Goodbye Pork Roll, Hello Po’boy: A Taste of New Orleans Lands in New Jersey

A new Jersey City eatery serves a Southern sandwich among New Jersey’s many famous sandwiches. This October, New Orleans hospitality veteran Israel Jiles established Po Boy Riche, a po’boy shop.

After years managing high-profile NYC restaurants and working with New Jersey culinary groups, Jiles wanted his next chapter to be personal. Gulf Coast food from his upbringing is his favorite. His purpose was to tell his story to New Jersey, not just build another profitable idea.

Freshly fried fish and spicy Louisiana seasonings greet customers at the colorful Bergen-Lafayette location. The menu’s centerpiece is the po’boy, a New Orleans sandwich with fried shrimp or roast beef on light French bread. Unlike New Jersey’s chewier hoagie buns, this bread is softer, crispier, and meant to contain assertive fillings without dominating.

Po Boy Riche includes eight flavors: shrimp and oyster, chicken, roast beef, mushroom, and muffuletta. Shrimp-oyster “half and half” is becoming popular. A velvety Creole aioli and fresh vegetables add crunch, spice, and tang to each bite.

But Jiles didn’t build this menu alone. He collaborated alongside cousin and New Orleans chef Matthew Lewis and Darrell Raymond. Beyond sandwiches, they now provide Gulf Coast staples. Red beans and rice, golden catfish nuggets, and French fries with shredded short rib, gravy, and cheese are available.

Louisiana-inspired catfish nuggets are crunchy and seasoned like Southern fried seafood. The po’boys are better than the fries, which taste like New Jersey’s disco fries.

Louisiana desserts bring back memories. Po Boy Riche plans to introduce beignet breakfast sandwiches soon after their fresh beignets became popular. Now, guests may enjoy warm, thick, sweet, soft New Orleans-style bread pudding.

This is just the start. The restaurant will serve Creole and Southern prix fixe dinners. Jiles said the forthcoming meals will feature chef-driven tastings of charred fish, oysters Rockefeller, and other regional favorites.

Jiles considers Po Boy Riche more than a restaurant. It commemorates early-morning Gulf of Mexico fishing trips, family dinners, and his culture. Though New Jersey is thousands of miles from New Orleans, he wants to bring that energy through sandwiches.

This new Jersey City shop may be the freshest for non-pork roll and Italian sub lovers.

Sources

NJ Advance Media
Interviews & Statements from Po Boy Riche