BRICK CITY BITE
Global Flavors,
Local Focus
Brick City Bite is based in Newark, NJ, a city steeped in rich and diverse cultural heritage, where food is a living archive of its people, past and present. From Portuguese bacalau and Trinidadian doubles to Salvadoran pupusas, Dominican tres golpes, West African jollof, Italian hot dogs, and Brazilian rodizio, these flavors are woven into the city’s fabric with authenticity and working-class zeal.
In September 2024, our journey began with a simple mission: to understand the gastronomic lexicon of Newark and the world, the language food uses to express identity, memory, and desire. We started in the Ironbound and have since traveled far beyond, exploring dishes from Belize, Vietnam, Ghana, Palestine, and more, always returning to the heart of Newark’s kitchens. It's our firm belief that best flavors are found by embracing the foods of diverse cultures and exploring hidden culinary gems. By creating much needed visibility for lesser known establishments in our communities, we provide collective support and mutual aid to the local restaurant industry. Too often, our city’s vibrant food scene goes unnoticed. We’re here to change that by celebrating the chefs, restaurants, and communities that make Newark New Jersey’s best food city. Global flavors, working class, undeniably delicious — this is Brick City Bite.
about me
As a 4th-generation Newark native, I’ve seen firsthand how successive waves of immigration have shaped and continue to reimagine our city's culinary landscape. Cobbled together from my abuela's exceptional Cuban cooking, maternal Colombian roots, early exposure to Portuguese and Spanish food in the Ironbound, and moving to a predominantly Black and Latin American community in the North Ward, my experience with food culture in Newark has always been a confluence of working class and immigrant identities.
I've traveled to 11 countries, including Belize, Cuba, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Greece, and major cities in 35 states across the US. On my travels, I've had everything from Turtle Bolognese and Weaver Ants Eggs in Salsa Verde to Monkfish Liver and lamb tagine with apricots and walnuts. Authenticity, culture, family, and community are the base elements that constitute my identity as a food content creator.
WHAT WE DO AT BRICK CITY BITE
Empowering Food & Community
Curated Content & Maps
We are passionate about empowering our community to explore the vibrant local food culture of Newark, NJ. Through our social media content, we provide personalized restaurant reviews, promote local dining experiences, and inspire individuals to embrace the diverse culinary landscape of our city.
Our content is carefully curated to the interests of a broad, local audience, with factors like location, affordability, hours of operation, local history, and culturally relevant foods being considered as part of our content development strategy. With these elements in mind, we've developed various maps for locating the best restaurants and experiences in Newark!
Focus on the Food, Not Influence
Collaborations and Services
We offer social media content creation and collaborations that spotlight unique culinary stories and organically generate engagement on our channel. By partnering with brands and restaurants to craft tailored social media advertising, we're able to develop content for our clients that resonates with true food enthusiasts. From consulting on menu and customer experience, to curating immersive local food tours in our community, we offer a range of services with measured success.
Have an idea? For social media collaborations, features, and inquiries, click the "Inquiries & Requests" tab on the Menu and fill out the form!
The guiding ethic for our content is to focus on the exceptional restaurants and amazing people working behind the scenes to keep our city fed. We intentionally stay away from social media trends and terms like "influencer" and "trendsetter," with the hope that our audience develops an open mind about food culture and avoids the pitfalls of the status quo. In the immortal words of Anthony Bourdain,
"Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride."
