***If there's one review you should read before deciding to come here, it's this one. I'm about to wax poetic.*** Let me preface by saying that I'm a young adult who considers himself a bit of a foodie. I work in Times Square so I usually frequent fine dining establishments in the city, but my home is North Jersey so I am acutely aware that there are some hidden gems in this state. Last week, I was at the Saddle River Inn in Saddle River and was blown away. But this place is far, far, even more exceptional. Greatest dining experience ever. Called the restaurant due to a last-minute cancelation in my party. Evan, a manager, was super helpful in waiving any cancelation fees. It's BYOB and there's a brewery across the street that apparently does takeout. I just brought beer from my house. They gave me chilled glasses and a bucket of ice to keep my refreshments chilled. Onto the ambience. You walk in and it's a nice, cozy little place with tables and a bar top with an open kitchen layout behind it. You can see all the food that's cooking and the presentations that go behind each dish - all live in front of you. The chef's were busy but always obliged when I said hey or asked a question. I tried the 5 course chef's tasting menu for $125. You get a little bit of all of the best flavors coming out of the kitchen. And the flavors are always changing. They source their ingredients from local farms. First came out complimentary course #1 - all I remember is it had crudo in it. Then course #1 - gulf shrimp with squid. This is the point where I decide no matter how else dinner plays out, I'm coming back. What fresh ingredients and creative flavor pairings. Next was course #2 - duck confit spring roll. It's just a smaller portion of what's regularly on their menu. This may have been my favorite item of the night. Next was wood fired octopus in tagliatelle pasta. After that, I believe, was complimentary course #2 - what appeared to be a caesar salad. Anything they make is delicious. Finally, I had an American wagyu strip as the fourth course. Absolutely delectable. At this point, I'm in Heaven. But I'm not quite yet full and ready for my dessert - profiteroles - one of my favorite desserts. I was looking forward to it from the moment I walked in and saw it listed on the tasting menu. I only eat 1 meal a day so when I finally eat, I eat a lot. A normal person would be full at this point, but I wanted more. I also couldn't help but think it might have something to do with me not wanting to leave and just try anything this kitchen made. So I ordered more. I asked for their regular menu and ordered some more duck confit spring rolls and some type of pork belly entree. Quick note - the pork belly entree was not good. You have to take the losses on the chin to make the wins matter more. Pork belly over beans? It was like bbq ribs meets an English breakfast. Please get rid of that, respectfully. After 3 bites, I didn't want any more so I quietly flagged down my server, Kat, and told her please quietly take this, I fully intend to pay for it since I ordered it; it's just no good. And I had been raving to her about every dish up until that point. So she insisted that she'd take it off the check. I insisted I'd pay, she kept insisting, so I relented. That's really good customer service. Now time for dessert. I wish I could say I was ending on a better note but the Profiteroles - which I mentioned is a favorite dessert of mine - massive disappointment. After everything else was put together for care, I got notes of freezer for this last one - especially the pumpkin part. I love this restaurant and I intend on returning as soon as possible, so please don't take offense to my constructive criticism. I applaud your efforts to infuse different flavors together. It is working wonders for you. Keep it up. I'm gonna share pictures of everything, including the menu. But the last 2 things I'll talk about are the cost and the service. With the pork belly entree taken off, it was just the 5 course tasting menu, an order of duck confit spring rolls, and a $6 double espresso. The total came out to $168 after taxes. I tipped $168. That's right. 100%. In a world where people like to dock tip percentages from their precious "20%" for what they perceive to be a lack of good service, let's normalize going above 25% for exceptional service. Not everyone can afford 100% like me, but next tip tip your servers 30-35% for exceptional service. As a former server in my heyday, I promise it'll mean more to them than the few extra dollars to you. And exceptional service is what I got. From manager Evan, to server Kat, to all of the others I met - forgive me if I forget any names. Chef Kelly, Chef Mike, Chef Jon, Keira, Jimmy. Thank you for an unforgettable 5-star experience. Keep up the exceptional work. I will see you again soon. read more

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Early dinner on a Friday night. Again, couldn't have been better! We again did the 3 course dinner, amazing as usual. Took pics this time so wanted to review. We ordered the bread this time too. Delicious! Didn't need any drinks because the food was amazing. Great meal yet again! read more

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We finally did brunch here and it was amazing. As usual, the food was fantastic! Let's talk gnocchi first, absolutely amazing. The oysters? Sweet, delicious, and honestly, we should've ordered more of those bad boys 12 was not enough. The coffee drinks were on point too. Nothing like a good cup to go with a great meal. The only feedback is for the chicken sando .....It was a bit dry and kinda salty, not what we expected. Still, James on Main nails it every time with the vibes and flavors. We had a great time and it's a top three for us for any time of day. read more

