This place is OK. I can only review and comment on their take out food only (delivered through a third party - Delivery.com) and I wasn't impressed. My boyfriend and I ordered Chicken Francese and Chicken Parm entrees and a side of garlic bread. Garlic Bread - HUGE portion literally a whole long Italian roll of bread. Very garlicky (in a good way, cause I love garlic). Chicken Francese - Just blah for me. It comes with a pasta - NO VEGGIES?! What the heck. I made a comment on the delivery order in the "notes" section asking for veggies instead of pasta and when I received my order...NO VEGGIES. Not only does this not come with veggies, they wouldn't even substitute pasta for veggies. Usually restaurants include veggies in the entree so I was unhappily surprised. Chicken Parm - pretty good. Thin pieces of chicken cutlet, really good tomato sauce, fresh mozz on top of spaghetti. I would get this again. The food was good, I'd like to try dining in at this place to see how it is on premises. read more

Not a fan. I'm not sure why a lot of people are raving about the penne alla vodka. I thought it was terrible. I think I've had better sauce from a jar...honestly. Also, the tables have salt and pepper shakers. Who in the world uses pepper shakers anymore? At a minimum, pepper mills should be at every table. Also had the garlic bread. That was marginal, at best. But, in their defense, good garlic bread is actually not as easy to make as people think. read more

Best Authentic Best everything, walk around the corner pick up your favorite bottle of wine, you'll be back in your seat in no time, with everything on the menu, spread out like the last supper, place is a gem, this place is Hoboken's Hall of Fame, last time I couldn't believe how desirable was BILL after all we ate. read more

Great people, fantastic service, food is incredible. Will always be a customer and go back !

I've been extremely hesitant to review Cafe Michelina. My reluctance was strictly for selfish reasons. I didn't want it to become even harder to grab a table than it already is. But, alas, I decided it was time to share my love with the Yelp community. My husband and I have been going here since we first moved to Hoboken in 2008. This is, hands down, my absolute favorite Italian restaurant in Hoboken. Cafe Michelina is a quaint little Italian restaurant situated on the corner of 5th and Bloomfield, just one block off bustling Washington St. It is a family run business. The owner, Pietro, is really friendly, and his employees are mostly all family. Their food is awesome! When you sit down, they bring a slice of bruschetta to each person at the table. It is complimentary and yummy. They also bring a bread basket with a nice crispy crust. My favorite dish is the Stuffed Rigatoni with Chicken in Vodka Sauce. It is to die for! This dish is considered a "special", but it has been on the "special" board every single time I have dined here. Either they don't want to update the menus, or they do this so you won't know the price ($18.95). I say it's worth every penny. The chicken is so soft and tender, and the vodka sauce has the best flavor. The tiramisu is delicious too! And big enough to share. Cafe Michelina is BYOB, so make sure to grab your favorite bottle of wine or a 6 pack of beer on your way over. In the warmer months, they offer outdoor seating and that's at a premium. There are only 4-5 outdoor tables max and everyone wants them. They do not take reservations unless you have at least 5 or 6 people. For smaller parties, they will take your name and let you know when your table is ready. The only caveat is that you need to wait there for your name to be called. They do not take your phone number. For a small place, the restaurant can get extremely loud to the point where conversations can be difficult to hear. So, not the best place to take Grandma (yes, I brought my grandmother here once, and she couldn't hear anything we were saying to her). My husband and I love this restaurant so much that we wanted to hold our Rehearsal Dinner here before our wedding. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant shuts down the last week of August through Labor Day to take vacation, so we had to go somewhere else. read more

Cafe Michelina - Stuffed Rigatoni with Chicken in Vodka Sauce. - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

This place is delicious and the service is very good but it is outrageously overpriced, even in todays environment. They do not post the pricing of the daily specials and it is significantly over the pricing of comparable dishes on the actual menu so when you receive the bill you are shocked. We had the stuffed rigatoni and the stuffed chicken parm and we were charged $30 and $34 dollars respectively. While delicious, this is well above average prices in town and really absurd. Dessert was $13, also well above average in town. I like this place a lot but sadly cannot be justified anymore with the rates they are charging. Make sure to confirm or order the regular menu to avoid surprises! read more

I am giving Cafe Michelina 3 stars because I feel like the pluses are equally balanced with some minuses. To start with some positives, the food was OK. Nothing spectacular, but decent. The restaurant is cute, but small, and is filled with the charm. You are automatically started off with bruschetta, which is a unique twist that I haven't seen before. Also, the restaurant is BYOB, which always helps to keep the bill down. The minuses - When I said the restaurant is small, I meant tiny. A party of 12 filled about half the restaurant and delayed seating times. The staff, while friendly, are slow due to the limited number of available hands. Once seated, we waited for at least 15 minutes before anyone came to take our order and no one told us of any specials for the night. My boyfriend's chicken franchaise we a bit salty... too salty. Overall, the experience was OK, but I think I will try some different restaurants before going back to this one the next time I am in Hoboken. read more

I loved this place! we went for new years with a group of 4 girls and lots of champers! The food was so fresh and rustic. Not a super pretty place, but you feel like you are at a friends house It is tight in here! be ready to ask your neighbor for a bite lol I think its romantic in here, I would go back for a date. I like places that are off the strip I had angel hair and shrimp so good the salad and veggies on the side were great too! read more

We ordered antipasto fir two. The presentation of the plate was very bad. The fresh mozzarella and roasted papers WERE MISSING! We got only two dices of provolone cheese. We asked the waiter and requested the manager. He/she never came. Ordered penne a la vodka with chicken...still waiting for the chicken. Will never go back to this place. read more

This place is underrated, been to multiple Italian restaurants in Hoboken and this one could be the best. Great portions, delicious pasta, and byob. No complaints and a kind staff read more

Do not order for delivery and expect anywhere near the quality of food or service you get when dining at the restaurant. Our order from Delivery.com was missing the $5 worth of chicken we added to one of the two dishes. That same dish, Tortellini alla Michelinas, looked terrible compared to what we've been served before. The cream sauce was watery and the "finely chopped ham" resembled a slice of deli meat cut in thirds. When we called to let the restaurant know about the missing chicken and the quality of the dish, they blamed the missing item on a bad printer and directed us to call Delivery.com to get our $5 back. After that we gave feedback about how poor the dish looked and they tried to blame their third-party delivery service saying maybe they took too long to pick it up or deliver it - but the order actually came relatively quickly, less than 30mins in total. They had nothing to say, made no offer to send the chicken or make us a new dish, nothing. I then asked if perhaps they were missing ingredients for the dish tonight and was told that wasn't the case. That gentlemen also went on to say that they make the dish the same way every time. So, if this is the quality of their food and the way they treat customers now, then I recommend folks avoid them at all costs. Since there was not any attempt to apologize or correct our meal, I promised to leave this review with pictures. You're welcome. read more

Cafe Michelina - Exactly how it arrived. No chicken and looking nothing like a $14 pasta dish I've ever been served. - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

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Really sad.. this place used to be great. Service has gone down hill along with the portions. $11 for tiramisu that's 1/2 the size it used to be. Ashamed. Came here for 5 years never going back. Go to margheritas. read more

So there was a long wait for this restaurant which was fine. The food was pretty good and we liked the BYOB aspect. However when the bill came, it had clearly made up prices for the specials that were far more expensive than they should have been. We had to ask what each line item was because they didn't specify which charges were what dish. It felt dishonest and like we were being tak n advantage of. read more

The food is okay, but we had a very negative experience with one of the servers. Rushed us to order when the place was half empty. The order came when my friend was halfway through his salad. When we said we weren't ready for the entree, the waiter said we had to take them and he would put my friend's salad in a doggie bag. One of the waiters became very argumentative when we protested and said loudly to another server, we don't need customers like this. Well, you sure don't need me and I don't need Cafe Michelina. One thing I will not put up with in a restaurant is being rushed on a slow night. read more

Nothing crazy. If your an authentic italian don't come here, if not go for it. The gnocchi did not taste fresh but the vodka sauce was actually pretty good. The cacio e pepe tasted like olive oil with a sprinkle of pepper. No cheese. Maybe it was just our plate idk? Chicken cutlet was pretty good and thin and very crispy, we enjoyed it. But from someone who knows italian food this shouldn't be your first choice. Overall I'd give it a 6.5/10. Staff was amazing and ambience was nice. read more

