Came here with a large party. The place was cozy and well decorated. It took a while to get attention from the servers. When we ordered it felt rushed. The server was rude which really took away from the experience and added a level of stress we didn't need. He had the nerve to correct my friend over the way she pronounced "bruschetta" in which she laughed it off and said "I'm Irish" but the server remained stone faced. We asked him for a bottle opener and for some water in which case he gave an attitude and made us feel stupid for even asking. We then sat another 10 minutes without water or a bottle opened and had to grab the attention of another server to get the water and opener. The food was pretty good. Everyone was pleased with their meal. I would not come back or recommend this place based on the service alone. I don't ask for much when I go out, but when a server has a negative demeanor, seems bothered during interactions, and doesn't perform his basic duties, that really takes away from the experience. I'd rather spend money somewhere that gives a hoot about their patrons. read more

The service was friendly and the food was ok. Pizza was soggy in the middle...with brick oven pizza I expected it to be a touch more cooked at the center. Biggest problem--The dining room is way too packed with tables. I had to move several times so the waiter could slink next to me to reach behind another person to deliver to a table squeezed next to an exit...too close to an exit. Has to be a fire hazard with how packed it is.. And the NOISE. It is entirely too noisy to enjoy anything else. I couldn't hear the person sitting next to me. My ears are still ringing. read more

The buttata and prosciutto are good and the chicken Caesar salad is good. The meatballs you can pass on, they are a little mushy. The pizzas are average but a good price. read more

The service. The owner needs to hire a hostess asap! That's all I have to say! You can't lie to customers saying your table is ready and then have them wait by the door for 45 minutes and just walk away. On a positive note the food is good. But we won't be coming back. So sad because my family has been going to Sicilian Sun my whole life since I grew up in HHK. :( read more

I went here for dinner with my wife and father-in-law this past Saturday. It was hands down the WORST meal I have ever had!! I ordered the soft polenta with pork braciole which was a special that night. When the waiter brought my dish to the table he held it out to me and waited for me to take it from him rather than place the plate down on the table. Call me crazy but aren't you supposed to put the plate down in front of the diner??? The polenta was lumpy, gritty, and tasteless. The braciole was 2 pieces of pork about the size of hard-boiled eggs. They were overcooked...hard as rocks and totally dry. My FIL ordered the branzino in a "light marinara sauce". Light??? LOL!! There was absolutely nothing light about the sauce. The fish was completely smothered in a thick & heavy sauce. My wife ordered the tagliatelle bolognese. The pasta was clumpy because it was undercooked and unlike the branzino dish which was drowning in sauce the pasta had very little sauce on it. The place is so loud you can't even have a conversation with the person sitting across the table from you. The restaurant is also very cramped because they have way too many tables squeezed into a space that is too small. The entire meal was a huge disappointment. Right across the street is St. Eve's. I found myself looking out the window wishing we had gone there instead. We decided as a group that we will NOT be returning to 081 Cafe. read more

Such a quaint restaurant in the center of town in Ho Ho Kus. It used to be Sicilian Sun, which was nothing to write home about. This newer establishment is like night and day compared to the previous one. It's Neapolitan-style pizza and food were tasty, and the managers (maybe owners?) are from Italy. The decor is rustic and modern at the same time, and very pretty with a beautiful floral ceiling in the main dining area and faux lemon grove in the dining area near the pizza oven - sounds like it would be cheesy but it works! I'm not a fan of northern NJ food in general, although there are a few decent restaurants and I'm glad to see and have experienced another one. I'll definitely be adding 081 Cafe to the mix! We tried the tre funghi pizza and the meatballs appetizer, and I look forward to trying additional menu items in the near future. Two tips: it's BYOB, and you can either park on the street or in the small lot on the same block. read more

