What: Pinwheel Garden Dumpling & Noodle Bar is a family-owned restaurant in Jersey City’s hot Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood serving up flavor-packed, handmade Asian eats.
Interior: The restaurant’s decor is cozy and simple, with a brick-exposed wall, wooden bench/tables, and counter seating by the window. There are also plenty of plants to give it a homey feel. There’s no wait staff, so order at the counter, grab your food, and take a seat.
The Menu: The menu is short and sweet at Pinwheel Garden. You have dumpling and pancake appetizers ($4 to $8), noodles/curries ($11 to $14), and desserts ($4 to $7). Although the restaurant is BYOB, they have an excellent tea selection for all you tea lovers. (We particularly liked the Indonesian Jasmine). Entrees can be accompanied by udon, soba, or ramen noodles.
We Loved: Prepare your taste buds for some unique flavors! Everything we had at Pinwheel Garden was delicious and well-balanced. The Scallion Pancake Pizza ($8) is a pan-fried Taiwanese scallion pancake that comes topped with the Pinwheel’s signature coconut curry. The deep yellow curry has a hint of spice and sweetness, which gives it an overall rich taste. It’s perfect for two people, but you’ll want to double up if your party is larger than two. The Coconut Curry ($12) is made with spicy coconut milk curry and has peppers, onions, and cilantro. We had ours with Pinwheel’s thick-and-chewy udon noodles and also topped it with Pinwheel’s homemade seitan. Seitan — or wheat gluten — is a meat substitute that’s surprisingly similar to meat in look and texture. Personally, I find it to be a better meat replacement than tofu. The seitan in our dish took on the flavor of the coconut curry and had I not known — I could’ve easily thought I was eating meat. Finally, make sure to leave room for dessert — the Matcha Ice Cream ($4) is slightly sweet with a gentle bitter aftertaste. It’s drizzled with blueberry puree and topped with crushed pistachios.
Scallion Pancake Pizza ($8)
Could Be Better: There’s not much to gripe about at Pinwheel Garden, but it’s worth noting that the restaurant is still in soft open mode, which means hours of operation aren’t consistent. So we recommend you follow them on Facebook or Instagram for updates and early closings.
Final Take: Pinwheel Garden Dumpling & Noodle Bar is another excellent addition to an already hot strip of restaurants along Communipaw Avenue. The food is savory with excellent vegetarian options, staff are friendly, and it’s BYOB.
Coconut Curry w/ Seitan & Udon ($12)
Matcha Ice Cream w/ Pistachios ($4)
Pinwheel Garden | 318 Communipaw Avenue | www.pinwheelgardenjc.com
