Blue Cafe — Restaurant in Bernards Township

This would have been a decent meal if I hadn't felt like cattle in a stockyard. My chum and I came by in the early afternoon this past Sunday for brunch. She brought her young pup as well, who was remarkably well-behaved; a five-star performance from beginning to end. Despite the restaurant being absolutely packed - there were customers milling outside waiting for a table the entire time we were there - the hostess was super accommodating and assured me we'd have a table within 10 minutes, complete with high chair. She was a woman of her word, and we had zero issues getting seated.

The biggest problem with this place by far is that they jammed too many tables into the space. There are at least four tables that don't need to be in there, maybe more, and it would significantly improve the comfort of the patrons to get them out of there. I literally had to squeeze into my chair because it was bumping up against the back of the chair at the table behind me. Ridiculous. And at the end of the day, you can't tell me that's about anything other than a money grab. Disappointing for sure. I'd rather have the option of waiting 25-30 minutes (which, depending on the day/situation, I'd be willing to do) than five minutes to feel claustrophobic for the entire meal. It wasn't worth it for me.

The food itself was very good, but the price point wasn't competitive overall. I ordered the lemon/ricotta pancakes, which were around $14, along with a vanilla latte. That in and of itself is fine, but none of the brunch entrees came with any side options, so I had to purchase those as one-offs, which meant that the side of bacon I wanted? $5 extra. The side of avocado I wanted? I think $3 extra. Same with the eggs. Now, I was pretty hungry and I don't think the average customer is ordering quite that much, but including one side on an entree wouldn't break the bank (but then maybe they'd need to get rid of some of the tables then? Who knows). But since they were unwilling to include any additional items with the main dish, my total ended up being around $30. This certainly isn't the first time I've encountered a bougie brunch spot charging extra with the sides, but coupled with the cramped conditions, etc.? Bad optic for me.

I hadn't seen my chum in a while, but unfortunately I didn't feel like I truly got to catch up with her. Literally within a minute of our plates being cleared, I could feel the eyes of the hostess boring into us. Each table has a sign instructing patrons not to linger (got to turn those tables over!), but we'd been there for maybe 35 minutes. That's not ridiculous, and this isn't the newest hot spot in Chelsea. Especially if there ARE people waiting outside for tables, I'm not one to put my feet up and hang out for an extra half hour, but it was very aggressive from beginning to end. I truly don't care how good the food is - if you're surrounded by people metaphorically holding up stopwatches and glaring at you the entire time, it's flat out not going to be an enjoyable experience. This is clearly a popular destination and I can see why, but it's not the only...

Decided to dine here for the 1st time on a Saturday morning. Although rhe food was decent, the service was horrendous. If you own a restaurant, you must know your busy times and what wait times to give your customers. We showed up at 11:30am and put our names in after we were told 15-20 minutes for a table of 3. It's ok if they're off by 5-10 minutes, but we waited for 42 minutes. Wasn't happy about that, but we waited and were sat. We already knew what we were ordering Upon being sat. After we order the first thing our waitress says is "the kitchen is 25-30 minutes behind. Now I'm pissed, because the hostess should have told us that and we could have decided to go elsewhere. Coffee was not that good and since we had to wait so long for food , I asked our waitress to please bring my daughter just a slice of cheesecake right away as she needed to eat something due to her condition. I had to ask her twice. Also sat with an empty cup of coffee for a while. Forgot my potatoes. Breakfast isn't hard to do. They're charging good prices for their food, the service should match up, but it didn't. When she saw we were done (she noticed right away mind you) , she got that check to me right away without hesitation without me even asking for it. I added a picture that sits on the table asking patrons not to overstay their welcome! Read it and tell me what you think of it. It is a very busy place, but if you can't handle the business for all of your customers and you get one writing a review like this, you should get better staff. The food was good except my French toast which was soggy with overripe soggy bananas on top. I won't ever go there again. I won't recommend it to anyone. Im not sure if its one of the only choices in town, maybe that's why they're so busy, but it's not worth the hassle or the price. I'm an excellent tipper when my service is just good and a phenomenal tipper when service is excellent, and my tip to the waitstaff this day reflected their level of service to me. Almost wholly...

A Truly Wonderful Breakfast Experience at Blue Café ☕️ ✨

My boyfriend and I were on the hunt for a great breakfast spot and were so happy to discover Blue Café in Basking Ridge, NJ. From the moment we walked in, we were captivated by the warm, cozy atmosphere. But what truly made this place special was the incredible food and outstanding service.👏

We ordered the Paris Morning—a delightful combination of crispy potato pancake, smoked salmon, crème fraîche, poached eggs, capers, dill, and a French baguette—and the Blintzes, which featured three Ukrainian-style crepes filled with farmer cheese, topped with homemade whipped cream and blueberry compote. Both dishes were absolutely delicious, and the portions were generous enough for us to share.

What truly set this experience apart, though, was the exceptional service. Our server, Malvin, was an absolute gem—warm, professional, and incredibly attentive despite how busy the café was. He made us feel genuinely welcomed, and our meals arrived promptly, even with a packed house.

A few days later, I happened to be in the area alone and couldn’t resist returning. To my surprise, Malvin not only recognized me but also remembered exactly what my boyfriend and I had ordered the first time! I was so impressed by this personal touch—it speaks volumes about the level of care and attention he provides to guests.

Malvin, thank you for making our experience truly memorable. You are undoubtedly an asset to this already wonderful café!

We’ll be recommending Blue Café to all our friends, and we look forward to coming back whenever we’re in the area.

With our warmest regards, Marina...