Explore every episode of the podcast Jersey's Best Podcast

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! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

Welcome to the Jersey Olympics, a series of events that recognizes the Garden State’s unique set of passions, interests and um, talents — even if the real Olympics will never actually come here. We have organized a set of very Jersey-centric events, and we’re going to give out some gold medals. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Jersey comedian, musician and filmmaker Pat Byrne as the guys decide who wins the Taylor ham toss (8:43) and the quarter-mile Jersey slide (12:30), plus medals for Jersey town that shouldn’t exist (36:40) and town that everyone claims to be from, even if they aren’t (41:03). Then Pat completes the Garden State Gauntlet, Olympics edition (49:35)! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Pat Byrne at @Pat_Byrne.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Jersey is the diner capital of the world. You’ll find around 500 diners here, more than any other state. But why? How did we get all these timeless Jersey staples, what about them draws our unconditional love, and is diner culture changing here in the Garden State? Only one man is up for this ultimate Jersey diner deep dive, and that’s Pete Genovese, NJ.com food writer extraordinaire. Pete has literally written the book on Jersey diners, so naturally he’s back to join host Jeremy Schneider as they revisit Jersey diner history (4:29), what makes a good diner (16:49), the iconic food (20:53) and where diners go from here (27:53). Then Pete completes the Garden State Gauntlet, diner Mount Rushmore edition (35:26)! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

For so many New Jerseyans, cultural lines are drawn by imperfect measures: the nebulous dividers between North, Central and South Jersey, the very inexact food science of pork roll vs. Taylor ham. But how about judging each other based on something a little more concrete, like your telephone area code? This week, Jersey’s Best Podcast is taking a closer look at what your New Jersey area code says about you! Host Jeremy Schneider is once again joined by Bobby Olivier to discuss why 201 is the snobbiest area code in the state (5:20), a famous New Jersey musician who has an 848 area code (16:30), what kind of texter Bruce Springsteen is (16:58) and if 973 is the best food area code in the state (20:26). Then Bobby once again endures the Garden State Gauntlet, area code trivia edition (35:51)!   Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

Welcome to a new occasional series dedicated to New Jersey’s cities and towns — taking a closer look at the culture and history of these beloved places and analyzing why they matter so much to the Garden State at large. First up: Asbury Park, an iconic shore town with a checkered past, a conflicting present and an unclear future. In the 2000s, Asbury Park became the epicenter of a cultural revival. Twenty years later, gentrification and corporate influences have led to constant construction, an overabundance of high-rise apartments and absolute chaos on beach days. Yes, Asbury Park was reborn. But is its cultural renaissance already over? Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Phil Fazio, a longtime city resident and veteran of Asbury Park’s dining industry. Listen as the guys dive into the city’s history (4:23), whether it has already peaked (10:26), the evolution of an iconic music club (17:10) and which Jersey Shore town will be the next Asbury Park (41:00).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

Even the staunchest Jersey supporter can admit there have been times when the Garden State has been embarrassing. Comically over the top political scandals. Cringy pop culture moments. Animals escaping from Six Flags Great Adventure. This week, Jersey’s Best Podcast is embracing the imperfections and ranking the 10 most embarrassing moments in New Jersey history. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by NJ.com senior reporter Sean Sullivan to dive deep on an iconic duel that could only happen in N.J. (4:11), that time a baboon was roaming free in Jackson (7:53), that other time Bob Dylan got picked up by the cops at the Jersey Shore (18:44), how our infamous Bridgegate really went down (31:53) and more. Then Sean endures the Garden State Gauntlet, embarrassing edition!  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Sean Sullivan at @spsulliv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The glory of the Jersey Shore is not up for debate. From the northern tip of Sandy Hook all the way to the southern shores of Cape May, every Garden State beach has its perks and virtues.  What is up for discussion, however, is which beach is best — and worst! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Jersey’s Best Podcast producer and Jersey Shore lifer Bobby Olivier as they rank all 45 beaches in New Jersey from worst to best. Listen as the guys reveal the Shore’s most overrated beach (6:08), the beloved spot that’s now just a hassle (25:03), their secret slices of paradise (33:13) and crown the No. 1 beach at the Jersey Shore (43:16)! Then Bobby flips the script and makes Jeremy take on the Garden State Gauntlet, Shore trivia style (45:18)!  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

