I had paid through Apple Pay QR code. Got the receipt and the waitress chased me down. fing embarrassing. food wasn't even good.

Everything was lovely! The service was top notch and our waitress Evelyn was very attentive and friendly. We cane Here for a girls night and we're not disappointed with the food, the environment, or the service. Will be returning! read more

Ordered my birthday dinner from Al Dente in Elmwood Park and got this nice surprise for dessert which included candle. They are the best. read more

Aura Restaurant & Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

Who knew that Hackensack would have an upscale lounge with amazing food and delicious cocktails. I really enjoyed dining here and the staff was extremely friendly. The food was delicious and there is a dance floor with a really good DJ on some nights. The vibe here is so cool. I would definitely recommend going here for a friends night out or even a date. read more

See all

I feel sad writing this review but I am compelled to based off my experience. I want to start off by saying that I have been to Aura restaurant before, just once a few weeks ago when they first opened and I had a wonderful experience. I feel it's important to lead with that however this particular time was unfortunately not the case. I invited two of my friends for a girls night out on Friday as I bragged about this restaurant being a vibe. When we get there we are seated at a table, which is extremely wobbly. Our waitress tried fix the problem with tissues under the leg but was unsuccessful. My friend even went as far and bending over in her dress to fix the problem herself but apparently the table was loose on not one but three legs, making it difficult for us to even enjoy our conversation because the table kept shaking. A table to our left opened up and we asked to be moved. However, there was a lot of pushback from our waitress in being able to accommodate us. (Not coming from her because she was sweet but from her management). We were told that there was another reservation coming in shortly therefore they couldn't move us. However, that didn't make any sense considering our table was a table of four, and that table was also a table of four, so an even swap of putting us there shouldn't have been a problem based on the very simple math lol. The manager who came over to try to fix the table was unsuccessful, and then moved us. I wish that interaction was the end of our evening woes but unfortunately it was not. We had to wait an hour to get our drinks which were underwhelming and two of the drinks were missing the ingredient we asked for. We were told "oh we ran out of grenadine so we're just going to give it to you like this," instead of "hey we don't have the ingredient you asked for, would you mind if we make a substitution? Or would you prefer something else?" That would've been the right thing to say to the customers who waited almost an hour for their drinks but no the drinks were given to us without any acknowledgment of their inability to fully accommodate. Then our meals finally come out. My one friend ordered the seafood pasta, and the shrimp and lobster were as hard as cardboard! My other friend ordered salmon, and the salmon was so over cooked that she couldn't even get through it. My Wagyu sliders were also very dry, which is surprising for Wagyu because it's a marbleized very tender cut of beef. Even in ground form it's always melt in your mouth tender when cooked correctly. So I'm questioning whether or not it was even Wagyu to begin with. However, I was so hungry at that point that I just ate what was in front of me. I was so surprised that the chef dropped the ball during our visit, because my first experience a few weeks ago was spot on. So I'm not sure if a new person was cooking this time, or maybe the chef had a bad day but that person clearly had a theme of over cooking everything which was very disappointing. Also, I would like to mention that I ordered a side of broccolini. They just brought out random broccoli instead lol. For those who eat and love broccolini, we clearly know the difference between broccolini and broccoli. They are different visually and in taste. The fact that a substitution would be made without even asking me, or apologizing for the inconvenience was very disappointing. Under no circumstances should a restaurant just substitute ordered items for other random items without a customer's permission. And especially not without acknowledgment! That's restaurant etiquette 101. So I had them take it off the bill obviously. Needless to say my friends sent their entire meals back and was given heavy push back by the manager but ultimately took it off the bill. Oh and I'd like to add that the check was plopped down at our table without us requesting it, which is very rude. We had intended to order more drinks, and possibly dessert, but being that the waitress did not ask us if we wanted anything else or if we needed anything else, but instead just gave us our check was also unfortunate. I don't blame her by the way because she was young and nice. I blame whatever management failed to train her properly. All in all the experience was poor. I felt really bad because I hyped this place up to my friends and it did not deliver. I may give them one more chance at a future date, only because they're new so maybe they need to work out the many many kinks but I'm truly on the fence because so many things went wrong in just one evening. It's a really cute spot ambiance wise and the DJ was awesome, so I just hope they can get it together for their sake before it's too late. read more

