Yes, Philadelphia gets all the attention for cheesesteaks. No, it shouldn’t. Because New Jersey has an incredible cheesesteak scene all its own! And we’re not just talking about the shop in Camden slinging what Anthony Bourdain called the best cheesesteak in Philly. We’re talking about old-school and new-school spots, and even a Jersey-style cheesesteak. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food and culture reporter and cheesesteak expert Chris Burch to break down what exactly a New Jersey-style cheesesteak is (7:57), how the Cooper Sharp cheese trend started in New Jersey (10:12), partake in a taste test pitting the most famous cheesesteak in the state against a newcomer (26:53) and then build their New Jersey cheesesteak Mount Rushmores! Then Chris competes in the Garden State Gauntlet (35:09), cheesesteak edition! 

Email us! [email protected] 

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

Let’s! Get! Biblical! Or let’s not, and instead count down the 10 pillars of truth and decency, by which all New Jerseyans should abide. Comedian Nick Fierro is back to join host Jeremy Schneider in their quest for Garden State virtue — and whether slapping an air tag on a goose would better define the boundaries of Central Jersey. Listen as the guys run through commandments about NOT claiming you’re from the “NYC area” (4:00), how to respect The Boss (17:00), the devout desire to never pump their own gas (26:50) and more! Then Nick completes the Garden State Gauntlet (41:09), commandment edition! 

Email us! [email protected] 

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

For all of the Garden State’s culinary wonders, pizza might be our pound-for-pound best dish. New Jersey has pizzerias that have been open for more than a century, and new pizzerias opening every year challenging for the title of the state’s best. The Garden State has thin-crust bar pies, thick and saucy grandma pies, pillowly Neapolitan pies and tart Trenton tomato pies. And NJ.com just ranked the 101 best pies in the state! Jeremy is joined by veteran NJ.com food writer Pete Genovese to break down the list, beg New Jersey pizzerias to stop saying they serve “New York-style pizza” (4:45), why New Jersey pizza is better than New York’s (7:25), a life-changing white pie down the Shore (30:00) and which pie took home the top spot on the list (45:08). Then Pete takes on the Garden State Gauntlet, pizza edition (49:00)! 

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 

Follow Pete Genovese at @petegenovese on X and @peteknowsjersey on Instagram. Subscribe to Pete’s newsletter, Jersey’s Secret Sauce, here. Or read him on NJ.com!   

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is once again football season, and that means it’s time to have our hopes mercilessly crushed by both of our football teams — the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Both teams are too embarrassed to admit they play in New Jersey, but we’re the ones that should be embarrassed. They stink! It isn’t just that the Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since coming to the Meadowlands in 1984 and the Giants have sandwiched plenty of soul-crushing losses in between their Super Bowl wins. It’s that both teams have had some of the most debilitatingly embarrassing moments in sports history happen to them. And thus to us, the fans. But which team is more embarrassing? Jeremy (a Giants fan) is joined by Jersey’s Best Podcast producer and long-suffering Jets supporter Bobby Olivier to discuss why he regrets picking his team (2:57), why Eli Manning was embarrassing even when he was great (9:24), the meltdown at the Meadowlands (29:36) and the infamous butt fumble (39:10). Then Jeremy and Bobby both run through the Garden State Gauntlet, Giants and Jets edition (42:59)!

Email us! [email protected] 

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

Are you ready for some high school football? New Jersey is one of the best states for high school football in the country, so it’s no surprise that we have countless great rivalries. With high schools around the state returning to the gridiron, New Jersey’s top pigskin rivalries will soon be renewed. But which ones are best? Jeremy is joined by NJ.com and Star-Ledger sports columnist Steve Politi to break down why rivalries are different in New Jersey (5:43), the significance of Thanksgiving football (12:43), how parents fuel the rivalries (18:45) and which rivalry is indeed the state’s best (34:40). Then Steve runs through the Garden State Gauntlet, high school football edition (38:56)!

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 
Follow Steve at @StevePoliti

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jersey City was once squarely in the shadow of Hoboken, its mile square neighbor to the northeast. In the past decade-plus, Chilltown has gone from afterthought to cultural epicenter. But not all the change has been good. The resurgence has also brought soaring rents — at one point, the city had the highest rent in the country — which has threatened to dilute one of America’s most diverse cities. Yes, the 2010s put Jersey City back on the map. But it’s no secret the city’s vibe and feel have shifted distinctly. Has this ruined what made the city great in the first place? Jeremy is joined by Jersey City native John Erbach to discuss what it was like growing up in the city in the ‘90s (3:23), how the city has changed (10:18), why Jersey City isn’t New York’s “sixth borough” (19:02) and what has remained the same in town (21:22). Then John runs through the Garden State Gauntlet, Jersey City edition (38:36)!

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You say tomato, we say podcast! It is officially peak tomato season in the Garden State, and there is no better time to enjoy the delicious red vegetable — one that has a distinct connection to New Jersey. Not a tomato fan? Have no fear. Jeremy is joined by tomato expert Laura Brahn, owner of Cardinal Provisions in Asbury Park and Mabel in Holmdel, for the ultimate guide to enjoying New Jersey’s top crop. Listen as Jeremy and Laura break down how New Jersey popularized the tomato (1:23), invented the most popular tomato in the world (2:13), the joys of Tomato Girl Summer (3:49), the characteristics of a good tomato (7:55), the dirty little secret about tomato sandwiches (18:49) and how heirloom tomatoes represent New Jersey immigrants (22:35). Then, Laura flips the script on Jeremy and administers a blind tomato taste test (32:13)! 

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 

Follow Laura at @lcbeanz and @crdnal 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I scream, you scream, we all scream for New Jersey ice cream! We’re in the middle of the dog days of summer, and nothing beats this insanely oppressive heat better than a scoop or a swirl of some Garden State ice cream. The only thing hotter than the weather is the debate about which spot in New Jersey has the best ice cream. This is the ultimate New Jersey Ice Cream Draft! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com food writer Lauren Musni, as the two built their ultimate New Jersey ice cream lineups. Listen as Jeremy and Lauren discuss how Holsten’s was iconic long before “Sopranos” filmed there (9:37), why working at an ice cream shop is one of the hardest jobs in New Jersey (25:48), the ice cream in one of the state’s most underrated food towns (41:13) and if New Jersey was an ice cream flavor (46:45). Then Lauren takes part in the Garden State Gauntlet, ice cream edition (43:49)!

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 

Follow Lauren at @laurengisellemusni

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, MetLife Stadium will host two massive New Jersey bands playing their largest home-state shows ever: My Chemical Romance (Belleville and Kearny) and The Jonas Brothers (Wyckoff). But which band is bigger? Which band is better? Most importantly, which band is more Jersey? Welcome to Jersey Battle of the Bands — Jonas Brothers vs. My Chemical Romance — to determine which is the greatest Jersey band of the 21st Century! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined this week by TWO guests: JoBros super-fan and NJ.com data reporter Katie Kausch, and My Chem stan and friend of the pod Katie Burke. Listen as the Katies each defend their bands’ concert experience (6:50), musical influence (10:35), star power (19:57) and Jersey credentials (25:03). Then the Katies duel one last time in the Garden State Gauntlet, My Chem/JoBros edition (31:35)! 

Email us! [email protected] 

Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky

Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! 

Follow Katie Kausch at @katiekausch Follow Katie Burke at @katiefay3

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get in loser, we’re going to Paramus. This week’s episode of Jersey’s Best Podcast is all about the greatest thing to ever be invented in New Jersey. The mall. That’s right, shopping malls aren’t just a major component of New Jersey culture. They were technically invented here! New Jersey might as well be the mall state. We have more malls per square mile than any other state — so many that one section of New Jersey even earned the nickname “Mallville USA.” Host Jeremy Schneider is once again joined by Jersey comedian and former mall employee Nick Fierro to discuss why New Jerseyans love the mall so much (7:21), the charming horror of growing up at Willowbrook Mall (21:01) and why the mall is so much more about shopping (41:28). Then Nick completes the Garden State Gauntlet, mall edition (42:31)!

Email us! [email protected] 

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