Podcast
Jersey's Best Podcast
Hosted by nj.com · EN
New Jersey is America’s greatest state — so why wouldn’t it have the best podcast? Join NJ.com culture reporter Jeremy Schneider for Jersey's Best Podcast, a weekly dive into everything that makes New Jersey spectacular, bizarre, beautiful, maddening and, ultimately, the best. A cast of very Jersey guests will join Jeremy in the pursuit of demystifying the Garden State's obsessions, from the Shore and Springsteen to pizza to pork roll and everything in between. Jersey forever!
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
N.J.'s 11 Best Music Venues — and the Shuttered Stages We Miss Most
Mar 2501:02:19Tap to summarizeConcert season is rapidly approaching in the Garden State — and there are few better experiences in New Jersey than going to a concert at one of our myriad music venues. From massive stages like MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, Prudential Center in Newark and PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel to more intimate spots like The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, White Eagle Hall in Jersey City and Crossroads in Garwood, New Jersey’s venues truly run the gamut. Host Jeremy Schneider is once again joined by NJ.com music master Bobby Olivier to talk about why live music is so ingrained in New Jersey's DNA, break down the 11 best music venues in the state and reminisce about the now-closed concert spaces we miss the most. Then Bobby goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, concert venue edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The Women of Jersey Pizza: How They're Breaking Up the Boys Club
Mar 1800:51:06Tap to summarizeHere on Jersey’s Best Podcast and at NJ.com, we are devoted year-round to highlighting New Jersey's exceedingly diverse food and dining scene. But with March being Women’s History Month, we wanted to spend an episode specifically on not just female chefs, but female chefs making arguably New Jersey’s favorite food — pizza! There are thousands of pizzerias in New Jersey and hundreds of thousands of pizza-makers across the country. And according to job search platform Zippia, less than 40% of them are female. But there are women pizza chefs across the Garden State not just making some of New Jersey’s best pizzas, but pushing to dispel the notion that pizza-making is only for men. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food and culture writer Lauren Musni to discuss her upcoming story on the women of New Jersey pizza. Listen in as they break down the obstacles some of New Jersey’s top pizza chefs have overcome to make some of the Garden State’s top pies. Then Lauren is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, pizza edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Lauren at @laurengisellemusni, and read her story on the women of New Jersey pizza here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Jersey’s Best Podcast Is Going Hollywood! Will N.J. Dominate the 2026 Oscars?
Mar 1100:54:10Tap to summarizeThe 98th annual Academy Awards are this Sunday. And while they’re taking place 3,000 miles away across the country in Los Angeles, Jersey’s impact will be felt all the way in Hollywood. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Men’s Health culture editor and New Jersey native Evan Romano to discuss if Newark native Michael B. Jordan’s chances at Best Actor for his role in “Sinners,” why more and more movies are being filmed in the Garden State and what Netflix’s presence in the state means for the movie business and New Jersey.. Then Jeremy and Evan break down their Letterboxd Top 4 New Jersey movies before Evan is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, movie edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Evan Romano @EvanRomano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Jersey Food Madness! The Most Delicious Bracket Ever
Mar 401:25:18Tap to summarizeIt’s time for March Madness! But we’re less interested in talking about college basketball and more worried about food. Even for non-basketball fans, filling out a bracket is incredibly fun. Which is why we’re taking all of New Jersey’s best foods, and putting them in a bracket to decide the Garden State’s culinary king. After days of consideration (and years of eating across New Jersey) we built a bracket featuring 64 of New Jersey’s most beloved and iconic foods. These aren’t specific restaurants being considered but rather dishes that are found throughout the Garden State. We broke them down into four regions — Italian, New Jersey classics, sweet treats and international foods. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Mike Bergemann, owner of revered pizzeria Corner Slice in Maplewood, to fill out the bracket while discussing the glory of Texas wieners, if cannolis are overrated, which type of pizza reigns supreme, the proper way to serve a chicken parm and more before crowning a Jersey Food Madness champion! Then Mike goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Jersey Food Madness edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Mike Bergemann and Corner Slice at @Corner_Slice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The Rise and Fall of Asbury Lanes: What Happened to N.J.'s Ultimate DIY Venue?