So I decided to try this restaurant last night Saturday, January 21, after previously stopping by to say hello to a former coworker two weeks ago. Because I know better, I decided to test the spot out with a friend before inviting clients there and I have never been more thankful. As many know, I work in the entertainment industry and love trying new locations out with clients especially local places because I'm so tired of crossing over to New York City. I feel I need to leave this review because Hackensack is trying to reform itself with the new influx of people end this restaurant has all the makings to be great, but hits the market in so many aspects. I also would love to mention to management that last night I ran into people who are on staff with a very well known celebrity who also mentioned coming to this restaurant previously and how disappointing this second visit was. (We all live in such close proximity and we're excited about this place opening) When it came to parking, it tells you on the front door parking in the back but you have absolutely no idea where it is and which parking spaces you're allowed to use because they're labeled monthly parking only. Super confusing and scary. You enter from the back if you use the parking and there's absolutely no signs or not one person to even guide you as to where to go. I felt like I was walking through somebody's House. You walk through the restaurant if you enter from the parking and the host is absolutely nowhere to be found. We stood at the host table for over 15 minutes until he came. He took four parties names at the same time as us and I made sure to mention that I had a reservation, which meant nothing. He didn't tell us how long it would take or any directives. We all just stood there. Everyone was looking at each other, confused as to what was going on because he just walked away. I would like to add it felt like the heat was on 90°. We all started taking off our jackets holding them by the door because it was excessive. We decided to grab a drink at the bar while we wait and the bar looks beautiful esthetically but the seats must be from IKEA because they were wobbly and had no back support. It was like sitting on a metal basket. I can see the vision but execution wise everyone knows the bar needs comfortable chairs, especially if you want ladies to hang out there. Both menus food/drink were so under whelming. A couple of drinks were listed. No wine options. I had no idea what was on tap. The bartender was really nice, but the drinks were horrible My friend got a Moscow Mule and I got another drink special which was so sweet that I didn't drink it. I decided to play it safe for my next drink and asked for wine and was given no type of list or options. It was just Pinot noir or Cabernet ...I guess it's all house wine. How do they advertise a full bar and only have house wine and three beers on tap? They have a beautiful bar but the functionality of it makes absolutely no sense. We then asked for a food menu, and I literally could not understand the vibe of what was being offered. It seems like a bunch of random stuff on a menu with no flow. We looked around and the girls next to me told me not to order the food because it was horrible and literally a group Convo formed at the bar between women about how bad the food was. One girl mention she ordered broccolini and got broccoli. And the girl immediately to my left got a salad that basically was the size of my fist and barely had anything but lettuce. Another two girls that were drinking beers told us that they were drinking that because they didn't like the other drinks and she ordered the sliders and the fries and the sliders didn't taste like wagyu that the fries looked again like they were taken out of a bag and put into a microwave. While all this is happening I trying to keep an eye on the host, who was everywhere but the host stand, talking to the dj, going to the kitchen. I kept checking because it's already been 45 minutes since we checked in with him. I finally see him and realize he sat everyone else and forgot about me us because I had gotten a drink at the bar.never checked in with us or asked if we still wanted a table, just passed over us. That was my cue to leave, we went straight to edgewater where they have this sh!t together and enjoyed great service and a great meal. I will never be back there again. Over rated would the understatement of 2023. read more

This place was recommended by a friend. After attending brunch a few friends and I heard aura was having a comedy night for a small fee. So we figured why not. Right away we were seated and attended to by Yas. She was amazing and never stopped checking on our table. Anything we needed she was there and even gave us recommendations off the menu. Yas even introduced us to the owner who was very warm and welcoming. The food and drinks were great , I ordered wings. The place it self is very nice. Gives luxury vibes. Over all I would definitely return in the future. read more

This place sucked. Overpriced food & drinks and the seafood was not fresh. Of course the night we came they weren't serving cocktails....with a full open bar I have never heard of that in my entire life. Definitely would save your money and go to a nicer place. read more

This place was by far the worst place I've ever been to in my life. Service was terrible. We sat there for one hour. No one showed up to take her order. And we did show up after an hour and a half. They had such an attitude. Places are very expensive lately and we just want to come to a place where we can enjoy the night and we can't even do that. I will never recommend this place to anyone. read more

HORRIBLE.. After seeing several social media videos, I was excited to finally try out Aura. We walked and were seated immediately but not greeted. We were only given 2 menus for four people. The waitress took our drink order, and then we waited a long while to get them. We ordered fo7r entrees, pasta Primevera, orecchiette pasta, Lamb Chops medium rare, and the Ribeye Au Poive medium rare. The dining room was about half full, with most people having already been served, so when we waited over an hour and received only 2 entrees, the pasta dishes we were very upset. Approximately 40 minutes later, the Lamb and Ribeye arrived both overcooked. Now my wife and her friends' pasta dishes were both cold. I asked the waitress why they didn't keep all the entrees in the kitchen until the entire table could be served, and she just looked at me clueless. I asked to speak with a manager, and a half hour later, a nice young woman came by to check on us but didn't know that we were upset. The waitress never told her that we asked to speak to her. The drinks were overpriced but ok, the food is very overpriced and not prepared well at all. If you're going to charge 48.00 for a Ribeye, it should taste good and be cooked to the proper temperature. BOTTOM LINE, AURA IS ALL SHOW NO GO. read more

Aura Restaurant & Bar - The restaurant sign - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

Food was okay, service was pretty terrible. Ambiance is alright. Probably never coming back again - don't even live close to Hackensack.

