Bar Mutz — Restaurant in Westwood

Went for a 7:30 PM dinner reservation last night and left feeling disappointed and a frankly a little annoyed. Our server, a young woman seemed very energetic and happy to serve our table when we arrived but ended up being the reason that I am leaving this somewhat negative review. We were seated at a round four person high top that was very close to another another table and back to back with people seated at the bar. The person who was seated at our table closest to the bar was literally back to back with a diner who was seated at the bar. Later in the evening she was getting pushed by said diner, who was apologetic. It was not his fault there was just not enough room. It was a disappointing table given that it was the first time for 3 of the 4 of us and we were very excited to try the restaurant. On to our server - she was patronizing. She spoke to our table of adult women as if we were small children who were not capable of of understanding the menu choices. On to the food: We ordered a tuna app, caprese, bread service, a salad, two pastas and one main dish. Everyone at the table enjoyed everything except our main which was a deep fried chicken with sausage and peppers. Unfortunately, it seemed no one at our table really enjoyed the main dish, it was a miss for us. Everything else was really delicious. To finish off dinner we ordered two desserts and I asked the waitress if I could have a small bowl of berries as I could not eat any of the desserts. One of the desserts that we ordered came with berries so they were on the menu. She said she would check with the kitchen, came back and told me no. The kitchen would not allow for a small cup of berries in addition to the two large desserts that we ordered. This should have been a very easy yes for both the server and the kitchen. For years I have not been able to order desserts and always ask for a small bowl of berries in lieu of dessert (if there is already something with berries on the menu). Instead of being accommodating, they just said no - first time in my life that i have experienced this. I told her no worries and let it go. While my fellow diners were awaiting their desserts our waitress came by and told us no rush, but she wanted to get any last drink orders in for us. One person ordered a dessert drink. When the desserts and final drink were brought out she addressed us again and once again told us "no rush but its time for us openers to go home" and wanted to see if she could drop the check. We had just received our desserts and last drink. Her no rushes were annoying to all and yes, did make us feel rushed. About 5 minutes later, my dinner mates are in the middle of eating their desserts, here she comes AGAIN. No rush but here is the bill. Which she put at the table and WAITED for us to take our cards out. To make a poor service night even more egregious, the gratuity was defaulted to 22%. This could have been a wonderful dinner, but between the seating, the poor service and the miss on the simple berry request we left feeling just blah about the whole evening. Hopefully this is read and addressed. We are frequent diners at Osteria and have always had nothing but wonderful experiences. This too has all the potential with some...

The Putz Eats @Bar Mutz… Robbie Felice is a chef and entrepreneur making serious waves in the New Jersey restaurant scene. His flagship, Viaggio in Wayne, is already a hit, as are Pasta Ramen in Montclair, Osteria Crescendo in Westwood, and now his latest venture—Bar Mutz, also in Westwood.

Reservations on Resy have been nearly impossible to snag, forcing me to sneak in through the employee entrance during the day and act just crazy enough that the manager figured giving me an 8 p.m. reservation was the fastest way to get rid of me.

The interior channels a cool 1970s Brooklyn vibe, complete with graffiti on cinder block walls, bras hanging from the bathroom ceiling, and illustrations of monkeys flipping us off. We had a fantastic waitress who tolerated our moaning about being charged for bread and complaining that the music was too loud. She handled it all with a smile and somehow made us feel like we were guests at a party.

As for the food: I was underwhelmed by the standard mozzarella, but Edie loved the tableside “Mutz” cut and served straight into her mouth by a chef (I kid you not). The little ceremony was a hoot. The trottole pasta with short rib ragù had terrific beefy depth, while the lemon pasta was a “meh” for me—though the girls liked it. (Lemon is a Mars-Venus thing, in my opinion.) We all agreed that the sheep’s milk ricotta anolini tasted like gutless ravioli. The dessert standouts are the samoa cookie cheesecake and the butter cake with vanilla gelato, fresh berries, and zabaglione—absolute showstoppers.

Robbie Felice is absolutely killing it with a group of restaurants that put a modern spin on Italian cuisine, all wrapped in a millennial-cool package. The opening of Bar Mutz was rumored for months and became a tough-to-get reservation the moment it opened. If you’re into generous portions and budget-friendly prices, Bar Mutz probably isn’t your scene. You’d need to drink 3 or G of their $17–$18 cocktails—served in petite, 1920s-style 3 oz. glasses—to equal the volume of one drink at Applebee’s.

But if you’re after handmade pasta, fresh mozzarella, and house-cured meats in a lively space with loud, pounding music and a buzzy, downtown energy, Bar Mutz is where you go to be transformed by cutting-edge...

Bar Mutz is not your typical New Jersey Italian eatery. No sir. Do not let the millennial aesthetic detract you.... because the heart and soul of Bar Mutz, is the food and the love and care each dish is crafted with.

Low lighting, walls that look like a teenage girl's bedroom covered with pictures of idols from those teen magazines (albeit with better chosen images), abstract street art, adorned with neon LED signs that inject color and ambiance, give Bar Mutz personality that sets it aside from anything else in Westwood or even Bergen County for that. The appearance harkens back to a hole-in-the wall gem on St Mark's Place.

The service... impeccable. A young adult staff that is attentive and very enthused to be there. Me and my date had the pleasure of being taken care of by Lindsey (gosh I hope I spelled your name correct homie!), who was a true delight. Unapologetically herself, amazing menu descriptions... seriously let her describe the desserts to you and even if you had one in mind, you're gonna second guess yourself thanks to her incredible descriptions.

The menu is small, but VERY focused. From seafood selections, to the freshest and best damn mozzarella sticks you will ever have, to perfectly cooked pasta, to a rainbow cookie dessert.... there is something for everyone. We went with the mozzarella sticks that come with a hot honey in place of a red sauce and let me tell you, coating those little fried sticks in extra hot honey is something everyone needs to try. We also opted for a helping of the Garlic Pinsa Romana pane. For our entrees we got the Spicy Rig and the Fussili... both were sensational, from the ingredients to the sauces, the herbs... I could go on.

Highly reccomend this spot for a fun night out with a date or with the friendos.

For the younger crowd who have that fake ADD and don't like to read: Spot is bussin' On...