The Allenwood General Store is a mecca for pork roll afficionados.
On a rural road in Wall, NJ there is a quaint looking business called the Allenwood General Store. It looks like it may have served the community for at least a hundred years. And it is somewhat true. There has been an Allenwood General Store in various locations in the Allenwood section of Wall since the 1850s. The current incarnation of the store has been owned by the Herbert family since the 1970s.
It is the kind of place that is straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. When you step inside, you feel more like you are in Vermont than New Jersey. The walls are covered with signs, pictures, license plates and plenty of antiques. A pot belly stove in the dining area.
But we are here for breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning in June. At the Allenwood General Store, the specialty is pork roll, egg and cheese. There was a line six people deep just to place an order. While I’m waiting I could see the line of six pound rolls of Trenton Pork Roll in the display case. The crew behind the counter was busily building pork roll egg and cheese sandwiches as fast as they could. After a few minutes, I placed my order and then joined the throng of hungry folks in waiting.
That gave me time to explore the place a bit. There is a back dining room as well. There is an ice cream counter back there that will probably get pretty busy as the day goes on and the temperature rises. And of course there are lots of antiques lining the walls and on shelves and just about everything is for sale.
Pork roll, egg and cheese and great atmosphere to go with it.
Back at the grill area, the crew of five is working furiously to get those orders filled. After 10 minutes or so, my name is called and I walk up to the counter to claim my prize and grab a table in the cool back dining room.
They make a delicious pork roll, egg and cheese that seems a bit sweeter than most. I think they might be using a sweeter ketchup than the standard Heinz or Hunts. Whatever it is, I like it. The eggs were slightly runny and perfect and of course the mild Trenton pork roll is delicious as usual.
The Allenwood General Store is not just a creator of awesome pork roll sandwiches. It is truly an experience. Tons of atmosphere, friendly people, and lots cool stuff to look at.
You can find the Allenwood General Store at 3208 Allenwood Lakewood Road in Allenwood/Wall Twp., NJ. They are online at http://www.allenwoodgeneralstore.com/.
