Albert’s Cafe Amici

I’ve been here a few times, but I haven’t really taken note of what I’ve gotten until today. I ordered the Roma which was grilled chicken, bacon, Swiss, and tomato on ciabatta. It was pretty good but unfortunately the chicken was extremely rubbery. However, I got a side of sweet potato fries and they were the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had for sure. The prices aren’t super cheap but they’re fair and the service is pretty attentive and decently polite. The hostess seemed a little rude but our waiter was nice. It’s also really nice sitting outside!

Albert’s Café Amici is a hidden gem in this suburban town. It has everything a local would want from an excellent wait staff, to diverse food on the menu, and of course BYOB! If I lived near the area this would be a regular spot for me.
The atmosphere itself is very cozy and gives off a simple and warm feeling. Perfect for sunny days and especially those rainy ones. I could see this as a nice place if you’re going with a group (like I was) or even for a work meeting.
For appetizers we ordered the chicken dumplings and the fried calamari. Was not a fan of the fried calamari. It was very bland. The chicken dumplings on the other hand were a hit! The texture was cooked to perfection and it was simply delicious. They were finished very quickly at the table.
The entrees came out soon after the appetizers did. I wasn’t a huge fan of this because I like to have a waiting period in between since that is the point of the appetizer ordering. I ordered the cheese ravioli. The ravioli itself was very soft and the cheese inside wasn’t overcooked as it tends to happen sometimes with raviolis. The sauce was good. It didn’t have a «can» taste to it but was very simple in its tasting with some salt and pepper. I finished my entire dish so I guess that was a good sign.
The rest of my group all enjoyed their dinners. From the pesto pizza, to a burger, chicken parm, steak, and linguine with crab and shrimp everyone was extremely pleased with their dishes. This is what I liked most about this place that there was something for everyone on the menu.
If you live in the area I would definitely check this place out. It’s always nice to have one of these in your backyard.

My girlfriends and I have been going to Café Amici for years.. The food is above average, but the server and owner were so rude to us (after we left an over 20% tip) the other night.
The server came up to us as we were wrapping up and said that the table was reserved for 7:30. It was around 7:20 and his aggression was so off-​putting. As we got up to leave I told the server he was rude and asked if we did anything to upset him. He said no and gave a insincere apology. The owner was right next to him the whole time. He never stepped in to apologize — so I asked who he was. He said he was the owner — he was unapologetic and aggressive with me. This is a very unfriendly place. I go out for dinner all the time. I will never go back to Café Amici because of their rude, inhospitable manner.

Nice place, good food, friendly staff and BYOB!!! I really enjoyed my lunch, I came here with my friend for the first time and we really enjoyed it, definitely a place to come back

I live three minutes from this place and feel like I never eat here enough. I typically do take-​out, which is always great. The Italian food is great, where chicken parm, arrabiatta, bolognese, and seafood pasta all get a huge thumbs up. But the blackened salmon and other specialties are great too. I knocked a star off for being a touch pricey. NYC prices, but 40 minutes away. The value is there though because the food is great.

I recently ate at Café Amici Ho Ho Kus and was not happy at all. We went in after house hunting and it was 5:00 on a Friday. We were exhausted, so it was really nice to open a bottle of wine and relax. At 6:30, we ordered coffee and asked to see a dessert menu. Well, the waiter, who I must say was VERY polite, said the hostesses told him that we needed to leave within 20 minutes for a reservation to come in. If we were sitting there chatting, I would understand, but we had just gotten coffee and wanted something sweet. The waiter felt so bad after we had to chug our coffee and brought us a little dessert. It’s a shame that we were basically kicked out, without being told there was a reservation after us. And again, we were there for about an hour an a half, so it wasn’t like we sat there for 3 hours. Needless to say, I won’t be going back there again.

Love the steak salad, nice atmosphere… nice outdoor seating. Food is always good. Pizza very yummy! The make THE BEST coconut cake ever! Great place for a girlfriends lunch, and also romantic with your man.

