You'll find East Brunswick's newest Filipino kitchen inside a grocery store. Twelve Kusina opened in early September at the Asian Food Market, 275 Route 18 South, and it's run by the same two cousins behind the Twelve Truck. Farther along the same highway, The Mexi-Boys has announced Saturday, Nov. 7 as the opening day for its first restaurant at 1031 Route 18.
These two openings follow the same pattern as most of the other new food spots in town this year. The cooks already have customers. They built them from a truck window or a pizzeria a few towns over, and East Brunswick is where they're adding a second, fixed address. Also, neither truck is retiring, so you can still catch both of them out on the road.
The Truck Kept Running After the Kitchen Opened
Patch reported in September that Twelve Kusina had celebrated its grand opening that week. According to the same report, co-owners Justin Bustos and Joseph Maglaqui plan to keep the Twelve Truck running alongside the storefront. The New Jersey Food Truck Association lists Twelve as a Filipino truck based in neighboring Old Bridge, so the new counter is pretty close to home.
If you've never eaten from the truck, its posted menus show what the cousins are known for:
- Chicken adobo
- Lumpia
- BBQ skewers
- Pancit
- A combo plate that puts lumpia, a BBQ skewer, pancit and rice together
The truck has also run specials like a Bistek Loco Moco and an ube banana pudding. Those were truck-menu specials, so check what the Route 18 counter is serving before you go in with your heart set on one. The storefront's hours aren't posted yet, so it's worth calling or checking the business's own channels first.
Putting the counter inside the Asian Food Market is smart practical math. Shoppers are already walking past it, and the space comes with a lot that people visit for other reasons.
Four Trucks, Then One Address
The Mexi-Boys took a longer road to a fixed location. In a sponsored post the company paid for on Patch, it described the climb:
"What started with one truck, a small team and a big idea has grown into four Mexi-Boys trucks and now a permanent home in East Brunswick."
That same post set the opening for Saturday, Nov. 7 and promised grand-opening giveaways, including a chance at $1,000. It said details would come later. The company's own site gives the location as 1031 Route 18, Building 2, Unit B. As of this week, the Mexi-Boys homepage still says the restaurant is "Coming Soon!" Treat Nov. 7 as the announced date and check before you drive over.
The main menu is heavier on plant-based options than the usual taco stop. It lists fried burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, loaded nachos, Mexi-fries, soft tacos and Mexi-Boys cones, and you can get them with meat or plant-based fillings. It also has vegan taquitos, jackfruit tamales and churros. The fried burrito is the one the company calls its signature.
The trucks have a home base too. The company's food truck page lists 922 Amboy Avenue in Edison, open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The company also offers truck and drop-off catering for corporate events, birthdays, schools, sports teams, weddings and private parties around New Jersey. If you want to try it before the storefront opens, the Edison stop is already running.
Legacy Place Filled Up the Same Way
The same pattern shows up on Tices Lane, minus the trucks. Legacy Place is a 25-acre, town-center-style development just off Route 18, with apartments over 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. ROI-NJ reported in September that recent leases had brought the retail space close to full, with one space still under negotiation.
Its best-known food tenant is another second location, in fact a third one. Bonesse's Tomato Apizza cut its ribbon at 1 Legacy Place on Saturday, Aug. 15. TAPinto reported that owners Rosamaria and Camillo Bonesse took over Maria's Pizza in Milltown from Rosamaria's mother and opened a Spotswood location in 2024 before coming to East Brunswick. The signature pies mix New Jersey and Connecticut styles. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with dine-in, takeout and a party room.
Marley and Harley's Creamery and Confections is already open next door at One Legacy Place. Barkly Pet Grooming & Shop opened at Two Legacy Place this summer, so you can stop for dessert and a dog groomer in the same trip.
The next food tenant breaks the pattern. ROI-NJ described Trinity Cafe & Bakery as its owners' first business. The 1,700-square-foot shop at Two Legacy Place will serve Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired desserts, specialty coffees and teas. NJBIZ gives the address as 110 Tices Lane. Neither announcement included an opening date, so for now it's still a sign in a window. Two more non-food tenants are coming to the same building. Heated is a yoga, Pilates and barre studio from the owners of Dhyana Yoga in North Brunswick, and The DRIPBaR is a wellness franchise.
Restaurant Week Already Had the New Names
East Brunswick's annual Restaurant Week ran from Monday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 25. TAPinto's list of participants had 33 names on it. Twelve Kusina, printed there as "Twelve Kusing," made the list, and so did The Mexi Boys, Bonesse's Tomato Apizza and Marley and Harley's, even though they're among the newest names on it. Longtime spots like Colonial Diner, Orchard Park by David Burke and the East Brunswick Seafood & Fish Market were on it too. Each restaurant set its own specials, and the township keeps the participant list on its Restaurant Week page.
The trucks have their own township event too. Food Truck-a-Palooza filled the Community Arts Center at 721 Cranbury Road from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, and the township ran the same event at the same spot on Aug. 23, 2025. With two years in a row at the same location, it looks like a fixture for late August. That's next summer's date to watch. The two calendars have different jobs. Food Truck-a-Palooza is where you find a truck you like, and the Route 18 storefronts are where you can go back for it any week.
Where to Find Them This Fall
| Name | Where | Status as of late October | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve Kusina | Inside Asian Food Market, 275 Route 18 South | Open since early September | Chicken adobo or the lumpia, skewer and pancit combo |
| Twelve Truck | Based in Old Bridge, at events | Still running | Lumpia, BBQ skewers |
| The Mexi-Boys restaurant | 1031 Route 18, Building 2, Unit B | Announced for Saturday, Nov. 7 | Fried burrito |
| The Mexi-Boys truck stop | 922 Amboy Avenue, Edison | Wed–Sat, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. | Vegan taquitos or jackfruit tamales |
| Bonesse's Tomato Apizza | 1 Legacy Place, off Tices Lane | Open Tue–Sun, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | A NJ–Connecticut style pie |
| Marley and Harley's Creamery and Confections | One Legacy Place | Open | Dessert after pizza |
| Trinity Cafe & Bakery | Two Legacy Place, 110 Tices Lane | Coming soon, no date announced | Coffee and Mediterranean desserts, once it opens |
A good weekend plan right now is an early lunch at Twelve Kusina while you're doing the grocery run, then pizza at Legacy Place for dinner. After Nov. 7, The Mexi-Boys gives you a third stop on Route 18.
Jeff Smith at Freeman Smith works across Middlesex County and the rest of Central Jersey. If the Route 18 corridor or the new homes around Legacy Place have you curious about East Brunswick, he can walk you through how the area actually lives, one street at a time. Let's Connect.
