Interesting vibe with the speakeasy thing. However, the food was great. Shareable plates mostly but everything was delicious.

Meg D.

What a great addition to RW! Where to start? Food: absolutely delicious. We did a tasting at no.12 so we could figure out a menu for our private party we were planning at no.12. All was fresh and well executed but we only wanted five items. Fave: bang bang shrimp, tuna tartar, spicy rigatoni, meatball sliders. The seafood tower was gorgeous and fresh. Staff: so very accommodating. The owner, Arun met with us and worked with us and our budget. The chef - Chef Louis was always available even though he is running Stella and no 12 and was a delight to work with. The ingredients are high quality and made fresh per order. The beignets to the pasta to the seafood. It was all great and Chef Louis was beyond accommodating. The ambiance: speakeasy traditional. A nice bar to hold two mixologists/bartenders. Dark interior with unique wallpaper and light fixtures. Quirky fun speakeasy style decor. Yes, no liquor License but pretty sure people could get creative and bring their own unique drinks with them. Get over it bc this is a nice little gem in RW. It was a win. Owner Arun and Chef Louis and staff outdid themselves and bent over backwards to accommodate our 55 person party. No stone left unturned. We loved every minute of the planning and execution and it was bec they made sure it was a good experience. At one point I thot they were over delivering because there is no way someone could be so accommodating but they indeed delivered every little detail (and I'm a pain in the ass). Thank you Arun and most importantly Chef Louis!

Daniel L.

Posted on Google however feel that other should know. Run - don't walk - away from No.12. As other reviewers mentioned, they're under new management. Food and staff used to be impeccable. Now...not so much. Food: overpriced, cheap bar food vibes. Used to be the go-to spot for excellent, curated seafood and creative dining. Now it's just lackluster oysters, nasty frozen shrimp (the shrimp was soggy and the cocktail sauce was sugary, ketchup-like crap) and store-bought, frozen bread...I'm talking like ShopRite cheap-o white bread. Other dishonorable mentions go to the unseasoned lamb (in their defense, it was at least cooked correctly), $26 clam chowder fries which were the typical Reasturant Depot quality with cheap bacon on them (were was the clam chowder?) and worst of all that butternut squash toast with barbeque sauce and horrible bread....what happened? Staff: used to be knowledgeable and interesting. Now they could barely list the oysters of the day (not like they were anything special), nor could they even answer basic questions about the food. My girlfriend and I ordered the apps and mains together and everything was brought out in a random order. Oysters first, then shrimp and toast followed shortly by the lamb chops, then the fries. It was honestly lucky they did because only one bite into all the food I called the server and canceled the rest of my order (which was the scallops and hot honey carrots. Stay clear and go somewhere else like we did (we went to Felina down the block). This place used to be amazing and now has been transformed into an overpriced bar food location. Such a shame. For anyone reading this: I believe Stella has also been ruined, though I'm not sure about Sant Egidio. I can't emphasize the level of sadness that this brings me as I have been recommending No.12 to all my friends for years and they used to literally have the freshest seafood around. I will say one thing that really irked me is that when I told the waitress what my complaints were and she took them back to the kitchen, management didn't even come out to say anything. They left this new server - 1 month on the job - to handle it. She was great despite not being properly trained and tried her best to reconcile the situation.

Emma K.

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP I could not be more disappointed. I had to honestly apologize to the friends that we brought to this restaurant. I had been so excited to finally be able to get a reservation, but I should've known this was a disaster as soon as they allowed us to change a table of two, to a table of 4. We used to enjoy getting the oysters here but this only had four choices. Even though we were a table for four they mixed up the oyster on the platter and had no idea what the choices were. The food was ok but not great. Basically the quality I cook at home, I'm ok but no chef. The service was eh and I heard the server say it wasn't a red or white sauce but an "orange" sauce for pasta. We were a table of four, but everything was prepared for three, so we split into smaller portions or someone didn't eat it. The prices on the menu were no where near the level of the food that was prepared and it's definitely not tapas. To top it off I asked for extra bread for the burrata because they didn't give us enough pieces for 4 people. Except it was "in the oven" for 15 minutes and we had to tell him not to bring it. I'm still hungry and I'm going to eat somewhere else. Finally they have black lights all over the floor and the floor is absolutely disgusting.

F. L.

We never ate here before, but we were delighted that we stumbled upon this restaurant. We had a reservation for early in the evening which was smart because this place got packed for a Thursday night. While sitting in a curved booth we sipped our wine and enjoyed listening to a mix of some classic hip-hop tunes. Be prepared to bring your wine since it's BYOB. Everything was delicious that we ordered. We sampled the charcuterie board, roasted, carrots, french fries, and some desserts. We will be back.

Brianna S.

This review is a really tough one for me, mainly because I've literally ranked this as top 5 dinning experiences of-all=time. I'm talking, G.O.A.T internationally, locally, hole in the wall, all the way through fine dinning experiences. The food, service, atmosphere (including the speak-easy type of gimmick it has), the service etc. They're also BYOB which I think balances out the pricey menu. Let's start off with the speak-easy aspect. First of all, it's pretty adorable. I think as a business/restaurant, it's a brilliant idea. You have a bunch of people interested in your restaurant by hearing about this "hidden gem" where you gotta get on "the list" to get in. They do allow walk-ins but you'll be waiting for a long time and it's not guaranteed. So those interested should really sign up online to receive an email in order to be put on a "list" because they have "no phones." Once you get the email a few weeks later that you have a reservation, it's hard to turn down. It's a self fulfilling prophecy for No.12 and to be quite honest with you, I LOVE IT. Kudos. Upon arrival at this little corner bakery around the corner, you are handed a business card with directions and a pass-code to the restaurant. I mean... how cool is that?! Now, ambiance; It's certainly different for the area. I love that the newer places popping up in Ridgewood have a NY city vibe to them. The place is super cozy and you walk into the fresh raw bar area, although quaint still impressive. The main dinning has dark green walls and aggressive patterned jungle-like wall paper. It's an interior designers dream delivery of vintage meets contemporary-modern. The lighting is gorgeous but dim and it truly gives you an exclusive vibe. Service; there aren't many servers and I have to hand it to Matt (our server), because they are given the responsibility to verbally tell the table the menu. That's right... No printed menus... So interesting, ain't it?! It's unlikely that all guests at the table can see the chalk board with the menu items on it so you just have to trust the person with the best view or trust your server and your memory! Matt might of even been the only server with runners... he didn't miss a beat regardless! Last but not least FOOD. First off, it's tapas style which is great because you get to try a lot of dishes. Well... well... WELL. The night started with one of the guests arriving with us telling us about the baked carrots. How we HAVE to try them... I'm not sure about all of you but, baked carrots? That's what we are raving about?... I was skeptical... Needless to say, we ordered the carrots. The server happened to mention that they were their "famous carrots." But how could these boring veggies stand up to the hype you ask? Well...slap my knee and call me CARROT TOP, they were BOMB! The short rib simply to die for, the Foie Gra was decadent and the most richest thing I've ever set my taste buds too. Their eggplant toast... their table shared bread....WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THESE THINGS?! Sprinkle unicorn dust on them?! I continue...The scallops were incredible, and their clam chowder fries, BOY-OH-BOY was my mouth happy. Their fresh seafood simply miraculous, and even their $65 cup of fettuccine with fresh shaved table side truffle mushroom... WORTH IT. All the way through to the desserts, I was truly blown away. The chef's talents literally had me leave my food loving heart in that restaurant. It was truly an experience of a lifetime. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. No.12 bravo. I think I've said enough.

Diego M.

Bottom line: so good I want to leave a bad review so I can get reservations when I want. Gluten line: very willing to accommodate and knowledgeable of their ingredients. Bottom line: the whole thing is more about the experience. From getting the reservation, to arriving and how well they play along with keeping it hush hush, getting the code and walking to the side door, to finally getting inside and feeling the very intimate atmosphere. Wifey and I had a blast. Even the menu is only written on the large glass pictured. Servings are not as small as they say. From a culinary standpoint we were pleasantly impressed. We will definitely be back.

Kit C.

A Fabulous dining experience! A great treat! We arrived at Stella at 5:30pm and checked on availability, we got a 6:00pm seating on a Friday night without a reservation. Got the door code, went in from the blue color side door.Greeted by Joe the Maitre d,he seated us at the table instead of at the oyster bar because of last minute cancellation, and told us to enjoy till 8:30pm before the next seating come in. I liked the intimate atmosphere, music can be a notch lower in volume. Emily was our sweet attentive server of the evening. Read off every single items on menu board ( they don't have printed menu) Every dish comes out in a timely manner. The piping hot bread was baked in its own little dish, my husband can't stop eating it, finished the whole thing, and end up eating only part of his lamb chop entree. We shared scallops with curry sauce, and Foie Gras fried rice, two delicious amazing dishes!!! If this is on the daily menu, it's a MUST have!! We'll be back soon, already make reservations for six with Joe on our way out.

Ian K.

Let's start off by saying try to avoid this place at all cost. It's under new ownership and it's absolutely terrible. Servers are not your normal servers you would expect from a nice restaurant. There are no specials anymore. When asked about the pasta sauce that was a red or a white he responded with its orange. Please don't waste your time or your money. Not the same as it used to be. Disgusted with the cleanliness. More disappointed in the quality of food