Feasting at a new surf joint near Rutgers is rad for the undergrads (and everyone else, too)

by Marisa Procopio • Photos By Peter Chollick Photography

New Jersey has no shortage of “surf’s up” restaurants, at the shore and beyond, and they typically have at least a few critical ingredients. Bamboo décor? Check. Flat screens showcasing surfers in the tube? Done. Beachy food? Yup. Oh, and no complaints; these places usually offer chill atmosphere. And moreover, it’s rare to find a lousy burrito at one of them.

So why futz with the formula?

Answer: when you decide you’re going to do more than the formula by amping up quality (especially of the food to include organic vegetables, all-natural meats, and house made everything), business gets better.

“So, we decided first to use whatever is local and available to use in season,” said Shaka Burrito (New Brunswick) manager Michael Norris. Asked to what extent the restaurant makes fare from scratch, Norris answered, “Everything,” Even the tacos? “Yep. The tortillas…the chips, we fry those every day. The syrups [for their luscious cocktails]…we do all our own organic infused simple syrups—a camucamu [a South American, cherry-like fruit], a wild blueberry, and a nice ginger syrup as well.”

Shaka Burrito first opened its doors in Long Branch’s chi-chi Pier Village in 2008, and in June 2014 moved to New Brunswick. Here, with a much larger kitchen, the staff was inspired to stretch its legs and overhauled the original menu.

“We wanted to expand to more regional dishes from around the globe…not just Hawaii and California,” explained Norris.

The sauces here stand out as much as the dishes. The Big Wave Bay are tender shrimp fritters with a delicate apricot ginger sauce. The Tofino is a camu-camu marinated grilled chicken breast over baby spinach, with a wheat berry-blueberry salad alongside and a pineapple vinaigrette that’s fruity enough to pour into a fancy glass with an umbrella.

The Bundoran (Ireland-inspired roasted salmon) is marinated in organic honey and Irish whiskey. The center is tender and edges crisp. It’s served with mustard cress (have you forgotten you’re at a surf restaurant yet?), vegetables julienned as thinly as the soba noodles they’re in, and decorated with Meyer lemon crema (a ubiquitous dressing here, but tasty).

Three tacos with mahi mahi, all-natural chicken (with a salty kick from the addition of Manchego cheese), and grass-fed beef are exceptionally fresh tasting, all.

“We just want people to come in feeling relaxed, have a nice cocktail, in a laid-back environment,” emphasized
Norris. “It sounds easy to do, but you need to get the formula just right.”

Shaka Burrito
120 Albany St., New Brunswick
732.828.0128 / shakaburrito.com