🦞 Where to eat at the Jersey Shore | Morning Newsletter
And lactation rooms, mapped.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. We did it: The region officially hit 100 degrees, the first such high in over a decade. Expect sun and extreme heat again today, but a cooldown is coming.
If this weather has you in the mood for some lobster skewers and grilled oysters near the water, read on. Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan rounded up the 25 Jersey Shore restaurants to not miss this summer, from Long Beach Island to Cape May.
And Philadelphia is making it easier for nursing parents to find accessible lactation spaces.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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When I’m eating at the Jersey Shore, a Wawa hoagie and sandy fruit on the beach usually suffice. But say you’re feeling fancy and craving a sandless, sit-down meal.
🦞 Craig LaBan has you covered with his guide to more than two dozen great Shore restaurants.
🦞 There’s a white-tablecloth BYOB in Avalon (hi, BLT scampi), a “bold” Argentine steakhouse in Stone Harbor, and a pricey-but-worth-it seaside hot spot in Cape May.
🦞 It’s not all fine dining, though. Find giant clam bakes on a boat rental dock in LBI, sizzling molcajete in Egg Harbor Township, and airy bagels with smoked fish in Ventnor City.
See all of LaBan’s Shore recs, handy map included.
In other food news:
Rowdy crowds on one stretch of Sansom Street caused three bars to pull out of Center City SIPS.
Nearly 30 years since the region lost its Roy Rogers restaurants, the fast-food brand is returning with a new location in Cherry Hill.
Forest & Main will open a Fishtown taproom with “snack shack” food from a James Beard-nominated chef.
The city launched a mobile site to help municipal employees and members of the public locate dedicated rooms to pump or breastfeed.
The 26 private lactation spaces span 18 buildings such as City Hall and the Criminal Justice Center on Filbert Street. Each must include seating, an electrical outlet, and a surface for the pump.
Advocates are celebrating the city’s efforts to increase accessibility for an often under-discussed part of maternal healthcare, but say there is still more to be done.
Notable quote: “You have no idea how excited I am just to have this information mapped out,” said City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson, whose legislation to establish city lactation spaces was signed into law in 2023. “It really gives us a picture of where we need to go to next. And I know that work is ongoing, and I’m looking forward to the next space.”
Reporter Fallon Roth has the details.
What you should know today
Police are investigating a shooting at the Broad Street Line’s Cecil B. Moore station that left a teenage girl with a gunshot wound to the leg Tuesday.
A Justice Department official is up for a Philly-based federal judgeship. But he must first answer accusations that he told President Donald Trump’s team to ignore deportation orders.
Criminal charges have been dismissed against an undocumented woman at the center of a case that drew outcry over Montgomery County’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A federal lawsuit claims a Willow Grove Cheesecake Factory manager directed undocumented workers to buy fake documents and endure abusive conditions.
The share of Pennsylvanians without insurance dropped to a record low in 2023. But proposed federal spending cuts may roll back those gains.
Pennsylvania-based doctors, nurses, and physical therapists will soon be able to provide care in dozens of other states with ease thanks to a new state agreement.
The Pennsylvania House passed a bill aimed at helping the state crack down on illegal vaping products.
Chester County’s Citadel Federal Credit Union has picked Overbrook Park for its first branch in the city, making good on a promise after a discrimination settlement.
Quote of the day
While attending the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway over the weekend, Pennsylvania’s governor hinted that the state could get another race — perhaps at Franklin Field.
🧠 Trivia time
Greyhound buses still have no permanent home in Philly, two years after the longtime Center City terminal closed. Which of these locations has never served as a bus station, temporary or otherwise?
A) Sixth and Market Streets
B) Spring Garden Street and Columbus Boulevard
C) Seventh and Race Streets
D) 10th and Filbert Streets
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍧 Eager to try: Gummy cones for water ice, created by a North Wales man who says they’re vegan, halal and gluten-free.
🧦 Buying, maybe: Italian flag socks designed by Big Dom and ... Pete Davidson?
🍣 Ordering: These snacks for $10 or less at Reading Terminal Market.
🎆 Watching: Fourth of July fireworks at these spots around Philly, the suburbs, and the Jersey Shore.
⚖️ Considering: HB 1042, which would allow “earned credits” toward early parole consideration.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Once a mausoleum showroom, now a concert and arts venue
MACHO PAIL
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Robert Paradise, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Sea Isle City. Former Eagles star Jason Kelce is such a regular at Mike’s Seafood in the Cape May County town, he got a menu item named after himself.
Psst: About 75 miles north, Seaside Heights added a curfew and backpack ban ahead of the Fourth of July after Memorial Day weekend saw dozens of arrests and four nonfatal stabbings.
Photo of the day
I, personally, will not be wearing any skintight clothing during this heat wave, but kudos to the character who can pull it off. Stay safe out there, and thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.
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