I appreciate a response to my recent review but, to be clear, my complaint is not about the 20% tip (that is the standard tip I leave at restaurants). My issue is with service. From start to finish we were treated with utter disrespect. In the end we did question the tip but instead of offering to allow us to speak to the manager we were told if we didn't make up the difference in cash our credit card would be ran again despite the fact we hadn't given approval to do so. When I pointed out this was inappropriate, we were yelled at and humiliated in front of the entire restaurant. read more

I had the chicken parm on penne with vodka sauce and it did not disappoint! It was so good I went back two weeks in a row! It's a definite Neighborhood gem! read more

Great food. Great service. The meatballs!! The gnocchi!! Everything. Love this place

Not a bad Italian place, it's a noisy, loud place for a BYOB. My napkin was dirty but they replaced the entire set of silverware, too. The waitstaff has one lady with a face that reminds me of Scarlett Johansson. Anyway, the first thing they brought out was a piece of bruschetta for each of us. Probably the best part of the meal, drenched in olive oil, tomatoes, and onions. The pasta isn't bad, al dente, and the specials are decent. The linguine wasn't interesting (it was done well, but the sauce was a plain marinara which was a bit watery), the mussels in wine sauce had very little wine taste to them, although they were piled very high. The tilapia - skip it. The spinach bed was tasty, but the tilapia was just grilled and served up with a little cracked pepper and salt, and lemons to the side. The cheese tortellini in vodka sauce - pretty creamy and standard, hot, with a dash of parsley to color. Interesting, but the taste, again, felt absent. There was the dessert, too, a tiramisu that was mostly creme, and a little rum and some ladyfingers - delicate, but really triumphant in it's presentation, mostly (delicate whipped cream, sprinkled chocolate shavings and chocolate chips at the corners). Almost saved the entire meal and made it a three.... This place will certainly fill you, and the service is pretty decent. Don't come expecting fine dining, though. Noisy and a bit less than tasty, I will give this local eatery a try again, but next time, I won't take the waitstaff's suggestions... read more

We stopped in for dinner when family was in town and had an okay time. Decor: There really is not anything special about the interior, or exterior, of this place. It has some Italian flair but nothing that is going to wow you. There is ample room for seating nearly any size group and you don't really feel cramped while you are there. Bathroom: The bathroom is average. It's pretty clean and decently lit. Staff: Our waitress was nice. She promptly took our order, while answering any questions we had (and even making substitutions as requested). Additionally, our food came out warm and in an average amount of time. Food/Drink: This place is BYOB (which we forgot about until we arrive... bummer), so we did not have any drinks. The food we ordered was pretty average; again it wasn't anything that wowed us: Chicken Alfredo, Penne Vodka, Lobster Ravioli, and Oysters/Seafood Diablo. The little Bruschetta they give you to start the meal is nice, though it is odd that it is not on the menu... Value: The prices were about what we were expecting to pay. They don't over-price their specials like other places either. Our meal was fine but I will be trying other places before returning again. read more

Solid, tasty, well priced non greasy Italian American food! I really loved the chicken mushroom with white wine and lemon based sauce: very flavorful and delightfully light! I would come again just to have this! Byob. Lovely ambiance (we ate during the end of summer outside). Warm, hospitable, and prompt service. Will return! read more

Simple place, simple menu, and a great value. If you're looking for a casual but nice spot for dinner, its worth a look. You may have to stop in to put your name down and possibly wait for a table since it's an intimate (small) place, but with so many other options in the area, it's not hard to change plans if that plan doesn't pan out. Extremely affordable, especially with BYOB. read more

Cafe Michelina - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Finally made my way back to Cafe Michelina since moving back to Hoboken 3 years ago and it has been way too long. The food was phenomenal, we got the stuffed rigatoni vodka with chicken, mussels diavlo. and rigatoni bolognese. The staff were so sweet and very attentive. I left my credit card with the receipt and they went out of their way to run me down in the rain a half block away. Will definitely be back soon. It's also BYOB Which is a huge plus. read more

Cafe Michelina - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Always enjoy a classic Italian mean from Cafe Michelina. It also comes with bruschetta and fresh baked bread which is a perfect starter! Definitely a classic BYOB spot in Hoboken for some good Italian. read more

Great experience overall. Our service was excellent. They were personable, witty and informative about the menu. Our calamari was only rings which is great. Our pasta portions were so big we were able to have them as a second meal when we got home. The only reason it doesn't have 5 stars is because their drink menu is limited. Since it's byo they only really have soft drinks and water (no cranberry or oj to quench your thirst). We will be back for sure! read more