Feb 2501:00:32Tap to summarizeIn a state filled with iconic and beloved concert venues, Asbury Lanes hold a special place in the heart of Jersey Shore punk kids. Not the swanky, sanitized version of Asbury Lanes that opened in 2018 with state-of-the-art sound and lighting, bowling ball art and a full-fledged diner. The dingy DIY venue that emerged in the bowling alley in 2003 and became not just a popular place for concerts, but one of the epicenters of the city’s cultural revival. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by photographer Mike McLaughlin, who published “Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes” in December. The two discuss the beautiful insanity of The Lanes, why it was much more than a concert venue, the rise and fall of Asbury Lanes and what has become of the space in 2026. Then Jeremy bowls Mike through the Garden State Gauntlet, Asbury Lanes edition. Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Mike McLaughlin @mikemclaughlinphotography. His book, “Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes,” is available for purchase here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
All 21 New Jersey Counties, Ranked By Vibe (and Other Stuff)!
Feb 1801:01:12Tap to summarizeThere is nothing this painfully opinionated state loves more than a geographical debate! While the discussion is less philosophical and border-centric than the Central Jersey debate — the map of New Jersey counties is pretty cut and dry — the discussion is just as passionate. Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties has its special quirks and characteristics that capture just how vast and diverse the Garden State is — there’s a reason to love every one. But which county is best? Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com data reporter Katie Kausch to break rank all 21 counties, from the rural counties in the south and west to the beach counties of the Jersey Shore, bustling Hudson County and everything in between. After a heated debate, Jeremy and Katie crowned the No. 1 county in the state! Then Jeremy runs Katie through the Garden State Gauntlet, county edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Katie Kausch at @katiekausch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Jersey's Most Romantic Places! (Well, Sort Of)
Feb 1100:51:02Tap to summarizeHappy Valentine’s Day from Jersey’s Best Podcast. Some might cynically call Valentine’s Day a made-up holiday pushed by Hallmark and chocolate companies to sell cards and candies. We’re not here to argue with that, we’re here to talk about how romantic New Jersey is! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian Nick Fierro to discuss what romance means in New Jersey, New Jersey’s love language, and then break down the 10 most romantic places in the Garden State! Everything from a famous fast food joint and a beloved Italian restaurant to a revered Essex County overlook and some of the Jersey Shore’s best beach towns make the list. Then Nick is run through the Garden State Gauntlet, Valentine’s Day edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Nick Fierro at @schtickfierro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
New Jersey’s Best Black-Owned Restaurants
Feb 400:57:03Tap to summarizeHere on Jersey’s Best Podcast we are devoted year-round to highlighting New Jersey's exceedingly diverse food and dining scene. But as February is recognized as Black History Month, we wanted to spend an episode specifically on Black-owned restaurants, which are one of many pillars of our culinary landscape. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food and culture reporter Chris Burch to discuss how Black-owned restaurants in New Jersey go far beyond soul food, the definition of soul food, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant in Camden, the history of New Jersey’s barbecue scene and more. Then Jeremy puts Chris through the Garden State Gauntlet, Black-owned restaurant edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Chris Burch at @swishburch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The 51 Best Jersey Albums of All Time! (DOUBLE EPISODE)
Jan 2801:20:31Tap to summarizeThe Grammy Awards are coming up! And while Jersey’s Best Podcast was somehow snubbed for any nominations, New Jersey has a rich history of winning the biggest awards in music! SZA and Jack Antonoff are both up for Grammys this year, but the Garden State's musical history goes far beyond trophies. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com music writer (and Jersey’s Best Podcast producer) Bobby Olivier to break down why New Jersey has such an amazing music scene, the 51 best albums in New Jersey history and crown the best record from every decade. Everything from Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston and Fugees come up in the musical discussion. There was so much to cover we had to do a double episode. Like a double album! Then Bobby goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, Grammy edition! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier Listen to the Spotify playlist of NJ.com’s 51 best New Jersey albums here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Jersey Malls Are Dying and We Just Lost Another. What Are We Really Losing?
Jan 2100:44:56Tap to summarizeJersey’s Best Podcast is paying its respects — because it’s the end of an era in Central Jersey. Brunswick Square, the East Brunswick mall that was a Middlesex County staple for more than 50 years, officially closed on January 10. While New Jersey’s mall culture is well-established, technology is changing shopping habits, and that means less malls. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com senior political reporter (and Brunswick Square’s biggest fan) Brent Johnson to discuss what he loved so much about Brunswick Square (3:33), some of his best memories from growing up going to the mall (4:50), the mall’s slow decline (12:42) and why New Jersey malls are fading in general (25:19). Then Brent goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, mall edition (38:03)! Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! . Read his eulogy for Brunswick Square here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →