My all time favorite restaurant. It's BYOB, and the food is incredible. The pumpkin raviolis were to die for. The filet mignon was the best I've ever had as well. read more

Very good place for client dinner. Good variety and well prepared food, service was great.

Celebrated a special occasion with a special dinner at Cafe Panache.. Everything was very, very good and I had the best rack of lamb I can remember: four nicely sized chops, beautifully prepared. Excellent service. Expensive but delicious. read more

The appetizer spinach and cheese raviolis were just average, nothing exceptional. The swordfish was cooked almost perfectly (just a tad dry in some spots), but the assorted veggies didn't pair well; there were too many veggies flavors--the zucchini al dente by itself would have been best. The sauce tasted good, but also wasn't an excellent pairing; it was a little too strong for the fish. All-in-all the place has potential, the chef just needs to make a few small tweaks. read more

i was always a big fan of CP, however, i was there two weekends in a row and both times Kevin the chef/owner came out to talk to one or two tables and went back inside. I find that rather rude. if a manager, chef or owner is going to mingle with the guest, they should make it a point to visit each the table. BTW food is good, the attitude of the staff needs to be more accommodating. read more

Menu a bit limited, Food was excellent. Service was above average. Definitely worth a try for a special occasion.

First visit with friends yesterday on their recommendation. Excellent food, service and presentation! We all ordered different appetizers, main meal and desserts and all were happy with their choice. My husband ordered the asparagus/pea soup which I tried and it was scrumptious as was my salad with warm goat cheese, walnuts and beets. I don't mind the BYOB especially since I can bring wine I like. Will definitely be going back! read more

This restaurant is so nice and cozy! The chef is amazing! He was very accommodating and helped with our special requests. The filet ravioli and the fish was so amazing! Highly recommend this place!! read more

Unfortunately, what would have been a positive experience descended into a strong neative due to the imcompetence of the waiter who delivered REGULAR coffee when we had clearly specified DECAF! There were 4 of us and we all had the same after- affects and were" sleepless in Bergen County"until 3 am!1 The following day I called and spoke to the individual who identified hinself as the restaurant manager. He reacted with indifference and did not really even express regret. read more

Fantastic! Nothing else to say. Absolutely phenomenal food, gorgeous restaurant, nice wait staff. Kevin, the owner and chef, is a great guy too! read more

Wow! This place has been open 33 years for a reason!! YELP rating does not reflect the quality of our experience. Incredible food and service all the way through! Filet Mignon Raviolis were outstanding! Can't wait to come back!! read more

I love, love, love this restaurant. I have been going for years and always the food is spectacular. My husband and I were there a couple of weeks ago 3 nights out of 8, not our usual thing to do, it just happened we were going out with multiple different people and everyone wanted to go there. I have to say I was a little worried that it might get boring, but no way. Each time we had something different and each time it was out of this world. Would highly recommend this restaurant and so would our friends, as if that's not obvious. read more

Fantastic romantic spot. Waitstaff is always super nice and friendly. Food is unique and always cooked perfectly. One of the best spots in the area for sure! read more

Food was average for top pricing. Nice atmosphere , service was spotty. Because it was a byo seems they inflate prices higher then most places in the area. Limited menu with strange combinations that did not add to the taste. read more

Kevin has really established himself as one of the top chefs in Bergen County. The plates that come out of the kitchen are like a work of art. You have to have the Filet Mignon Ravioli. It melts in your mouth...... The wait staff have been there since we starting going 10 years ago. Sal the waiter is extremely attentive and always has a smile when we walk in. read more

Cafe Panache is one the best in Bergen County. Kevin consistently produces classic French cuisine. His staff is polished and friendly. Love the pecan chicken - white chocolate mousse is to die for. I highly recommend and it is a BYO! read more

...., I had the Filet Mignon ravioli..Received sIx truffle raviolis , way to much truffle oil , flavor was to rich , and way to expensive....Salmon tartar was just OK, did not wow our table ... I have to agree with the previous Yelp review , boring , tired ambiance...Staff is not very friendly... .. It may be a BYOB , but the prices make up for any liquor savings .. read more

