Vu
“I recently visited NYC and stayed across the river at the Hyatt.”
“Our view of the NY skyline was a hit.”
“It was awesome, not packed; table facing the one freedom tower and entire downtown skyline.”
Vu
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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The view at Vu really is amazing!!!
I was in Secaucus, New Jersey for business and my sales manager decided to treat us to a nice dinner. At first I thought we were heading to Manhattan, but then I realized we were in Jersey City. My disappointment washed away when I saw the breathtaking view of Manhattan before us.
We managed to get a table on a Monday night without a reservation. The hostess was so nice and allowed us to choose the best available table. The restaurant is lined with windows so you can get a nice view of the city at most tables.
We started off our meal with a bottle of Cabernet and some of the best crab cakes I have ever had. For my entree I went with the Grilled Beef Tenderloin with brûléed tomato butter. The waiter allowed me to swap the sides with the Rib-eye because I really wanted the couscous and heirloom tomato salad instead of the mushrooms and hearts of palm salad. (I'm not a fan of mushrooms.) We also got a side dish of Sautéed Garlic Spinach for the table to split.
The food was absolutely heavenly! My steak was a perfect medium rare and the brûléed tomato butter made the steak sinfully good. My coworkers enjoyed their rib-eyes as well. Dessert sounded great, but I couldn't have possibly ate another bite.
Our view did come at a price. Expect to pay about $100 per person if you are ordering drinks. (Worth every penny!!!)
Service is average at best, but the food is phenomenal. You will totally forget that you are eating at a restaurant in a Hyatt! (Crazy, I know) My date and I shared a seafood salad to start, which while the presentation could use some updating, the fish was perfect. Then, I had the filet and he had the risotto. My filet was cooked perfectly, as was the asparagus. The portion was HUGE for the price (only $39). He loved the risotto. Funny story — we actually didn't get to try each other's dishes because we both gobbled them up so quickly. I'd also been here previously as it is very close to my residence and I was planning a wedding. Their breakfast smoothies are good and they just updated their lobby. The views are also great, especially is you aren't familiar with downtown JC (we get a little spoiled waking up to it everyday) 🙂
What a view!
Sadly, that's the only positive thing I can say about Vu.
I came here on a Sunday night with five other people. The restaurant was pretty empty and the waiter sat us at a window with excellent views of Lower Manhattan. However, he took way too long to return to take our order and the food came out nearly an hour after we had ordered it. Although I do not recall exactly what I ordered, I clearly remember thinking "This is so disappointing".
Given that I visited over two years ago, maybe management has improved Vu, but for nearly 60 dollars a head, I do not think I will return because mistakes like this just cannot happen for restaurants of this caliber.
Exactly what you would expect for a hotel bar. Drinks are ok and they don't have bar food (a miss, if you ask me) and the servers were average. The view's not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, especially if you're not a hotel guest.
Vu is exactly what the name suggests – a view. Located at Exchange Place, specifically inside the Hyatt, if you walk through the lobby and past the bar area, you'll find the dining area and a view of lower Manhattan.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day. It wasn't packed at all. I don't know if it was because it was too cold, hotel restaurants have a negative connotation, Vu is expensive, it was past 8 pm, or a combination of those but there didn't seem to be a lot of people dining.
Now that I've gotten the negative aspects out of the way, I'll move onto the food.
To start, we decided to share the seafood cobb salad (Applewood smoked bacon, lump crab, rock shrimp, bay scallops, salmon, tomato, avocado, fried capers, meyer's lemon vinaigrette). I don't remember seeing any bay scallops. If there were there, there must have been very little. They did give a good amount of crab meat though but overall, not worth the $15, especially since it was just appetizer-sized.
For my entree, I had pappardelle with veal and pork sausage bolognese. Let me start by saying I love pappardelle. I don't know what it is about it but every time I see it on a menu, my heart just gravitates towards it. I'm glad that this dish did not disappoint. The pasta was al dente and there was a lot of ground veal (although, it could have just been regular ground beef and I couldn't tell the different to be honest) but not enough sausage. There were probably about two small pieces of sausage. This would have been fine had they not advertised it as such. But not a huge deal. Other than that, I liked it.
My boyfriend had some kind of Guinness braised beef, which I wasn't a fan of. But then again, I don't like braised meat. I feel like it always comes out dry and flavorless, no matter how much sauce it's soaked in. He said it was just okay too.
We didn't want dessert because:
1. We were full
2. We were tired
3. Most of the food we ordered wasn't that amazing so dessert would probably only follow suit
As for the service, our waiter wasn't a ghost but he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When we needed him, he was nowhere to be found. But of course, he would pop up when I had pieces of pappardelle hanging out of my mouth (figuratively, of course – I don't eat like a pig! Not in public anyway…)
I probably wouldn't come back but it was a nice experience for Valentine's Day. They even threw in a rose for the ladies at the end of the meal. Just know that if you're coming to Vu, that's really all you're coming for – the view. And not the food.
Despite living in Central Jersey, I often find myself having to spend a night or two at the Hyatt Jersey City. Located just two blocks from my office, it's a convenient place to crash after a late night doing whatever it is I happen to be doing.
And when I am there, I will inevitably wind up at Vu, if only to knock back a couple of Jameson rocks with my colleagues and friends. The bartenders here do an incredibly generous pour that is perfect for quickly shifting me out of work mode and into fun mode. And the view (no pun intended) is without a doubt, an awesome one.
As for the food, it could certainly be worse. Any business traveler knows that most hotel restaurants are nothing to write home about. And if you are staying at the Hyatt from out of town, you should really get out of the hotel and start exploring some of the great food that Jersey City has to offer. Knowing that is not always possible if you're on a tight schedule, you should get by fine at Vu. Safe bets include the crab cakes, their Caesar salad, and the pan-roasted half chicken. And believe it or not, they have several Vegan options as well.
Ultimately though, the best use of Vu is gathering with others in the bar, finding a nice, cozy seat looking out over the Hudson, and kicking back with a nice martini or glass of wine. For that, it is perfect.
I'm a fan for specific reasons, some of which you may not share:
1. View. Okay, everyone loves the view.
2. Lounge area (near the bar) is huge and ideal for little children to run around and play. That's why I go.
Drinks are expensive, on average around $10. I take my 1 year old there to run around.
Stayed here for a work conference and had both dinner and breakfast in the hotel restaurant. As others have said, the view at Vu can't be beat. Simply amazing.
Dinner: bread basket was nice, served with personal butter and olive oil. Caesar salad was a nice size and well prepared. I really wanted a burger, which is only on the lunch menu (the menu they gave us first, before realizing we had the wrong one), so I asked for it and our server obliged. It was just okay – a frozen patty (perfectly round and dense, not like a fresh patty) on a brioche bun with cheese, lettuce and tomato. I'd asked for it to be cooked medium, and it was far past. The fries were awful. Not one bit golden brown – limp, undercooked fries. Colleagues all either had the filet or NY strip.
Breakfast: buffet was underwhelming. No fresh berries and I had a hard time finding any fruit at all. Bacon and baked goods were tasty. Several of the items on the hotel room service menu weren't on the buffet, so that was disappointing.
Service at both meals was attentive and helpful.