Wood Avenue, Linden, NJ

Big Stash’s Bar & Restaurant: Post mortem (Linden, NJ) It’s now been over a year since the doors closed at this iconic Polish American eatery on the west side of the Tremley Point section in Linden.  Most of you would probably recognize the area by the chemical towers that lined the New Jersey Turnpike like trees.  Big Stash was an after work gathering place, for a quick beer before heading home from the Bayway Refinery.  The homes surrounding the restaurant were owned by hard-working Eastern European immigrants. Remember, when the parking lot across the street was all homes?

Big Stash is where we had lunch with friends after my father’s memorial service in 2006.  I’ve lived away from Linden since 1970 but still found a reason to stop by for a hot corned beef sandwich, brown mustard and a side of macaroni salad.  Simple fare but consistently good!  The macaroni salad was excellent .  .  . maybe the best.  A combination of finely chopped bell pepper and real mayonnaise (not that salad dressing stuff) are some of the ingredients.  If someone has the recipe, please pass it on.

OMG!  I stopped for dinner on my way home to PA on July 8^th 2015 after a business meeting in NYC.  It was around 5 PM and there were parking spaces on Wood Avenue in front of the restaurant.  There’s usually only space in the lot across the street.  Panic overtook me.  I rounded the block again hoping that this was all a hallucination.  Had Big Stash's close?  I pulled over to barrow (you should always pass protect your internet) someone’s local Wi-Fi connection.  To my horror Google endorsed the loss.  I was a week too late!  Another “family owned” business is gone! 

Gone are dinner and my corned beef fantasy! What other restaurant can you get: Frog Legs, Kielbasa & Kraut, Pierogi, Corned Beef, Liverwurst & Onion Sandwich and Stuffed Shells all on the same menu?  Sure, the dining room is dark and hasn’t changed in over 50 years but that’s part of the ambiance.  Where can you opt for either cafeteria (self-serve) or table service and have a long-time waitress take your order.  Big Stash was always a clean, pleasant, reasonably priced and neighborhood restaurant.

No chain-restaurant will ever replace the food and friends at Big Stash.  Bummed!

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