Bar Cara

Love this restaurant/​bar. The family that owns this place also owns fascino in montclair. but in my opinion this blows the montclair location out of the water. The drinks are amazing. seasonal changes means pumpkin martinis and strawberry concoctions.
Highly recommended.

Very sad that this place is closing so owners could focus their efforts on Fascino. If you ask me they’re closing the wrong place.

Very nice place, very authentic Italian atmosphere. The food is incredible, but the service moved at a glacial pace. Our server never returned to our table after taking our orders; we only got the check because another server heard me getting frustrated.
And yet the food absolutely made up for it. I’m sure I’ll be back.

Awesome food highly recommend!

Pros: simple good menu, liquor license, never crowded, good location.
Cons: limited menu, small pizzas
been here a bunch of times. quality. outdoor seating. never a wait.
no brainer.

We were very much looking forward to our first visit to the more casual sibling of nearby Fascino. While the service was really quite good and the atmosphere lively enough for a sleepy suburban location (it is the only establishment in the small strip mall open or in business on this Saturday night), we left the restaurant feeling very underwhelmed. The octopus appetizer with shaved sun chokes was really quite excellent and the nicely presented fresh greens in two different salads had us thinking that we were going to love this place. But alas, the pizza was really quite average-​dough a little chewy, and the branzino entrees good but nothing to write home about. The fish was cooked to perfection, crispy skin, nicely presented over a simple bed of sautéed broccoli rabe with capers and tomatoes. It was a nice rustic dish. The wine by the glass list is not impressive, though admittedly we didn’t try any of the specialty cocktails that seemed quite popular at the buzzing bar in the adjacent room.
I echo those who felt the décor was lacking a bit and yes, the chairs were not the most comfortable I’ve experienced. I generally never factor in price point if the food is commensurate with the caliber of restaurant. However, this place gives me reason to make exception. We just felt that for the price of the food, there really are much better options in the area. If you really want solid Italian cuisine-​fine dining or casual, you’re better off at Osteria Giotto, Salute or Fascino in Montclair. Save the money on booze, bring your own and you’ll be glad you ventured one town over. Would consider trying this place again on a nice evening when we could enjoy cocktails and the outdoor seating, but we are not anxious to head back here so fast. In summary, Food rating-2.5, service-​3, atmosphere/décor-2.5. Kind of a bummer given the glowing Unilocal reviews.

Went here for a birthday celebration a few months ago. The place wasn’t that busy during the lunch hour so I was a little worried upon entering.
The atmosphere is cute and inviting. It’s true that may forget you are in Bloomfield in a place like this. From what I understand, the owners wanted it to have a Manhattan-​like feel and I could sense that.
I remember really enjoying the calamari appetizer since the breading was made out of cornmeal and I’ve never seen that anywhere.
For my main dish, I had a goat cheese and mushroom pizza. It was just ok and I don’t think I would order it next time.
I would give this place another try but only if someone else really wanted to go there. It’s not on my go-​to list right now.

Same owners as Fascino so obviously this place is good. Bar Cara has a more fun, young vibe. The bar area gets very crowded and is always a fun time. Will continue to come here for long to come.

Solid spot — worth a second visit — we only had drinks but the vibe and plates delivered around us suggest we need to go back

I had stopped in for dinner around Christmas time, on a thursday. The place was packed with Christmas parties, but the owner recognized us as a group that makes up his more regular customer base. We appreciated that, had a beautiful Hendricks martini at the bar with muddles cuccumber, and then went on to a very nice meal.
As I recall, the Branzino was a filet, and nicely done over a bed of spinach. But, I have to say I prefer the Branzino from Halcyon up in Montclair. When I’m eating Branzino, I really would like the whole fish. My tenderloin was cooked to perfection.
Finally, the prefiteroles with chocolate dipping sauce were good, but nothing to write home about. We returned to the bar for a drink after dinner. The bartender was superbly hospitable now that her dinner rush had slowed down.
Overall, there were a few highs, and no lows worth mentioning, and the evening was nicely spent at Bar Cara. Drinks, apps, mid-​priced wine, dinner, and a few fancy after-​dinner scotches came out to over $ 250 for 2 people, but well worth it for the value we received. I’m a fan and will go back.