Too much hype. The staff is literally rude. Always seems like you're bothering them when you ask for something. Bad service and the food isn't good either. The drink menu is promises more than delivered. over priced with very little alcohol. You can tell the "good reviews" are fake here. The staff can't be found for 25 minutes at a time in an empty restaurant. You just find them laughing somewhere in the back. Dont waste your money here. read more

Delicious food, top-notch drinks, great service, and an amazing ambiance! I went for dinner and on a separate occasion I went for brunch. Both times were a 10/10. read more

Aura Restaurant & Bar - Shrimp & Grits for with the Aura Martini for Brunch - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

See all

This place has really gone downhill. I've been multiple times and it seems like it just gets worst and worst. I've officially decided that I will not be going back here ever again. The food and drinks take over 30+ mins to get to the table and last night wasn't even busy. They must be understaffed or something because I saw people come in through the door and nobody would bother to great then or seat them until they were waiting for over 10 minutes. At one point in the night, ALL the staff had walked away from the floor meaning it was completely unstaffed for about 5 minutes. The food is okay but not worth the prices they charge. We ordered the steak and it came out cold. Drinks are inconsistent. My group decided to order one last round of drinks, which I assume they must have forgotten about because 30 minutes later they were trying to get people out the door. We reminded them of our drinks which came out but by the time they did, we had to drink them fast because they were closing. read more

Great time for drinks. They had live music and the ambiance was amazing. The food was descent nothing out of this world. The service could have been better. We kept getting forgetter about. A couple of ppl left waiting just to get served water. Would give it 3.5 stars. read more

Came here with my wife and had a bad experience. The manager yelling at the young bartender in front of customers. Not professional at all. Food was ok nothing to come back for. But the Place looks nice read more

Great food and staff. Drinks were creative and delicious. Love the new menu ideas and bar bites. A bit loud but seems the spirt of the restaurant. read more

First time visiting this restaurant. The vibe and service were superior. Our server was Camila and she was great. An up beat place. Sorry to say food was just uh! Order the calamari was good but chewy and then the for the night the special of fettuccine with cheese which was fettuccine Alfredo with added salmon was inedible. The salmon was so fishy it ruined the fettuccine. The server apologized but nothing else was offered. Other places would have offered another option or taken it off the bill The chef we were told was French but the only French dish on the menu was not available. Maybe the chef should not do Italian and stick to French There are so many better Italian restaurants to try! Happy holidays. read more

Good food, good service, great ambiance! DJ Sir Charles, the live band & poets are all excellent. Great for date night or friends night out. I'm going back for sure. read more

Amazing new chef with elevated cuisine. Top Shelf cocktail program with some unique barrel aged drink. Will return many more times.

The service is fabulous-very attentive. Now- the food... everything from calamari and meatball apps to the pasta, to the chicken and salmon. Everything is so flavorful- and great portion sizes. Thank you!! read more

The skirt steak while well seasoned was over cooked and tough. Vegetables seemed to be steamed frozen vegetables with no seasoning. Drinks are good. Pricey for the quality of the food. Will not return. read more

the food delicious! the calamari was a fav! service was good no real complaints! super dope ambiance, and the music was a vibe. read more

See all

Truly amazing place! The ambiance is as sophisticated as it is inviting. The food is to die for no matter what you order. The creative and unique drinks are what makes this place so fun! Kevon is the most exceptional server. I have never experienced such professionalism and enthusiasm in a staff before! read more

My husband and I went for a date night to Aura and really enjoyed our night out. The food was very good. My husband ordered the linguine with clams in a red sauce and I ordered the penne rígate with chicken in the sherry cream sauce. Both were very delicious. For drinks, the chocolate martini was tasty but I didn't really enjoy my cosmopolitan. The ambiance of the restaurant is very cozy for a romantic night out. The jazz band that was playing was a nice touch. Shout out to the nice host, hadi (I hope I'm not butchering his name) who was very attentive the entire night with us. Great night overall and would definitely return. read more

Aura Restaurant & Bar - Linguine with clams in a red sauce - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Hackensack, New Jersey

See all

My second time there and both times have been amazing. Everyone works as a team making the service great (never need to wait for anything). And the food is worth it. I crave the mussels and pasta. You shouldn't even think twice. read more

