Caffe Anello
“While the meal was fantastic, huge props to chef John for his culinary genius, it was the service that really put the icing on the cake.”
“From talking with Joe, to Tim giving you the ins and outs to John coming out to say hello after you eat.”
“Joe's greeting makes you feel as though he's welcoming you to his home for a nice, Italian meal.”
Caffe Anello
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Delicious. Comfortable. Friendly. Smart casual. Delicious (yes – again).
Set up as a Jack and Jill restaurant connected through its neighboring establishment Sogno Cafe, when you arrive you'll enter through Sogno's door and will be seated in Anello.
The open kitchen lets diners watch the chefs at work and feels like a performance. Both BYO and drinks for purchase meet your libation needs.
Seating and space is small, so I definitely recommend reservations – especially on peak evenings (Thursday – Sunday).
The food:
Fresh made foccacia served with sides of homemade marinara sauce and a dipping oil very similar to pesto (and equally delicious) set the tone for a beautiful meal. My co-worker and I shared the meatball appetizer as well as the special deconstructed mozzarella. I was genuinely awe-struck by how amazing a simple meatball could be, but mouth-wateringly delicious it certainly was. The mozz appetizer gave two slices of homemade fresh pulled mozz, breaded and fried, and served with marinara and prosciutto. Yes – as good as you're thinking.
We both had pasta dishes for entrees. Again, hand cut fresh pasta (notice the theme?) with simple components creating a work of pasta magic.
Alas, we were too full for dessert, but the ones we saw on nearby tables looked incredible. Next time for sure.
I have absolutely fallen in love with this restaurant and I think its safe to say this is my new favorite spot.
Caffe Anello has everything you could possibly imagine in a dining experience: amazing intimate atmosphere, great music, incredible food and it's BYOB! Awesome!
We arrived for our 6 PM reservations with my boyfriend and his mother and as soon as we walked into the restaurant I noticed an amazing display case filled with mouth watering homemade desserts and my absolute favorite treat MACARONS! I honestly couldn't wait to order dessert.
Once seated our two waiters Tim and Sean (I believe I could be wrong with the names) introduced themselves and explained the specials for that evening along with answering any questions we had about the menu. There was delicious pesto and pomodoro sauce on the table that was for dipping the most delicious home made ciabatta. I wish I had a slice of it rite now actually! Mmm so garlicky and delicious.
We ended up ordering the fried mozzarella special and an order of meat balls for our appetizer. The fried mozzarella was made in house and had a slice of prosciutto sandwiched in between that was then breaded and fried and served in pomodoro sauce. Hands down the best mozzarella stick that has ever graced my taste buds. The meatballs were perfectly tender and melted in your mouth. Don't tell my mom but I liked these better than hers.
For our main course my boyfriend and I ordered the same dish: the veal anello special and his mother ordered the soft shell crab special. I usually don't order veal but this dish was an exception to all the rest.. a tender veal cutlet that is breaded and fried to perfection served with fresh mozzarella cheese..again made in house…. and served with crispy pancetta bits and a balsamic reduction sauce. Now I ask you.. how in the world do you say no to that? It was so delectable that the only thing left on the plate were the tomatoes just because I can't stand tomatoes. One thing I will point out is that I rarely ever finish my meal and as you can see in the picture I posted this meal was exceptional. My boyfriends mother really enjoyed her soft shell crab dish as well and if I'm not mistaken it was served in a citrus sauce but hey I could be wrong, I was too busy scarfing down my veal.
For dessert we ordered two cannolis and I ordered two macarons ( one raspberry and one vanilla ) I thought that they were perfect and delicious and I'm currently contemplating stopping by there after work to pick a few more up for my belly.
The owner Joe is such a sweet individual who makes you feel so welcome as if you were a guest in his home. He came around at every course and made sure everything was going just rite and the big hug on the way out completed my dining experience. I absolutely can not wait to come back for some more delicious food!
