Artisan Kitchen & Bar

I have been wanting to try this spot for awhile and after an extremely bad week at my awful job my boyfriend surprised me by taking me here. By the end of the night my bad mood was forgotten.
I will start with the service which was great. At least 5 times throughout the night people checked on us and our waiter (George?) even escorted me to the ladies room instead of just tellin me «that way». He was friendly and knowledgeable about the craft beer we ordered. My only thing was that we were not told the specials.
As for food… omg great! We started with the cauliflower pesto flatbread and the beet salad. The flatbread was light and tasty with beautiful cherry tomatoes on it. The beets in the salad were the best I have ever tasted, fresh and clean not dirty, earthy tasting like at most places. For entrees I had vegan grits with roasted veggies and it was outstanding. The blend of flavors was wonderful. My boyfriend had the vegan butternut squash risotto which was incredibly tasty but with that dish I would suggest maybe adding some chunks of roasted squash on top just for presentation wise. It kinda looked like a bowl of porridge when it was served. Definitely did not affect the amazing taste though!
This is for sure going to be a spot we vist often and I would recommend it to everyone.

Wow, met with the entire family for dinner. I WISH I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE A TEN STAR.
Started with the octopus and chirozo clams amazing, dinner choice was the lamb porterhouse cooked to perfection there are no words for how the flavors burst in every bite, we finished with the adult tiramisu. All I can say is the pastry chef is a gem. Rich flavorful with explosive taste in every bite. .
This is a place u need to have some of every course it is truly amazing.
Awesome.

The quality of the food and the atmosphere are amazing. If your in the area, it’s the place to stop and have dinner. Out of this world

My wife and I have been to the Artisan Kitchen and Bar several times since my last review and the high quality remains consistent! On our most recent visit I had the grilled octopus which was even better than I remembered! My wife ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli which was so good I had to sneak in for a taste or two. We topped that off with an amazing salad special that included warm feta, grapes and nuts … Scrumptious! After our meal we went downstairs to the «Sticks and Stones» Lounge where we enjoyed a cocktail while listening to some local talent performing. All in all, a wonderful experience once again. I heartily recommend that an evening at the Artisan Kitchen and Bar be an experience you don’t want to miss!

The food is very good. The issue is with the service and hospitality. Called for a reservation told us nothing is available, but bar is first come first served. Ok showed up and the place was empty. We decided to eat at the bar. We ordered two apps, excited for this interesting menu. Had the octopus. It was delish but the second app didn’t come out for another 45 minutes. That’s a long time to wait for a flatbread. Ordered our entrees and the bartender could tell I was peeved with the wait. She did everything she could to make the situation right. Because of Dahnish (the bartender) we will be going back. But it is obvious the place is new and still working out some kinks.

Very good local joint. Arrive to valet parking due to small lot, that’s a positive if you like that. Started with the ‘figgy’ flatbread and it was perfection, great taste and great dough. Wife had beet/​goat cheese salad and she was not a fan. Menu said nuts and pears in salad and none were present, looks like they substituted grapefruit for pear, still no nuts. Dinner was pork tenderloin with exceptional flavor and nice portion size. Chicken cacciatore was an epic fail… low on flavor and although waiter said chicken pieces suggesting it wasn’t ‘on bone’ we thought common practice would be breast cutlets… it wasn’t, this place uses chicken thighs… that was a first for us. Very good attentive staff with great service, good prices. A very good local place but not a ‘5’ IMHO…

Not to be missed! What a great night! My husband and I ate here last night and found everything to be excellent. From the general feel of this bar/​restaurant, staff, amazing food, and terrific live entertainment, we were thoroughly pleased. I like to eat healthy, and often struggle to find good vegetable dishes. My husband is a meat lover. Artisanal kitchen was able to make both of us very happy with their delicious food selections which were prepared perfectly. We will definitely be going big back!

This place rocks! I was driving from Jersey City looking for a great vegan place to stop on the way home to get a cold beer and sandwich and Artisan was where I landed! I AM glad I did! The staff was so incredibly friendly and helpful and the food was amazing. I ordered the vegetable burger and it was delicious. I will definitely come back again for maybe some live music and vegan food. Thank you Artisan for creating a health conscious space.
Happy New Year!

