity Run, the Special Olympics and more. Last year alone, Ellery’s raised $60,000 for the Special Olympics through raffles, tricky trays, pasta nights, and working with local businesses.
“We took this little business and made it blossom,” Ellery said.
Go: 701 Lincoln Blvd., Middlesex; ellerysgrill.com, 732-356-2444.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she's a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State's buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Ellery's in Middlesex NJ featured on 'America's Best Restaurants'
