Tavern 61

I hosted my engagement party at Tavern 61, and I truly could not have picked a better place. The food was absolutely delicious—every single dish was a hit with our guests. The owner was incredibly friendly, helpful, and accommodating to all of our needs, which made the entire experience stress-free and enjoyable. The restaurant itself is beautiful. It has the perfect balance of elegance and romance, with a modern touch, while still giving you that classic Italian restaurant feel. The photos and décor add so much warmth and tradition without feeling outdated. It created the perfect atmosphere for such a special celebration. I’m so grateful for how everything turned out. I highly recommend Tavern 61 for any special event—or even just a great meal. Truly an amazing experience

I had the Beet 🫜 Salad with Arugula, Candied Pecans, and creamy cheese. 🧀 OUTSTANDING. The Salmon 🍣 was cooked exactly the way I like it : Crisp on the Outside, Succulent Inside 👌🏻😋😻

We had the pleasure of hosting our son’s first birthday at Tavern 61. Everything was perfect from the food to the service, we could not have been happier! The bar area is very nice as well. Would definitely recommend and can’t wait to go back for dinner! All our guests raved about the food and atmosphere. Thanks for an amazing experience!

My friends and I come to the Tavern 61 quite frequently as we live in the area and love the convenience of having a nice place to go to in town. We typically have had a pleasant experience. The food is always good, our rapport with the bartenders there have always been great, and it has always been positive vibes every time we go. Yesterday, my friends and I were enjoying ourselves at the bar, laughing and having a good time. I'm not sure who he was, possibly the host, came over and said "you all need to keep it down, this is a restaurant!". The tone was rather condescending and very off-putting. We promptly paid for our food and drinks then left. It really left a bad taste in all our mouths. It just felt like there could've been a better way to approach the situation rather than the way he snapped at us. I am just really disappointed with yesterday's experience. We've met the owner a few times and he has always been so great to us. My friends and I have repeatedly mentioned how great he's been to us.

A bit loud, but here’s everything else that was amazing. 1) The food was delicious. The price matched the quality. 2) The staff throughout were super friendly and kind. 3) It was wheelchair accessible and people there spoke Spanish which helped a lot. Give it a try!

Food, drinks and service all excellent. I will definitely be back! Looking forward to trying some of their other menu items. I got the perfect pear martini- highly recommend. We also ordered the buratta, fish and chips and shrimp scampi. Everything was delicious and the staff was very attentive. The Irish cream cheesecake was a great finish to a great meal.

Nice dining area, a little pretentious and the wait staff had zero personality, but they were attentive and did their jobs well. Food was good but a little pricey. We came in for an early dinner before seeing a show, so there were not many other diners in the restaurant and I felt like the staff was annoyed we were there. Probably wouldn't come again just cause the atmosphere was a little stuffy.

Came for a real estate networking meeting. Was pleasantly greeted when I entered and the bar staff were friendly and took very good care of our group. The food that I saw others eating looked tasty. Hopefully I'll get to try some on my next visit.

If you have not been here ... TRULY MISSING A LOCAL GEM! From ambiance, service, seating, drinks and food it's all amazing! Yes parking can be a challenge BUTits worth patience and the tight squeeze if you luck out with a spot out front! HIGHLY recommend the sliders ... THANK ME LATER

We went there for a quick bite - ambience is cozy and casual. We ordered the spinach dip and eggplant tower. The dip did not have much flavor and the tower was good minus the ham. For our meals I had the steak tacos and my friends had the burger and chicken sandwich. Good portions and They were all okay but nothing great. Four people and two cocktails each about $200 plus tip. Gave it a 3 as place was nice and service was good.

This bar has what you need to grab a nice drink at the bar, watch a sports game, entertain a date... as for the food, I have yet to try but maybe next time. Parking is small so if you are meeting up with people it's best to get there first.

Good food and service. Ambiance is nice and classy and great bar for casual hang outs. Wings are good and I'm picking about my wings. Drinks and strong. Best fries in Hackensack. Place is new and clean.

