La Bouche — Restaurant in Hoboken

First impression, was delightfully surprised by the cleanliness in such a small, quaint little hole in the wall sort of place. There was a group waiting outside to be seated which was a good sign, because the weather wasn’t great. Who waits outside unless it’s good, right? The menu has lots of options, so whether you want a sweet breakfast or a more savory lunch, there’s something for everyone. Also noticed: the all gender restroom, which I always appreciate.

After ordering drinks, we did wait a tad longer than I would have expected. While my first sip of my dirty chai with almond milk was satisfactory, and my boyfriend liked the look of his latte with frothy foam milk, a few sips later I came to the conclusion that my iced chai was severely watered down (assuming they pour warm espresso over ice, which is my ultimate pet peeve. It’s 2024 and planning ahead is doable. How are places still doing this? Make the espresso ahead of time and chill it…)

Anyhow, the taste of my avocado toast and my boyfriend’s eggs Benedict was truly good. The poached eggs were cooked just right, bursting with their yolk the moment we sliced them open. But the potatoes (while cooked enough to bite into), weren’t seasoned like a downright delicious, greasy set of home fries — you know, the type you really want with your eggs, with just a little crisp and some cracked sea salt.

I did appreciate the hot sauce they had on the table, in fact, it was the first hot sauce I’ve ever taken a liking too, but La Bouche didn’t make it, Cholula did. And speaking of which, La Bouche didn’t make any type of “sauce” to drizzle over the farm field greens that were strewn about over my avocado toast or collected in a sad little corner on the plate of my boyfriend’s egg Benedict. Not even EVOO? Come on, no one likes dry mixed greens straight of the box. This makes the dish look unfinished!

We also got the zucchini pancakes which were delicious and probably the best item on the table. But then why don’t they put as much effort into their main dishes? These were more like a shareable side.

I think the part of our visit that probably was most significant and led me to deduct a full star was the end, when we were asked if one of our places could be cleared that still contained an entire zucchini pancake on it. “No,” I said. “We’re not done.” As the bus boy reached for the plate. “No,” my boyfriend tried again. “We’re still working on it.” We took one to two more bites before another waitress walked over and simply said “let me clear your plates,” and proceeded to clear them before we could even utter a single word. There was still food on all of our plates at this point, to be clear. La Bouche? More like La Pouche You Out.

Regardless, there aren’t many quick and clean, relatively yummy brunch spots in Hoboken as you’d think, so we’ll probably be back. But we probably won’t wait outside in the cold for a table. Sorry, I don’t beat...

Highly recommend coming here if you are looking for one of a kind dining experience. It will help you appreciate life and people around more.

We came here on Saturday around 1pm for brunch. There were plenty of outdoor seating. We asked to be seated and was seated not according to the order at which customers arrive. The owner sat another party who arrived after us before attending to us. While he had offered us to choose between indoor and outdoor seating, we opted for outdoor, given that we have a dog with us. I had asked if we could sit by the desk closest to the store to avoid the dog from getting distracted by pedestrians and to be able to settle. He declined in a rather rude manner.

As we were seated, he came to take ours orders and demonstrated that he was rather impatient with his customers.

While we had asked for water, we weren't given any. Instead the owner just stood by the store front.

There was a flowerless plant next to our table, which had a disgusting chicken wing bone inside. Our dog sniffed the plant and found the gross bone inside the plant, causing her to keep sniffing there. According to the owner, this is a plant he had water daily for a year. I was surprised that he had no idea what kind of rotten bone was hidden there. To prevent my dog from swallowing it, I grabbed the bone and tossed it. I went to restroom to wash and sanitizer my fingers. The moment I came back out, he came to us and complained to us about our dog eating the flowers from his precious flowerless plant that he had babied for a year. At this point, we decided we have enough opportunity to appreciate how lucky we have been in life to be surrounded by kind folks, we left. I am sorry for the bitter owner, whatever may have happened in his life.

While the owner has an attitude towards dogs and their owners, all his customers are friendly. They love our dog, and so does the owner next door, who offered water for our dog and to pet her.

If you are too sick of nice people, or need to be reminded how lucky you have been in life, this is the place for you. I am rooting for this place!

If google map offers negative stars, this place will receive a -5 stars. It's the best...

The food was good but the attitude of the staff should be reviewed. I really liked the interior design and wanted to make this my favorite spot but some issues must be discussed. At the end I decided not to come back again. They made me feel very rushed and uncomfortabel while the entire place was almost empty. First I took coffee, in less then 15 minutes she asked me three times whether I want something else. I explained that I am fine with the cappucino for now but that I will order more after a while. She kept coming and giving me looks. I thought that she might not like it that I sit there with my laptop. I told her politely that she may feel free to move me to a single table if she needs the table for larger groups. In the meantime there were still empty large tables. She answered: yeah ok and again gave me some look. I felt so uncomfortable that I ordered lunch quite early. I asked the cheque and her communication around that was also zero. As a costomer I had way more polite and friendly behaviour towards her than she towards me. After paying I thanked and said goodbye: she did not look or answer back. So, good food but definitely not worth to tolerate...