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Went here for Mother's Day for the first time and I am disappointed. The wait staff were rude, bathrooms dirty, tables on top of each other, and the food was cooked from frozen dinners. 5 out of the 5 people I went with, disliked it. My pizza was more like soggy pita bread and the risotto was just rice with half a singular piece of asparagus. Ridiculous. Too bad because the place is decorated cute and we heard great things about it. Save your time and money. read more

Incredibly rude. Half our table was late 15 mins we called they said okay. We arrived on time. They gave us an attitude and wouldn't seat us prior, fine. Then boom my mother gets there the guy goes are you sure ur party is here and laughs in my face. You can hardly take a step inside. No clear host stand. Don't waste your time and money here. read more

Had a terrible experience at this restaurant on our last visit. It was very disappointing as we had been there before but there were definitely some changes to the wait staff. We got there a 30 mins before our reservation and they were able to sit us. We were handed 2 menus, one specials and one regular. After waiting sometime we placed our order with 2 appetizers for the table and 4 entrees. My friend and I both requested a fish special as well as 2 other entrees. Our appetizers took quite some time to come and when they finally arrived they were simply mediocre. The beet salad was way over dressed with nothing that stood out. The flatbread pizza was also just ok. After waiting quite a while more the entrees were finally delivered. When they handed us our fish it was clearly not what we had ordered. The waiter was quick to snap back that it was the fish we ordered even though I kindly expressed that it was an entirely different dish it what was described. He brought out the daily menu and apparently the same fish was on the regular menu but was also listed on the specials menu as Grilled which is what we had asked for. I could not eat the fish as presented because of dietary issues so I asked for the grilled fish I had originally ordered. He took our plates back and we never saw him AGAIN!! I mean not for the rest of our visit!! He waited on everyone around us, except us!! Understand I was not upset as I understand mistakes are made. I would have liked for a manager to perhaps come by our table and say something about it especially with how the waiter reacted to an error he clearly made. We waited another 30 mins while the rest of the table ate without us. When our meals came they were prepared as described and were ok!! Once dinner was over we were just sitting waiting for someone to ask us if we wanted something else which one kind waiter must have seen our confusion and asked if we needed something else. My friend mentioned dessert to which he quickly suggested Tiramisu. He was the only one ordering and selected something completely different along with an espresso. At this point it has been 3 HOURS! We are all upset by the experience and would like to pay our bill and leave. I caught the eye of a person whom I thought was a manager as he was behind the counter sipping on a glass of wine, I had even raised my hand like a school kid and he took his wine and walked to the back! When we finally received the bill everything that we ordered was charged including the tiramisu which was suggested to us BUT NOT ORDERED!!! Honestly it would not have been a big deal at all had they handled the situation a little better. A simple "sorry for the misunderstanding" " or let us to buy you a cup of coffee!" NOPE!! The waiter just ghosted us for the rest of the meal! Needless to say I will not be returning to this cafe! The food is just ok and the service is terrible. read more

Ordered tagliatelle bolognese and a tossed salad. The pasta was over cooked but the sauce was delicious. However my tossed salad contained a short black hair(couldn't be mine or from household). The staff/service was rude and unfriendly. At checkout the worker was on phone and didn't care to help. The decor is not pleasant at all random fake flowers on wall and wallpaper of mount fuji even though it's an italian restaurant. read more

081 Cafe - Italian Near Me - Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey

Mediocre food.. untrained staff with a i don't care attitude.. lots of other options in the area.

I was visiting New Jersey and stumbled upon this restaurant and the food was amazing. I ordered the margarita pizza and the vodka chicken Parm which i highly recommend as there was so much flavor and it was so filling. The service was also great as they were quick to take my order and made great recommendations on what was good on the menu. Would definitely recommend if you are in the area visiting! read more

Food was good, ambiance ok, service terrible. We had a party of 5 and were there for 1hour 45 minutes WITHOUT dessert and coffee. Wait staff was either indifferent or surly. We had to ask about our meal twice. Server should have offered complimentary coffee or dessert to compensate for the intolerably slow service. Won't be back. read more

