Cafe Azzurro

Great spot! Sit outside if you can– Near the waterfall. Service is very good. Food is delicious.
We had…
Beet and goat cheese salad
Shiitake Mushroom ravioli
Cavetelli Calabrese
Recommend all these dishes!

My wife and I went to Café Azurro last Saturday night with 2 other couples. The servers not very friendly and we felt rushed all evening. My wife and I both ordered the Sole special with lobister. The dish only contained a few crumbled pieces of lobster without much flavor. Once the meal was over we received the dessert menu before the dishes wete completely cleared. Coffed arrived well before the desserts did and the hostess gave us the bill before the desserts as well. The waiter never offered more coffee. We traveled 35 miles to meet up with friends for dinner. Next time I will stay closer to home.

Definitely one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area. The food is consistently good for both lunch and dinner. The staff is always very welcoming and pleasant. Recently for lunch I had Buffalo Mozz with tomato and pesto appetizer and it didn’t disappoint. The mozz is made fresh and definitely worth a try. I had the special linguine with crab meat special and it was fantastic. For dessert you can’t go wrong with the cannoli. A must try restaurant if you’re in the area looking for some good authentic Italian food.

My favorite place to eat! If you arrive and have to wait, it is worth it. I have eaten here about 5 – 6 times in the past year and every dish is delicious. My favorite is the Rigatoni Azzurro. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
The staff are very friendly, prices reasonable and it’s wonderful to have a great BYOB with wine shop just a few doors down.
Highly recommend!

This was my favorite restaurant so naturally I planned my birthday dinner at Café Azzurro and booked a table for eight for my closest friends and I. The food was great; everyone ordered an appetizer or salad and an entrée. It being my birthday we ordered every dessert on the menu and passed them around the table to share. Some drank coffee while others finished off the bottle of wine we brought.
We had never once procrastinated during our dinner – we ordered right away and payed our bill promptly. Immediately upon payment our drink glasses were being cleared. We had to tell the waiter to let us finish our wine. Five minutes later the host came over and before she spoke to us we told her we’d like to finish ours drinks. She left us alone. Five minutes more and the waiter came over. He said, «I need this table now. A reservation has been waiting for 45 minutes.» At this point our table of eight people had only been sitting for two hours. And, yes, I made a reservation three weeks in advance. I explained to the waiter we weren’t wasting their table; we’d spent a lot of money ordering multiple courses and we’d just like to finish our wine. That we’d leave in a minute. The waiter nodded his head and left. We downed our wine and I opened my gifts on a bench outside the restaurant. I will never come back to this place and I will never recommend it to anyone. If this is how good paying customers are treated I want nothing to do with Café Azzurro.

Not impressed with this place. I’ve been here several times. The food is good, but the vegetarian options are very limited.
The real problem came with this evening’s experience. We arrived for a 6:00 reservation and had a fine meal. We were prompt to order and prompt to pay. However, by 8:00 we started getting pushed out. First by coming over and turning out our candle and collecting glasses. Then coming over a couple minutes later to take our wine glasses, then a couple minutes later and sending the hostess, then a couple minutes later our waiter is telling us the need the table now. If I was looking to get turned in and out of a revolving door restaurant, I’d go to Applebee’s and spend a half to a third of the price. I expect better out of a place working in this caliber of a restaurant.
I’m done with this place. I’d say based on the reviews, this CERTAINLY isn’t an isolated incident. Expect an overbooked reservation calendar and either a wait for your table or someone trying to bully you to leave your table.
I’d say I won’t be recommending this place, but I’ll go further than that and be sure to actively recommend people to avoid this place. Looks like a number of people moved on from here to the il millino down the street. We’ll try the same next time. See you Azurro. It’s not me, it’s you.

Have eaten here many times and have always been pleased until last Friday night. We chose it specifically to eat outside– made 6:30 reserves for outside-​, whole party was there on time and were told there’s be an hour wait for outside. There were open tables on patio but were told we couldn’t sit at them??? We sat inside and the service was not good at all. It took at least 15 min before our table got any attention. We had 3 different waiters but they were inattentive– never checked after food was served to see if it was OK, we had to ask for everything (except more water– busboy did his job well) — split dishes were not pre-​separated. In the beginning it was very busy, but halfway thru, it cleared a little and we still had bad service. My asparagus/​beet salad was great but linguine w/​red clam sauce was pedestrian and pasta was too al dente. My friends had pasta also that was well prepared. I ate it anyway since I couldn’t find the waiter to send it back. Had I thought about Il Molina up the street, we would have gone there like the other reviewer on this list did. Very disappointing and pricey for bad service!