We have been regular customers of Cafe Michelina over the past two years. I can honestly say that we eat here or order about once a month. In the past few times pickup and delivery service has much to be desired... today will be the last delivery we will order from Café Michelina after we received our favorite dish (here), the Chicken Michelina with penne. We both ordered the same dish and combined both dishes had leas than 25 pieces of penne. And also, when someone delivers your food, in my book 10% is sufficient as a tip and the guy rolled his eyes.... so we are now cooking extra penny to supplement this expensive experience. :(. I wish I could post a picture along with my review, but you should see the picture itself in another post that I put up there. read more

Cafe Michelina - This is café Michelina's version of Pollo alla 'Michelina' with Penne???!? What Penne?!? Total fail on this delivery. - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Delicious italian food, i visit this place every couple of months, it is a very nice place, calm and great food. Bring your own wine with you. I always have fettuccine with chicken, it is very good. The coke refill is not for free, which is not good. read more

Cafe Michelina - Fettuccine with chicken - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Highway robbery! Always come to this place but tonight I feel totally tricked and deceived. Ordered the eggplant rollatini special which was mostly just red sauce and a few pieces of eggplant. The bill came and they charged $28.95 for just the eggplant! In what world is 4 thin slices of eggplant $28.95!!! In what world does eggplant cost more than chicken, clams, mussels, shrimp?!! When the eggplant parm is $16.95....don't you think it should be in line with the same pricing? I can understand a few bucks extra for a special but this was very deceitful. Prices have also gone up and quality has gone down. My fiancé ordered baked ziti which was essentially pasta, a ton of marinara sauce and a blob of mozzarella on top. That's not baked ziti! That's also a meal I could have prepared at home in under 11 minutes for him if that's what he wanted....Sorry to say Cafe Michelina, you have lost very loyal customers. We used to eat out with you guys all the time on random week nights after church and we used to order in from you at least once a week....but with decreased food quality and this last price jacking...we are done! read more

This place is a little gem tucked into the heart of Hoboken! They might serve some of the best vodka sauce I've had. It has a perfect balance of consistency and flavor. Its BYOB and they have outdoor seating, which are definitely positives. To top it all off, the staff is super friendly (one of the best I've experienced in town) and will customize the order exactly the way you want it. This is a must-try! read more

Favorite restaurant in Hoboken! The tortellini is amazing and the special stuffed chicken parm was soooo good

First time eating here. Excellent meal, great service. Will definitely be back. Eggplant tower appetizer was perfect. I had the chicken and prosciutto special, one of the best Italian meals I've ever eaten. My wife and son had the stuffed chicken parm and fettuccine alfredo with chicken, both excellent. Even the complimentary bread and bruschetta for the table was great. Overall it was a fantastic meal in a no frills, yet perfect setting. read more

We have visited Cafe Michelina a bunch of times for many years BUT this visit was not a good showing! We were very disappointed! The wait staff seemed more involved with their own conversations instead of taking care of tables! The chicken parm was terrible! Lack of sauce and a thin piece of crappy fried chicken!! Not sure if this was an off night but come on guys! Better step it up for next time! You guys are an amazing restaurant! Keep It that way read more

What a delightful establishment, food was fantastic. Server ( Justine ) could not have been better, nice pleasant attitude, knowledgeable and very promptly served us. Value was phenomenal. Great spot well worth a visit.... esp. in these times read more

Came here with my girlfriend for a casual date night and was blown away by the quality of food for the price. Lauren had AMAZING recommendations...We took 3 of the 4 she recommended and wish we took the 4th! Definitely stick to the specials board if you are willing and that homemade tiramisu.....DELICIOUS Great spot for some quality Italian food. Cozy and homey feel. Just get there before 8:15 pm on a weekend because that is when it starts filling up. read more

Don't bother...the food is blah and the service is poor. There were 4 tables being used inside and we had to flag down a waiter to take our order. They never asked what we wanted to drink. They brought out our entree and I had to ask about what happened to our appetizer. I finished my plate and none of the waiters retired my plate. Had to flag down again a waiter for the bill. read more