My wife and I stumbled upon this restaurant visiting New York for the first time and we really enjoyed it. We ordered a pizza which was FANTASTIC and the truffle pappardelle, which was also creamy and delicious. We were able to split the two dishes and we were satisfied! read more

Had dinner here last week. I had the pork chop carbonara which was very good. Chop was tender and brown sauce of peppers, mushrooms and olives was fine. Very tasty. My wife who is a light eater had the meatball and ricotta appetizer for her entree was not as impressed. The meatballs were soft. We ate with another couple who enjoyed their food. Service was very good. The main problem with 081 is the noise. You really can't enjoy the experience. They have to do something to reduce the noise level, it's overwhelming. read more

Despite having a reservation, it took 30 minutes to be seated. It was obvious that the restaurant was understaffed because tables were full with minimal food served on the tables. Wait staff forgot to bring bread to the table. Caesar salad dressing tasted like it came out of a bottle from a supermarket. Veggie pizza was served 20 minutes after other entrees were served and was as bland as could be. Restaurant was too loud, too bright, too crowded, mediocre food, terrible service. The prior restaurant was Sicilian Sun, a restaurant that we enjoyed and this experience was extremely disappointing. Never again. read more

here is the issue with this place... i had a reservation and i'm fine with a slight delay, but people were walking in going cover the some guy, by passing the hostess and asking for a table. they had no reservation but he wound tell the hostess to give them a table. So here I am with a reservation with no table. the hostess is a young girl who knew what wa a going on and apologized over and over. it's not her fault she did what the Big Guy told her. Disrespectful to customers that made reservations. the ambiance, was nice , but get rid of the lemons and flowers hanging from the ceiling. tacky and there is no way your keeping those dust free. Service, very good, the two guys that took care of us were great. Food very good. it was just so disrespectful to ignore your patrons that made reservations to give tables to walk to me. read more

Went today with a group of friends. The food is delicious, the service is very attentive & the decor is very attractive. I had the tagliatelle bolognese and the portion was both generous & delicious. We'll worth a visit. The only negative is the parking. They don't have a parking lot, so you need to search for street parking. read more

"I recently visited friends in New Jersey, and we decided to have dinner at 081 café. The food was nothing short of amazing, and the service was top-notch, making the entire dining experience memorable." read more

Got a regular pizza to go for lunch. Pizza was on par with the old Sicilian Sun pizza that was at this location for many years. Definitely my favorite in the area. The owners were very nice too. Looking forward to trying it for dinner. read more

I love love this place. Every time I come here it never disappoints. The food is so fresh and the specials are always so good. A taste of authentic Italian food. The service is really good and the ambiance is cozy and beautiful. I highly recommend their tiramisu l, it is made in house. read more

absolutely loved the ambiance of this place, with such amazing food! You will not regret coming here especially with the friendly staff who had amazing service! Everyone was so personable and the food was just the cherry on top! This place is a must if you're in the area!! read more

O 81 has some work to do. The restaurant was clean and tastefully decorated. The focaccia very good. The menu needs a bit more thought. The vegetable board was good but needed an addition of bread slices. The octopus appetizer was fabulous. The bowls of pasta were flavorful and well cooked. The grilled seafood was not worth the price. The salad was over dressed and consisted of three large pieces of tough calamari. The two scallops and two shrimp were delicious. Someone has to train the staff. The waitress was pleasant but not attentive. The plates were given to the wrong people and with sauce it was hard to recognize which was which until tasted. Cutlery was an issue: sauces with no spoons or bread, deserts with cream soup spoons that did not fit into the flutes. With costs high in an area of great chefs I believe O 81 has to decide, pizza parlor, family, or fine dine. read more