Please stop in this place! I went for a birthday dinner with my cousins. We ordered the octopus and fried peppers for appetizers. The appetizers were okay, but the octopus was absolutely amazing.
I split entrees with my cousin. She ordered the scallops & I order the pasta with pesto and oh my goodness, it was beyond amazing. Especially the pasta. It melted in my mouth. I have never in my life had a more delicious pasta.
Finally for dessert, you have the get the s’mores dessert. I literally licked the plate clean I could not waste anything, it was so good.
The staff was also very inviting and helpful. Prices are a little expensive, but worth it.
Go to this place for a great night out.

Really enjoyed our first visit. (By the way, the name is Artisan Kitchen & Bar). From our experience at the bar, with an incredible selection of gins and what seem to be very interesting mixed drinks (stuck w a Martini this time), to the food, everything met or exceeded expectations. We had the octopus, which lived up to its reviews elsewhere, and a mussells fra diavolo with a sauce that I finished to the last drop, not even using the bread! The grouper was good (if just a bit overdone), and an interesting preparation. My wife confirmed that she had never ordered meatloaf in any restaurant ever, but it was amazing.
The service was better than what we’ve seen described elsewhere, but still needs to continue to improve to match the quality of the food.
We wish this ambitous, relaxed and different place success, and look forward to coming back with friends (and trying more of the dishes).

This place is a hidden treasure! From the drinks. To the appetizers… The entries… And then the desserts. Its all amazing! The service is great and so are the bartenders. The short ribs just melt in your mouth. No knife needed. The specials everyday are different and interesting that you want to try them all. I will be coming here more often!

I really enjoyed this place, and was surprised to find such good food so close to home. Let me hit the highlights: everything my husband and I ate when we came on a recent weekend was great. There was a ton to choose from, so we’ll be going back to try more. We both had house-​made pasta dishes, which were wonderful. The shishito peppers and charred octopus appetizers– also excellent, and a great selection of wine, beer, and mixed drinks. (Yes, we tried all of those.) We arrived at about 8:30 on a Friday night without reservations, and got a seat easily. The restaurant was a little over half full, plenty of space at the bar which seemed quieter if that’s your thing. Great live music that was perfectly pitched to provide background to dinner conversation while still creating a welcoming, bustling atmosphere. Wait staff was attentive and just a little unorganized, but it didn’t have any bad effect on getting our orders correct or out to our table in just the right amount of time, so no problem.
I’d say the only off part of the night for me was when the chef came out so ask us how we were liking drinks; it was right after our drinks had arrived and we hadn’t taken a sip yet. My husband had ordered the beer special– a bottled nitro beer. We were still watching the bubbles cascade, so I said «we’re just letting it settle first.» The chef said «Nitro beer doesn’t need to settle.» I said «oh!» because frankly the way he said it sounded like an insult, and he said «Have a good evening» or something like that and walked away before I could say anything else. I’m still puzzled over what he meant– I guess it does settle very fast? Faster than a nitro beer on draft, I guess. So weird.
But otherwise, great experience and we’ve already told friends that we’re bringing them here and we’re excited to have such a great new place close by.

Loved my experience.
Great service, yummy food and the main reason I made it there, they have Vegan options.
Also, they have cold pressed ORGANIC juice for their cocktails & non alcoholic drink. That is impressive!
Will be looking forward to more Vegan options! I’ll be back so have them ready for me!
Thank you & keep up the great work!

Great food. Wonderful atmosphere everything was delicious. I had the flat bread as an app and the paella for dinner. Both were excellent.

I came here last weekend with my boyfriend and had an absolutely excellent time. He and I both live in NYC and he, being a vegan, has inadvertently made me nearly so by default. ;) So when we were on a trip to the New Jersey suburbs, we looked up «vegan» and hoped for the best. While Artisan is not a vegan restaurant, it does have a dedicated section on the menu which is so appreciated!
Anyway, onto the food: amazing! We chose the vegan meals mushroom risotto and a vegetable dish with a fried grits patty and the most wonderful tomato sauce on it. The vegan caesar salad was also truly addictive. The vegan desserts (carrot cake and the apple cinnamon fruit tart) are heaven melting in your mouth. The sauce on the carrot cake in particular… holy mother! Actually, the desserts are better than any of the vegan desserts we have had in nyc (and we are pretty sure we have had all of them, many times by now). That chef is talented! We very much appreciate how accommodating and kind the owners and staff were. They made it a wonderful time. :) I hope we can make it back to the ‘burbs soon!

