Ate here while visiting family from out of town. In short we will not be returning in the future. The food was OK and the service was bad for the price point. We started with 4 apps: goat cheese salad was very good, although no surprises. The salmon gavalox was very good but could have been sliced thinner. The kale salad was like ceaser salad on kale. The biggest (worst) surprise was the "lobster soup with saffron cream"- it was a giant pile of mussels in a small amount of sauce! If it was advertised as mussels, we probably would have loved it, but it struck us all as very odd. For dinner the crispy duck, which we were told they were "known for" was neither crispy or memorable. I'd say marginal. The branzini was very good, but not great, I will say the beef ravioli were delicious. The "spicy" shrimp had zero heat. Service was very marginal, possibly because other large groups- my water sat empty for 45min before being refilled. When I switched to a second wine, they took my glass (presumably to bring another one) but did not return with a new one until I asked 20 minutes later. After they brought it, I poured my own glass as well as topped off the table. The ambiance is fine, but nothing special- brown wallpaper, sconces, and various mirrors and floral booths. They have a party room off to the side that appears more updated with a full wall of windows that was much nicer looking. Overall, marginal food, service, and atmosphere at moderate to high price point- would recommend heading down the street for much better options. read more

Recent visit to this restaurant was a big let down. The food was just ok. Have had much better at many spots. The waiter was a grumpy guy who could not be bothered coming back to our table to see if we had any concerns. Cannot understand why anyone would be so thrilled with this restaurant. read more

if you are looking for a delicious meal that is both top notch and fresh, this is the place for you. my sister and I dine here regularly. the chef and owner, Kevin, is a fantastic person. his food is always decadent and surprising. my recommendations are the goat cheese salad and when it's in season and offered on their limited but very creative menu, the summer corn ravioli in butter sauce. To Die For. read more

Love the food...most of the time. We ordered two appetizers that they were out of all ready on a slow Thurs night (unacceptable). Service here is hit and miss. During the week, it is fine. On a Sat. is just OK. The four stars is mainly do for the food and the new decor. read more

I have ate dinner there 4 times and the service and food have always been great.

O.K food. Horrible service. The atmosphere is very cramped and they pushed you through the meal so they could do another seating. I would never go back. Fresh farm to table concept is done way better in Vermont. BLEH!!! read more

If I could give this establishment a zero I would. Poor service, mediocre food and little regard for their customers. The best part of our anniversary diner was the champagne, which we brought. read more

Great BYOB restaurant. Good food which is plated beautifully. Friendly efficient wait staff. One if the better places in Northern New Jersey. read more

Make sure you make reservation if you go on Saturday! It is pretty pricy and formal, but it worth the price. Very tasty food and professional waitress. read more

WOW food is amazing. Had dinner last night with a friend, surprised how busy it was for a Wednesday night. Our waitress sherry was fantastic, attentive,friendly and very knowledgeable, couldn't decide on appetizer so i left it up to her..Kale salad amazing just the right amount of dressing and cheese so fresh, for the entree she recommended the Black pig chop OMG thought i had died and gone to heaven..that good. First time there will Definitely be going back, if you haven't been to Cafe Panache go. read more

We were there last Friday night the food is nothing to write home about. My Pork Chop was overcooked and the wife food was ok. We were rushed from the appetizer to our coffee. When we did order cappuccino the waitress drop it off with the bill and not even 5 minutes passed she was looking for us to pay. We have been there several times it not like it used to be and has gotten more pricey. read more

We have been to Cafe Panache two times before and typically I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars but this time, we had the worst service and food was not up to par. My husband and I went with our 2 teenage daughters. If you go to a 5 star restaurant, then one should expect the kind of service that is polished when instead we had a waitress that had an 'air' about her, like she was doing you a favor and was rude. When we were given the menus I asked if there were any raviolis and before I could finish my sentence, she said emphatically no, that they do not have them all the time, like she had been asked this question all night and was annoyed that another customer had asked her. Here I am apologizing for asking and stated oh, I thought it was always on the menu (since the other 2 times we had been here, they were on the menu). It was down hill from there, my filet mignon and my daughters were rare when we asked for medium and although I like the filet to have a char on it, mine was burnt. I'm sorry, any cook could see that from pressing on the middle it was still so soft, obviously rare. This was not a busy night mind you. What was most annoying to me is if a server cant get around the table because of another table backing up to yours, then it is understandable for a server to say pardon me, I need to reach over you to serve the entree to the other guest. The waitress had no excuse, plenty of room to get around our table and instead reached over us to serve our daughters entrees desserts without any 'excuse me' and not just setting them down, almost like plopping them down, the same for when she gave us the leftovers, with no bag. Overall the service was not acceptable for a restaurant of this standing. Our tip of less than 10% will hopefully make her question what was she doing wrong to not deserve a 20-25%+ tip that I would give for outstanding service. We support and appreciate when service makes your dining out experience enjoyable and special. To sit through a meal, spend $250 for a table of 4 in a byob and feel like she is doing you a favor, you are talked down to for a asking a question is not acceptable. read more