First time visiting this place and our experience was fantastic. Very friendly people, cozy environment, and great food. We had the Prosciutto & Buffalo as well as the Escarole & Beans soup for appetizers. The prosciutto was amazing, salty & sweet. My wife had the Squid Ink Linguini, and it was very tasty, I had the special Momma's Gravy. The pasta was a perfect al dente and the rich sauce had obviously been simmering for hours as it had a very deep flavor. Ended with a couple desserts and cappuccinos. There is a nice wine shop across the street so you can pick up a bottle with dinner. Highly recommend and will return. read more

The positive: 081 took over the space where the old Sicilian Sun was in Ho-Ho-Kus (in case you care or are familiar with where this is located...). My wife and I went there on a Thursday night at around 6:30 and were sat without a reservation, which was nice. Sunday Gravy or Sunday Something (which was a special that night and I felt was way overpriced ($30+ for pasta) for what I got)...pasta with several meats....was pretty good (6/10), but didn't blow me away for a pasta dish at an Italian restaurant. The sauce was good, but not "God damn! That was some good sauce!" (or gravy, whatever you Italians like to call it). I'm Irish, but I don't like potatoes, so take what you want from this. My wife got the Wild Atlantic Salmon ($35), which she enjoyed and I thought was pretty good at a (6/10) for me. The restaurant is BYOB, which is always a plus in my books and there is a liquor store right across the street (Uncorked) or one block down toward the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn on the same side of the street (Carlo Russo's Wine) if you're worried about getting run over like Frogger. We had three different servers, which was strange, but at the same time, we were taken care of when we needed something. The constructive criticism: Personally, I never like sitting at a table where there is no salt and pepper (which was the case here). I feel that chefs like to believe that their meals are served perfectly seasoned and shouldn't require additional seasoning. First off, it's usually not the chef who is preparing these dishes, so they are usually underseasoned by first-year sous chefs, secondly, the addition of salt can really bring out the taste of many foods, so don't take the approach of, "the diners don't need salt on the table BS." You're not at the Michelin Star level. We asked for salt and pepper and got the "bombastic side eye" - my 11-year-old daughter taught me that one. The add-ons: Parking was easy for us that night, but being on Maple in Ho-Ho-Kus, you may want to get there a little early to ensure you meet your party on time, if you are going there on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Would I go back: Nah. I think there are better Italian spots in the area and I feel this was overpriced for the ambiance and the quality of the food. read more

Our first time here - quick, efficient service. Wonderful food - Regina margherita pizza was like being in Italy. Zucchini flower appetizer and shrimp artichoke oreganata appetizer were delicious. The only weird thing was that we ordered the cannoli kit pictured on the dessert menu and, instead, got three cannoli with no chocolate shells and no candied orange. Not a kit. But overall, very good. We will be back - soon! read more

If you like restaurants where they don't honor your reservations and the manager/owner does care any patrons then this is your place! I've heard great things about this place and was looking forward to trying it so made reservations for a Friday night dinner two weeks in advance. When we came for our dinner the table was not ready (and looking around the room there were no tables that were near to be ready any time soon). The hostess told us it would be 5-10 minutes. 15 minutes later - still no table so I asked someone else how long it would be only to hear it would be another 15-20 minutes. At that point (it's 20 minutes past our reservation time) I asked to speak to the manager. The manager (or was it the owner?) comes out and asks what's going on. As I explain that we had made a reservation, a woman comes up and said that she has a reservation for 7:30, she was told it would be 5 minutes and at 8:20 she was STILL waiting for her table. The owner/manager seemed very nonchalant about it and told us that even though they take reservations sometimes they can't honor them.. He was not apologetic in any way and his whole attitude was 'well, nothing I can do about it'. It was 8:30 PM on Friday night and this really messed up our plans because it is not easy to get a table at a different place at that point. I understand the place is popular but this is NO way to run a business. read more

Nice cozy atmosphere. Staff were friendly. Food was fresh and delicious. I love a bring your own wine place!