The service was really off. They were in such a rush to take our order and cleared away our plates before we were even finished. Then they took a powder when it was time to pay. So strange. And the food was a disappointment. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing - the pork tacos. The meat was tasty, and there was plenty of it, but there was NO sauce whatsoever. So salsa, no guacamole, no herbs. Just corn tortillas and meat. The hamburgers looked good. Maybe stick to the burgers.

Went here for dinner and it was great. The food was amazing as I had the steak tacos along with the wings. I had no complaints with the food and also I would like to add that the service was amazing. People who were not assigned to my table were so helpful in helping me out with my food as well. Also the ambience of the restaurant was great. It was nice looking inside and felt so comfortable and relaxing. I recommend this place and looking forward to coming back here for dinner, lunch, and brunch.

Wings were really good ! Drinks were good and service was great as well! Will definitely come again

If you're a local then you know that Tavern 61 replaced the long standing Italian restaurant, Solari's (which was open since the 1930s). I personally had been to Solari's before it closed, but as soon as I walked through the doors of Tavern 61, I was immediately transported into a charming, welcoming and modern establishment. Tavern 61 is situated right next to all the new apartment construction that is happening in Hackensack and this is a place you will NOT want to miss out on. Tavern 61 is an American bar & grill that serves a wide range of menu items - you will not have a problem selecting what you want. I came here for a date night with my partner and we decided to share a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and it was divine. We shared their buffalo chicken flatbread pizza and it was so good we almost ate the whole thing! We had to stop ourselves so we didn't get too full prior to the entrees. For my entree, I ordered the pork chop and it was cooked to perfection - there was so much flavor and the balsamic reduction really added to that - the cherry peppers was a perfect spice compliment. My partner ordered off the special menu and he said the tacos were absolutely delicious! I can't wait to come back!

This is our new favorite place. To start, their buffalo calamari is fabulous. It has just the right amount of breading, it is quite tender and flavorful, and the sauce is the right heat. They give you a blue cheese dressing on the side with huge chunks of delicious nuggets. We are both big fans of Pat LaFrieda meat so we always get the burgers which are balanced, dressed and cooked nicely. Was pleasantly surprised they have happy hour $8 cosmo or apple martinis and you don't have to sit at the bar to get them. The staff are all really friendly and good and the decor is lovely. Highly recommend

I would have to say this is the best tavern I ever went to. Atmosphere is stellar, staff is nice, food tasted great, menu variety was strong and priced well. Lots of parking on both sides of the building

Amazing food amazing service just great to be here i love the drinks French martini old fashion and margarita

Great spot! We just happened to stumble upon it as we were looking for somewhere for my son's birthday dinner. This place checked all the boxes. Good food, beers, wine, kids' menu, and atmosphere. We all shared the spinach and artichoke dip, buratta and prosciutto salad, and calamari with marinara and sweet chili dipping sides. A few people had soups (stratticella and pasta fagiol), and everything was excellent. My entree was the Strip Steak; med rare... a tiny bit over cooked BUT very delicious nonetheless. I'd order it rare next time. Kids got sliders and chicken fingers to split. Sliders were really really good. Wife had the chicken special which was stuffed with spinach and tomatoes, topped with cheese and HUGE! Everyone else said their food was excellent. We had burgers (classic and 61) and the chicken sandwich. Place looks great inside, nice local draft beer selection as well. Tvs on the bar side with sports on. Would definitely go back next time I'm in North Jersey at the in-laws. Sorry for lack of pictures, family dinner, didn't have phone out was in celebration/catching up mode, but you can see others pictures and take my word for it; it's a good spot. Stop in and check them out.

Great food nice ambiance. We were seated right away and the waiter was very friendly.

i've eaten there 2 or 3 times now just to make sure the problem wasn't my stomach and that it was this restaurant and EVERYTIME i've eaten there and had drinks there, i have gotten so sick everytime.

The food was horrible I ordered a skirt steak (medium rare) it took a very long time to get our food and when I received my steak it was cooked medium and the amount of fat was way to much. I showed them and the second steak that also took very long was so rare I was so fed up i attempted to eat the steak and after 3 cuts I couldn't bear it. There also was a fly that was around the food the whole time. Couldn't enjoy my food the service was horrible, gave me a flat soda, never checked up on us and had to look for someone to request a check.