One of the two best restauants in New Jersey, the other being Cafe Matisse. What can I say, I think owner/chef Kevin does an amazing job. Ok, I know that the outside of the building looks like a Long John Silver's, but once inside I found NOTHING, not to like!! read more

If you want to eat awesome food this is the place! The staff and chef owner are wonderful. Everything is delicious and prepared in a timely manner. From the extra crispy duck to the fillet mignon ravioli, you cannot possibly go wrong! I highly recommend this place. The icing on the cake is that you get to bring your own wine and they do not charge a corking fee. I highly recommend this place and will go back without hesitation! read more

I was very much looking forward to dining at cafe panache. The praise it received from people that have dined there made me giddy with anticipation. To my huge disappointment the place didn't come anywhere near my expectations. For starters , the crowd was noisy.and the dress code..., well there was none. But most disappointing was the fish special I ordered. The arctic char was overcooked and tasted accordingly. I am not eager to go back anytime soon. read more

My wife and I go out to dinner at Café Panache for special occasions and have always enjoyed a wonderful meal with local fresh ingredients that compliment each other and are perfectly seasoned. We have never encountered a wait to be seated of more than 2-3 minutes which always makes the evenings start enjoyable, mostly due to the very attentive and helpful Maitre d'. We also love it being a BYOB so we can enjoy our favorite wines with dinner. The food is fabulous, especially any of the fish dishes as well as the Tuna or Salmon Tartar, Curried Bouchot Mussels and Woodland Mushroom salad for starters. I have never been disappointed with the Duck and the Venison in season is amazing. We always feel comfortable in the beautifully decorated rooms and tables settings. The whole staff is knowledgeable, friendly and do an outstanding job of helping with and menu questions or requests. We feel like family and everyone makes sure you leave completely satisfied. It's always a fantastic night out. read more

Big fan. The food is extraordinary - well thought out and ever changing menu with balanced flavors and terrific presentation. The staff is attentive, but not overbearing. The owner/chef is wonderful. He is often out in the dining area mingling with the customers. The decor is slightly may be perhaps just a bit staid considering the forward thinking cuisine, but not too bad. Overall a great place for a romantic dinner, or fine dinner amongst friends. Enjoy! read more

My husband and I are here on Valentine's Day. We were both pleasantly surprised at the quality of the menu and the specials which sometimes are not the best on holidays. I had a swordfish with a lobster sauce which was out of this world. The service was friendly, helpful, had a point of view, and very attentive. Great place, beautiful ambiance. read more

We've been there many times. Went last week with a party of six. My steak came out very overcooked - it was a beautiful steak and I was really looking forward to it but I had to send it back. Everyone was eating of course when my steak came back - this time practically raw. It was terrible. The manager didn't even come over to check and make sure it was cooked correctly after having brought it back for me the first time. I couldn't send it back again - everyone was almost done with their meals. They charged me for the steak ($38), and offered zero apology. I didn't order dessert because I didn't want anything, but the waitress gave me a dessert on the house. Since I wasn't eating dessert, everyone else shared it. I don't understand giving me something I didn't want instead of making good on what I did. The steak should have come off the bill - they could have kept the dessert for all that mattered. Not once was there an apology. Terrible experience. read more

It took me over 20 years but I finally made it to Cafe Panache & it was well worth the wait! It is entirely deserving of it's status of top 25 restaurants in NJ. Chef Kohler is a true artist in the kitchen and his wife did an amazing job in designing the front room addition. I strongly suggest you request the front room when making reservations. The design, colors, and textures of materials used are all in perfect harmony. All of the windows add a light and airiness to the room. The food was incredible. The service was impeccable. The Filet Mignon ravioli with truffle butter appetizer was sublime and worth the trip alone! We also had the very fresh tuna tartar special with seaweed and pickled radishes. For entrees my wife had the amazing panko crusted soft shell crab special & I had the awesome Lobster in a light vanilla sauce. I have added this restaurant to my regular dining rotation and cannot wait until my next reservation. read more

this restaurants service was extremely poor. when my fellow diner complained about the food the waiter said "take it up with the chef". Told us three times they were out of steak and then a neighboring table ordered steak and they received steak. then we tried and they said they ran out. They double charged us tip and when we caught it, they barely said sorry. After double charging us tip, the waitress finally billed us correctly. We split the bill btwn 4 people and then they double charged one customer and then didn't charge one person. After a week, they called the cops for the missing payment. I don't write reviews but these guys are shameless and really caused my temper to rise!! read more