I love Café Amici they have a range of typical bistro American food but it is always interesting and really nicely done. I really love Amici for lunch though, they do amazing salads and you can also do half and half and pair the salads with sandwiches or soup. My only complaint is that none of my favorite salads are offered for dinner. Pizzas are also very good, especially their mushroom pizza.

When we need to relax with friends, Amici is our local bistro of choice. We are vegetarians and the black bean burgers are top hole and the Parmigiano fries are a family fav. The pastas are decent. The bread is always fresh and is complimented perfectly by the humus spread. The wait staff and Laura are always friendly. Albert makes Amici truly a home from home.

Since Just Janice Café closed a few months ago, our new Sunday brunch designation became Café Amici (Ho-​Ho-​Kus). The outside seating, menu choices, service, and food quality have all been very enjoyable… until today. We arrived around 11:30AM to find the restaurant very quiet, with only 3 other tables filled. We ordered quickly, and the waitress, Heather, commented that she loves when tables know exactly what they want. About 15 minutes later only one of our meals came out. Heather said the other would be out in just a minute. Just a minute turned into just 15 minutes. I finished my entire meal and my partner’s meal still hadn’t arrived. We had to ask her again to check on the status… mind you the restaurant was at less than 50% capacity. The second plate was finally brought out, with no explanation or apology. The meal was tasty, as it usually is, but we were very disappointed at the pompous, café-​free attitude exuded by our waitress. When it came time to get the check, both meals were still listed.
We always, always, always tip 20%+ tip and certainly don’t look for handouts, but given the fact that we had become regular customers, and that my partner’s dish came out 15 minutes later, I figured the waitress would have done the right thing by removing one of the meals. Not so much, though. When we told her it would have been appropriate to do so, she said she’d check with her manager. Upon her return, she said «the best I can do is a 10% discount». Not only was her attitude piss poor, but the fact that the manager didn’t waive the meal (or come over to apologize) speaks VERY loudly about this restaurant’s desire to please its [repeat] customers.
I strongly suggest avoiding this eatery. Just Janice should be reopening its doors very soon, and there is always the Ho-​Ho-​Kus Inn for a great meal. Based on other reviews, we’re not the first to experience very poor service here.

Love it here. Every time I go it’s wonderful!!! Definitely recommend coming here. Fair warning it can get a little loud at times but the food is great. The chicken and salmon are amazing!

Bf and I went today, Sunday afternoon around 1pm. We weren’t greeted when we walked in. There was a little wait; about 10 mins. When you first walk in there is a little area where you can order muffins and bagels and a little case with desserts. Even though we didn’t have anything from that area it all looked good.
I really like that they have unique painting hung up that you can purchase if you are willing to shell out a few grand.
The space is very small and we were crowded while waiting. I wish there was a seating area. It was very cold outside, but I’m sure it’s nice to stand outside and wait.
We looked at the menu while waiting. Everything sounded good, but like typical café food. The prices were a little high so I had higher expectations then normal.
A few minutes after we sat down we were greeted by a pleasant waiter. I ordered coffee with creamer and bf ordered a cappuccino. Both coffees were very good.
We decided to go for the brunch menu. I ordered traditional eggs Benedict and bf ordered chefs special, which was an omelette.
The eggs Benedict came with a side of potatoes that were a lacking in flavor so I put salt and pepper and they were decent. The eggs Benedict were sub-​par.
The egg itself was good, but the hollandaise sauce was mediocre and a little flavorless. Both the Canadian bacon and the English muffin were hard and dry and I ended up not eating the muffin.
I had a few bites of bfs omelette, but it wasn’t that great. It was stuffed with goat cheese and that overwhelmed the entire flavor.
I’m giving it 3 out of 5 because the coffee and service were good, but the food was very disappointing, especially for the price. I would probably not go back unless invited by friends.