So I haven’t signed onto Unilocal in a while and I realized that this review was never finished so here it goes–
I came here with my husband and another couple recently. What a great little spot! They have a pretty hopping bar with a great energy to it. I had this strawberry Chipolte drink to start while waiting for the other couple to arrive. Omg it was soooooo yummy! We were seated as soon as our friends arrived. I don’t quite remember exactly what everyone had, but I do remember my feelings about the dishes as I tried them all and my feeling was that the food was perfectly executed. Cheers to you Chef Ryan DePersio!

Me and my boyfriend went during Nor’easter … The restaurant was running an all you can eat mussels special, 20% off a bottle of wine, and 10% off bill…
They have a great wine list ranging in variety and price. We got a bottle of Chianti for $ 25 …
The mussels were served a variety of ways. The mussels were a reasonable size, not big, but not small either… We ordered the mussels in white wine, which were ok and the Thai ones, which were pretty good and would recommend …
For dinner, I ordered the Filet Mignon burger. It was outstanding! cooked perfectly and very tasty! I substituted broccoli rabe instead of fries and they did it for no additional charge!
My boyfriend ordered the flat iron steak. The steak was cooked perfectly and was delicious … His came with spinach …
Both dinners were reasonably priced … and very good…
For dessert we ordered a cappuccino and brownie w gelato. The cappucino was just right but I wasn’t too impressed with the brownie dessert. When we go back, we will try a different dessert.
This place is definitely worth checking out… We will be going back soon!!!

This is the kind of place I expect to hate. But I didn’t hate it, exactly. Didn’t like it much either.
I have a simple expectation. If you are going to charge me nearly Manhattan prices, you had better give me nearly Manhattan quality. Bar Cara charges, but doesn’t deliver.
The drinks are good (and considerably cheaper than the city). The food tries real hard, but falls short. Everything I tried was just too oily, a little less flavorful than hoped for, and drenched in cheese and/​or cream to compensate.
Service was attentive, but a tad condescending. Then again, most people at the party I was at were very intoxicated, so maybe he was just stressed. It was also louder than I expected for a nice place, a lot of spillover noise from the bar.
That said, I have to accept that this isn’t Manhattan. It isn’t even Montclair. It’s Bloomfield, and Bar Cara got an extra star simply for my lowered expectations for the area.
Maybe I am going soft in my old age.

AMAZING!
Had the Octopus for appetizer and Salmon for dinner and I must say It was the best I’ve ever tasted! The atmosphere was amazing and the drinks were good as well. Very Pricey but well worth it.

Nom nom nom nom…
We walked in at 6pm on a Friday night — fortunately, we made a reservation, which I certainly recommend! Within a half an hour my friends and I looked up and realized the place was PACKED. The ambient noise didn’t even register, the food was that good.
Our drinks were delicious — one got a special bellini with kiwi and raspberry crème which I wish I’d gotten; I just had the prosecco which was a bit too dry for my taste. Others had the sangria (red) and a cosmopolitan and enjoyed them.
Appetizers were different salads — I had the arugula and red onion salad, the dressing for which was light, and the parmesan a nice, similarly light touch. One friend got the polenta fries — they were outstanding! Came with a gorgonzola sauce that I think, had I not been with people, I may have kicked back like a shot of tequila it was that good!
Main courses: One friend got the sweet sausage pizza and really enjoyed it; I had the filet, and it was delicious. I’m a chef’s nightmare because I like beef — yes, even a filet — cooked medium well, which is challenging to do, especially with a filet. They sliced it up and it was cooked perfectly. Every one of our plates was all but licked clean.
The service was really terrific — our server was charming without being smarmy; everyone was attentive without being overbearing. Even with the place being so packed, we were not rushed for a moment. It wasn’t cheap, but I don’t feel it was overpriced for what we got — great food, great service. I’m definitely going back!

Pros:
Interesting drinks
Same owners as Fascino in Montclair
Cons:
With the drinks included, it ended up being just as expensive as Fascino
Go to Fascino instead.

The bar is what initially brought me into Bar-​Cara. Went on a first date and it was the best first date I had ever been on! It has been almost a year and we are still together :) We met for cocktails and some apps at the bar. The wine selection in reasonable and the bartenders were knowledgable and helped us make a great choice even letting us taste test. The homemade pizza and the apps are all so good! My personal favorite and a staple is the cornmeal calamari. DELISH!
I have to say, I have enjoyed every dish that has been placed in front of me. Always trying something different, my now boyfriend and I make it a point to visit every-​so-​often as we love the atmosphere as well as the food. We have introduced many friends who also enjoy it and my girlfriends all love the Thursday night ladies night specials. Close to home but far from the normal italian cuisine in the area. Bar Cara is a gem!