We all know New Jersey has the best bagels. But why is our bagel culture so prodigious? And what exactly makes those doughy rounds so good? Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Bagels by Jarrett owner Jarrett Seltzer to discuss how he went from rock band bassist to bagel-maker (2:17), the keys to great (albeit unconventional) bagel-making (8:51), why New Jersey bagels are indeed better than New York bagels (25:18) and why it’s a crime to toast (38:38) or scoop (44:46) your bagels. Then Jarrett runs through the Garden State Gauntlet, bagel edition (47:47)! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Jarrett Seltzer @BagelsByJarrett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen, we love the Jersey Shore — just not everyone who goes there. As summer takes hold of our beloved beaches, let’s count down all the worst people you’ll meet Down the Shore this year, and trust us, they’re not all Bennies. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Jersey’s Best Podcast producer and Jersey Shore lifer Bobby Olivier as they knock over a few KanJams (16:54), smash a few boom boxes (23:10) and explain what a (checks notes) Mermaid Girl is (32:22). Then Bobby must endure the Garden State Gauntlet, Shore edition (41:04)! God bless us, it’s friggin’ summer! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Bobby Olivier at @bobbyolivier  Check out the beach etiquette video Jeremy and Bobby did years ago here!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s episode is going to hell! No, not Connecticut. We’re breaking down the 9 absolute worst places and situations a New Jerseyan may find themselves — and each one gets worse! Take the fiery journey with host Jeremy Schneider and comedian Emily Paige as they try to survive a true culinary nightmare (3:18), a day of Meadowlands mayhem (10:25) and the deeply evil fate that can only be spurred by NJ Transit (39:07). Then Emily completes the Garden State Gauntlet (44:02)! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Emily Paige at @emilypaigecomedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That’s it, we’re packing up and heading to Hollywood — or maybe just Wildwood. This episode is all about Jersey’s greatest celebrities, and where they belong in the pantheon of Garden State fame. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Frazier Tharpe, a senior associate editor at GQ magazine and Jersey native, who has interviewed about a million celebs, including Newark’s own Michael B. Jordan. Listen as the guys decide whether Shaq is a god-tier Jersey dude (3:24), where underrated stars like Kirsten Dunst (7:35) and Anne Hathaway (45:54) fit in, and if Jon Bon Jovi belongs on the same tier as Bruce Springsteen (36:55) — and so much more! Then Frazier completes a celeb-centric Garden State Gauntlet (55:28).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Frazier Tharpe at @thesummerman  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Call us Pope Leo because we’re taking you to church. Okay, not really. But in this episode, we’re heading into the confession booth to reveal our deepest, darkest Jersey-based confessions and hot takes — the kind of stuff that should get our Jersey cards revoked. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Jersey City comedian Alex Nicholas — listen as the guys reveal their pick for the state’s most overrated foodie town (4:04), which iconic actress they think “insists upon herself” (28:42) and how they REALLY feel about our most notorious mall (43:27). Plus Springsteen, “The Sopranos,” local deer and more! Then Alex must endure the Garden State Gauntlet (48:40) - will he survive?  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Alex Nicholas at @notalexnicholas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No part of New Jersey is misunderstood — and some would say underappreciated — like South Jersey. Host (and notorious North Jersey native) Jeremy Schneider is joined by South Jersey expert Andrea Quinn to shine some light on all the great things below I-195 the rest of the Garden State simply doesn’t get. Listen as Andrea educates Jeremy on how South Jersey REALLY feels about North Jersey (8:15), growing up with a pet raccoon (16:16), why South Jerseyans should never go to Rita’s (34:22) and if the NHL’s New Jersey Devils are stealing valor from the state’s most famous cryptid (40:04). Andrea then goes through the Garden State Gauntlet, South Jersey edition!    Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Andrea Quinn @aqandreaq on Instagram and X and check her out on The Watchers Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let the great Jersey food debate begin! The true Jersey Food Dude, captain of the MunchMobile and veteran food journalist Pete Genovese joins host Jeremy Schneider for a delicious dive into all matters of Garden State culinary quandaries. Listen as the guys play overrated/underrated on Jersey’s most famous diner (3:57), our most colorfully named hot dog joint (11:30), a bustling pizza icon that Pete just can’t stand (26:10) — and much more. Then Pete takes on the Garden State Gauntlet (46:40), foodie edition! Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

