I wish I could give them 0/10 rating. When we asked the person who was serving in front of the door if we could get seated outside, she replied, " I'm busy right now, ask someone inside." Straight up rude. My family made a reservation a couple days ago and still had to wait for 25 min to get seated after. We sat down and ordered immediately because we knew the order was going to take forever. Our one and only appetizer came out after 30min. The other appetizer didn't come out because they apparently ran out of ingredients at 8pm.. We waited for our food to come out for an hour and a half, and couldn't wait longer, so we left. The staffs there weren't even sure what they were doing. The waiters were complaining about their jobs to the customers. We could clearly see that waiters were fighting with people inside of the kitchen lol Oh! Most importantly, some staffs were just fooling around when other tables weren't even cleaned... How do you let your customers eat in that type of environment? See my photos for reference read more

Lucio's - Tables weren't cleaned for hours - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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NJ restaurant trying to be a New York restaurant. The location is perfect with plenty of parking. The interior is nicely decorated and could pass for high-end restaurant. We ordered pasta, calamari, crab cakes, chilled seafood platter, salmon, lamb and steak. Here are somethings that they could totally do better: 1) Stop being a push waiter - if the customer does not want it, then it means they don't want it. We asked for 1 fried calamari and 2 servings of the chilled seafood platter. He brings 2 calamari plates. When asked about the extra, he insisted that 1 was not enough to feed the whole table. We insisted that we only want 1 calamari. He said that it's already out so he can't do anything about it. Then he turned around and said no charge. 2) Medium does not equal slightly pink in the middle. That's called well done. - My lamb shank came out dry and overcooked. The waiter insisted once again that I have no idea what medium style is. He told me to look again and pointed out the slight pink in the middle. I told him to take it back and I did not want anything else on the menu. He came back after 5 minutes and apologized. He would bring another one in about 15 minutes. What a joke. 3) Overpriced wine is overpriced wine - I would not pay $360 for a bottle of Malbec anywhere no matter how good it is. Once again the waiter pushing for this incredibly expensive wine with the steak. The best thing that I had that night was the garlic spinach side dish. SMH. read more

Lucio's - Seafood app - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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So we were a party of 10 on a weeknight around 5pm. As soon as I heard the name of the restaurant we were going to the first thing that came to mind was it sounded like someone named it, thinking "Locale" sounded super sophisticated. There was no on else on the patio with us at the time so the service was pretty good. The fountain outside was pretty until you walk all the way around it and notice the water is coming from hoses they have laying around. Tacky. I ordered the filet mignon. I'm not a big meat eater, but this was so bad I only ate 3 bites and gave the rest to my dogs when I got home. The vegetables were tasty though and so were the potatoes, but not enough to make up for my lousy $30 piece of meat. read more

Lucio's - The outside decor - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

We had a graduation party on a gorgeous early summer night and the venue turned out to be perfect. Very good food, apps, and drinks. I would go back! read more

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Unfortunately this restaurant has no idea how to treat their customers. Bergen county has so many great restaurants but not this one. How awful to go out for dinner and one of your friends doesn't get their dinner. The owner never came over to apologize and they thought by giving us 2 deserts would make our experience go away. They just put it on our table without saying anything. Luckily for me this doesn't happen often to us in other restaurants. I will never go back to this restaurant. read more

very negative experience, it started well and all down hill from there. We waited 90 minutes for our dinner and no wait staff around to explain or ask if we needed anything (not their fault) What I found most frustrating is no apology from management, no acknowledgement at all that something might have gone wrong, handled in a very poor manner and there is no excuse. There are so many great rest many options out there, they should learn how to treat their customers, it doesn't take long for news to get around and although the food was good, I will not be back. read more

Came here for my moms birthday and was very unimpressed. First we ordered the calamari which we had to send back because it was soggy. For the entree I ordered the wild mushroom risotto which was a little over peppered but not bad and lastly we got a tiramisu for dessert which had absolutely no taste of espresso, it was basically lady fingers with whipped topping. The service here also was awful, it took forever to get our food. To be honest the place is expensive and I didn't feel the food and service was worth it, most likely will put it in my rearview. read more

Lucio's - Wild Mushroom Risotto - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

This WAS (PAST TENSE) a favorite place to have lunch. Bordered blue point oysters and got served a live crab with it. NOT ok. read more

Lucio's - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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The service was terrible slow and waiter was extremely rude. Such a great restaurant running so mean and disrespectful staff . I will not go again and don't recommend to anyone. read more

Beautiful outdoor area for dining and the heating lamps were stylish and kept us warm as it was a chilly night. We had the shrimp avocado salad, beet salad, branzino an mushroom risotto. The risotto was good, but salad was typical, the fish was ok. The lava cake was delicious though. The 3 star rating is mainly due to the service. Perhaps the restaurant was short staffed, but our server was not attentive at all, many times we had to ask for him to come take our order, bring dessert menus, etc. It is a shame, in this climate, I do think there is still fear of social contact and its hard on both the customers and wait staff, but unfortunately it is what it is. I have been at many other establishments and the service is superb, just not here unless it was an off night. read more

On short notice, Locale hosted our family's repass luncheon. The food was wonderful and the staff just lovely. Thank you!

For starters its freezing in the restaurant, I kept my Winter coat on the whole time. Secondly our reservation was at 6:15pm and we didn't get our food till 8:15pm. I wish I was exaggerating. The whole room got their dinner and their dessert before we even got the appetizer. read more

Every so often you want to have a decent dinner in a nice restaurant, not too fancy but just enough. Went here to check it out with my wife. We're not fancy folks but enjoy a good meal. I had the burrata and the chicken. My wife had the seafood, don't really remember which one. She thought it was great. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The best part was that we didn't have to eat any antacids before going to bed. A little pricey but well worth it. We will be returning soon. read more

Bad very Bad service never go again I wouldn't recommend anyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very disrespectful service read more

Bad experience overall. Noisy, overpriced and mediocre in every way. Would not recommend.

HORRIBLE!!!!!! We went there recently for Valentine's day and we had the worst experience you can ever imagine. We didn't have a waiter at the table for the first 35 minutes. You also saw ever waiter looking at the table saying that's not our section. Then, they took another 25 minutes to bring wine to the table. After we ordered our appetizers, the food came out wrong and ICE COLE! AND THEN the waiter came to the table asking if we knew what we wanted for dessert when we never ordered dinner! We ended up being at the restaurant for 3 1/2 hours and we complained to the waiter numerous amount of times. We wanted to be respectful and finish our meal becuase we are not rude people. The bill came out to $215 TOTAL ROBBERY!!! I called the owner Vinny the next day to reconcile and see if we can get some of our money back and he was extremely disrespectful and said you should've left if you were unhappy. NO ONE SHOULD EVER GO THERE!! read more

We come here at least 2-3 times a month! Food is always on point, kids love it! Waiters are always super friendly

Horrible people who do not have a clue what customer service is. Mediocre food at best. Servers openly mock customers in earshot of other customers can. Really? Stay away. The arrogance from owner on down is not worth it. Spend your money someplace else. read more

Such a beautiful outdoor area. Food is always great and the staff is very professional. Has become a regular of ours.

This is a great space that has a nice design and warmth that you don't find often. All of the staff and the owners are incredibly nice, always willing to make sure guests are satisfied. I came here for a corporate event and I was beyond impressed with the bar tending, service and wonderful food. Everyone truly enjoyed their various courses and had nothing but good things to say. I would definitely love to return here. read more

Love coming to Locale and sitting at the bar with Zen. Amazing bartender and you always feel right at home.

We had a private party here, and everything was just wonderful. Manager was a pleasure to deal with And all the staff was very accommodating and nice. They worked quickly to give us the best experience, and the prices were very reasonable. read more

I give it one start for the service, which was very pleasant and the atmosphere in the dining room. The food was terrible. I ordered the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp smelled off, tasted off, and were slimy. There was no apology. The rest of the food was mediocre and over priced. We ordered the beet salad, mushroom ravioli, and tuna tartare. That night I was violently ill (possibly from the shrimp or Th lobster they replaced it with??). When I spoke to the manager the next day he was unapologetic and said I was wrong about the shellfish not being perfect. I'm shocked that a manager would respond in this way. We would never return. read more

Easily the nicest outdoor decor of any restaurant in Closter. If only the bread and pasta were a little better and the menu wasn't so pricey. read more

This restaurant might be the worst in Bergen County. The food is terrible and the service happens to be even worse. We waited for our food for over 2 hours and we weren't alone. When we spoke to the owner regarding our concerns he was incredibly rude and I quote says: "well don't come back." ...and we never will!! That coming from the owner, no wonder his staff doesn't know how to treat their customers either. They simply have more tables than they can handle, and the quality of the food and service lacks because so. Try any other restaurant around and you'll be better off for doing so. read more

There is a dearth of local taverns in northern New Jersey. Places you can go for a good drink, memorable food, warm service, all in a spectacular atmosphere. The food goes from very good to outstanding and the outdoor patio is simply unmatched. Every great restaurant has someone who truly cares. And Vinny has mastered hospitality and seems to make everyone feel like family, even newcomers. I'm a Yelper, for sure, but don't let the stars fool you. The racist reviews that discount the ownership's capabilities are embarrassing. No matter where you eat, you're a fool if you think that Mexicans aren't at the heart of every kitchen. Judge a place by how it makes you feel. And Locale feels like the place everyone wants to spend time with people they care about. read more

Locale Cafe & Bar was just a few days old when I visited. I really liked the appearance of the restaurant. I was told that it was newly renovated. They were going for that Italian-Tuscan look with earth tones and wood floors. Open Table lists it as casual-elegant. I don't really know what that means. The couple that we were meeting for dinner was 20 minutes late. During that time most of the staff stopped by to see if wanted anything to drink. Even the owner stopped by and introduced himself. The clientele of the restaurant felt like the cast of Jersey Shore were now in their 40's to 50's and had settled in the Closter area. They were loud, rude and gathered around each others tables as if they were sitting in a bar rather than the dining room of a restaurant with other people trying to enjoy their dinner. The restaurant does not have a website last I checked. Unsure why a restaurant in this day and age that threw a great deal of money to renovate the restaurant wouldn't have a nice website. Baffles me. The menu is boring. Truly. A mix of Italian and Mediterrean with some short ribs, steaks and seafood. My wife claimed the bread basket was very good. I didn't have any. It was served with miniscule amounts of olive tapenade and what appeared to be a very watery, or oily, hummus. I started with eggplant involtini. It was eggplant rollatine. An okay version. I probably wouldn't order it again. For my main I had grilled scallops that came with spinach and some kind of blood orange vinegerette. I could not detect any blood orange. Usually, when somebody uses blood orange it is very easy to taste with the mouth and see with the eyes. Otherwise the scallops were cooked perfectly. The dish was okay. I wouldn't order it again. Foodwise nothing really stood out as being great. There was nothing bad either. I hope the management realizes in the near future that they need to use some curtains or drapes to lower the volume in the front dining room. They should also realize that rude people that are disturbing other tables need to ushered to the bar to chit chat. It's not like people were greeting each other for a minute or two. They were hovering over each others tables for a good 15 minutes. It made for a less than enjoyful experience for us. Service was very good. read more

I would like to give this place 3.5 but that isn't an option. 4 stars is generous. The restaurant is very nice and the staff was wonderful. The food was good but nothing too special. It is not a crazy expensive but for the price I was expecting a little something more. I plan to give this place another try soon and see if they can impress me a little more. The potential is here since the decor and staff are really great. read more

Again another fabulous meal with great service and great food, this time I had the carbonara as I was craving carb and fat....imagine that. I picked the perfect place and the perfect dish. read more

Lucio's - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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This lovely establishment hosted my sons bar mitzvah last month, and words cannot express how incredible the experience was. When making the initial reservation, we were greeted by the owner, who was so professional, and knowledgeable. He gave us options as far as cuisine choices, and also accommodated our diets. He introduced us to his staff, and we immediately knew we made the right decision. The food was absolutely delectable, and the service was outstanding. I have since referred Locale Cafe to several of my friends, who all have agreed without any reservation. Locale is definitely Closters's hidden gem...highhhhlyyyy recommended! read more

Best Meal of veal shank but worst service ever on New years eve at 6pm 45 to get drincks and then we dared ask for bread 15 more minutes for order that in car by 8 wow never again! read more

Horrible. Sat us at a wobbly table with only three places settings for a party of 4. We didn't receive a drink for 35 minutes!! We were offered menus only after we asked for them 25 minutes into the "experience." The waiter offered us free desert to stay... What an insult. SEVERAL other guests around us were complaining as well. Unreal.... Well never return. We went to Andiamo and had an amazing experience as always. read more

Great place! We had had fried Zucchini which was on the bar menu. Also we had chicken and eggplant parm. The sauce was very good. Everything was delicious! The staff was extremely friendly and the service was excellent. Very nice ambiance. Can't wait to go back! read more

On a number of occasions I have dined here. I will tell you that I have had some of the best hamburgers here during lunch . I would dare say that the burger at Locale surpasses that of the River Palm. Dinner is a different experience but still a solid performer. read more

Great restaurant! They have great outdoor seating and the food is awesome. We had gluten free pasta and filet mignon and they were both delicious. read more

Lucio's - Italian Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

Great food with fun waiters! The appetizers and food is great! Brunch prices are good and dinner prices are pricey. Lovely outdoor area in a nice area. Love this place! read more

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I really don't understand why people come here. The Food is simply NOT good and the price is very high. Both me and my Wife had the onion soup which was way too sweet as if the chef dropped a pound of sugar in it. When we pointed it out to the Waiters it was shrugged off. Main course was Sea Bass, probably from last week. We just gave up asked for the Check and left. We are not coming back to this place. read more

Ugh. Hate this place. Been here several times, and the food is always merely mediocre. The decor and atmosphere are straight-up New Jersey tacky, trying sooooooo hard to be "sophisticated". Just not good. read more

First we received a warm greeting by the lovely hostess My friends had the tuna tartare and we split the shrimp/avocado salad which was a perfect starter. I had the branzino special which was perfectly seasoned. My husband had the short ribs that he devoured. My girlfriend loved the stripe bass with a light tomato broth and couscous. Her husband enjoyed the generous portion Colorado rack of lamb. It was a busy Saturday night and a flawless dining experience. I look forward to my next meal at Locale read more

When my husband and I moved from the upper west side to the suburbs it was difficult to find a "new spot" by luck we came across Locale. Like all great relationships "it was all downhill from there". We have been coming here every Saturday night for our date night for the last 2-3 years since then. The staff is amazing and the owners, Vinnie and Merita are amazing! We have never had a bad meal or service. My husband and I will continue to come back each weekend. read more

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