Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern

“Been around since the Dutch were kicking ass in Bergen County.”

“All of my guests raved about the place and now my sister wants to make up an occasion just so she can throw a party here.”

“The Inn was packed that day with Sunday brunch patrons and 3 other private parties so I was surprised that the wait staff made sure everything was served on time and the food was perfect!!”

Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern

Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes

Price range.

$$$ Price range $31-60

8 reviews

  1. Driven by this place countless of times and never went in. Decided to go out with the family and this was the place. It's absolutely gorgeous inside and out, quite inviting actually. However, decor is not the end all and be all. Went inside, greeted immediately and seated. Waitress was polite, on top of her game and rattled off the specials and made sure we understood them. Then came the food, we all had something different and I of course got the steak. It was actually quite delicious. Dessert was even better!

    They have events from time to time on beer tastings, that's kind of my thing. However I would definitely give it another shot to see what else I might be missing on the menu. The price point is a little tough, but when you serve great food, it does make up for it.

  2. I ate at the Ho ho kus Inn for the first time this weekend. I met some friends for Sunday brunch. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. It's really cute and felt like it should be in New England some where. We each opted for the brunch special of unlimited mimosas and buffet style brunch. The spread was great! Not only was there a little of everything but the quality of food was really good. There was anything from fruit to omelettes & prime rib. I would definitely head back to check out their regular menu and again for their under $30 bottomless brunch.

  3. I came here for the first time over July 4th weekend with my boyfriends parents. I love the inn; it's kept a lot of its old designs over the years. There's a great outdoor dining area with a fireplace they light after sunset.

    The service wasn't that great- out waiter was cold with no smiles to offer. I'm not sure if it was stress or what, but he was a robot. Took our orders and gave us our check.

    My chicken sandwich was terrible! The bread was burnt and scraped the roof of my mouth when I bit in. The chicken was bland- there was supposed to be a balsamic reduction sauce but i couldn't taste it. There was so much arugula, but without any sauce the bitterness of the arugula stood out.

    Everyone's buns were burnt at our table. The Mrs asked for another bun, which looking back I should have done.

  4. Haven't been here in several years, probably 5+.  This place has gone through many management changes for a good reason.  Food has never been stellar here. I'm not sure how long the current owner has been there.  If you want a consistent, good piece of the pie of the affluent crowd, you need to shine.  Competition is stiff, so everyone needs to step up at least two notches.  The ambience is fine.  Service needs to get better.  Most of all, the head chef and his kitchen staff need to take a short ride to NYC to really understand what it will take to win customers over.  My wife was appalled at the steak she ordered.  A good advice…serve grass-fed beef!

  5. This was our first time to the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and it was not as expected. We decided to go for Lunch which is probably our fault.  

    We heard really great things about the food and we really are disappointed. We both found it to be just ok and nothing special at al. The decor and ambiance are excellent and it really gives that rich NJ feeling.

    We ordered for appetizers the sracha Wings and a dozen mixed oysters. The wings were just ok nothing to write about. My wife found the wings to be too spicy and couldn't enjoy them. The oysters were very well presented and tasted ok but again nothing impressive. They didn't have that fresh flavorful taste of a blue point oyster in the winter. They defiantly did not cover the $36 tab for a dozen oysters for Lunch.

    For the entree:
    The Hit Burger. It was way too much going on. The lettuce and tomato were so cold it overpowered the warm burger. I would say the burger was tasteful but again it was not a $15 burger. Maybe $9. Comes with a few fries that were very tasty.

    Grilled Vegetable Wrap : The wrap was kind of mushy and loaded with squash and eggplant that made it just feel like snot. The menu says "goat cheese" but this sandwich was missing any cheese. They did have aloli or something inside that just turned it into soup. Was not spicy. I would recommend maybe a portobello inside or something to keep it together. The sandwich was also small. Again not worth $14.

    Kids Turkey Sandwich : This sandwich was probably the highlight of our order. Luckily it was for our son. The bread was soaked in butter and toasted perfectly. The turkey was a little dry but our little guy didn't mind. We told the waiter "no bread" and instead it came with bread and no French fries. We didn't even realize it was supposed to come with fried until I just read the menu. $10 is perfect but they forgot little mans fries.

    Dessert Brownie Sunday and NY Cheesecake:  The desserts were excellent and the best part of the entire meal. The cheesecake was amazing and probably the best tasting in the area. It was very small for $9. Brownie sunday was A+ and should be more than $4 but I guess the overpriced entrees make it up.

    We had two drinks and Bloody Mary and a Stella. No issues with the drinks.

    Bill was $123 before tip. The waiter was excellent and kind of stood near the bar the entire time since it was quiet.

    I would say the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn is probably a place to go for a nice winter dinner. Lunch just felt like a regular local tavern with a Capital Grill tab at the end. I suggest the owners of the HoHokus inn take a trip to Capital Grill one day so they can see how you serve a $100+ lunch menu and do it right.  

    Three stars only because it's my fault for going for lunch and expecting dinner quality food. Even though I paid for it.

  6. I think we keep going back there because of the ambience. We love the "library," but I always leave there somewhat disappointed. I've had more bad meals there than good. I ordered pasta once, and had to send it back because the pasta had the texture of spaghetti O's (I am serious). Had the tuna tartare there recently, it was very disappointing, a little fishy, and on a bed of creamy mayonaissy avocado…. eww. I was happy that it was a small serving. Btw, that's another thing, the portions are extremely small. Once, I was not very hungry and thought I would order the small plate, and it was literally just a mouthful….. but, we're suckers who keep going back…

  7. Tried out the tavern portion of the restaurant with my family a couple weeks ago for dinner. We split the red quinoa and kale salad with apples and feta as well as the grilled octopus. Both were absolutely delicious and reasonably sized portions to share between 4. I (as well as another guest) ordered the fish tacos. These sounded very interesting on the menu; however, they were quite disappointing due to the soggy tortillas. They would have been better if the tortillas were served on the side or plated directly before bringing to the table. 2 other guests in the party ordered burgers and were very pleased as they were cooked exactly as ordered. Prices are pretty reasonable, but some cocktails could get a bit pricy. A dirty martini was ~15 dollars.

    Would go back to the tavern portion or try to main dining room.

  8. Intimate dinner and drink setting, perfect for a small group of friends or a date night. Food options range from $9-$35 per person + drinks.

    A quiet little restaurant that offers a simple night out in a small area to really spark conversation with whomever you may attend with. They have two small bar areas and offer tables around the bars, ranging from two to six person parties.

    American cuisine options range from personal pizzas, burgers and sandwiches, and dinner meals of lamb, chicken, steak options as well as a decent selection of appetizers and deserts.
    Drinks offered a few craft beer options as well as domestic bottles, or various liquors.

    Great place I would recommend for a family dinner or date night. I went on a Wednesday night, the crowd demographics were generally female, ages 25-55. Wait staff (Anthony) was excellent and trendy and very helpful with craft beer selections. All & all, I would definitely return.

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Monday, 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Friday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday, 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm