Taste of the World

This is one of the weirdest places I’ve eaten dinner I have to say, especially in New Hope which thrives on quirky.
It’s getting three stars because the food was good, and the one waiter and two bus boys in the restaurant on a Saturday night were very sweet and friendly.
But it’s just a weird spot! No ambience whatsoever. This place used to be a banquet hall/​wedding venue called Celebrations so the place is massive. The new restaurant is basically only one of the many rooms that used to be part of the venue, and they used the same rugs, same tables, same chairs, they just threw up some paper lanterns from Party City and maybe bought a book shelf and some decorations from Ikea? There is just no flow to this place at all. It just doesn’t work.
If the food had not been good I would have been really bummed. The bread was delicious, the hummus and roasted red pepper dips that they served with them were great. The goat cheese appetizer was good but the chicken empanada appetizer was only so so. My shrimp and grits entrée was very good though. Cooked and seasoned well, not too heavy, just the right amount of creamy and tangy. The food made the odd encounter worth it.
I can seriously only describe the ambience and layout of the place like you’re on the set of a soap opera or it’s a front for someone in a mob of some sort who happens to know someone who can cook well to «run» the place.

Stumbled upon this place today for lunch while we took our kids to the children’s museum which is conveniently located next door. At first it gave sort of an odd ambience, there’s really no obvious store front… When we entered no one else was dining. We ordered the chicken ancho sandwich & the blackened chicken kale salad (recommended by the waiter) which was phenomenal!!! even the buttered noodles we ordered for kids were pretty good! Both husband and I were pleasantly surprised bc we weren’t expecting much from this restaurant. They have far exceeded our expectations and will now return for dinner! Waiter later told us it does get very busy at dinner time and they’re not open everyday for lunch. I believe only Friday sat and sun.

very good! will go again but next time I’m bringing a bottle of wine. no corkage fee!

Fantastic tapas. Charcuterie, cheese, and vegetable plates freshest ever. Pasta fabulous and steak as good as the Palm. Go There.

I’ve been here twice and will continue to come here. While the building and setting itself is a little off-​putting, the food is incredibly delicious. The restaurant is pretty much an old, converted business space which makes it a little hard to feel like you are sitting in a restaurant atmosphere.
However, the food is surprisingly amazing. One our most recent visit, we started withba small cheese plate. The four cheese selections were quite good and we cleaned the plate right up. For our main courses, I had the shrimp and grits, and my boyfriend had the lentil cakes. The flavors of both dishes were excellent and his lentil cakes were good perfectly. Dessert was a homemade key lime pie which was the creamiest key lime I’ve ever had. Not too sweet, just perfect. Overall, I highly recommend this place as my boyfriend and I were blown away.

Found this place as I took my children to the museum next door. Not your traditional looking restaurant front but worth the search. Came for dinner w my husband and was not disappointed. We had the Taste salad… Excellent. Then the empanadas … So authentic and tasty! My husband had the tomato bisque which was excellent as well.
I had the filet mignon and he had the NY strip. The filet was better as to be expected but also came w the best mushroom risotto I’ve ever had.
Desert– the bourbon pecan pie! Phenomenal.
All this paired w a byob !! Our server Patricia was great. Such a genuine and friendly person. Glad we tried it and will be back for date night.

The food was overall good. Two people at the table had the shrimp with grits and that was the best thing we all had. The atmosphere was odd and the menu was like reading a book report. The menu options were a nice mix, although the not sure it screamed taste of the world. Will definitely go back just slightly odd. BYOB

