Terravita Edgewater — Restaurant in Edgewater

It’s honestly with sadness that I make this review so low bc if circumstances didn’t happen, I would have done 5 stars. That’s the only reason why I’m not doing 1 star. Although I have the name of the server who served us, I will keep it anonymous but I do want the establishment to understand that what happened is a very serious health risk. There were 2 nurses in this party so if we’re taking this seriously, those out of the medical field should have as well. This is my experience from start to finish.

I reserved this place for brunch to propose to my bridal party and vibes were beautiful. I was able to come early, set up my table with the gifts for my party, and do some decorations. One of the waitresses introduced herself and was chatting with me to understand what was going on and asking if I needed anything at all. My party came in and we were able to place our drink and meal order. The server took our order and my friend and I were thrown off bc we were a party of 10 and they didn’t write a single thing down. We ordered drinks first and their drink menu has all mocktails but we were able to add alcohol so we told them if we wanted to add either vodka or tequila. So DISCLAIMER: Alcohol is not added unless we explicitly tell them to add it.

Drinks were served and we were chatting. It had been a good 30 minutes until my friend WHO IS PREGNANT asks me to try her drink bc she thinks she’s starting to get hot and red and she thinks there’s alcohol. At this point, she’s already drank almost half and I guess this is a testament to the drinks bc you really couldn’t taste the alcohol but these drinks were strong as my other friends were feeling theirs. We asked the server and they said yes that one has alcohol when she ordered a mocktail obviously. I understand mistakes happen and the server switched it out to a mocktail but it was the response to it after that I was not happy with. We tried not to make it a big deal and carried on with our occasion but when receiving the bill, the charge for that cocktail was still on. I approached the waiters and our server was like remember I switched it out, and I said yes but we didn’t order the cocktail. The server switched it out to a mocktail charge but at this point I’m annoyed bc this is a big mistake with a health risk and I feel like it’s not taken seriously or being acknowledged. I told them don’t you think we shouldn’t be charged for this drink at all and they go so what do you want me to do? You want me to take it off? I said yes and when they were doing it I heard a lot of tongue clicking and shaking their head. Such an upsetting response with no remorse for giving a pregnant woman alcohol when SHE was the one who noticed the mistake NOT the staff.

If I’m being honest, food was great. I’ll still give them that. One of the waitresses offered to take our picture in their second room. The whole event was great aside from that incident. At the end of it, the server apologized but that was after experiencing them giving me a hard time for asking for the item to be removed. It was also off putting that the other servers were standing nearby and trying to stay out of it.

Would I recommend this place for food and drinks? Yes. But I would not come back bc of that...

We celebrated valentines day 2023 here and it left a lot to be desired...

I'll start with the good: -The atmosphere was great. It felt modern and cool inside. Lighting was appropriately low (a rare find in Bergen county). -The restaurant manager was very present, checking in on tables and doing what he could to make people happy. He was giving mimosas to the people waiting, us included, which was a nice gesture. -The hostess was accommodating and very nice. -The drinks we had were delicious. -The short rib croquettes were great but pricey.

The bad: -We waited nearly a half hour to be seated, despite having a reservation and arriving a few minutes early. -Our waiter seemed rushed and inattentive -When we called before making a reservation we were told the regular menu would be available alongside a valentines day menu. Only the valentines day menu was available and while there was some overlap between the two, the prices of the overlapping meals were seemingly marked up 30% compared to the standard everyday menu. -We were seated and presented only with the food menu. The drink menu didn't arrive until our waiter first visited our table 15 minutes after being seated. -The food took a long while to come out after ordering, and it seemed that we were not the only ones waiting a long time for our food. (For the record, I'm normally a pretty patient person at restaurants.) -The burger I ordered was not very hot, and just ok. Not acceptable for a $38 burger. -The lobster ravioli my date ordered was good, but the accompanying tail was overcooked and tough. The menu implied a full lobster tail, but only half was served. For $42 we expected better quality.

Valentine's day is a busy day for most restaurants, and I am somewhat understanding of that. However, if you don't have the staff to handle filling every seat in the house, you don't fill every seat. This seemed to be the crux of the issues they were dealing with that night.

All this said, the manager comped one of our drinks, which was a nice gesture, but it didn't make up for the experience we had. I don't see us going back there unless...

I visited this restaurant for brunch with a party of 10, and the food was exceptional across the board. The ambiance was beautiful, and for the most part, it had the makings of a lovely dining experience.

Unfortunately, the customer service, specifically from our server, Johan, was a major disappointment.

One of my friends, who is six months pregnant, ordered a mocktail but was mistakenly served a cocktail containing alcohol. She realized only after a few sips, once she started feeling off. To make matters worse, Johan never asked our group if there were any allergies or dietary restrictions, which is typically standard at well-rated establishments.

Mistakes happen — we understand that. But what truly matters is how those mistakes are handled.

When we brought it up to Johan, politely and privately, he was dismissive and defensive. He initially refused to remove the cocktail from the bill, insisting that he had already provided a replacement drink. He showed no real concern for the fact that a pregnant woman had been served alcohol, and only offered a reluctant apology after we repeatedly pressed the issue. After unnecessary back-and-forth, he finally took the charge off, but did so while shaking his head in visible disappointment, as if we were the ones at fault for bringing it up.

This kind of response is unacceptable. Any responsible restaurant would have comped the incorrect drink without hesitation, if not the entire meal, as a basic gesture of accountability and care.

So yes, the food is excellent, and the setting is lovely. But if you choose to dine here, I hope you have a better experience with your service than we did. And ideally, that Johan isn’t...