The food was great. The cocktails were phenomenal. The service was on point and the ambience gifts so much flexibility. This can be date night, this can be girls night out, or you can celebrate your kids communion here.

3rd time here and quite satisified. Great service. Awesome happy hour deals on drinks between 4 and 7 on weekdays. $5 on majority of draft craft beers at that time. The specials tend to hit the spot. Loved the choriozo tacos, chef salad and beef tortellini in pink champagne sauce. Anything in their pink champagne sauce will be fantastic. Thanks a bunch!

We went there last night and had a pretty terrible experience. First of all their one side parking lot is horribly designed the spots are all slanted towards the back of the parking lot and its very narrow and tight, I had to get out of my friends car to help her get out of the lot. When we got there the host/waiter asked us if we would be ok with a high-top because they have a party coming in. We thought the restaurant had it broken up where the party was on one side and the high tops were near the bar. Well the high-top's WERE near the bar they were directly next to it. Ok a little loud but tolerable until the party arrived completely ignored their designated party area and all went to the bar for drinks. Instead of corralling them to their section they let them completely take over the bar (we are talking at least 50 people on top of the 10-12 who were already at the bar) where they were loud and literally had their backs against our table. The waiters for the party were even going around with appetizer trays to the bar instead of at the tables they set up. I couldn't hear my friend say a word to me and the crowd was surrounding us as we eat. They also kept going in and out of the back door so we had a cold breeze hit us every couple of minutes. My friend and I were so unhappy we got the bill with our food scarfed it down and went to a different restaurant for actual conversation and drinks. Since the party completely consumed the entire restaurant they should've just closed it to the public and let the party have the whole place especially since they were only left with 2 small high-tops anyway, its not like they were making a ton of money. I also feel like more transparency would've been nice as when they said party I assumed the party would be in a designated area away from the regular diners and instead they swamped the whole restaurant. If I had known what a huge loud party was coming I would've saved eating there for another day, now my friends said she refuses to ever return. It's a shame too because the food and drinks were decent and the waiter was nice enough which is why I gave it two starts instead of one. The one thing I can say is maaayybbee the restaurant didn't realize how obnoxious the party was going to get and was surprised as well but they should've had better management in getting them to their seats with a waiter taking drink orders and appetizers in their select area only.

Highly recommend everyone goes to check out this new tavern. From the moment you walk in, you notice the lovely ambiance with decorations throughout the restaurant for the holiday season. All the staff was super attentive and welcoming. Our waiter John was on point to make sure we were always satisfied and his friendly demeanor made the experience even better. As for the food, every item we had was delicious. If you like spinach and artichoke dip you need to try the on here at Tavern 61- the cheesiest spinach dip I ever had! Additionally, the Tavern 61 burger is a must- the bacon jam and shoestring onions add so much flavor. I was impressed that for such a big burger it didn't fall apart. Listen, when you can hold a burger with two fingers and still bite into it with nothing falling out, you know your eating a great burger- no questions asked!

My first time here and everything was outstanding. The food was excellent and the service was exceptional. Will definitely be back A must if your in the Hackensack area

I love how they've updated the place, and I was happy to see a new spot to try. I called for a reservation, which they cheerily took. We got there a couple of minutes early, and they seated us right away. The staff was attentive and knowledgeable. We ordered the bang bang shrimp appetizer, a chicken sandwich, wedge salad, and a side of broccoli rabe for the table. The best bang bang (and my son-in-law is always on the quest--this rates #1-that's saying something) 4 huge shrimp, perfectly cooked and in a wonderful sauce (we'd love to get a jar!) ... the chicken sandwich was huge (also perfectly cooked) with a buttermilk batter. The accompanying fries were nicely seasoned, hot, and crispy. Wedge salad and a side of broccoli rabe were tasty, and again, the portion size was a good value. We thought we might go elsewhere for dessert, but chose to listen to the offerings. It was a short list, but the choices were good. We went for an apple crumble torte. Again, it was a beautiful presentation (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on one side, a dollop of whipped cream on the other, and just the right drizzle of raspberry sauce overall. It was deep-dish and no skimping on the fruit. I prefer my apple filling on the tart side and this did not disappoint. My only complaint was that the coffee was a bit strong and bitter, but it did NOT ruin the experience in the least. This is definitely on the 'go back' list.

When will establishments understand that the personalities of their staff and service is paramount to their success ?. Came here on a Saturday for lunch. There was no one in the place except us. The bar tender barely said two words to us. Took his sweet time in serving us and never engaged in any interaction . The food and drinks were average with the exception of the price .. which seems to be the case these days.... excessive . I can stay at home and provide the same experience for one third of the cost. Im so sick of dealing with the arrogance of places like this. Provide a better experience or go bust... I will not be coming back and I advise others to stay clear of this place ,it's nothing special .

Tired of the same places we decided to try Tavern 61 tonight. As we walked in, we immediately noticed that the restaurant is beautifully decorated for the holidays as is the bar. We were greeted immediately and sat at a table near the bar by a very nice staff member who we later found out was actually the owner. We started with a Wedge Salad and the artichoke and spinach dip. The salad was served on an ice cold plate, as it should be, and huge! The artichoke dip was served warm with the perfect amount of cheese on top. My daughter had the chicken Francese which was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of lemon. My wife enjoyed her shrimp Scampi over spaghetti and was unable to finish the large portion. I had the Chicken tacos with cherry peppers and to say I liked them is an understatement. 3 enormous tacos filled with savory grilled chicken and the perfect amount of cherry peppers to make it an amazing meal. Finally a piece of cheese cake was the perfect way to end our meal. As we sat waiting for our check, we couldn't help but notice that the dining and bar areas are both impeccable, spotless and clean, as every restaurant should be! The entire Tavern 61 staff is extremely attentive and the service amazing. One word of warning. If there are no parking spots in front, there is plenty of parking behind the restaurant. Can't wait to come back!

Amazing Restaurant Great food The custumer services was great Drinks on point I love this place

This place is beautifully put together and the food matched the ambiance! The service was also above and beyond. I am so happy we decided to pop in on a whim for dinner.

This place is great !! I took my family & we all enjoyed the food !!! The ambiance & service is great .. I will recommend this to everyone ! T

Tavern 61 is one of my family's favorite restaurants! We are there at least four times a month if not more. My husband, daughter and I text each other during the day and say "Let's meet at Headquarters! " which is code for let's go to Tavern 61 tonight. The ambiance is cozy, warm and friendly. The food is consistently affordable, tasty and plentiful. The drinks are well balanced thanks to Haley and Daniella. My husband coached Haley on making a Sidecar, she nailed it on her first try and now it's his favorite drink to order at Tavern 61. Genc is an excellent owner with a refreshing old school attitude regarding customer service. It's always fun when Jimmy ( Genc's dad and the owner of Solari's ( a Hackensack legend) is in the house helping out. He taught Genc well! Leo and Baki are phenomenal waiters and know our standard drink and food orders. Ubaldo is remarkably attentive at bussing and serving tables. I get a little nervous when I see all the luxury high rise buildings going up along River Rd. I'm certain that once Hackensack residents go into Tavern 61 they will become regulars and we may have to wait for our usual table. Genc assures us we'll always have a table (lol). I hope so!! He and the staff at Tavern 61 deserve a loyal following! Hackensack recently lost a legendary restaurant with the closing of Crow's Nest, which my husband also frequented. Tavern 61 deserves to have that same status and loyal following. Stop in and give it a try! I don't think you'll be disappointed! Vera Hickson Upshaw

The bartender was very sweet and had great service. The place is really nice and was close to the pep boys where my car was getting serviced. I ordered a pasta, and the menu nor the server mentioned how spicy the dish was and that it had jalapeños galore in it. I nearly burned my whole mouth and throat off. Would probably come back to try something else but never ordering that dish ever again. Ruined the nice place for me.