We stopped in here for lunch today after a delightful sightseeing tour along the New hope and Ivy land railroad. If you have not seen it I would highly recommend going there. We were walking back to the car in the large public parking area that is only one dollar per hour and happened upon this place on the way to the car. It is a lovely inside and outside venue that clearly does a lot of catering and meetings as well.
We sat inside a well decorated orange colored room with white tablecloth gorgeous flower display at the bar and some Cubist and impressionist paintings on the wall. The cozy restaurant was very well appointed.
We started with the tomato bisque which was out of this world. Sweet creamy and quite possibly some of the best tomato bisque I have had in a while.
I followed the tomato bisque with a chicken sandwich. Chicken — ancho rubbed and blackened breast with roasted garlic mayo and topped with sautéed spinach and fresh tomato. Very tasty and the side order of potato salad was fresh and tasty.
My uncle had the BLT sandwich which was very good as well. It was also served with a side of the potato salad which was fresh and had traces of red pepper which was tasty.
For dessert I had a caramel apple treat that was baked to order. Apple Tart Tatin a la mode — caramelized apple tart in puff pastry — vanilla ice cream. Fantastic.
My uncle got the meringue and strawberries which he said was very good but gave him a sugar high. It was very sweet.
The coffee after dessert was worth mentioning as well as it was a nice bold blend and certainly of a higher quality than I normally expect.
This was by far my favorite restaurant here in New Hope after visiting here for the weekend and I would definitely return again.

This was one of the best overall dining experiences of our lives. We ordered the vegetable tapas, mushroom strudel (which they specially made for us with vegetarian gravy!), black bean and sweet potato cakes and homemade apple pie for dessert. The food was delicious, you could tell the wait staff cared deeply about our experience and it showed, the outdoor grotto was beautiful, and the jazz guitarist really helped set the mood with his phenomenal rendition of «Across the Universe». It is also very affordable and BYOB.

I chose Taste of the World based on the glowing reviews I read here on Unilocal.It ended up being a terrible mistake and below is a detailed review of our evening. And although long, it portrays just how bad this «restaurant» is.
From the moment my wife and I walked in we had a bad feeling. Friday night at 7:30 and only 3 tables full? Only 1 server? We were told to sit anywhere by said server since there is no host/​hostess. We chose to sit outside since there were ZERO customers inside and it was a nice night. After ten minutes we were handed menus printed on plain office paper. We leafed through the rather uninteresting menu and decided to try the mushroom and goat cheese strudel as an appetizer. For our main course, my wife chose the Filet and I decided to try the Paella. The owner stopped by and i mentioned my affinity fkr paella. He told me it was the chef’s special spin on Mexican paella. Which falsely raised my expectatiins. About 25 minutes after we ordered, the strudel showed up and it and was phenomenal. Immediately our mood improved in hopes the main course would be just as good and we could ignre the dismally slow service. Unfortunately, it only got worse. My wife’s risotto was flavorless and her steak was chewy and just as bland. My paella… I have to say it was the single worst dish I have ever been served. The rice was so undercooked it wasn’t edible. The chirozo was as dry as saw dust. The chicken was chewy and I literally couldn’t swallow my first (and only) bite. Finally, the seafood. To my dismay, this was the worst part of the dish. The shrimp and calamari seemed to have been boiled for 30+ minutes and were completely flavorless. The final straw ended with a muscle that was so foul I had to use my napkin, again, or risk getting sick from eating bad seafood. And while our server removed the Paella from our check and gave his apologies the owner was no where to be found. I cannot express how awkward this entire experience was. Our night was literally ruined and I will never go back.
Although I wanted to be as pleased with this establishment as others, it fell flat in every single category. If you’re looking for great atmosphere and a fun night out, stick to Main.

Amazing experience. We heard mixed reviews of this place but after experiencing it for ourselfs– it was a totally different review. Wonderful along with Fantastic would be the words that best describe our meal tonight. The food was prepared fresh and some even came from our farm market. The staff was caring and their dedication along with commitment proved to be outstanding. We were very very impressed with tonight’s meal. Thank You so much!
Sincerely,
Homestead Farm Market Inc.
Lambertville NJ, 8 530

Went here Saturday night for dinner with friends. Place was wonderful, food well done and great service. Tapas were nicely done and serve well before dinner. Mike our server was on the ball, funny and great to all of us. Parking in a pay lot is a plus in New Hope. We were very impressed and will return. BYOB

Had here today with a friend. Food was good, but they need a lunch menu. The entrees on the so-​called «lunch and dinner» menu are way to expensive for lunch. My friend ordered the kale salad, and it was delicious!

This place was a wonderful surprise!
My impression didn’t start strong, but definitely got better as the night went on. First, it’s a little hard to find — you’d never see it walking unless you were going to the Children’s Museum. Here’s how you find it driving: As you turn onto Union Square Drive, just follow the road straight toward the back until you see the sign on your left. The restaurant is downstairs, below street-​level — next to the Children’s Museum. I missed it the first time.
Walking in, it looked a little questionable… not «bad,» just the whole place had more of the feel of a restaurant scene in an old sit-​com than an actual restaurant. It’s small, not a lot of big tables, and open — no booths, private rooms, or cozy corners that I saw. Thanks to some creative decoration and lighting, they manage to make it feel more intimate and upscale once you actually sit down than you’d have expected on your way in. The ambiance is the only demerit I give here, but as a new restaurant (less than a year old) I can see this improving as they build regular clientele.
The service is excellent. The staff is pleasant and polite, knowledgeable about the menu, and practically invisible most of the time — and then they had that wonderful knack of appearing just as you realized you wanted something and were going to look for them.
If any of this sounds less than perfect, i’m pretty sure you’ll forget all about it once the food comes. The food is — in a word — DELICIOUS. Chef Jeannie has some unusual items on the menu — goat cheese and mushroom strudel, codfish cakes — but I urge you to try them. I had the codfish cakes with sri-​racha aioli for appetizer. I don’t know how you actually do a good job plating what are basically little fish meatballs, but they did. :) Biting into them, I didn’t actually care any more. Fish meatballs, right? They were excellent. Just try them. For my main course I had a salmon special — I wish I remembered all the components, but it was plated well, cooked perfectly, and the combination of flavors between the seasonings and sides was just perfect.
One of my personal pet-​peeves is when a great meal doesn’t finish as well as it starts. Definitely not a problem here. I had key lime pie for dessert, but had a chance to taste their butterscotch pot-​de-​crème specialty. You can’t go wrong with either.
Go out and support this young restaurant, you won’t be disappointed. And, it’ll be a huge loss if they don’t last.

I can’t express how perfect this entire experience was from the service to the food. Patty was our server and she was awesome! Knowledgable and attentive.
As for the food– I could eat that meal over and over again. We started with a tapas plate #3 an anti pasta plate with different meats and olives. Second course –we dove into the bolognese and the wild mushroom and goat cheese strudel. AMAZING.
Entrees– two filet mignon at our table, cooked perfectly, risotto with shrimp, and I ordered the special sea bass. It was my first time ever eating sea bass and I’m afraid if I ever order it again else where, it just won’t compare.
I’m sad I’m moving away and just found this gem. Well done to the chef (who came out and introduced herself) and staff. I hope more people hear about this awesome restaurant.

Discovered this on Unilocal and how happy we were! We were promptly greeted and offered water. The menu (s) (regular, specials and tapas) were well done with interesting assortments of dishes. I am gluten free and had no problem finding something. I ordered the risotto with Shrimp and it was yummy! There were 4 of us and we all cleaned our plates (stuffed chicken, Shrimp & Grits, pork chops) and we each had a salad/​app. The speed of service was just perfect and friendly too. Even the chef came out to greet us. On the way out don’t forget to look at the photography exhibition. This is a keeper!