Pretty stellar Italian with BYOB. The line can be daunting with an hour wait in a Hoboken place off the main strip, but it's well worth it for the food and price. Family-owned, the waitstaff is very friendly and quick. No frills decor. Not a romantic setting for a special evening. But if you want to kick back with good friends, good wine, and good food in a festive atmosphere (meaning LOUD), this is a great place. This is simple, pasta ITALIAN. Not mediteranean Italian. It's hearty pasta Italian. What Hoboken is known for. Once seated, they give you a place of bruschetta on the house. Pieces of Italian bread pilied high with tomato and onions and doused in olive oil. They make sure to give you enough for each person in your party. For an appetizer, their antipasta plate is spectacular. Pastas are cooked al dente. I've enjoyed their eggplant parmesan with large disks of eggplant smothered in mozzarella cheese and sauce with a generous helping of spaghetti on the side. Their chicken penne vodka is also outstanding. I can lick the entire plate of sauce. The downside is no bread on the table, I like to use the bread to soak up the last of the sauce (when I try to be civilized in front of company). I'm at a toss up between whether I like Leo's or Michelina's better. But I can't choose, they both are so different, yet so Italian. Once I try Augustino's (and based on those reviews), I may have a 3-way tie for best Italian. read more

You know what...I AM a fan. I'll say it! This place is literally right around the corner on 5th and Bloomfield. There are some cute (can a guy say cute?) little tables outside during the spring and summer and about 15 tables inside. I've seen a party of 1 up to a party of about 20 fit nicely in this place. The decor is basic but it works because the food is basic. There are no frills with the presentation or preparation, however everything is fresh and flavorful. I usually like to start with the giant Caesar Salad that could feed 4. My go to here is the chicken parm, but I've also had the ravioli and muscles as a meal. Everything was delish. Lot's of Italian places to choose from in Hoboken and this is one of the better choices. BYOB!!!!! read more

Once again, to properly review this restaurant, I will say that, if you never go for Italian in NYC, then you will like this place just fine. However, if you've been to Scalini, Il Baggato, Babbo, il Mulino, Orsa, Scarpetta, SD26, Da Silvano, Scotto, etc., etc., don't even bother -unless it's that or McDonald's (and then, at least give it some fair consideration before deciding). Whomever it was said the mussels were "AMAZING!" must've just been rescued from a month at sea. Some of the most bland and flavorless red sauce you can imagine without actually sending 'em back. It was such a disappointment dipping the bread into the sauce when you knew it looked great but was gonna taste like Hunts tomato sauce. My date ordered the tilapia francese - which, suprisingly enough was very good - but I figured I'd try a staple Italian dish and see what they did, so I got the linguine and white clam sauce (which the waiter said was 'excellent'). They should call it linguine in white clam 'soup' - as my pasta was practically floating in a broth of chicken stock or something. Almost flavorless, I was forced to put Parmesan cheese on it and salt. The dessert arrived frozen. the help is fine but wants you in and out asap so it's not a place to take your time, as there's always 8 groups of hungry locals giving you the evil eye for your table like in the Disneyland food court. All in all, I'd go back just to try their 'vodka sauce' or a staple dish, but it just once again proves my theory "you can't find any great restaurants in all of Hobroken." Prove me wrong. read more

Ugh. Why is this place so bad? Got home from a long not great day at work a little after 11 last night. I hadn't eaten in 12 hours, 8 of which had been spent standing in a 60 degree room. I was so famished I would have eaten a shoe with a smear of peanut butter on it. My man had ordered penne arrabiata with chicken from here (one of my fav Italian dishes) and had leftovers for me. As opposed to making a true arrabiata sauce, infusing the red pepper flake in the tomato so it is spicy throughout, they had thrown some hot peppers into tomato sauce straight from the can that was sweet and unseasoned. The penne was so overcooked it was like paste. The resulting concoction was gross, truly inedible. Went to bed hungry. read more

This is a nice, relaxed restaurant off the main street in Hoboken. The food and service are both average & nothing amazing that will blow you away, but if you're looking for a relaxed evening, this is a good bet. I tried the Spaghetti in pesto sauce and the husband opted for the Salmon special of the day. My dish was definitely better than the fish which wasn't too fresh and the white sauce that it came in was pretty okay too. I'll be sticking to their pasta next time round too. The service was brusque and a tad lackluster...didn't really get a warm vibe, everyone just went about doing their business in a matter of fact way. For a small, cozy joint, a few smiles would have been nice. read more