What a let down- the much touted short ribs were over sauced and stingy portion and stringy to boot. Not even a veggie - just instant mashed potatoes glob on the plate- careful Panache - resting on past good performance has hurt you. I was embarrassed I brought out of town guests - the Irish pub down the road has better food. Fyi - waitstaff also need to be attentive - we had to ask for everything- so my zagat scores are so/so for ambience - diner quality service - and over rated and over priced food read more

This is our go-to restaurant for special occasions. Their food is always wonderful, which is what it was last night as we celebrated my birthday. The foie gras and the octopus with potatoes appetizers were delicious. Our server told us the specials and while we were pondering what to order, overheard another server telling the specials to a nearby table. I caught the end of her description of a dish with butter sauce. When our server came to take our entree order, I asked about what I had overheard since she had not mentioned the dish. She said, "Oh that's the special in her area." She explained that because of limited quantities different servers have different specials. I couldn't believe my ears. This was at 6:15 PM on a Friday! I said, "You have different specials in different areas of the same restaurant?" She said yes. She then went to inquire about that special and came back and told me I could get it. It was grouper with butter sauce, which I ordered. I don't really know if it was true about the different specials for different servers, or if she had just forgotten about it. Strange! Desserts were great except that the espresso gelato with chocolate sauce and caramel popcorn contained some uncooked popcorn kernels which I had to pick out of my mouth (and could have caused a broken tooth). I told the server, who said, "Oh sorry. I'll let them know." Right! Many restaurants will give the birthday guest a free dessert. Not Cafe Panache. Just a sole candle stuck in my gelato. Again, great food, but strange service. read more

Pretty restaurants - but why am I the only one under 60 in here? The food is good and the room is beautiful - it just has this old ppl feel

Have lived in area for almost 29 years and despite frequently going to fine dining in NJ (Saddle River Inn, etc) and NYC, had never eaten here. So went for New Years Eve. Maybe that was not the time to go for the first time. If fine dining is defined by the ingredients with which you cook, then it is. But counting presentation, taste, execution and service, this is not fine dining. Amuse bouche-4 slices of prosciutto and goat cheese. Carpaccio starter with arugula, winter truffle and I think Parmigiano- plate must have been near heat because the cheese was melted on plate but also solid on other side of plate-- unless this was some type of dressing--odd taste. Mushroom starter with polenta was excellent. Panko crusted tuna was too heavily coated, tuna had some tough to chew areas and overall taste was overwhelmed by wasabi sauce. Venison with spaetzle-venison was fine-spaetzle is basically a thin gnocchi that should be soft-these were firm and hard-asked server if they are pan sautéed and hence hard and she said yes. Not a pleasant texture. Desserts-ok, not great. Servers have undone ties around necks-that look is ok if they are all consistent-this looks like everyone just pulled ties down from fatigue. Décor is beyond neutral--has almost a funeral parlor look if not for the mirrors above the banquettes. BYOB is great but had to ask 2 times for cooler for the champagne and had to pour throughout dinner. Maybe the mandatory 20% tip is a reason for service to be spotty for fine dining. What's the incentive? There appeared to be at least 1 if not 2 captains or whatever they are called at this place-last seating was at 830PM so from lets say 8:45PM to 11PM not sure what prevented them from asking each table how things were--they weren't seating anyone any longer. Again, may not be the right night to judge and probably would go back to see if more together. read more

Dined here last night for first time. Cuisine very good and well presented. Service was very attentive and professional. Lobster bisque and squash bisque were both excellent. Oysters properly presented and fresh. Venison roast and spare ribs were tasty but a little tough. Dinner for two $113 plus tip. Will return in future for more tastings. read more

We visited tonight (a Thursday) for the first time in some months. The service was excellent and attentive. We had three different appetizers, two of which were different salads and fresh, beautifully presented and delicious. The rolls were rock hard solid. Inedible. One had a shrimp dinner and enjoyed it very much. Two had calves' liver with a beautifully prepared medley of vegetables. The liver was done medium as requested, but smothered in a heavy thick sauce with a lot of mustard seeds. It was hard to scrape it off as it had congealed onto the liver. It did not taste bad. It was way too much. Definitely not a winner. Two had dessert, a perfect creme brûlée and one flourless chocolate cake that was far from perfect and gummy. The noise level was high. We will probably try once more for lunch, but will not repeat a dinner experience. read more