My boyfriend and I discovered this restaurant on Unilocal — it was one of the few in Lambertville/​New Hope area that we hadn’t tried yet so we just had to head over.
The restaurant opened in July and is in the same complex as Triumph Brewery and the Children’s Museum — head straight past the museum and then down the stairs to the entrance. It is where the occasions catering hall previously was. The entrance is cute and welcoming with small tables and an outdoor patio area.
The wait staff was extremely friendly. Our waitress was so nice and gave us the perfect amount of attention. The chef even came out and introduced herself to us when we had finished our entrees. We had a great time chatting with her and made sure to order the dessert she recommended.
The food was awesome. Delicious and good sized portions. We had the seafood tapas — loved the white anchovies — and split the harvest salad. I love a good salad and this fit the bill. Great flavor and a simple dressing — not too heavy on the dressing either. Greens topped with Beets, blue cheese, toasted pecans, dried cherries, grapes, cherry tomatoes. It was really good and a perfect size to split.
I had the lentil cakes. Unfortunately I can’t remember exactly what was in them (lentils, potatoes, peppers?) but I very much enjoyed them. I would definitely order again. They were seasoned well, and had a great flavor, went perfectly with the spicy sauce they came with. They’re served over kale which was cooked to my liking as well, not bitter or tough and chopped into small pieces.
My boyfriend got the cod puttanesca and he was raving about it all night. The fish was cooked perfectly and everything served on top of it was delicious. I usually don’t care for olives but I tried his dish and liked it, so that is saying a lot! He enjoyed it and said we had to come back before we had finished the meal! It is served over orzo but the star of the show was definitely the fish.
Dessert was butterscotch «pot de crème» if I remember correctly. It is a creamy silky caramel butterscotch custard type dessert that comes with fresh whipped cream on top. It is soooo good. Usually I am underwhelmed by desserts in restaurants because I think a lot of them come frozen from Restaurant Depot, but the chef told us herself all desserts are made in house — you can definitely tell the difference and it is much appreciated and enjoyed!
Now I am dreaming about having pot de crème for breakfast, but I guess I will have to settle for a buttered roll here at home. I’ll be back to visit for sure and will be recommending to my friends and family in the area. Thanks Taste of the World for a fun night!

My culinary jargon is limited as I am not a cook, but I am an epicure of sorts and can say that you will love sampling a «taste of the world» at this place! Came here during a day trip from NYC with a group of friends. We all gave the food, presentation and service 5 stars. I can’t get into salads vs. appetizers vs. entrees because everything was absolutely delectable. If pressed though, I’d probably have to mention the sirloin with mushroom flan. OMG! I mean, I love SWEET flan as a dessert, but I’ve never had a SAVORY flan. We sent our compliments to the chef who was gracious enough to make a guest appearance! Taste of the World is out of this world for sure. We’ll be back, except next time we’ll plan our trip around dinner here.

My husband and I were here for Italian Night. It is the best Italian food around! The Italian Wedding Soup is the best I ever had! We had Chicken Parmigiana with spaghetti and Fettuccini Alfredo. Must try! It is BYOB!

We ate for the first time with another foodie couple at this terrific although fairly hidden new Restaurant, and were very impressed with both the ambitious breadth of the menu and the high quality. Since I’m apparently the first Unilocaler to find this place, I’ll write a slightly longer review.
The restaurant is located in the Union Square complex (the one with Triumph Brewery and Spring n Vine). It is toward the back in the rotunda area down a flight of steps.
They have both tapas appetizers and a full menu.
We had (for appetizers)
* Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel
— shiitake, cremini and portabello mushrooms with Montrachet and herbs in phyllo and mushroom sauce. ($ 11)
* Kale Salad (small $ 5, large $ 8)
* Tapas plate #4
Bouguerones
Smoked anchovies
seviche of mussels
pesto shrimp
smoked trout
Small $ 14, large $ 18
For Entrees:
* Seafood Brodetto (mediterranean shellfish stew) $ 25, over linguini $ 29
* Flank Steak $ 23
* Monkfish Stew «Bartolatta» $ 27
They are BYO, which is much harder to find on the New Hope side than the Lambertville side, and the food is very wine friendly :)
At the end of the night, their executive chef Jean G. Giunta introduced herself. Jean was the Chef/​owner of Andiamo Restaurant in Lambertville, NJ for 6 years, and the Chef de cuisine
of Za Restaurant in Pennington, NJ for 5 years. She’s a CIA graduate with lots of gourmet catering and fine dining experience — which explains the ambitious menu and top notch execution.
If our first visit was any indication, we’d highly recommend it to others.
This is an independent review. I have no relationship to this restaurant, nor to the best of my knowledge, know anyone who works there.