Not thrilled with this place, it used to be much better in my opinion. Came with my husband for date night tonite at 630 and we were sat in a very cramped corner practically on top of the two tables next to us and we felt like they were trying to rush us out the whole time. 2 different waiters kept asking us what we wanted to order while we were still looking at the menu...after we ordered, our apps came out within 1 minute...definitely pre made and sitting in the kitchen. My squash soup was good but my husbands tuna tartar looked grey, though he said it was fine I didn't taste it. Our entrees also came out very quickly. My husband had the duck which came with rice and the rice was so undercooked it was inedible. I had the filet mignon ravioli which while tasty was also very under cooked. Desert was creme brûlée which was very underwhelming... In all, the food was not bad (except for the rice), but the dining experience left a lot to be desired. read more

i was not overly impressed with the food, service was good and decor is beautiful, very expensive, i know more than a few restaurants with similar menus and more reasonable prices, plates were beautiful, my scallops were raw and sandy, maybe it was an off day ill try it again sometime read more

We ate here several years ago and liked it. We went back and they have totally redone it, it is beautiful inside. The waiter was lovely but it felt a tiny bit rushed (handed our menus immediately and told specials immediately). But overall the service was very good. My wild mushroom salad with pecorino was excellent but felt heavy for a salad because of the dressing but it was excellent. My husband liked his arugula/apple salad. The waiter brought us gnocchi before our main dish as a 'treat'. It was absolutely delicious but again felt a little heavy (two large gnocchi). I then had the wild Alaskan salmon over rice. It was excellent and the rice was terrific but I was feeling very stuffed. My husband had the lobster and said it was excellent but again a bit heavy in the cream sauce? We didn't have dessert. This was an excellent meal in a nice atmosphere with good service but go very hungry! read more

Went there on 3/2/13. We had an 8:30 reservation for a table of 8. We were seated at 9:10. Seems like you can make the reservation and get ignored, since at that hour where else would you go. The waiting area was packed. Lame excuse the Maitre d was telling everyone was that the party before theirs was a little late in arriving. He said this to 5 different groups. If you have been there before I am sure this has happened to you. I have now been there 8 times and only once did they seat us on time, the other times were at least 15 minute waits. Waiting is ok if the staff and the food were out of this world; trust me neither is. The staff is aloof; they tell you they have one more dish of a special before they give you a menu and then tell you of other specials which they say they have plenty of. When you tell them you want what is plenty they say, "Oh we ran out of that" Are you kidding? Wait 40 minutes and then get told specials are all gone. Ok, the menu has some good food except they think Hamaci is Halibut. There are better places in North Bergen County. Places that don't have to bring you a filet mignon ravioli to apologize. Yes the ravioli was good but it would really be nice if they seated you close to when they promised. What's funny is that they think they are so special and want you to call them a day in advance to confirm. They have your phone number so if they are running late, why not pick up the phone and tell you? Maybe they want you to wait in the cold. Go somewhere else you will have a better time. read more

We dined there on a Tuesday and every table was filled. The staff was very attentive. The food was absolutely delicious! The lobster bisque w/whole mussels was great. I loved the filet mignon ravioli with truffle br butter sauce. I thoroughly savored every last bite. My husband had one of the specials that evening, braised short ribs with dark beer and a black molasses sauce, which he loved. Our friend enjoyed the veal t-bone which was huge and prepared with another delicious lite sauce. Our desserts, berry tart and a flour-less chocolate cake, are surely not to be missed. The only complaint was as soon as we paid our bill, the waitstaff disappeared. We needed a cork for the remainder of our wine which we had to seek out ourselves.. Also, even though we loved everything, it would have been nice if the maître'd thanked us again on our way out! We wanted to thank them and tell them how delicious everything was. It is pricey, but is definitely worth it. It was if now they didn't care about you any more. However, I will be back and have told others already. Hopefully, someone is around when you leave the place! read more