James On Main - New American Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

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Food, service, and ambiance were exceptional. The space is super cozy, quaint, and unpretentious, yet it delivers truly outstanding food. A genuinely special experience. I dined with two renowned New Jersey chefs, so consider this review certified. Standout dishes for me were the Spanish Mackerel Crudo and the Shrimp Bisque, which was poured tableside, piping hot, and accompanied by the most delicious savory shrimp profiterole, absolutely divine! Epic desserts followed, perfectly paired with David Rossi's Cabernet Sauvignon. So good. read more

Had a family get-together catered by James on Main. Everyone loved the brisket, Southern fried chicken, Nashville Hot chicken, pickled vegetables as well as several of their delicious sauces. Food was packed well and reheated perfectly! Staff extremely helpful and accommodating. Excellent job! read more

James on Main has fine dining food in terms of quality and presentation without the high price tag or stuffy vibe. We came with friends and ordered a few apps and the did the 3 course prix fixe menu. To start, we shared some of the most delicious potato wedges and bread. I'm glad we ordered these because the portions on the prix fixe menu are on the smaller side. The octopus and cheddar cheese grits were outstanding. The service was very prompt and our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and helped us order. It's too bad this delightful restaurant is a little far from us or we'd be coming back regularly. read more

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*Edit* The snarky, unapologetic, and downright rude response to the honest disappointment of not one, but TWO separate family experiences supports my review entirely. I'd give zero stars if I could. It's one thing to make good food, but positive experiences are what bring people back and you won't get that at James. They clearly do not value their patrons, and lack the self-reflection required to improve.** The food we did get was great, but their planning strategies need work and quite frankly I can get amazing food elsewhere for less pomp and circumstance. We went and selected the tasting menu and bread... well, we WANTED bread, but they were "out of bread". Until later that night when they were preparing the staff meal and we watched them warm the bread for themselves (see picture). Fine, whatever, it was one experience, right? But then tonight our in laws went and asked for bread to-go ... and their answer was that they "couldn't sell bread until they served everyone"... For a meal that's easily $200 a pop, the fact that they treat patrons as secondary and disposable is WILD. We would never go back based on general business practice read more

James On Main - New American Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

I am almost afraid to write a review because it will make getting a reservation just a bit harder- I have not had such an amazing dinner in a long time. Amazing experience having the chef tasting menu 5 course. Service was incredible with Jennifer. Every course was unique and a crowd pleaser. I think the duck spring rolls made me tear up it was so good. The octopus so soft and the flavors incredible. The wagyu, cooked to perfection with excellent umami in the risotto. The scallop amuse bouche was crazy fresh with mango flavors and the most amazing texture to the scallops. And the smokiness of the tiger prawn was such a surprise and beautifully done. Such fresh and perfectly prepared vegetables with great crunch and flavor. I want to just keep using the word incredible but it really was. A definite stop in our rotation. And the cherry on top is that it is BYO so we can bring wine from our cellar. This restaurant has restored my faith in high quality New Jersey dining. A MUST try and will absolutely LOVE place. read more

Came up here because my friends had raved about it for years. It was so great! The waitress was amazing. Food was incredibly fresh. It's not nearby but worth the drive. We will definitely be back. read more

Parking across the street Very small restaurant Not many menu choices no alcohol bring your own. Waiter wil open for you Food is delicious . Over all A new experience read more

One of my friends was RAVING about this restaurant so of course I had to give it a try I'm generally a picky eater, and my friend said if I'm trying new dishes to try them here because the chefs here do it RIGHT. I fully agree Not only was everything delicious, but the staff were beyond friendly. They change their menu up so we will definitely be back to try more dishes and get seating at the bar for a different experience! What we had: Two Course Prix Fixe Menu First- Wood Fired Octopus Rock Shrimp Tacos & Arnold Chili ----------------- Main- Beef Brisket Ragù Spatchcock Poussin ----------------- Sharing- Fried Potato Wedges ----------------- Dessert- Apple Crumb Cheesecake read more

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Our very first visit and the special occasion was my wife's birthday. We'll I can definitely say the Executive Chef ‍ and his team are outside the box. Everything we had was 5 stars and really impressed with his style and plated food. Portions are larger than expected and taste, quality and wait service excellent Great job and he reminds us of Jamie Knott from Saddle River Inn in Saddle River Bergen County. He may be a understudy of his Either way great job my wife and I truly enjoyed the experience! read more

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Absolutely stellar from wait staff, dining arrangement, view of the kitchen, to the sheer quality of how the dishes are plated. Each hand placed dish is presented neatly and clean. Food is stellar. A must go but make sure you set up and date and time to be seated read more

A1 amazing, the attention to detail, shows up in every bite. Lovely service as well. Menu's well thought out and food is seasoned to perfection. read more

