“ Great atmosphere, great food and, as you can imagine, we had a GREAT experience dining here on a Saturday evening. Located in a residential area of Closter, Stern and Bow seems to have become quite the dining destination in northern NJ. The reviews were relatively positive on Yelp, but there were some that were a bit worrying, which made me wonder if we were going to enjoy the food. The optimist in me still expected it to be good, but how good was the question circling in my head. To start, when you arrive, be warned that the parking lot is exclusively valet. There is no self-parking here. If you're one of "THOSE" people, like me, and you prefer to be the only driver of your car (like ever), there is plenty of street parking in front of the houses on Demarest Ave right around the corner. When we walked in for our 6pm reservation, the restaurant immediately gave off a lively, modern, trendy feel to it. The interior was very clean and vibrant with not one, BUT TWO bars inside. Although it wasn't crowded yet, I knew it had the potential to be from the lack of reservations remaining on the evening when I logged into my OpenTable account. There was surprisingly a lot of space between tables, at least where we sat, so that was refreshing knowing that we wouldn't have others sitting on top of us. Although, as the evening wore on, tables were added or moved so we did end up having other customers closer to us. My only knock of the evening was the fact that the service was a taddd on the slow side throughout our meal. It took a few minutes for a waiter to finally visit our table after we sat down. The menu was exactly what we saw online, HOWEVERRRRR, the real gamechanger for our evening was the fact that there were undocumented specials which the waiter read off to us - and what we ordered from it REALLY, REALLY made our evening. Here's a run-through of what we ordered: GRILLED OCTOPUS - Two words - get it! If you're a fan of grilled octopus, you won't be disappointed. It's as good of a grilled octopus as you will have along with the romesco sauce to dip it in. BAKED CLAMS SPECIAL - This was one of the items that was not on the regular dinner menu. There were 6 baked clams sitting in some lemon sauce on a skillet and it was DE-LICIOUS. We DEFINITELY enjoyed it. I wouldn't say it was the greatest clams ever, but they were some damn good baked clams still. MARGHERITA PIZZA - We ordered this for our kids to share, although we were more than happy to help our kids devour it all. It was the size of a small pizza cut into 8 slices and it was a solid Margherita Pizza - hot, soft and tasty. It was a good pizza. Once again, it's not going to be the greatest pizza you've ever had, but you'll definitely enjoy it if you're here for this. HANGER STEAK WITH FRENCH FRIES AND CHIMICHURRI - OK, NOWWW we're getting to the real good stuff. The steak was all cut up for me and had a nice lump of fries sitting next to it. First off, the steak was absolutely delicious. Excellent flavor and seasoning. Second, it was cooked PERFECTLY to my liking - somewhere between medium and medium rare. Also, the chimichurri sauce was very good too and a fantastic compliment to the steak. My one gripe - I WISH I HAD MORE!!! LOBSTER TAIL RISOTTO SPECIAL - The 2nd item we ordered from the specials menu. If they EVER serve this on an evening that you are dining here, YOU HAVE TO ORDER THIS. No ifs, ands or buts, just order it! I'm a huge risotto fan and this was one of the very, very, VERY best risottos I have ever had. It had all of the elements of a perfect entree - the creaminess of the risotto, the centerpiece and quite generously-sized lobster tail sitting in the middle of the plate and the unexpected large clumps of lobster hiding inside of the risotto like easter eggs. I haven't had this great of an entree at a restaurant in a really long time. When i say perfect, the risotto was cooked perfectly - not under or overcooked - PERFECT. And then you throw in the huge lobster tail and pieces of lobster scattered all over???? It really doesn't get any better. BRUSSEL SPROUTS SIDE - Pretty much what you would expect. It's roasted brussel sprouts. ALMOND TRES LECHES CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND FRESH STRAWBERRIES - To finish off our evening, we ordered this delicious dessert. Yes, it was amazingly tasty, but it was presented so nicely that I didn't even want to touch it. Oh, and they sang Happy Birthday to my wife when they brought it out, which capped off a perfect evening for her special day. What more can I say? Yes, the meal took longer than we would have liked because there were long pauses between the appetizers, entrees and dessert, but I couldn't have asked for anything more with the amazing food and hospitality for my wife's birthday. The experience definitely exceeded my expectations for dinner and it has actually given me thought on potentially visiting during brunch one day. ”