We went to Cafe Panache last weekend to celebrate Father's Day. It was 9 of us, we had a great time - food was amazing, so was service during dinner. But after we paid our bill, the manager (or owner - I'm not sure, he's an older guy) came up to us and said "there are people waiting for the table, please hurry up..." That was so rude and unprofessional - I would never step my foot into that place again, regardless of how great their food is. I told him off, of course, but we were all left with such a bad taste on our mouths (pun intended)! read more

Terrible, Diner food is better at a diner so save your $! Both me and my husband left hungry as the .Meat was overcooked, small portions, Flourless cake was like regular cake from a diner and my husband's apple tart is better at grocery store. Slow service as tip is already added in so they aren't as concerned. The decor of restaurant itself was very nice just need new cooks! read more

We had dinner here tonight. Very poor experience with the reservation- we pre-paid the $85 per person only to find the table we paid for given to someone else, with no explanation or apology from the host. We stared directly into the kitchen the entire evening, ruining our dinner and more importantly, ruining our new year's eve celebration. We will not be back. read more

Owner Kevin Kohler is unprofessional, waiters are not friendly. food is ok

Came here for dinner and was waiting for my friend to arrive. I thought I would arrive early before our reservation and wait for him at the bar, but unbeknownst to me, they don't have a bar. What kind of restaurant doesn't have a bar?! Upon my friends arrival, we were seated right away, which is good. However, the seating area was very close to the kitchen entryway and along a high-traffic throughway. Ambience was okay; good enough for a date. Where's the wine menu? They kept on asking whether we brought wine...most parties brought their own (maybe no license?). Let's talk about food. We ordered the special appetizer, foie gras mousse bruschetta with side of greens: the foie had a smooth texture and was sweet, greens slightly over-dressed but nice touch of dill and fig. Entrees, Roasted duckling: cooked to order, tender meat, crispy skin and flavorful; maybe a hint of asian fusion with black forbidden rice and sweet plum-like sauce; side of vegetables, especially artichokes were vinegary. The calves liver was slightly charred yet tasty, but wasn't sure about the raisins. I would expect something more acidic to cut the fattiness of the liver. Mashed potatoes were smooth and delicious, probably the best part of the dish. We saw nothing special about dessert items. I am disappointed about dinner, but my friend says otherwise about lunch. We'll see... read more

I was here for lunch and was told that the kitchen closes at 2 but my friends couldnt get there until 1:45 pm and the person that took the reservations said that was fine, as long as we ordered before 2. Well I have never felt so rushed and unwelcome in a restaurant. The waiter tried giving us take out containers before we were finished and when i asked if we could just sit at the table they said they needed to get the tables ready for dinner and that we had to go. What we did eat was good but I didnt feel i could really enjoy it. I wont be back. read more

Impressed by the mediocre food. We had swordfish with panko which received a good review but shrimp with pasta was not edible. Shrimp were obviously reheated and dry and this could be the worst sauce I've had in years - sweet and tasteless- cafeteria style sauce. There are sauces in the jar that are better. I would have asked for cheese but I didn't think cheese could rescue this dish and I decided to save the calories. Pasta tasted as though it was from the box. Mussels in appetizer were good but in "lobster" sauce that was thin and salty. Apple torte was very bready, though the few apples slices on top were quite good. Was not surprised that Tip was added to total price of check and calculated on meal plus tip, as I suspect many customers would not be so generous in tipping based on the quality of this meal. At $50 a plate, would not return to this establishment. read more

Very disappointed. Way overpriced and so-so service. I had the pecan encrusted chicken and it was okay, not special, just okay. Dessert was the white chocolate mousse and I really thought they brought overly sweetened whipped cream with some chunks of white chocolate. I needed a magnifying glass to see the berry sauce. My wife and our friends all had similar experiences with their food. Three times we had to ask for our water glass to be refilled. It was a Sunday night and not busy. No excuse for what we experienced. We won't be back. read more

This place is AMAZING! I have been here twice, and each time the menu is different but still great. It is very pricey, but everything I have tried has been out of this world. Definitely a great place to go for a special night out. read more