Although late, better late then never, I’m writing this review hoping to help Artisan become a Hawthorne-​region staple. I hate to write anything negative but I feel the owners need to know the negatives in order to improve on this «could be» great establishment.
Let’s begin with why we went here. 1) News paper article: Owner’s history, menu, and the only local wine tap, all made it a must. 2) Great reviews online (including Unilocal) 3) Local to me and nothing like it in town.
My experience: (2 visits– once in the first month of operation, and another 1 month later to see if they improved on the new restaurant common issues)
PROS:
1) Excellent menu and food
2) Vegetarian Menu (benefited my brother and his gf)
3) Wine on tap: what this means for those who don’t know, is that every glass is always going to be fresh.
4) Very nice owners: they walk around and greet people
CONS:
1) First visit we sat for 10 mins before getting any water or having our drink order taken.
2) You have one of the only «Wine Tap Systems» that I know of in NJ (there is one in NYC) therefore should promote it. They never mentioned it at either visit. When I asked about the system the staff was not educated in it at all. Having a wine tap system is a bonus that makes you different then the rest. PROMOTE IT! Explain it! Sell it!
3)First visit: the food came out at wrong times. For example: we ordered apps, a secondary course (pasta) then entrees and desert. Although this is common and we told the waitress the order we wanted the food to be distributed. Everything came out all mixed up. This included the «shared pasta» coming out during the apps and «one entrée» coming out during the «shared course» time.
4)Never let someone sit with an empty glass. Both visits I had to wave the waitress/​waiter down to get a drink. By the time I could get them, I was over ordering another drink. Not only is this bad for the customer but we all know how much money a restaurant makes off liquor. You should be offering me a drink when I walk in, during apps, and def. during dinner. Money lost for you.
5) First visit: although the restaurant was half empty the service was extremely slow. The entire dinner without dessert was 3 hrs. Now, I hate being rushed but 3 hrs for a dinner w/​o dessert and a pregnant wife was not comfortable for any of us.
6) Second visit: I called the night of to make a reservation. I was put on hold and then told the only table available was right next to the live music. We took it. The entire time we were there the restaurant was not more then 50% full. ???
7) Second Visit: Clear the table before bringing the next course. We finished our apps which sat there for 15 mins, I had an empty drink, and then they brought the entrees over to the table with confusion. You can’t put the entrée on the table (esp a 2 seater) without it being cleared.
8) Second visit: While eating our apps, the table about 5 feet from us just finished their dessert. When we finished our entire meal, including dessert, that table still had all its dirty plates and glasses on it. So figure that’s at least 1 hr. Gross.
9) I stated earlier that a PRO was that the owners walk around and are really nice. Butttt… if you are doing that, take a few seconds to notice the uncleared tables and get the staff over. Also take notice to the empty wine glasses and ask if I want more (I don’t expect you to personally get it, just ask me if i want more). They also seemed to spend most their time hanging out at the tables in which they knew the people. This is obviously necessary but try to get the new comers to feel welcome as well. Your acquaintances will already come back. You need to real in the others.
I know this was a long review but I find it necessary. I feel the owners should know what is going on and I’m hoping this helps them so myself and others can have a nice experience.
I have eaten everywhere. If I read an article, a review, or get a recommendation I try them. I like to think of myself as a good source. You may see a review on Unilocal that I’ve written or perhaps on my Open Table account. I don’t always write reviews but trust me I have been to probably about 50% of the top rated restaurants in NJ and have had the pleasure to eat at some of the top 25 restaurants in NYC.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck.

