Cafe Arugula

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Cafe Arugula
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Cafe Arugula

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Address:
59 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, NJ 07079

Neighborhood:
South Orange

Getting there ›
Cuisine:
Italian

Price: $30 and under

More Details ›

Cafe Arugula Details

Dining Style: Casual Dining
Website: http://www.cafearugula.com
Phone: (973) 378-9099
Hours of Operation: Lunch and Dinner: Tuesday - Friday: 11:00am - 10:00pm, Saturday: 11:00am - 11:00pm, Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Payment Options: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Italian, American
Dress Code: Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, BYO Liquor, Cafe, Counter Seating, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access
Catering: Cafe Arugula, right in the heart of South Orange Village, offers exceptional dining and service. Our traditional Italian and American menus accompanied by daily fresh specials ensure there is something for every diner. Large, private dining room and catering menus available for large parties and events.

Getting there

Public Transit: Train Station at South Orange Ave. and Buses within 1 block.
Parking: Public Lot
Parking Details: On street parking and public lots available within one block.

A word from Cafe Arugula

Cafe Arugula, right in the heart of South Orange Village, offers exceptional dining and service. Our traditional Italian and American menus accompanied by daily fresh specials ensure there is something for every diner. Large, private dining room and catering menus available for large parties and… events.Continued

Cafe Arugula

3.5

22 $30 and under restaurant

Featured Reviews

More Reviews ›

Reviews from OpenTable Diners Learn More

23 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Very Good) 3.8 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3.9 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.6 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

23 Current Reviews

Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews

Overall

(Very Good) 3.8 / 5

Food

(Outstanding) 4.1 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 3.9 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 3.6 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

Filter Reviews By:

Diners classify this restaurant as:

neighborhood gem(13)
good for groups(12)
fit for foodies(9)

special occasion(5)
great for lunch(4)
kid-friendly(3)

Current OpenTable.com Diner Reviews (23)

Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Wait staff was excellent,

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 04/13/2012

2012

Dined on 04/13/2012

2012

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"Wait staff was excellent, food was excellent. Would definetly return again and would recommend to family and friends."

Dined on 04/13/2012

2012

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

Appetizer salads were very

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/31/2012

2010

Dined on 03/31/2012

2010

Food

(Fair) 2 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"Appetizer salads were very good. Entree pasta dishes were under-seasoned & kind of boring."

Dined on 03/31/2012

2010

Special Features: good for groups, kid-friendly

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Our food and service was excellent.

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/11/2012

2010

Dined on 03/11/2012

2010

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"Our food and service was excellent. That's why we continue to return after more than a dozen years."

Dined on 03/11/2012

2010

Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

The food at Cafe Arugula is

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/17/2012

2008

Dined on 03/17/2012

2008

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"The food at Cafe Arugula is consistently good, but the service is often lacking."

Dined on 03/17/2012

2008

Special Features: neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

The food is excellent and

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/10/2012

2005

Dined on 03/10/2012

2005

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Fair) 2 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"The food is excellent and the portions are good sized. The chef is very accommodating in that they will change any dish to your liking. The problem was the service. We had to ask twice for bread. My husband ordered soup and an appetizer. They never brought his appetizer. I will go back because it is usually very good. I also like that it is BYOB."

Dined on 03/10/2012

2005

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Cafe Arugula never disappoints

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/04/2012

2007

Dined on 03/04/2012

2007

Food

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Fair) 2 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"Cafe Arugula never disappoints - whether for a romantic dinner with my husband, family dinner with the kids or lunch with my college roommates. Consistently fresh and delicious food and attentive service. The decor could use some sprucing - it is dated and tired, but that might add to the charm."

Dined on 03/04/2012

2007

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

We had a very nice Dinner

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 03/03/2012

2005

Dined on 03/03/2012

2005

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Ambiance

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"We had a very nice Dinner Saturday at Cafe Arugula. Have not been there in a while but will definitely plan on returning again."

Dined on 03/03/2012

2005

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion

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Overall rating

(Fair) 2 / 5

The food was very good at

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/14/2012

2001

Dined on 02/14/2012

2001

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Poor) 1 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

"The food was very good at Cafe Arugula. My wife had the Veal Balsamic, which was an unusual combination, but very good. I had their ravioli, and it was quite delicious. Salads were large, so they could be easily shared. The major problem was the service out of the kitchen. We went on Valentine's Day, and the restaurant was not crowded. They had enough wait staff, but the waitress informed us that the kitchen was understaffed - some no shows. The result was a fairly slow meal for us, but for the next table, it was a disaster. They waited for over an hour for just the salad (which we got right away) and when they asked to speak to the manager, he never showed. If they get their act together with staffing, could be a very good place."

Dined on 02/14/2012

2001

Special Features: special occasion

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Overall rating

(Good) 3 / 5

Not what it used to be....

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 02/04/2012

2002

Dined on 02/04/2012

2002

Food

(Good) 3 / 5

Service

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Ambiance

(Outstanding) 5 / 5

Noise Level

Moderate

"We used to LOVE Cafe Arugula and would go there once a month. It always had a vibrant feel to it, very hip. The food was always good. Well, not so much any more. Our waitress was fantastic - so attentive, but the food was just okay. My daughter ordered the gnocchi and it was in huge pieces and very mushy with barely any sauce on it. We all tasted it (there were 5 of us) and none of us liked it. My chicken piccata was good, but a bit cold when it arrived. The swordfish special was absolutely delicious. But all in all, this restaurant is just not what it used to be. After reading the other reviews I decided to go in with an open mind but left there agreeing with many people below."

Dined on 02/04/2012

2002

Special Features: good for groups

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Overall rating

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Reliably Delectable

OpenTable Diner Since

Dined on 01/28/2012

2010

Dined on 01/28/2012

2010

Food

(Very Good) 4 / 5

Service

(Good) 3 / 5

Ambiance

(Good) 3 / 5

Noise Level

Energetic

"Cafe Arugula has been around for awhile, and it's in the midst of reinventing itself. Always popular, its service can suffer a little when it's full, but we have always found the servers helpful and friendly. The food is excellent most of the time, but some missteps here and there prevent me from giving it a consistent rating of excellent. The crab cake appetizer, branzini special with olives, garlic and tomato, and a spinach fettuccine with lobster in a creamy parmesan sauce stood out on our last visit. But dry bread and an under-sauced lasagne bolognese were just slightly disappointing. Overall, a great local eatery we return to again and again."