Aura is a really cool place in Bergen county, NJ Great food, vibe, music and service. The menu is extremely innovative. Above all we were extremely impressed with the owners attention to the detail and their personal touch with several of the guests. A number of folks at the bar are regulars, Overall great place to hangout, good conversations with the locals. Highly recommended!! read more

This place was excellent from the DJ to bartender to the food!!!! It was amazing. I will definitely be coming back

When the husband and I go out to dinner, we are always looking for places that have all the things; great cocktails, food, wine, vibe, etc. Aura checked off every box. It has such a sexy vibe, gorgeous high ceilings, decor and that NYC feel but without all the chaos. Friends from Utah were visiting and they are big foodies (cocktail lovers as well) and thought we'd try something new. We started at the bar and everyone had 1-2 cocktails before going to our table; which was perfect. We sat at the chefs table by the window and we couldn't stop eating! Started with octopus, meatballs, chorizo, crispy mozzarella, and mussels. Then entrees we one of each (everyone wanted to share!). MINUS the burger because they were out but that's just reason #500 to go back!). I was very impressed with the prices as they were not over the top at all and it was quality food 100%. Even the wines by the bottle were not an unreasonable mark up (which as a wine lover, I very much appreciate.). The staff as whole was very attentive and I loved that Chef came over and introduced herself with her famous Tres Leches dessert; which was a FAN FAVE among all. I found my gem in Hackensack and I look forward to many more meals and date nights there! read more

See all

Aura captivates with its impeccable service, delightful cuisine, and enchanting ambiance. Indulge in an amazing drink menu while savoring desserts that are simply to die for. A dining experience not to be missed. read more

NYC experience without the hassle of going into the city. Upscale ambiance with city vibe. Food and service immaculate. Great vegetarian options from the salads to the pastas. Five stars all the way!!! read more

Excellent food. Nice cocktails. Great service. Mona has done a great job with this place. We enjoyed the gambas, calamari, mutton chops and pork ribs - all very well prepared and very fresh. The menu has something for everybody. We will definitely be back here often. read more

I think the menu should have more options but my selections were good. The servers could check in more frequently.

The food and ambiance were amazing! The DJ was also great. I've been raving about this place all weekend and definitely intend on going back. Perfect place for a date night without having to leave the Bergen County area. read more

I made a reservation for 1pm for Sunday brunch to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant wasn't even open. Someone finally opened the door at 1:15, literally wearing pajama pants. He didn't speak to us and walked to the back of the restaurant. We literally had to step in and ask if it was open. He said yes and continued walking to the back. No one seated us. There wasn't a single bartender or server to be found. At that point we decided just to walk out and go somewhere else. I wouldn't recommend, they don't seem to value customer experience. read more

Ambiance was very nice, the waiter was very nice, the service was extremely slow, the drinks were good, but other than the fried cauliflower appetizer the food was not enjoyable. It's a nice place for drinks and appetizers, but NOT for dinner; especially at their prices! read more

We were at Aura last night. Our second time there. We enjoyed the food which is consistently good. The martinis are very interesting. Highly recommend trying their martinis. The Auratini was spectacular. The staff is super friendly and we enjoyed the ambiance. Perfect place for a date night! read more

Ambiance and aesthetic is nice. Service was great. Young lady by the name of Stephanie was really sweet. The food was bland and the drinks were 90% Ice!! We were actually quite shocked at the prices for the drinks. The bar stools had me a little nervous as they were not sturdy. I can see this place being a neighborhood fave with all the new apt buildings but I'm not in a hurry to go back. read more

The service was horrible. Waitress forgot my food. Everyone had their food but me then she asked did I miss something. She tried to bring my food after my party was almost done with their food I declined the food. Lemonade taste just like water. Portion size for food and drinks not worth the money. I won't ever go back. If you don't like your money worth for what you paid then that's the place for you. Ambiance is cool and the DJ is good thats it. read more

I saw this place on hotspotnj on Instagram. I was like let me go try it out ... place decor was nice ... the service ... oh man oh man. It took the girl 30 min to come and take our order. I asked if they have blue cheese olives cuz I won't drink my martini without that. And she said yes. Comes back 20 min later with a martini with one green olive. I said this isn't blue cheese.. she said we don't have it. Ok then why did u say you did when I ordered it ? I would have gotten something else !!!! My friend got an old fashioned. It was all wrong. Food wasn't bad ... but beware they add 23 percent gratuity to your bill. Don't over tip! Another Cusotmer thought my friend was the manager ( I guess cuz he was wearing a suit ) and he just started ti complain about the drinks and the service to him. I said oh well at least I wasn't the only one that didn't like this place ... I wouldn't come back here or tell anyone to try it out. Don't waste ur money. I went to capitol grill as soon as we paid the bill. At least they know what they are doing ! read more