My boyfriend and I visited Artisan a week ago for the first time and had an enjoyable evening filled with delicious food and wine. While all of the food was tasty, the meal was punctuated by the appetizers and desserts. The charred octopus was a definite highlight– cooked perfectly and enhanced by the smokey charred flavor and Israeli couscous underneath. For dessert, the peach cobbler (with thyme), and mini donuts were so delicious that I continued to eat well past the point of being stuffed! Pair the cobbler with the Hanepoot Port and you won’t be disappointed– seriously!
There were a few service problems throughout the night. After being seated we waited 40 minutes before being seen by a waiter. We also had to request water refills throughout the night. When ordering, our server neglected to tell us that one of the entrees was 86’d so we had to re-​choose an entrée. These miscues however, were minor in relation to the overall evening, and did not detract from the experience. The restaurant looked pretty packed, so certain back-​ups are to be expected.
Overall, a great new restaurant to add to our rotation.

Loved the food and drinks. It truly is a different experience. I’ve already been there four times! I’ve dined on many of the chefs creations and happily overindulge in the unique spirits and craft brews they offer.
The Artisan is my new spot to dine with family and friends. They have so much to offer. I don’t have to worry about my vegetarian brother, my picky mother or my dieting fiancé. There’s something to nourish them.

Stop last night for some drinks…
Had short rib… absolutely fabulous. Highly recommend stopping in for a few drinks.

One star for ambiance the other for the great bartender…
The food is ok. But the real issue for me is … In my opinion. Your staff becomes an extension of the owner. So if the owner and the manager are not friendly neither will your employees. Been here twice and both times we received stares, Not a greeting… And it just went on from there. To bad it’s local for us we would have been regulars in a heart beat!!!

Didn’t live up to the hype. Good atmosphere, friendly waiter and good drinks, but the food was lacking considering the price and portion size.
The dining room is spacious and has comfy pillows and cool lighting. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful, but i was a little turned off that they kept pushing bottled/​sparkling water. When we said we just wanted regular water they said, «is pane okay?» We said we didn’t know what that was, so regular tap water would be fine. The waiter came back with the pane (a bottled water apparently) and we again said we just wanted tap. I don’t like to pay extra for water!
The family ordered a round of drinks, which, while expensive, were very good. For apps we had baked clams with chorizo, which had a nice heat but they were the tiniest clams I’ve ever seen, and madras spiced pork belly with peaches and cherries. I’m not a fan of pork belly (a big hunk of fat doesn’t really do it for me) but the spice on this was nice and the fruit cut the richness nicely, but it was an extremely small portion.
Between courses they did not replace our utensils and we had to ask for more knives with dinner. For dinner we had scallops, NY strip steak, 72 hour braised short ribs, and stuffed lamb.
My mom enjoyed the scallops, my dad liked the steak as it was cooked to his liking (but again a small portion), my brother felt like the short ribs looked and tasted more like pot roast (very true, the meat was sliced and I didn’t see any rib on that short rib!)
My lamb bore marks from where it had been rolled in plastic wrap like a sausage, and had an incredibly strange texture (mushy!) and was gray, like it had been sous vide maybe? But it was very dry. The menu didn’t specify the cooking method, but I did not like it at all. The mint pesto was overwhelming. The best thing I ate was the sweet, soft balsamic glazed onion off my dad’s steak plate!
For dessert they split the tiramisu in a cup (which again lacked utensils, we just got up and got our own spoon) and the bomboloni with raspberry sauce, both of which they enjoyed. My family all agreed that drinks and dessert were the best parts of the meal.
Overall, I wouldn’t go back for the food. Maybe for happy hour.