Haven't been here for years so we decided to go again as we remember it being great but great it was not. In reading other reviews apparently we have some of the same issues as the first thing the waiter said is they were out of the filet migon. None of us planned on ordering it but at 6 pm on a Sunday night to be out of something with all the supermarkets around. The menu is very limited. I had the mussels soup which is weird but was good. The duck was good not great. The bread pudding sucked. Service was just ok as we were not offered more bread and had to ask for water. Overall place is expensive and " just OK " probably won't go back. read more

It's an upscale and expensive (sort of dated) restaurant. It will ALWAYS remind me of it originally being a Long John silvers! It's a little stuffy and food is fresh and menu is interesting, but it's just stuffy and for the money, not a place I'm anxious to return too. You'll have a nice meal, you'll be paying for it, too! read more

Went there 6 months ago with another couple. We sat down and after waiting 20+ minutes for a waiter to take our order we left. Went back this past Friday night had a reservation we got there on time gave our name 25 minutes later the maitre de never even came over to apologize at 35 minutes after our reservation I told him we were leaving his response it's Friday night! It's a shame this place used to be a quality place but it has gone down hill read more

The food is good. The service was not. The waiter was inattentive and had to be called over to the table to open a bottle of wine or to take our orders. He would pass by the table not making eye contact while we were trying to get his attention! We were a party of seven, so to top it off, when the bill came, the tip was included- which was over $150. I have no problem tipping for good service, but a tip should be EARNED, NOT EXPECTED! I would have left less, just to make the point. I honestly think that when the waiter saw that there were seven people and the tip was included in the bill, he didn't have to work for it. read more

Went there twice and probably never again. First time the food and service was great. The second time the waiter came over gave us our menus, told us what the specials were and never came back for 15 plus minutes. During that time he was yucking it up with 2 other tables and even trying wine with one table (no problem). He obviously knew the people at those tables . Either way we were ignored so we got up and left. When we told the maitre d he looked at us with a dumbfounded look and said nothing. A very weird experience. Maybe we'll give them another shot. I'm sure they don't care . read more

I wasn't going to write a review because I couldn't add to anything that's already been written here. Then I ate here again Thursday. WOW! This is the single best high end restaurant in Bergen County bar none. Their is no competition when they're on. I have had a couple of so-so meals with inadequate service on occasion, but 95% of the time their hitting home runs. Very creative dishes prepared and presented accordingly. I usually hate sports analogies,but in this case I think it's appropriate. They swing for the fences and most times clear the base path. read more

First off, whoever designed the menu should be fired! There was no distinct break between salads from entrées. Personally, I ordered the foie gras salad and it was decent, definitely not high end, but tasty. I was curious as to how they would serve the foie gras on a salad, as expected they served it on a crostini. The short rib ravioli was also ordered and it was drenched in butter; good thing I'm a big fan of butter! The big mistake of the meal for me was that I ordered the sirloin. I was skeptical as to the tenderness of their cut and I should have known better than to trust my waitress who had already lied to me earlier about why my bread hadn't arrived at the table. Her excuse was that it was baking. The bread came 5 min later and it was effing cold! So back to her second lie... I asked if their steak was super tender, I didn't expect it to be rib eye tender but somewhat tender nevertheless. She said it was like butter! Nope, it was like chewing on cow hide. Normally I would have sent it back, but I just didn't feel like putting the effort into dealing with her and her lies. I wouldn't go back. I don't see the draw of the place. The food is just ok, maybe a tad better or worse than an Applebee's. Maybe because it's local or maybe because of the cozy interior. I will definitely not be going back anytime soon. Btw, is there a 22% mandatory tip rule for parties of 6? Again... I would have had a conversation with the waitress, but I didn't want to deal with her. To be fair... I would have given the food 3 stars but because of the waitress' 1 star I'm averaging it out. My bill was $350 including tip... You would think it would have been a better meal for that amount of money. read more

Ate here last night for the first time. Nice decor and ambience, superb food and marvelous service. Filet mignon ravioli was melt in your mouth delicious and the pecan crusted chicken divine. Our server, Catherine, was so knowledgeable about the menu and specials and she and the kitchen readily accommodated our special requests. read more