I came here with a group of 6 girls for dinner on a Saturday night. Several people heard through the grapevine that it was good. I am wondering if we ate at the same place.
We had an 8:30 reservation. Myself and another girl arrived a few minutes earlier than the other girls. We went ot the bar and ordered 2 cocktails, one vodka cocktail and a martini. It was $ 16. I didnt think that was a bad price, others may think differntly. The remainder of the group arrived a few minutes later and we were seated promptly.
We were seated at a round table near the window. Walking throught the reseaturant I noticed that most tables consisted of all ladies… just an observation. The décor was clean and simple. Very nice.
We ordered a bunch of apps to start:
Polenta Fries — The were just ok, but probably the best app we ordered. They are served with a tasty sauce, similar to alfredo, but with a gorgonzala flavor.
COD fish cakes — I do love cod, and I do love fish cakes, but these werent very good. The COD was smelly and tasted a bit fishy. The cakes were also mushy.
Grilled Octopus — It was good, not great
Margarita pizza and arugala salad — Both pretty good.
Moving on to dinner, off the specials I had ordered the pork wrapped in pork belly
(because you can never have too much pork). Pork belly was hard and inedible, as pork belly usually is. But the pork inside was dry and tasteless. I didnt really care for it at all.
We had also ordered a few sides of polenta. Ew ew ew. It was gross gross gross. The sides of polenta consisted of a bowl of polenta that was probably made with more butter than polenta. And then there was salt. So much salt! If you are looking to have either a heart attack or a stroke before you leave the restaurant, then the polenta is for you!
So really, I would have given it three stars, but being that our server was borderline rude and this place was expensive, it gets knocked down to two. The quality of food in no way justifies the pricing. Oh, and did I mention its located in a strip mall in Bloomfield?
Laslty, we were pretty much thrown out around 12:00. And, everytime we would go outside (for the smokers) we would be «bothered» by drunken men. The type of men that think Jersey Shore is cool. Makes for good entertainment at least

I have used this place as a meeting spot for business 5+ times and everyone seems to like it. Prices for lunch are around $ 10 and are of nice quality. I personally love the crab burger and enjoy the chicken panini with pesto made fresh. I have one customer that says that the burger he had there was one of the best he has ever had, but I haven’t had it personally. Their real brewed unsweetened iced tea with lemon washes it all down nicely.
Overall I find it is a nice balance for clients for an above average lunch without prices to make them feel guilty about being treated to a meal on me.
Parking on the street can be tricky but there is a parking lot around back that has worked great during lunch hours for me.

I think this places deserves 4.5 stars but I will round up to be fair.
I came here after buying a groupon for the place. It was a very impulsive purchase, but once I had it I had to use it, right. Usually I find these places that offer deal sites are just okay, but I was pleasantly surprised by Bar Cara. It had a welcoming atmosphere that seemed like a perfect place to take a date, go with the family, or gather with coworkers. Although It’s not to loud, it has a great ambiance, and the prices are just right.
Although a little bit confused at first because we parked in front (there is off-​street parking in the back by the way), and had to find our way to the back, the host was very quick in seating us.
After taking our drink orders our waitress was a little delayed in coming to take our food order. However, she was so apologetic about making us wait a few extra minutes. If she wasn’t so nice about it, I probably would have knocked off a star.
I was expecting a traditional Italian menu with things like chicken parm, ravioli, gnocchi, and friend calamari. While they did have all those things they also had some very innovative dishes which we were quick to order. For an appetizer we got grilled octopus with shaved sun-​chokes in a tomato vinaigrette. The denseness of the octopus was complimented perfectly by the vinaigrette and the sun-​chokes added that needed crunch. Delicious.
Dad got this new dish that involved squid ink fettuccine, with grilled octopus, and fava beans. I will make the 20 minute hike again for this dish alone. It is positively one of the best Italian seafood dishes I have ever had. And I got a lobster risotto. I was expecting chunks of lobster mixed in, and instead got 2 full claws pulled from the shell and set on top of a risotto made of perfect consistency. As Chef Gordon Ramsay says, «The risotto should flow like lava» and after taking my first bite I felt like my taste buds were ready to erupt with happiness. It was very filling and the leftovers made for a great lunch the following day.
Will definitely come back here, although I will be a tad hesitant to try something new after enjoying those dishes so much on my first visit.