Edit/Update: the chef and general manager reached out to apologize that the quality of tenders was not so good and I can't appreciate it more! Like I said in my original review every time I went to the here in person the food(and people) was always amazing! Thank you guys for the fast response and refund you guys are the best!! I HATE to leave a bad review because this has been my favorite restaurant for a while especially in our area. But last night we got takeout chicken tenders that were supposed to be Nashville hot with honey and they were just plain chicken tenders with a hot honey on the side which would have been fine honestly except the chicken tenders were horrible! I'm so shocked and upset we spent $60 on two orders of chicken tenders (and a cheese cake) for tenders that I actually feel were worse than fast food. They were terribly dry I couldn't even eat it. And from the pieces I did eat ..I felt like it hurt my stomach. Super sad since this is usually such an amazing food spot! read more

First time for my wife and I. The service was fantastic. Keira(?) was sweet and knew everything about the menu. Great personality. Kevin was also very nice. We went for the two course prix-fix dinner. We shared the LOCALLY HEARTH BAKED MULTIGRAIN SOURDOUGH & BAGUETTE for TWO which was perfect for us - Delicious! As an appetizer, my wife had the CREPINETTE OF DUCK CONFIT and I had the WOOD FIRED OYSTERS. Both were rich and delectable. I had the BISON STRIP STEAK AU POIVRE and my wife had the SKILLET ROASTED DUCK BREAST and both were perfect!!!!! Never had a better meal. You can tell Chef Bill was trained by the best chefs in Europe. We shared CHEESECAKE which was also fantastic. Ausgezeichnet!!!!! WE WILL BE BACK FOR MORE!!! read more

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Delicious and mature dining experience -- quality food presented in a sophisticatedly atmospheric context. Not ideal for large groups or families with young children. read more

The food and service were exceptional. Truly one of the best dining experiences in the area.

I wanted to give James on Main 5 stars but I couldn't. Service is excellent, ambiance wonderful. Had the three course pre-fixe menu with optional bread and oysters. Two desserts. Left with aching stomachs. Most of the food was exceptional. Some were overly salty. The Wagyu beef was amazing. Unfortunately the Roasted Lamb Shoulder Bolognese was so salty I could not finish it. We will return again as we do enjoy this establishment. BYOB with no corking fee is a plus! read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants. The food is consistently top notch. I love the variety of the menu. The service is consistently excellent and the staff top notch. The ambience is warm and inviting. read more

We had the five course chefs tasting at the counter. It was a great sampling of what the kitchen can turn out. Service was unpretentious and responsive. read more

10/10/25, just finished an amazing meal! We had a three course dinner, ending with a fabulous cheesecake dessert! We sat at the bar and it was a work of art to watch them create and work so well together in a relatively small space that is impeccably clean! Always a wonderful experience! read more

Great food and service for this little gem. We ordered the pre-fix menu that had wonderful options who made it difficult to choose. Out of the 5 well prepared dish's 3 really stood out; rabbit, scallops, and the amazing espresso cheesecake! read more

James On Main - Espresso Cheesecake - New American Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

If you live anywhere near this area, you must try James on Main because you know we do not have elevated food experiences anything like this. It was absolutely amazing. You choose from a two course or three course meal (everyone at the table, chooses the same, preferably so they can serve it all at the same time.. it's all about the experience). Everything from the starter to the desert was incredible as was the knowledgeable and friendly staff! Small venue, make a reservation. It's BYOB, but if you'd like beer, Czig Meister Brewery is right across the street and has take out. Highly, highly recommend. read more

Here's the deal: Came for the 5 course tasting menu. Truly amazing experience !!. Each course was a culinary journey Our service was great and very accommodating. The place is small so it can be loud and difficult to have quiet conversations. But overall a great experience. Definitely worth the trip read more

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5/5 Service, food, and byob what more can you ask for. Small restaurant with open kitchen. Soon as we entered we were pleasantly greeted. We did the 2 course pre fix with the oysters and dessert after. The duck was Amazing, the oysters amazing, my cheese as also amazing. Will definitely be back! read more

James On Main - Duck Confit - New American Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

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Our favorite restaurant in NJ. The menu is always changing and we have yet to eat anything there that wasn't amazing. The atmosphere is nice but not pretentious. Last week we went with another couple and had the 3 course price fix and also got 3 desserts. Everything was delicious. Of the 17 plates that came to the table, there was not a single one we would not have ordered again. We highly recommend James on Main to all our friends. read more

Made my top 3 favorite restaurants. The experience was perfect- polite helpful staff, very warm vibe decor and the food was SPOT on. Highly recommended read more

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Sat at Chef's counter and everything was an amazing experience. It was like dinner and show. My girlfriend and I would definitely recommend it when in the area. read more

Amazing! Food was delicious, servers were very friendly and helpful. The food is perfectly priced.

