For North Jersey’s Cruzado family, the hot dog business and entrepreneurship have been in their DNA for two generations. The family business is celebrating one year at its Passaic storefront, Cruz Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos, located at 73 Gregory Avenue. This establishment is home to an extensive menu that can’t be found at just any other hot dog joint while highlighting the importance of family and community support. Read on to find out more about how Cruz-Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos came to be, as well as its exclusive Snap-O-Razzo hot dogs that aren’t available anywhere else in New Jersey.
Behind Cruz-Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos
Reinaldo Cruzado, Jr. was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, and always had a passion for cooking. He helped his father with his hot dog cart in the 1990s (you can still find his father behind the cart at 4th + Willow). After a few years working in the postal service and retiring as Sergeant of the Secaucus Police Department, Reinaldo’s love for food and entrepreneurial spirit made him want to invest in his dream of opening a restaurant serving hot dogs like his father. The business started as a hot dog cart moving between Essex and Bergen counties before landing a storefront business at its current location in Passaic in February 2024.
Photo Credit: Alexandra Cruzado
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Cruz-Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos sets itself apart from other hot dog eateries with its Latin-infused menu and the dogs it serves. “We are the only establishment in New Jersey to offer the Snap-O-Razzo hot dog— a premium, all-beef hot dog that is hickory-smoked with hints of garlic and delivers an unmistakable ‘snap’ when you bite into it,” Reinaldo said.
Snap-O-Razzo is a renowned family-owned business based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, which is, according to Reinaldo, “highly sought after in the hot dog world.” The only other close establishment that carries this dog is Sarge’s Deli in New York City, but locals now have the luxury of indulging in “the Snap” right here in Passaic.
The Menu
The menu is designed to introduce new customers and satisfy familiar faces with its Latin twist on a traditional American hot dog restaurant menu. There are specialty dog creations like The Hot Cruz-Missile (topped with spicy chili, hot onions, jalapenos + spicy mustard) and the Mofongo Bacon Dog (fried mashed Plantain with bacon, garlic, and butter), served alongside sandwiches, pinchos (skewers of either beef, pork, or chicken served with two slices of buttered toast and a side of chimichurri sauce), and smash burgers that give the flavors of Snap-O-Razzos a run for their money. Every item is made to order. The restaurant also has a daily specials menu including fun additions like empanadas, fruit shakes, and tater tots to jazz up any order.
Cruz-Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos is always looking for more opportunities to expand and grow — for instance, it just recently served out of its mobile truck for a sorority event at Rutgers University. While the Cruzado family is eager to keep incorporating its Latin culture into the menu and hopes to open a second storefront in the area in the future, the Snap-O-Razzo might just be the new talk of the “hot dog” town.
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Cruz-Missile Hot Dogs + Pinchos is currently open Monday through Saturday from 11AM-5PM.
A 40-year-old parking garage in downtown Hoboken could be transformed into a new apartment building. The City of Hoboken proposed plans to transform Municipal Parking Garage B at 28 2nd Street in Hoboken into a mixed-use building. The plan was unveiled during a virtual community meeting on January 7th, 2025, but has yet to be adopted by City Council. There will be another community meeting on Wednesday, January 29th at 7PM to learn more about the plan. Here’s what we know so far about the proposed plan to revitalize one of Hoboken’s largest parking garages.
The Plan
The goal is to redevelop Garage B into a transit-oriented, mixed-use site. The City wants it to have a new, updated parking garage, ground-floor retail space, a school, and residential housing. According to the plan, “Garage B is the only garage that exists as a standalone building, without other buildings attached to or flanking the garage structure. Garage B is also located furthest south and is closest to the Hoboken Terminal. For these reasons, Garage B has fewer barriers to construction than the other Garages locations.”
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The housing portion of the new site would include a minimum of 20% affordable housing for low to moderate-income households. The remaining balance would be affordable for households that don’t make more than 120% of the regional median household income in the region. No market-rate housing is part of this redevelopment plan.
“The intent of workforce housing is to provide opportunities for working- and middle-class residents to live within the City of Hoboken,” said Marilyn Baer from the City of Hoboken. “These residents can include police and fire officers, teachers, municipal workers, nurses, and other essential workers.”
According to a recent study done by the City of Hoboken, the parking garage is in substantial need of repair. The garage would be getting a much-needed update and Hoboken says the new space will have the same or possibly more parking spaces for residents and visitors to use, along with modern technology to help make the parking process a breeze.
The Goals
This plan is part of Hoboken’s Redevelopment Plans, aiming to improve the City to make it safer for both residents and visitors. Some of the other goals for this site include maximizing the future building’s proximity to the Hoboken Terminal, increasing access to to NJ Transit, the PATH, the Light Rail, and ferry services. Project leaders aim for new construction to be compatible with the surrounding area. They also want to make sure ground floor space is spaced and utilized well to improve the pedestrian experience on Hudson Place and River Street.
This redevelopment plan also calls for pedestrian safety improvements in line with the City’s Vision Zero goals. It will also use stormwater mitigation strategies to help reduce local flooding.
Again, this is still just a proposed plan. If it’s adopted by the City Council, the City of Hoboken plans to send out a Request for Proposals from developers for concept plans. From there, the City will provide for an additional public process ahead of a potential Redevelopment Agreement between Hoboken and a developer, according to Marilyn Baer.
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Community Meeting on 1/29
Per a Nixle alert sent out by the City of Hoboken, there will be another community meeting to learn more about the proposed redevelopment plan on Wednesday, January 29th at 7PM in the City Hall Council Chambers, located at 94 Washington Street in Hoboken.
The Department of Community Development will present proposed uses for the 40-year-old municipal parking garage which could transform the property into a transit-oriented, mixed-use site with active ground-floor retail, residential housing, school space, and parking.
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