u/Juicey_J_Hammerman

Thanks to all who have participated in both the final round of voting, as well as in previous rounds over the past couple months!

We have officially determined a winner of the Chomp-ionship Matchup between our top two establishments as voted on by the good people of r/Cranford - our final showdown pitted two longtime local legends in the Cranford culinary scene against each other, both equally worthy and deserving of victory and praise in their own right, but as the famous documentary The Highlander goes: "There can be only one!"

Without further ado, and by a margin of just ONE vote out of dozens cast, The Riverside Inn (aka "The Dive") has just barely edged out The Cranford Hotel to be crowned r/Cranford's inaugural March Madness of Bars/Restaurants for 2026.

To many, its probably not a shock that Riverside Inn won - its one of only a few actual bars in Cranford proper itself, a fun historic origin story as a speakeasy in a flower shop basement during prohibition, and regularly receives good press for both its food and quintessential "dive bar" atmosphere. You can even buy wooden collectables of the place on Etsy (and apparently the Cranford Hotel too). To me, it is a shame to have to pick only one of the two places as I love both - but if Cranford Hotel had to lose to someone, it at least lost to a worthy opponent IMO.

I'll be adding a fun sidebar image soon highlighting our new Champion.

Thanks to everyone for participating - this was fun to do and a great way to engage more people on here. Feel free to suggest other fun activities and improvements we can do on here as well!

Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DX7kWtExs7g/?igsh=MWlid2VqZnBrc2kyNQ==

Looks like their website is down if you try the URL though.

Quick write up on the first ever real estate industry day NJT held the other week hosting developers and related groups on possible interest on a few underutilized/vacant properties the agency owns that were showcased in its first ever ‘LAND’ Plan released last year.

NJ.com writeup on Rustic Mill closing abruptly. No news from the owners and the site is NOT publicly listed for sale.

With recent attention on bike lanes and pedestrian /biking infrastructure in town, it reminded me of some info** **Union County Connects sent out in a recent email update on an upcoming event to tribute a new mural/honor a recently passed member and draw renewed attention to recent efforts with the RVRR trail, as well as a summary of updates they’ve had in recent months/years.

Posting excerpts of the email below in italics with the groups’s permission:

….Working with local partners and government, we have identified and focused on 3 rails-to-trails sites within our local neighborhoods.

RVRR (Rahway Valley Railroad)

SIRT (Staten Island Rapid Transit)

CNJ (Central Railroad of New Jersey)

We have made significant progress on two of these rail-trails and one safe streets project.

We will celebrate the final portion of the Rahway Valley Railroad Mural in Roselle Park at the corner of Grove Street and Westfield Avenue. This portion of the mural will be dedicated to Allen Walcoff.

Note: Parking is available on Valley Road….

1) Our 1st success is the

RVRR (Rahway Valley Railroad)

*** ***

RVRR has tracks that traverse Roselle Park~ Kenilworth~ Union~ Springfield~ Summit

(shown on the rail map [second photo] in orange) 

We helped Union County secured $1.5M in grant funding and have continued to work closely with Union County Engineers to follow the progress and design approach.

* *

We collaborated with Union County and created the timeline [third photo] to communicate progress and expectations.

2) Our 2nd success is the SIRT (Staten Island Rapid Transit)

*** ***

SIRT has tracks that traverse Elizabeth ~ Roselle ~ Cranford

(shown [on the rail map in second photo] in blue)

*** ***

We have helped secure $1.2M** **in grant funding and work with the Borough of Roselle to follow their progress and design direction.

3) Our 3rd success is the rerouting of the East Coast Greenway (ECG) and advocating to include bike lanes in these plans

* *

For years, UCC has advocated for rerouting the East Coast Greenwaythrough the historic midtown Elizabeth via the Elizabeth River Trail to the Goethals bridge.

* *

We have hosted several events like escorting Shan Riggs (the first person to ever run the length of the greenway along our proposed route) and bringing county officials together with ECG state leaders to advance this vision.

* *

As a result of this advocacy, Union County was awarded $1 Million to connect Cranford to the Goethals Bridge via the ECG!

* *

The new route [4th photo] will feature the first protected bike lanes in the whole county as well as the first bike lanes on a county road!  

A landmark moment in Union County transportation history that UCC has been involved with every step of the way!

Note:  “Alignment” in this context means different segments….

Don't be fooled by the pun folks, this might be the 'Full Four', but hope you saved room for more matchups!

Voting for the Full Four (semi-final) matchups are now live! Click here to vote via Google Form or at the URL below from now through 11:59:00 PM EDT Sunday April 26, 2026,

Full Four Google Form Link: https://forms.gle/U8hNEQ779vWLqryg7

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Entree Eight Round over the last week. With results tallied from that survey, I present to you our semifinal rounds, both of which featuring dominant local heavyweights going against competitors that narrowly prevailed over their most recent opponents.

• In the Battle of the Bars: The Thirsty Turtle just barely edged out Ye Olde Rathskeller Tavern by a single vote! They are set represent the Centennial Village neighborhood and will take on dive-bar mainstay Riverside Tavern, who themselves defeated Vine & Oak by a vote margin of nearly 8-1! 
• Meanwhile in a clash of Asian restaurants in town, Wasai Bistro edged out Mr Bin Sushi & Grill by just 1 vote as well, and will take on another dominating Cranford institution: The Cranford Hotel, which emerged victorious over fellow downtown staple Oasis with over 75% of the votes in that matchup.

 

The winners of both matchups above will advance to our Chomp-ionship round, which will be decided via a weeklong poll on r/Cranford. 

Voting is same as before, but this time, not all questions are required - this decision was made based on feedback from participants. Thanks for participating! Feel free to share, and keep the suggestions coming!