While we've had great food here we also had an unfortunate takeout experience that has kept us away ever since. I am very allergic to bivalves (clams, mussels, etc). The last time we got food for takeout we saw that they also had a bivalve special on the menu. It was a very busy night at the restaurant. I did not see any cooking utensils or pans that appeared as designated for use for people with allergies. In fairness, it is entirely possible that they may have them and that I just didn't see them. From our position at the counter where we were waiting to place our takeout order it looked like the cook might be using the same cooking utensils (tongs, spoons, etc) for everything (meat, fish, bivalves, sides etc. I let the server taking our order know about my allergy and asked that the cook please use separate and different utensils for my order so that I could avoid having a reaction. Unfortunately apparently that did not happen because I did indeed have a reaction after arriving home and eating the food. So, while the food we had prior to that episode was very tasty I cannot in good conscience recommend this business unless you have absolutely no allergies just in case there might be an oversight on preparing and serving food for people with allergies. I'm very sad to have to write this review and it's only out of concern for others with allergies that I am doing so. Also to be fair, the food that my husband had that night was very good and he was fine with it as he doesn't have any food allergies which is why I'm giving a 2 instead of a 1 for my rating. read more

This is by far one of the best experiences in NJ. It's so much more than a restaurant with the gorgeous ambiance, friendly service, and spectacular food. Despite the elevated and stunning cuisine, you will never find pretension here. Everything we have tried over the years has been an equally gorgeous and delicious plate. The attention to detail and technical skill of the chefs is absolutely outstanding. There is such extensive care and precision given to each dish, and we always leave happy! read more

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We tried the 5 course tasting menu. Food and service was good overall, but portions were very small for $120, which is comparable in price to other tasting menus in NYC. The duck breast main dish came with 5 thin slices of meat. The wagyu steak main dish had 4 quarter size beef medallions. Both dishes were good but I think they could be a little bigger. Unfortunately, we left still feeling hungry. read more

Cozy ambiance and good service. Great menu and different options for multiple courses: two, three or five. The portions are generous deviating from the gourmet standard. The only thing I probably missed was the full body in the flavors of the dishes. read more

It's was our first time here. Food was fantastic! Fresh, cooked over a wood fired grill, and they used cast irons too. The truffle fries are the best I've ever had! You must get them. There are 2 pre fix menus, 2 courses or 3 courses. They both had so many good options to choose from. The cheese cake was homemade from scratch. The best cheese cake I've ever had! Our entrees were perfectly cooked too. You could buy a bottle of wine if you like. The restaurant was clean and cozy. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Definitely a wonderful experience! read more

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Great food and service. Unfortunately, the ambiance isn't the best due to the size of the of the business (Very tight inside and small tables). read more

Hackettstown is really becoming a go to place for foodies looking for good new restaurants! Last night was our first time at James On Main and it didn't disappoint! After reading so many positive reviews, it was a lot of fun to finally get there. This is a small, cozy place with a low ceiling, giving it a loud but fun vibe. Some jazz music in the background that you may or may not be able to hear, depending on the volume of the crowd. The service was very friendly, especially our server, Cat. We were a group of 4 and started off with 2 orders of the oysters which were a special appetizer and the artichoke and goat cheese tartlet. Both were great, but I especially liked the oysters. They were just so fresh (as was everything at this farm to table restaurant). We all loved the entrees which ranged from the schnitzel, to the duck, to the swordfish. Oh yes, dessert was also amazing! My wife and I shared a piece of cheesecake made with lemon and lavender. Very different but excellent! Definitely recommend giving James On Main a try, and like others have said, make a reservation because this place was packed on a Saturday night! read more

James On Main - First time here! - New American Near Me - Hackettstown, New Jersey

James on main is without doubt the BEST restaurant in Hackettstown. Quality fresh kicks Food in pleasant environment. I would love to come back again! read more

I love supporting local restaurants, and I discovered this place around pandemic time. Since then, we've celebrated a lot of birthdays at this place between different family members. They work with local farmers, so the quality of their food is one of the best! Their food is comparable to some of the best restaurants in big cities, and it's quite hard to find a restaurant like this in the area. They also work with a winery in California, Fulcrum so they have superb wine selections. We actually celebrated a family member's birthday here and did the wine tasting. It costs $170 per person, inclusive of tax and tip. You get so much food, we had to bring home some. Service is great as well; waiters are very attentive, and I think they remember us by now. Again, this is a family owned, so the seats are very limited, so make sure to make a reservation before coming. Will definitely come here for more years to come! read more

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Awesome food, friendly staff and great ambience! Went with large group and everyone loved it!!! read more