Bojangles once sat diagonally from the Rock near the corner of Broad and Lafayette. Fast food grease pit chicken-and-biscuits gravy train seems like a no-brainer in Newark, across the street from a 17,000 seat arena no less. Er… I suppose some brain is required, because Bojangles has been out of business for a while for whatever reason, but the space has finally been filled… by Mom’s Food Cafe.
The cafeteria-style, pile-it-into-a-styrofoam-container-and-get-it-weighed-for-price isn’t how my mom fed the clan back in the day, but it’s a perfect option when you aren’t exactly sure what you want. A handful of sesame chicken here, a dollop of mac and cheese there, some spinach, string beans and carrots (one each) to not feel like a fat slob for tacking on a spring roll, a couple crabcakes and a rack of ribs, and you’re all set. I was dreading the price, and pulled a double-take when the electronic scale read “6.58.” (I’m convinced she did something wrong, but it seemed to be an error in my favor, and I’m not one for declining good fortune.)
Nothing was particularly fantastic, but everything was edible, if not outright good. (Mom’s is run by and Asian family, and their Chinese cuisine is a safe bet.) There’s the obligatory salad and fruit bar, and even a build your own trail mix station.
The juice bar, which offers smoothies, is my favorite, with a chart suggesting different combinations for what ails ya. Got hypertension? A concoction of carrot, spinach and beet will help that. Headache? Try carrot, beet and cucumber. Gout? Carrot, celery, apple. Hemorrhoids? Carrot and spinach. You get the idea.
For the record, carrot was included in all 20 juice combinations to combat ailments. Eat your vegetables, kids. Now that’s something my mom has in common with Mom’s Food Cafe.
Mom’s Food Cafe
889 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
August 13th, 2009 at 11:55 am
What I like about Mom’s is that they sell some healthy choices along with the greasy spring rolls. They also sell some really cool packaged snacks of the “Whole Foods” variety. This place is run by the same family that has the health food store/salad bar on Academy Street. There is some overlap in the menus (I wish there was more). Try the spinach/tofu cake.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
ooh, nice find, Quade and Alex! A healthy place to go before hockey games will be good once in a while!
August 17th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I am not so sure this well be a magnet for the pre-Devils game crowd, but I wish them luck and success.
August 21st, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Been meaning to comment on this for a spell now. The buffet is definitely okay, but I’ve been been disappointed a few times I went there. Fortunately, there’s a rotating menu on the buffet, so it’s not every time. That said, it is hit or miss…