I am really saddened by yet another Italian restaurant run by Italians with such little respect for the cuisine it represents and for its clients. Besides a fairly good seafood fettuccine, soggy calamari, undercooked pork chops milanese, heavy fried oil taste everywhere and industrial cannoli did the rest to really disappoint. Service was ok. Not authentic, not creative... but i am sure such experienced owners can do a lot better! read more

Delicious Italian food, lots of gluten free options including pizza and pasta. One of the best Italian restaurants around!

Very upset with my delivery order. Our panini was missing the mozzarella and onions. This was one of our go to delivery places. Bummer.

Honestly i'm quite dissapointed. We had a 6:45 reservation and we were seated 25 mins after our reservation. We weren't offered any water til 20 mins into sitting let alone not even offered bread. We were finally asked what we would like to order almost an hour into sitting down. Service was very slow and poor. Very upset with this restaurant... DO NOT COME if you are in a rush! read more

I never have given a restaurant a 2 star review, but since my original review of 3 stars has been taken down, let me tell you again, in 69 years I have never been rushed out of a restaurant because there were people waiting for a table. The chef owner picked up our plates and told us we have leave to make room for customers that had made reservations!!! we had not overstayed our dinner, we barely had finished our dinner!!!! the food was average, the pasta was overcooked, not al dente. The place states it's a northern italian restaurant, but all the pastas have marinara sauce. The owner chef is from Naples which is in the south of Italy. The restaurant is so noisy you can't hear a conversation or the servers, primarily because the tables are so close together the servers can barely get thru. If Yelp removes this review, then I will not Yelp anymore. read more

Almost a five star review. We had escarole & bean soup, artichoke salad, and pasta w/meatballs and sausage. Every dish was very good and a decent portion. The soup was outstanding. The complimentary "bread" on the other hand left much to be desired, and I actually spit out my first and only bite. It was hard, cold, and flavorless. Ambiance is pleasant, but too many tables are squeezed together too closely. There were quite a few hungry people waiting for their table at 7:30 when we left. Make a reservation. One thing that bugged me a little: Our reservation was for 6:30 and we were seated ten minutes early. At 7:30 we had signed our check but were finishing some wine when the host or whatever his position is came to our table to hint that we should LEAVE. I guess you get your table for one hour and you better beat it at minute 60. read more

Very nice atmosphere, lovely staff, good food. We enjoyed our visit there. A little slow on getting the food out, but it was really okay it was a Saturday night so we weren't in a rush. read more

some dishes were good...some were not. pasta was tasty but lukewarm. filet of sole was very good. risotto was mush. chicken was overcooked. fried calamari was very average. caesar salad was excellent. pizza was very yummy but could have been hotter. chilean seabass was just ok and not worth $42!!! profiteroles were disappointing (no ice cream). chocolate lava cake was delicious. our waitress was very nice. ambience was pleasant. read more

The food was good although our Crème Brûlée came out frozen. Obviously not made there. We did receive an unfrozen one but it did not have a carmelized top as it should have. No compensation was offered. We did not feel welcomed. Coming in there was no one to greet us. We had to ask a bus boy about who to talk with about our reservation. Then an annoyed waiter asked me to move out of a walkway where no one even was there. We spent an outrageous $90 a person at a BYOB restaurant for ok food and awful treatment. At 9:30 on a Friday night they were putting on their coats to give us the hint that they wanted us out. So rude. Their website hours say 10:00 for Friday night. Just awful. I will not be going back read more

Our family had dinner here and we all had different dishes from soup to dessert. Not a single complaint about anything. Very pleasant wait staff, comfortable seating and food was delicious. We have been back several times and also order the brick oven pizza that melts in your mouth!! read more

squeezed in, loud, tiny portions, tasty ish, rushed. perhaps well intentioned but as much as I understand economics, don't make patrons feel like we are there to make you money. won't be back read more

Food was delicious the rigatoni vodka pizza is to die for! The burrata and the fired calamari did NOT disappoint. My girlfriend also really enjoyed the octopus. Will for sure be a staple in our fav go to places read more