I had come here for coffee before and knew that they were building "something" on the other side. I knew it would have food and just assumed it was going to be a pizzaria.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST. Not because it gets busy but because the chef needs to know how many people to expect. All dishes are made from scratch that night.
We were seated and attended to by the most personable waiter. (sorry forgot his name)
For starters we had the shrimp app, mutz and tomato and the meatballs. All were excellent.
Entree I had the pasta special with shrimp.
If you don't know – they make all their own pasta here.
I do not eat pasta except for Lu Nello's.
I ordered it here. It was amazing. The sauce was a bit odd for me – almost like a sweet garlic – but the pasta was truly special.
My dinner companions all had the veal. That too was excellent.
Dessert we had their own tiramisu. OMG
Can't wait to go back.
Came here again for date night, after SIX months of neglecting our favorite Westwood spot (BF and I could not believe it had been six months – inexcusable!).
We were greeted, as is usual with Anello, by Joe, who is the biggest sweetheart and makes you feel like you're part of his family. Upon then being seated, promptly at 8, two different servers (Tim and Sean), said hello to us and welcomed us back. That attention to detail, that acknowledgment that someone is returning means so much and goes so far.
The menu had been updated since our last time at Anello, and though I was tempted to stick with my usual order of ravioli with pesto sauce (all homemade, naturally), but the eggplant parmesan stood out to me. I also found out that everything at Anello is locally sourced, which I didn't realize until it was pointed out. Everything is of the highest standards, so we were informed that if the chef goes to market that day and something doesn't look up to par, it won't be on the menu that night and there will be some kind of substitution. That would totally warrant a sixth star from me – Uber style – if it was possible.
We ended up totally switching up our order from the norm (down to bringing a bottle of white wine versus our usual of red). To start, we had the fried mozzarella, which neither of us have tried. It was absolutely incredible. Cheesy and delicious, and genuinely unlike any fried mozz I've ever had. I'm legitimately salivating at the thought of it, that's how good it was.
I went with the eggplant parm (especially after the server Sean told me how incredible it is), and BF ordered the Tuscan fried steak. Holy shit, they weren't lying when they said that it was an incredible eggplant parm. It was probably the best I've ever had with thinly sliced eggplant that was perfectly cooked, with a ton of cheese and homemade sauce. Again, drool worthy can't even begin to explain how good it was. BF was in love with his steak, and said it was perfectly done. The green beans that served as a side were delicious and a good accompaniment to the dish.
The food alone is enough to make you want to keep coming back to Anello, but it's really the warmth of the service and owners that is the biggest draw. You're not just going for delicious food, you're going and becoming part of their family for the night. I'm telling you, it's got to be a prerequisite to be a truly kind, warm person in order to work at Anello. I could not recommend a restaurant more highly and cannot wait to keep coming back for more.
The first word that comes to mind when thinking of a description for Cafe Anello is: intimate. I walked out of the place feeling like I had just finished eating dinner at my Italian family's house. The catch? I'm not even Italian.
Without a doubt, one of the more unique dining experiences in my life. You actually forget that you're eating at a restaurant because everyone in the staff is so genuinely friendly and welcoming. Service gets an A++.
The love that goes into making the food is even more apparent. Fresh local ingredients and simple Italian cooking come together to make meals that would satisfy even your Nonna's palate. I, personally, have never had such cheese raviolis as delectable as those served at Cafe Anello.
And sure, it's not cheap, but for the quality of the food and the experience, it's more than worth it. Skip Olive Garden one week and try some real Italian cuisine for once.
No joke though, you should probably try this place before the reservation list gets ridiculous.
Move over, Raos, Cafe Anello is on its way to making history.
This restaurant has been in my must-try list. I was able to get reservation on weekday evening. Cafe Anello is BYOB without a corkage fee.
We arrived early for a 7:45pm reservation but we had to wait until 8:15pm to be seated. There were 2 groups of four after we got there. They were annoyingly seated first before us. When our table was finally ready, we were escorted inside of the dining area. And we understood why they were seated first.
There were 6-7 tables inside. Only 2-3 tables were for 2 people, others were all for 4 or more. I really liked the table they set us in because we can see the kitchen.
