Lava Fries are French fries doused in hot sauce before mozzarella cheese is broiled on top.

Lava Fries are a spicier cousin of the New Jersey diner favorite Disco Fries (And Disco Fries in turn are more refined cousin of northerner’s Poutine). Lava Fries are a regular menu item at the one campus bar serving Rutgers University, Newark.

Often after I finished my nighttime graduate classes, I’d end up with a beer or two at McGovern’s tavern and inevitably someone would order a plate of Lava Fries. They are greasy and spicy all at once, but if you take your time eating them they congeal into a messy pile of greasy cheese.

McGovern’s Tavern
58 New Street
Newark, New Jersey