Food was Good as Usual, but Service was Awful!!!
We had reservations on a beautiful Friday night. The restaurant was full. We arrived ahead of schedule, and didn’t get seated for an hour after our reservations. When we arrived, the hostess was frazzled and kurt. She yelled at us, and everyone else. She sat MANY people who just showed up with no reservation. Reservations mean absolutely nothing to this place.
The waiters were completely off their game. We had to actually stand up in front of the waiter a few times to get water or bread. Refills of water were non-​existent. There was no one in charge to get the place under control, and many people left, and said they would never come back. The manager tried to apologize, and offered us coffee and desert on the house. When the bill came, they charged us for everything.
To my followers:
I would stay away until they get their act together.

I generally love the food and atmosphere at this restaurant; been coming here for many years. Tonight however the service was below par. We had a 7:45 reservation for an outdoor table, but upon arriving on time/​a few minutes early for our reservation we were told there was a 30 min wait for our table. Many other parties with reservations were experiencing the same thing.
We walked down the block to Il Monello, were seated immediately on their lovely outdoor patio, and had complimentary appetizers on our table within 5 minutes.
Hope to revisit Café Azurro in the future with better treatment…

Five stars for ambience
Took an hour to seat on a beautiful night with reservations :(
Dinner was amazing
Byb
Love outside seating

And again… wanted to update. Been coming here for 6 years, and still our area go-​to. I’d always recommend trying to get here on the later side, after 7:30. We never make a reservation unless we are with a group, and never wait more than 15 minutes. I pretty much always get a special, generally a fish, and I’ve never been disappointed. Everything is always fresh and presented beautifully. Servers are friendly and attentive. I never hesitate to recommend dinner here!

Very inefficient. Service was very slow. We had to wait more than 30 minutes despite a reservation.

An elegant lunch at Azzurro means very nice Italian food, tables decked with white cloths and wine glasses, waiters in ties, plenty of light from the windows, easy conversational noise level and very (!) attentive service. The price of elegance at lunch is $ 12 – 20 and every choice includes a complimentary small salad, so that’s why I’m a fan. Summer is the better time to come here bcos of the large front patio.
We newbies didn’t know to bring our own so made do with water, which was refilled so often it almost became annoying. Peacock Fine Wines is just a few houses away if you forget like we did, right opposite the small city parking lot.
First they bring breads, chunks of white & whole-​wheat loaves, with both butter and a dipping oil that’s loaded with sun-​dried tomatoes and peppers. Our free-​salad-​with-​luch was field greens in a balsamic vinaigrette with some fennel shavings on top, a great start.
Tried the eggplant parmigiana, a large wonderfully thin bit of veg and cheese, liberally covered with a fresh tomato sauce plus a very small side of linguine, very nice, $ 12. My dining companion got the chicken & potato with hot red cherry peppers, $ 13. Both portions were generous for lunch, served on enormous plates.
We were tempted into a lemon tart for dessert, $ 6 for a generous slice of tart that was tasty but a tad thin on the lemon curd, generous ball of creamsicle-​like sorbet with it, a nice ending.
Old-​school place, the menu isn’t online. But I note they have separate dessert menus for lunch and dinner — maybe only the price changes lol.

Very cute ambiance. Walked in and they were very pleasant. Young girl asked to hang my coat, I think part of the family that owns the place.
The bread was good as was the olive oil dip. Quiet place. BYO so it makes it cheaper
I had the cheese ravioli in the cream sauce. BF had the chicken Marsala. They came it in about five minutes. Both very hot and fresh. My ravioli weren’t like the normal ones you see. Different shape. Almost more like a pocket square. It was really good. Bf Marsala was a bit lemony but he really liked it and the vegetables were good. They were small portions but perfect bc they were both very heavy.
We got the tiramisu for dessert which came out about one minute after we ordered it. Top five best tiramisus I’ve ever had and the first one my bf ever had and he loved it. It was really good.
Almost wish they took a little longer so we could have enjoyed the restaurant more. We were done eating by 630, dessert by 650. When we were talking out it seemed like there were a lot of people waiting. We didn’t feel rushed though.
I would give this place a 3.5.