It's very small and romantic restaurant. Our table was right beside of the kitchen, we were able to communicate with chef and able to look at how they cook our meals. It was unique experience.
We ordered a gazpacho and octopus salad for appetizer. Gazpacho was so good. One of the best gazpacho I had. I had homemade pasta for main course and my husband had 28 days dry aged rib eye. It was cooked to perfection. It was heaven in my mouth. We also had homemade tiramisu and apple crumb bar with ice cream.
Service was great and meal was perfect. My husband was very satisfied with his experience and I was so proud I chose this restaurant after I read positive yelp reviews. Waiting was worth it for this great dining experience. I cannot wait to go back. Early reservation is a must!!
This is a unique & special restaurant that you definitely must try – good luck getting reservations though! It's so popular that you need to call way in advance to get a reservation. The interior is intimate and has this lovely light wood throughout it. The kichen is open and you can frequently interact with the chef which is cool!
I've dined here twice & both times my meal has been exceptional as well as the service. The servers are inviting and are knowledgable about the food. The food is authentic tuscany cooking. The bread that is given to you as a starter has 2 tasty dipping sauces to try – of course you can't help but gobble it down as it's so good. For dinner the bolonese & the carbonara were awesome. My favorite is the carbonara – truly unique and different than what you get at an americanized italian restaurant.
Desserts – go for the tiramasu – the best I've ever had. Everyone who works at this place is so friendly and accommodating. I had a great experience here and will be back for sure!
Caffe Anello, one of the best pure dining experiences I've had, not only offers exceptional food, but fantastic service as well.
The moment you walk in through the front door and past the curtains (it shares a storefront with Sogno Coffee House, which is amazing as well), you feel like you've been transported to rustic Italy.
Permeating the air is the scent of a myriad of delicious homemade pastas and the sounds of John, the owner and executive chef, hard at work crafting another dish worthy of being a masterpiece.
Upon arrival, you will be immediately greeted by the staff and taken to your table by Tim, your waiter.
As Tim recites the entire menu to your table in impeccable fashion, his descriptive flair starts painting image after image of delicious food in your head. Unable to curb your insatiable hunger anymore, you eagerly order a few things from their menu: starting with the homemade meatballs and fresh roasted clams, moving on to the Insalate Di Pere and ending with the Chicken Anello. Your companions do likewise, ordering the Pasta Pomodoro and Ravioli.
As per tradition, warm bread with homemade Pomodoro sauce and garlic pesto sauce accompany your dishes. Do be warned though, as the sauces are extremely delicious, and you can easily fill up by just munching away on them. We literally had to stop ourselves from stuffing our faces so we can have room for everything else.
Now I don't normally put meat in my mouth, but when I do, it's Caffe Anello's out of this world homemade meatballs. Pure euphoria is delivered with every bite of these juicy, tender meatballs. Simmered in their homemade tomato sauce and doused in fresh parmesan cheese, these massive meatballs will have you craving even more.
The clams were absolutely delicious, shocking me with a freshness that you don't expect from Jersey seafood.
The pear salad was light, crisp and refreshing; the perfect interlude before your entrée.
By the time the Chicken Anello came out, I was already very full. However, in an effort to preserve my man card, I stepped up and devoured the entire thing. The Chicken Anello, chef John's creative take on a chicken parmesan, is a bone-in free range chicken breast that is breaded, pan seared and then baked. This method allows the chicken to cook thoroughly while still maintaining a soft, tender center. The melted mozzarella and Pomodoro sauce completes the dish, balancing out the tenderness with a gooey, saucy texture.
While the meal was fantastic, huge props to chef John for his culinary genius, it was the service that really put the icing on the cake.
Sean, the other waiter alongside Tim, also made sure all of our needs were met. Accommodating on every part, their attention and constant check-ins really made you feel like a valued customer, and not just someone to sign on the dotted line.
Given the amazing service, food and value this place offers, it really begs one question. Why haven't you tried Caffe Anello yet?