Surprise! Here’s a fun mini-episode designed to make you scream: Host and Great Adventure expert Jeremy Schneider takes us on a twisting, hurtling journey through Six Flags, ranking all 13 roller coasters for the 2025 season (2:00) — including the newly opened The Flash Vertical Velocity (8:18). Jeremy gets into which are overrated, which are classics and how the Jackson theme park really, REALLY fumbled its Kingda Ka closing (RIP) (20:30).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

What exit? We’ll tell you what exit! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by veteran journalist Brian Donohue (The Jersey Angle Podcast, Red Bank Green) to present the first-ever Roadie Awards (8:43) — our way of unpacking the best and worst of the New Jersey Turnpike. Ride shotgun as the guys get into how the Turnpike fits into Jersey culture (6:39), and award exits for their devilry, beauty — and then Brian drops the wildest hot take in JBP history (25:57)! Finally, Brian completes the Garden State Gauntlet, highway edition (34:16).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Check out The Jersey Angle Podcast!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our, uh, colorful New Jersey language unites us, even if the rest of the country doesn't know what the hell we're saying. Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian and noted Bennie dissenter Allie Mae to break down all their favorite Jersey slang, from saltpepperketchup (7:34) and 20regularcash (14:42) to the more obscure Jersey Slide (16:29) and Goosey Night (22:38). They also bond over which New Jersey highway has not yet been lost to corporate America (13:36). Then Allie takes on our trickiest Garden State Gauntlet yet, identifying Jersey town nicknames (41:38).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Allie Mae at @defaultprogrammer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is all about New Jersey wildlife and the power of nature — versus the moxie of one unsuspecting podcast host. Jeremy Schneider is joined by veteran zoologist and wildlife photographer Wild Mike Miller to appreciate some of our favorite local fauna, and how most of them would put Jeremy in the hospital. From honey bees (4:21) to rattlesnakes (17:59) to black bears (33:04), this is definitely our most dangerous episode yet. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll hear Wild Mike complete the Garden State Gauntlet, animal edition (40:40).  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you! Find Wild Mike Miller at wildmikeimage.com  Check out Wild Mike Miller’s photo books: “Through a Keeper's Eye”  “The Wanderlust Keeper” “A Keeper In The Wild” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s get ugly! Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by comedian Nick Fierro to count down 10 of the “so hideous they’re spectacular” places only true New Jerseyan could love. Come along as the guys detail a strip club under a bridge (5:34), a hot dog that looks like a witch’s finger (8:40), the gross glory of Fairytale Forest (12:12) and the refinery that gives us a bad name (and smell) (30:05). Nick also takes on the rapid-fire Garden State Gauntlet (33:07) — will he survive?  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  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

Yes, New Jersey loves Wawa like a brother (who brings you hoagies). But QuickChek is actually the true Jersey native? Host Jeremy Schneider is joined by Wawa superfan Tyler Gyuirsin — the dude who famously collected sandwich receipts 1 to 999 — to settle once and for all, which is the greatest N.J. convenience store. The guys talk history (8:10), signature items (14:47) and do a live taste (19:25) to really solidify on their picks. Then Tyler completes the rapid-fire Garden State Gauntlet (25:41), Wawa edition!  Email us! Jerseysbestpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us! @jerseysbestpodcast on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Blue Sky Subscribe to NJ.com, our journalists need you!  Follow Tyler Gyuirsin at @tyler.gyuirsin  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Jersey is America’s greatest state — so why wouldn’t it have the best podcast? Beginning April 2, 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices