After a friendly greeting at the door by the restaurant's General Manager we were escorted to our table. The restaurant was busy yet not loud and had a fantastic energy about it. Our server greeted us promptly, was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and helped us select a great bottle of CA cab. After presenting our wine he took our order and happily accommodated my wife's request for a different side. I had the butternut squash ravioli for an appetizer and my wife had the mushroom soup. They were both delicious! We followed that up with an outstanding cassoulet for dinner and what my wife described as the best burger she's ever had (The ONE 53 burger). Grilled pound cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert (along with the last sip of my new favorite Cabernet) wrapped up a PERFECT night. Friendly, well educated staff; mouth-watering food and a terrific wine list! Easily our favorite restaurant, ONE53 gives you 153 reasons to come back! read more

We ended up dining here for Valentine's Day. So from the minute we walked into the door there was a pretty chill and relaxed atmosphere. The warm rich wood of the bar and the flood lights were modern and soothing. We waited for about 8 minutes before the host showed up back at his station at the booth. My guess is he doubles as quite a few roles (general manager?). But no matter, he was kind, courteous, and most importantly smiling while escorting us to our table. Our server promptly came over and introduced herself. The service felt like it was off to a great start in my opinion. We ordered a 2006 Sarcerre white wine from Loire Valley, France and also a hard "cream soda". For appetizers we ordered the escargot en croute, the Toro Tartare served with potato crisps, the Belgian style thin fries served with mayo, and the warm beet salad with fried goat cheese and tomatoes. All appetizers were mighty tasty: the escargot was prepared perfectly. The texture of the snail meat was not mushy or chewy. Instead it just perfectly melted in your mouth with the pastry crust. It was a a mix of being buttery, creamy, and earthy. Oh so good! I wasn't overly impressed with the toro tartare just because they diced it too much. I would have preferred more texture. However, it was redeemed by being really fresh fish and also flavorful. The warm beet salad was very very good. It was served over a bed of arugala and invoked memories and thoughts of Spring (it's dead of winter here). The Sarcerre wine had a floral nose with a peppery aftertaste. It paired well with all the stuff we ordered. For the main dishes, we ordered seared scallops with a lemon beurre blanc sauce as well as the lobster prepared 3 ways (bisque, steamed, and layered between potato au gratin). It was served with special cous cous with bits of pear in it. Oh man, I won't lie the meal was delicious as well as excellently prepared. For dessert, we had the blood orange sorbet. Which was actually my second choice at first since the pear sampler looked really good. The blood orange sorbet was a good refresher for the palate after the meal. All in all it was a wonderful restaurant with wonderful food. Service is a bit lacking, but I'll cut them some slack since it was Valentine's Day. I will definitely be back for round two. Positives: Modern and warm decor, amazing wine list, tasty food, the Olympics played on the tv. What more can anyone ask for? Negatives: Modern and warm decor (a matter of opinion), you do have some wine. Amazing wine list, but pricier than selling your soul to someone that wants it. read more

We just moved to Skillman and have received many good recommendations for this eatery. It's expensive but the food is great and the atmosphere chilled and modern. We started off with cocktails which were very nice, but pricey. I had the mussels for starter which were fabulous and my wife has organic mushrooms on palenta (which she enjoyed). I then had the strip which was very nice ... but not quite prime. It tasted like a $38 steak, which it was so no complaints! My wife had grilled mahi mahi which again was nice...but nothing we probably could not have cooked at home. The desert was very tasty ... creme brulee and chocolate bread pudding. The bread pudding especially was wonderful. Service was great, but at $175 we probably wont be going back to often. Although smart and contemporary, it's quite laid back. There were lots of families and children (the parents must be rich!). read more

I've eaten here a few times and agree with most of the reviews. Generally the food is good, but the menu is stale. Most items have been on the menu entirely too long. It needs to be updated. The mixed drinks are incredibly expensive, the appetizer section is weak. Ditto the dessert section. Much room for improvement in those two areas. As you might expect, the pasta dishes are excellent, but if you want a steak, you might want to try Char. It's crowded at the bar virtually every night, and it is difficult to be seated anywhere on Fri and Sat. So, if you're interested in trying their offerings, try to go on Mon or Tues. read more

Great great good! Service is also on point! Chicken Milanese and the stuffed peppers are amazing! Def try the grilled Caesars salad as well. Will come back. read more

Wife took me here for my birthday and the food, service, ambiance, and vino were all fantastic. Highly recommended, and look forward to going back! read more

the restaurant is great, good service, wonderful food. special shout out to Katie for being so hospitable and fixing our messed up reservation. everyone enjoyed the evening. Susan and Gary S. read more

This is our go-to restaurant when we want an nice meal with excellent service but we can't exactly agree on *where*. Everyone is happy here. Superb Steak, fresh pasta and more adventurous dishes for the adults. They have a liquor license, which is always a plus in NJ. Try to reserve a table near the window, if you can. The parking lot is a bit cramped, but it's otherwise a great, little place. Rocky Hill itself is a super cute town. read more

Fantastic place! I've been here 3 times & loved it each time. The grilled Cesar salad is to die for and the truffle mayo with the fries OMG! The donut dessert was out of this world. The service is always quite efficient overall 5 stars!! read more

I had my anniversary dinner here in May. Although i must say, having recently moved here from NYC, this place is decent i cant say id go back there again. The service was sorta nice but a bit slow and the food was just OK. The price however is on the moderately high side so i expected a lil better. the atmosphere is decent although a bit crowded due to its popularity. The dessert (chocolate bread pudding), however, was pretty good, but from what i hear, there are more options for good dessert in the area. read more

I have been a dozen times and have never been disappointed. A fresh local and seasonal menu with delicious homemade drinks as well.

This is not an inexpensive restaurant, and it's a little tight inside (and out for parking). Love it. Great wine list (with 25% off specials early in the week) and varied, changing menu. Can't go wrong with their pork chop or fish from the grill coupled with their chimichurri sauce. Their fries with truffle mayo are amazing. Also love the muscles as an appetizer. A few minutes outside of Hopewell and Princeton's restaurant scenes, it's worth the trip for a special occasion (see above re: not inexpensive). read more

We live in the area and love this restaurant. However, this evening I called to change the time of our reservation and got a really nasty person on the phone. We are keeping our reservation because we like the food but if this is the direction they are taking on the phone they need to make changes read more

i REALLLLY wanted to be a fan fan fan...and I think that next time I will be.....but my first experience.....booooooooo :( i got something off their 'special menu--Bastille Day Menu'....strip steak au poivre........at $41 a pop. the cut of meat was TERRRRIBLE. there was so much silverskin i couldnt eat like 1/2 the steak. :( cry. the flavor was quite good tho. tried my friends Rissoni Burger (with a whole lotta stuff on it) and shrimp + angel hair and both were yummy. did I mention that the service was omfg slow?! will definitely try it again.........but............order something else. its also pretty pricey, even for an expense account! read more

My gf and I ate valentines dinner here. The food was amazing and the service was even better. A bit crowded but worth the trip from north jersey. The waiter we had was incredible, he made us feel right at home. read more

Great food. Knowledgable staff. Pricey wine selection but worth it if you're looking for one heck of a collection.

For me to rate something as 4 stars means all the elements of the dining experience have to be working pretty well. To get to the 5th star they all have to be working seemlessly. One 53 is a legit 4-star option- though there were a few misses that clearly point out that getting that 5th start is a long way off. The food at One 53 is creative, well presented, and every dish tasted great. One 53 also did not succumb to the overly long menu descriptions that plague so many restaurants (do you really need to know who picked the arugala?). The steak was perfectly prepared and accompanied by excellent fries. The scallops were also terrific and accompanied by lentils that made me long for 2nds. The minor misses in terms of food came down to e items: sauce with the steak, the souffle and tea. The steaks were sold as eitehr prepared with spicy peppercorn, chimichurri or some other option. What you really got was a plain steak with a small cup of whichever sauce you chose. That's a cop out for a fine dining restaurant. The souffle was simply too tiny. And at some point soemone needs to realize that handing the customer a box of tea bags (even nice ones) just is not okay when so many great loose leaf teas are out there (and not that expensive). The service was generally good. They get a minor deduction (again, no 5 stars is in their future) for not even acknowledging our anniversary even though I made it clear that was why we were there (i.e.I had flowers sent to the restaurant so they knew). That's a little thing- but great restaurants do the little things, too. Would we go back? Yes. This is a very good place and deserves to do well. But paying a bit more attention to the details will ensure they retain their 4 stars and maybe even close in on the 5th. read more

This restaurant is bare and stark from the front but pleasant/modern inside. We dined in the wine cellar as we were a party of 9. The staff was pleasant and efficient. The food was far too ambitious for the kitchen and seasoning was either missing or too heavy handed, especially in the overly spicy clams with no other seasoning and the so called foie gras with sauces which overwhelmed the palate. Snails in puff pastry tasted as if they had been dumped from the can, some bland sauce circling the plate far away from the escargots. Wines are quite nice. read more

We had another wonderful meal at One53 last night. Great service and as wonderful expected the food was terrific. My husband had the lamb special and he loved it. I had tbe Chicken Milanese( which is what I always get) and it didn't disappoint. I ordered the feta stuffed pepper for my appetizer and they were amazing!!! I highly recommend them. Our daughter had the shrimp and pasta and her boyfriend had the flat iron steak. Thumbs up for everyone. Now for the part I didn't like. I made the reservation on Open Table and noted it was my husband's birthday. The restaurant reconfirmed my reservation yesterday but didn't mention anything about our celebration so I called them back to remind them and the host read my comment from Open Table. I was confident Thayer would do something special for my husband. I was wrong. Dinner and dessert came and went and they did nothing. I was upset. When we left I mentioned this to the hostess. I told her dinner was wonderful and we will return but how disappointed I was that they didn't do anything. She told me she was sorry and she would tell tbe manager. While that's lovely, it does nothing for me. As soon as I said we'll be back she should have offered me something fir a future meal. Oh well... read more

You just have to love the name of the restaurant. It just explains it all. The food here was fantastic. My lawyer and I went there and had some great appetizers. read more

The cocktails, ambiance and staff were wonderful. My brother's wedding party took over the downstairs, which was intimate and appropriate for the occasion. After some antipasto, we each had salad, a main course and a dessert. The food was excellent and the staff was attentive so I would enjoy coming back on my own. read more

My #1 favorite restaurant in Central NJ. Outstanding food every time I go. Fresh, simple, and expertly prepared. One53 fills with affluent locals and foodies from abroad, it's definitely not on the tourist maps. Great food with a french influence, you can be comfortable in jeans having dinner at the bar, watching the ball game, or dressed up at a candle lit table, or even dine downstairs in the wine cellar. Try the Gravlax appetizer they have right now, delicious! And the fish is always fresh and great! And the One53 Martini is fantastic. read more

We've been dining at One 53 since the week they opened their doors. It's continues to be our local favorite. We especially enjoy dining at the bar. The menu changes frequently and keeps us coming back. In 4 years of dining here once a month or more, we can't remember any meals that have let us down. Current favs include the lobster risotto, the flounder and the best mussels in the state of NJ. read more

Very good food acrossed the board and my daughter had an excellent burger that I wish I had ordered. Take it easy on the salt a little and the recipe would be perfect. The drinks were overpriced, but the wine list had some definate values on it. Menu is kind on urban trattoria. Space is very noisy and tables are sat practically on top of one another. I'll skip it on weekends in the future, but definately return when they are not so jammed. read more

Was meeting my Dad for dinner and was not familiar with area. Found this place from Yelp and my fellow Yelpers didn't let me down. It had a great atmosphere, crisp a little fancy but not too much. Service was on point and my food was great. I also enjoyed my cocktail and dessert, really no complaints on any of the courses. Would definitely recommend. Oh and I recommend making a reservation. read more

I didn't know what to expect when I walked into ONE 53 for dinner. I had read very little about the restaurant online and didn't do my normal drool ritual while looking at the menu. Overall, the dinner was a pleasant surprise. The appetizers were fresh and prepared well, letting the ingredients themselves shine on the dish. The clams were fresh and the sauce they sat in complimented them well but wasn't overly complex. The beet salad was fresh and simply prepared. The entrees were similar in design: simple and straight-forward with no fancy sauces to mask the meats. I chose the chicken milanese which was lightly breaded, not too oily, and a controlled enough cook to keep the moistness in the chicken. A fresh tomato salsa-esque sauce accompanied it. The chef's preparation was smart letting the breadcrumbs and capers in the tomato salsa provide the right amount of salt. The other diners I was with got the burger, which was cooked with just as much care. The standout component on the dish was the truffle/mayo aioli. Silly to love a sauce.. but this is worth sticking in your purse and bringing it home with you. Overall, ONE 53 is a great place that pays a lot of attention to its dishes: the meats, sauces, and components on it. Every addition on the plate is purposeful and meant to add a taste or texture to the plate, which is how plates should be made. read more

We really enjoyed our meal here. The place was packed at 7:30 on a Friday, and the service was great, even with their entire computer system going down at the precise moment we entered. My mussels appetizer was amazing (wish I had more bread to soak up the delicious white wine and tomato broth), and my flounder was delicate and rich, perfectly prepared. My husband's Rossini burger was indulgent and he is still raving. Carrot cake for dessert was pleasant, cocktails also were well made. My martini was well poured and to my delight had the perfect icy crystals floating on top. The restaurant is pricey but not prohibitively so, and I'm sure we'll be back. read more

I accidentally posted a review for this restaurant thinking it was a different one, realizing my mistake I quickly started it over. This was probably the best lunch I've ever had, seriously! I had the tomato soup and grill cheese, so so good. If I'm ever in the Princeton area again, I cannot wait to go back. read more

My boyfriend and I went here for our anniversary. It was an older crowd for a Thursday night. Very nice atmosphere for a group of friends or date. The food was just OK but generally satisfying. The bread was stale and served with a bean dip? That was odd. Menu was limited. Portions were large. We ordered the bruschetta to start. Bruschetta is pretty easy to make however, I wasn't pleased with the way it was prepared..no basil? Really? The corn chowder was really good. I ordered my steak rare as I usually do but I guess it was my mistake because it came out raw and mostly inedible for human consumption. I probably wouldn't come here again since it didn't really impress me for the price. read more

Caveat - my experience is not exactly their usual dining experience. I was there for an office holiday dinner. We booked the private room, which was downstairs in the wine room. The mood was actually pretty nice, though the two separated long tables meant a distinct separation between those two tables. With the dim lights and set up, there wasn't much opportunity to mingle. The service was what it needed to be. The menu options were from a preset menu. And the overall consensus seemed to be that the food was good. I enjoyed the salmon. A real nice surprise was the size of their desserts. With choices of mango sorbet and pumpkin ice cream (there were others, but I dont remember them), I would have been happy with just a single small scoop. But I was greeted with a chalice of two heaping scoops, pouring over the sides of an already large cup. The inner child in me smiled in excitement. The adult facade on the outside wondered how I was going to finish this. Don't worry. I finished it. read more

Amazing food and the best cocktail I might have ever had (kumquat margarita). Frisee salad was yummy beyond belief. Best shrimp/pasta dish ever (must have been the roasted garlic). A little noisy, and not inexpensive, but worth a visit. read more

Food was ok, nothing extraordinary. My angel hair shrimp was good and service was good. Not sure I would go back for dinner it's kind of in the middle of nowhere and all the streets are so dark and full of deer crossing signs. read more

We came on a Saturday night and it was packed with several people waiting. Every seat at the bar was taken as well. We got seated in the wine cellar which is more quiet. The food here is excellent, the Rossini burger is insanely good (foie gras on Kobe beef). My wife had the rabbit gnocchi which was great, too. Cocktails are fun, service attentive and knowledgeable. Very good wine list. It is a bit pricey but fully worth it. read more

Overpriced and very slow service. That being said, the food is really good. The hand cut fries are decent and the octopus is, as cliche as it might sound, grilled to perfection. I had a Bloody French 75 cocktail and I liked it, though it's probably not worth the price. read more

Even though lots of Princeton restaurants get very good reviews, most are just good and many are boring. One 53 is an exception. (I know that it's not in Princeton). The food is upscale but you can get a hamburger. If your meal isn't how you like it, they will happily replace it with something else. It's crowded because it's a wonderful restaurant. It's noisy because it's a small wonderful restaurant. It's not formal but the food is excellent. Princeton also has a wealth of lame bartenders, at One 53 Craig is fantastic. The service is always good. read more

Not a great value. Food was very good, but not special in any way. The wine list is exceptional. But the prices are far higher than could be justified by the food and wine. Service is good. Atmosphere is There are better places with lower prices. Choose elsewhere. read more

Extremely overrated and crowded. I have never had a meal here that I thought was anything special. There are many better restaurants in the area. I don't understand all of the positive reviews. read more

I have been to One 53 on three different occasions. You can always count on an excellent cocktail and a wonderful wine list. I like the simplicity of the menu and the seasonal changes. The dishes are always well seasoned, fresh and inventive. Why not 5 stars? Out of the four dishes ordered (2 sides and 2 entrees) on our most recent visit... Only one came out hot. The other 3 were lukewarm. My boyfriend and I will definitely return though. Compared to the other restaurants in the Princeton area, One 53 is top notch. read more

Honestly, I wasnt that impressed. The decor is great and so was the service, but I felt like the food was mediocre. Rocky Hill is a great little town and this is probably the best restaurant in the area. read more

Delicious lunch and terrific ambiance. Our group had the burger (excellent). Would like to try their happy hour.