My friend had raw chicken in her salad and I had rotten bamboo shoot mush in mine. We didn’t have time to complain about it because it took too long for the food to come out and we had somewhere else to be.

I do enjoy coming here but I very rarely can predict the crowdedness. I also find that the food is sometimes inconsistent — sometimes it is great and other times it seems like something is missing. I think the meals are a bit overpriced (especially for weekends/​dinner) for the quality (but you can say that about most places).
I usually get the mushroom/​arugula pizza or the Amici burger. The pizza is pretty consistently good. The burger has changed on me a few times. I like the pickle that comes with the sandwiches/​burgers. I am very particular about my pickles.

Absolutely amazing. Everything on the menu is fresh and made in house. I love the chicken and lemon dish as well as the turkey burger. The pizza is spectacular and desserts are quite good.
Make a reservation or expect to wait an hour plus. Byob is the best part about this place. Also bring a big wallet as the food is definitely on the expensive side for the area.
Outdoor seating is nice and inside ambiance is very cool with paintings for sale on the wall. I highly recommend.

I love café amici! Every time I come, I enjoy the food. My boyfriend and I always order the mushroom pizza (mushrooms, mozzarella, caramelized onions, truffle oil) and it is one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Really cute place also!

I will start off by saying that I have dined here twice. Once on «date night» and once with friend.
One of the things I look for in a great restaurant is consistency and this place has it. I, thoroughly, enjoyed both dining experiences. I loved my Bacon and Egg Pizza so much the first time, I decided to get the same thing again. And don’t get me started on the Parmesan Truffle Fries! Yum!
This place is BYOB, which I have no problem with but I know some people do.
In addition to the food being great I was also happy with our waitress both times. Both were knowledgable, not pushy and very attentive.
My one complaint would be the hostess. I couldn’t remember if it was the same hostess or not, but either way I was not made to feel welcome on either of my visits.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends!

Still good even on a busy summer Saturday night. Specials were quite special tonight. Pan seared halibut and cod «coral» dish were cooked to perfection and served over beautiful accompaniments.
The fig arugula salad special was delicious as was the asparagus and cannelloni bean salad. Grilled shrimp were blackened nicely and the sautéed broccoli rabe crisp and garlicky!
Hubby’s sweet potato fries were so yummy. Even the ravioli marinara was a hit with the toddler in the group!
This BYO is the best option around for a casual meal in a simple setting. Service is always fabulous and owner is very hands on. Thanks Albert for another wonderful meal.

Firat rhis restaurant is always packed so expect to wait a little when you visit. That is the bad, the food, the service is very good.
Service is great, friendly and attentive. They smile and don’t mind meeting your requests. Pasta dishes are really good, love the appetizers which includes hummus with pita.
We will return to try the other menu items. If you want good food and service, this is the place to visit if you don’t mind the wait to be seated.

This is where the ladies that lunch, lunch. Women dressed in their tennis outfits and fancy sweatpants or totally overly dolled up in heals. Lots of skinny women ordering salads. Well, that is what happens when you are a lunch place that has wonderful salads.
Naturally since I am a wanna be tennis playing, high heel wearing, my husband works so I don’t have to, pants size 4 person I too always order one of the salads.
Do you believe that? Ok, you know me too well… I usually order the veggie burger or one of the specials. They have two types of veggie burgers… a «veggie burger» and a «black bean burger» both are ridiculously tasty. The bun has a wonderful, it is beyond your average burger bun texture and taste. Plus 1 for Amici.
I do occasionally order the salad and they are really great. Perfectly dressed and seasoned. Always interesting combinations of ingredients and very fresh. I really do recommend them even if you don’t play tennis. Very healthy options on this menu.
I have seen men eat here, but they are always out numbered. It gets loud. Good tea.
Now that I think about it, I have never had desert. I don’t even know what is on the desert menu. I must be the guilt of eating the burger and not the salad…