The sun, the moon and the stars aligned today and we had a really fabulous meal! As of July 10, they’ve only been open 14 weeks. I really hope the normally slow summer restaurant season is good to this place because I can see us coming here again and again. Now look back at my prior reviews. I am a very fussy girl! We had grilled
Octopus, beet salad, pappardelle with lamb ragu, seafood stew, the Bronzino, and the warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The expression was up to Boz’s standards.
We came early and we were seated in a
lovely table. The windows overlook the parking lot, but maybe in time they will put some landscaping in for buffer. The décor inside is very interesting and the bathrooms must have just been renovated and were totally spotless. The music was very cool and we were told that they have live music on Thursday and Friday evenings. The bar crowd looked sophisticated and chill. I would love to hang here one evening.
We had the friendliest waiter ever, which was great because we had lots of questions and time to chat.
They start you off with warm bread and an interesting ricotta-​spread mixture and olives with a citrus flair, which is very tasty, and for sure saves calories for later. Mr. B reported that the grilled octopus was very fresh and not overcooked which is the kiss of death for this dish. We split the beet salad, which had goat cheese and grapefruit as some of the interesting additions. Sublime.
We then split the pappardelle with lamb. Hold on here. Oh. My. God. I could eat that every day and not get tired of it. There was a perfect amount of pepper in this dish, which you really don’t notice day to day at many restaurants. Bravo here. The lamb was shredded, lovely, tasty and perfectly married to the well cooked pasta. My husband looked at me and told me I looked like I wanted to lick the plate. Well, ok. Yes. I did. (Want to, that is!)
My Bronzino was awesome. Filleted already, perfectly crispy yet moist, and as fresh as it could be. At 24.00 I was astounded at the value here.
Hubby’s fish stew was generous and kept him busy for quite awhile with those tiny little clams that we once had in Gaeta in Italy, red snapper, shrimp and other seafood.
The owner/​chef Howard, who is the nicest down to earth guy you could meet, came out to talk to us for quite awhile. He knows his stuff! He’s proud of the place and we wish him the best of luck.

New American had ceased to exist in the Hawthorne/​Haledon area, until very recently. Yea, I know, crazy isn’t it? The owners of this establishment definitely cornered the market with Artisan Kitchen Bar.
We came here spur of the moment with another couple. To my amazement, this place was hopping for a relatively later dinner time on a Thursday.
This restaurant has all the accoutrement of a great New American restaurant:
— Eclectic farm to table dishes
— Amazing cocktails
— Very good wine menu
— Decent craft beer selection
* Bonus: Separate Vegan Menu
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Drinks:
The Mint Julep was probably the best Mint Julep’s that I ever had!
The Energini, that’s the drink that stole the show. It’s made with a juicer, they take all kinds of healthy fruit and vegetables then turned into a cocktail. I got to tell you, it was damn good (healthy and boozy).
Since, the cocktails were so amazing I didn’t order any craft beer, which is totally out of character for me. However, they had a great selection of craft beers.
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Appetizers:
We saw so many tasty looking appetizers so we decided to order a few different ones.
The Charred Octopus was very tasty, this is a dish that can be easily ruined if slightly overcooked, but they were spot on!
The Artisan Cheese Board had some really tasty cheeses, but could have had a bit more toasted bread.
The Brick Oven Chorizo Clams were the highlight of the appetizers, it was so good that we ordered a second plate.
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Entrees:
The menu had wide variety of dishes, ranging from brick oven pizza, to pasta, to meat and seafood. I did notice that there was a larger amount of seafood dishes versus meat dishes.
Our waiter said that the Halibut dish was very popular, so I went his recommendation. It was served with sauted fennel and arugula. The sauted fennel happened to really pair well with the Halibut.
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Dessert:
For a dessert drinks we had a round of a South African white port (Hanepoot) which was excellent; first time trying white port.
I noticed the dessert menu had a mix of regular desserts and vegan dessert. I ordered the Banana Cake, which happened to be vegan. That Banana cake was damn good!
They carry coffees that you typically can’t find in the area. All the coffees are served French press; the best way to make coffee. We had a Rwandan coffee which was out of this world; no sugar or milk needed, it’s just great on its own.
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Artisan Kitchen Bar is a great addition to the Hawthorne/​Haledons area!

So happy we found this new place ! We were greeted warmly at the door and one of the chefs actually seated us. We opted for the wine bar section. There’s 2 bar areas and the wine bar is in the restaurant so you feel like you’re part of the dining crowd. Very nice! Our first decision was what to drink… they have tons of cool drinks, craft beers and and a nice wine selection. We wanted wine and to help us make our decision they let us try a couple. The bar staff were so warm and friendly and engaging!
It was then time to place our order! They have a really interesting flat bread selection, some wonderful small plates and great entrée options. We ordered one of the flatbreads and 2 entrees — all were really delicious ! We then ended up having two amazing desserts!
We WILL be going back !