I drive by here daily and decided to give it a try for happy hour with my husband. We were so happy to have found this place. Very good food, service and ambiance. We had a few appetizers and drinks. Will be back to have some dinner in the near future.

Nice place for lunch in Hackensack! Have taken my mother there several times and enjoy the ambience. Can get a bit loud but pretty dining area. Nice lunch menu with good specials, lunch salads. Only negative is parking, which is a challenge. Staff attentive and professional

I've eaten here 3 times so far and everything has been very good. The place is really nice. We will be back.

We went for a special family dinner. Drinks were great. Artichoke dip was great. Table favorite was the filet mignon sliders!! The staff was outstanding. Decor and setting are very nice. A little loud at times. Salmon was excellent. Flounder was very good. Overall we had a great time and would definitely go back.

Delicious food amazing service . Very clean restaurant . Plenty of parking . Owner is a humble young man and I wish him success .

Loved the fried calamari ! It was amazing.. drinks are pricy.. but it's seeming that way all over. The place was relaxing. Quiet Saturday vibe

Food has always been good. Service at times can be slow, I assume based on staffing shortages, but not a regular occurrence. Cannot comment on drinks as we usually drink something basic like wine or scotch. Atmosphere is comfortable and decor is contemporary. Prices are in line with anywhere else. I would definitely try. They have a happy hour 4-7pm so it would be a great place to stop at after work.

Great drinks and nice vibe! Love the interior of the place. Good food spot in Hackensack with reasonable prices. Service is really good and they constantly checked if we needed anything and refilled our drinks often.

Clean restaurant and friendly staff hot fresh food . Great presentation very affordable prices they also have a lunch menu and happy hour .

Was excited to eat here based on the reviews . The ambiance is amazing , it's nice and clean . The service however, horrible . We sat at the bar , they didn't have any of the beers that I wanted so asked if they had any that were similar to those and the bar guy said no... okay so I ordered water . Asked for recommendations on an appetizer between meatballs ( which were amazing ) and chicken wings , he seemed put off by the question and just said they both are good , finally stating the meatballs . I ordered a salad and the menu stated it came with ranch on it . Well it came out with blu cheese on it . When we told him he argued that it was ranch , um no , I know ranch and this was not, I can't eat blu cheese it tastes bad to me . Then he came back and said it was the Gorgonzola cheese and I explained I liked Gorgonzola cheese . I told him nonetheless I did not like it and would not be eating it . He just wanted to argue , not once did he offer to remake the salad or remove from my bill . We paid for something I took one bite out of, poor poor customer service here . My husband needed drink refills also and had to keep asking , he was too busy playing on his phone , not attentive at all . I did leave him a tip because I didn't want to treat him how he treated us , so in all I over paid big time , paid for a meal I didn't eat and paid for poor service. The food we did eat was good .

An incredibly impressive little spot right off the highway. Have you ever had fried calamari? Well you honestly haven't until you've had it here. Have you ever had truly over the top hospitality from the moment you walked in the door until they held the door open for you when you walked out? 10/10 would recommend to even my worst enemy. Incredible establishment run by a truly caring and professional man who cares about his guests above all... well almost all... quality is first!

The ambiance is very nice at this restaurant. Service was great. The owner was our server the whole time and I didn't know it until after my meal when we started talking. He was great, the food was very good. I highly recommend it. There are TV's in there, it was nice and clean and just a nice chill atmosphere.

This place just opened so my friends and I wanted to give it a try. The food is very good. But the 3 starts is because the service is horrible! At one point we were the only table in the whole place (not even people at the bar) and the waiter was no where to be found! I would return but maybe only sit at the bar.

Went to this restaurant for the first time and everything was beyond excellent. The waiter John was friendly and attentive, the food was served hot and was full of flavor, and the atmosphere was lovely. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

Food is delicious! Loved the wings! It's a great place, met some friends and had a nice time! The Tavern is very nice and the workers as well! Friendly atmosphere!

Had a nice night out! Love the atmosphere!! Had fried calamari and flatbread! So delicious! Had steak tacos and the sear on the steak tasted amazing!! Drinks were also amazing. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed!!