Here’s the deal… this quaint BYOB on Main Street is a winner! On a great weather night the ambiance of the outdoor patio setting was very nice! I thought our service was really attentive & friendly! The food was very good the app winners were the Burrata & Eggplant Rolatin!!! For Entrée I had the Halibut which was served with mussels & sautéed vegetables I thought it was a little salty, but overall delicious! Others raved about the Bronzino as well!
As mentioned in previous reviews, I had no problem with the portion size!
This place was a winner.

Best restaurant in town. The patio is lovely in the summer if you can get a table! Try the eggplant rollatini! You also can’t go wrong. With anything that comes with their risotto.

BURNT by the BURNT HOSTESS!
We arrived 5 minutes early for our 6:30 (outdoor) reservation, and were brought to a small table too small for 2 and not suitable for 3. We opted to wait for another table in 10 – 15 minutes since it was such a perfect evening. In 15 — 20 minutes we were brought to a larger table, but some discussion between young hostess and with apologies, we were turned around and ushered back out front, told another table would be ready shortly, so another 15 minutes we were told our table was now ready (ahhhh) but another session of whispers from the sun burnt hostess who then seated a late, large family of personal friends at our table and we decided, let’s get a table inside. We sat for another 15 minutes for total of an hour before we even got menus.
And to think we cancelled a 90 Acres reservation to eat here! DUMB. After nearly 45 minutes of a needless delay without any apology, we were committed to get our meals. An hour in to this epic meal and water glasses remained empty, they did not tend to us at all. Are we invisible? I bashfully had to walk up to the cash register to get someone’s attention to get water a menu and attention and I know it sounds like we are A Holes but we actually are patient and not in a rush at all — — but being ignored and passed over like unwanted guests was unsettling while the sun burnt hostess fawned over her friends and the table staff sweated and harried themselves all over the busy floor of the patio outside while too few tried to keep up with a full inside dining room…
George, your service was so bad, we asked for 1 entrée (veal milanese) to be packed to go for one of our guests, and it never made it back to us, and frankly no one cares.
We found the experience to be foul, lacking in hospitality, graciousness, stinking of ignorant irresponsibility as result of 2 immature, hostess disregarding reservations and I hold George the manager accountable for putting this burden on these inexperienced, inept ladies — — horrible, stay away at all costs! Horrible experience.
Your table servers, floor manager, waiters all were horrible and inept. I am embarrassed for them and you, also.

I still give Café Azzurro 3.5 stars mainly because the portion sizes are so small and seem to have gotten smaller since my last visit a few months ago. Food is consistently good, but I would prefer if they raised the prices a couple of dollars instead of cutting the portion sizes. I basically got a tablespoon of mashed potatoes and a couple of pieces of zucchini with my chicken dish. The service was much friendlier this time. Maybe they’ve read some of the reviews that had pointed out how unfriendly they could be. Outside patio is nice in the summer months, but tables are really close together. They should also consider using some citronella candles or other bug repellents, as the bugs were out of control once it got dark. Overall, a good place if you are in the area.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Had a 730 reservation and after waiting 55 MINUTES, we finally walked out. The staff was NOT friendly and NOT helpful. We were not the only ones with a 730 reso waiting for that length of time either! They obviously overbooked themselves but the hostesses’ snooty attitude did not help the situation.
It’s one thing to wait if there’s a bar, but at a BYOB place where you’re standing in a crowded hallway holding your bottles of wine… Ridiculous!
We will absolutely not be back.

Outstanding food and fantastic service at this Peapack, NJ Italian BYO. Prices are reasonable and Café Azzurro has a classy, yet comfortable atmosphere. Be prepared for a line out the door on most weekends, so reservations are a good idea.
Here’s the deal, I am sad to say that I actually used to avoid Azzurro because I felt some loyalty to a competitor down the road, where I’ve had many great meals. Last Saturday night, I was really disappointed with the other place when my party of 4 was turned away because we didn’t have a reservation. The dining room was half empty and the hostess could care less that we were upset. We walked out and decided to take our chances getting into Azzurro. As expected, the line was literally out the door. I made my way through to the hostess, who was happy to accommodate us. Not only was she welcoming, she even offered to get us glasses and open our wine while we waited. Just 15 – 20 minutes later, we were seated!
There is a reason Café Azzurro gets crowded, they doing things right! Service is top notch and the food is delicious. You can actually sense that everyone else in the restaurant are really enjoying themselves too, talk about nice atmosphere. This is my second time dining here and both experiences have been just as great. Sorry other place, Café Azzurro is my new favorite restaurant in the Peapack-​Gladstone area.