“ Came here for happy hour on a Friday, I arrived before my husband so I grabbed a seat at the bar, which was pretty busy. The bartender said hello and dropped menus before I got the chance to ask her about the happy hour specials. I didn't see a happy hour menu so once she returned I asked her. Once my husband arrived, I told him what the bartender said and he ordered some oysters, which were 1/2 off and he wanted a Guinness. I ordered a glass of wine. The oysters came and they were very good, a nice array of toppings to choose from. I personally liked the shaved horseradish and mignonette sauce. We also decided to put in a plain pizza, they have a wood fire oven there so we had to try. After a few more drinks, we noticed that other people were getting pizza but not us. We went to pay and told the bartender that we did not receive the pizza, and she found out that the order was never put in. An owner overheard and asked if we wanted the pizza still, on the house, we said of course. It took all of 5 minutes and then we were on our way. We thanked the owner and he sincerely apologized. Once we got home, we devoured the pizza, it was so good. Overall, the food was good but the service was just okay. I would try again for the food alone. ”

“ We stopped by for a quick lunch on a Saturday afternoon around 4pm. Shockingly quiet inside, whenever I drive by I see the parking lot is always filled with cars. Inside I was greeted upon entrance and we sat at the bar. The bartender was pleasant and attentive. We split oysters and the Devils Kiss Pizza. Oysters were fresh and delicious and the pizza was incredible. Highly recommend the pizza if you like spicy foods. Pricing was slightly on the higher side but no complaints with the food. We will definitely come back for dinner in the future. ”

“ Wow, what a hidden gem for food, fun, and dancing. On a Saturday night, my date and I ventured out to Stern & Bow, an American restaurant that I can't stop raving about. I had no clue where we were headed--the car ride felt like 45 minutes to an hour, though my date swore it was only 20. We pulled into valet parking off a pitch-dark road, the only source of light being a fragrant fire pit, setting the perfect mysterious-yet-inviting vibe. Walking in, we were greeted three men who looked like the owners, the DJ spinning 80s hits (no complaints here!) and a cozy, well-thought-out space divided into three sections. A lively DJ/pizza area with a giant pizza oven and some cool elevated swivel stools In the middle, a bar with larger tables--our spot for the night k. The left. And on the right, another bar with booths leading to the restrooms. The Food: A Sharing is Caring Affair My date and I love sharing dishes, and choosing appetizers here was no easy task. Torn between the jumbo lump crab cake, charbroiled oysters, PEI mussels, and clams, we finally settled on: PEI Mussels ($19): Steamed in white wine, lemon, and herbs, served with grilled bread for soaking up the flavorful broth. Simple yet so satisfying. Score: 7.5 Charbroiled Oysters ($19): My date insisted, "You don't come to Stern & Bow and NOT get these." And wow--he was right. Topped with parmesan, bacon, garlic, and butter, these were hands down the best oysters I've ever had. So good, I might even try recreating them at home (I hope I can do them justice). Score: 10 Jumbo Lump crab cakes with Remolaude sauce ($25), It was solid but we could have done without it. Score: 6 For our main, we shared the Meatloaf ($29), because comfort food just feels right in the colder months. It came with truffle mashed potatoes, crispy Brussels sprouts (we swapped out the asparagus- this is a huge sacrifice I make for my date as I Loooooooove asparagus), and a truffle wine reduction--every bite was rich, hearty, and exactly what I was craving but I have to say I make a better meatloaf. A great twist was the bacon strips on the hefty slice we shared. Score: 7 The Vibes: From Dinner to Dance Floor I had three French 75s, and let's just say they worked their magic! After dinner, the DJ switched it up with 90s hip-hop, early 2000s pop even Lincoln park (which I haven't heard since High school) and more 80s classics--all without talking over the music (thank you!). The best part? The waiters literally push the tables aside to create a dance floor. Who knew date night would turn into a full-on party? Final Verdict: A Must-Visit Spot in NJ Stern & Bow is the perfect girls' night out, date night, or fun group outing spot. Whether you're sipping cocktails by the fire pit, enjoying top-tier seafood, or dancing the night away, this place has it all. Easily one of the best places my date has taken me to in New Jersey! I'll definitely be back. ”

“ Met friends in a Friday evening and found the ambience to be very nice. They never rushed us, was surprised it wasn't more crowded for a Friday evening but it was perfect for us. The drinks were perfect! The food was perfect and the service was solid. Will return again. We tried the hanger steak and fries, prosciutto pizza and rice cake tuna apps. All outstanding! ”

“ We went here on a Saturday night with a party of 4. We got the Calamari as an app, the Meatloaf, Hanger steak and two sea bass dishes. Everyone one enjoyed the dishes especially the fish. Drinks and service were also good. It's also a good spot to get a bite at the bar which there is one in each room ”

“ Went to Stern & Bow with a few family members several weeks ago and could not have been happier! The staff was very friendly, the service was solid and the food was very tasty. We each had a cocktail and all of those were good too! We went on a Sunday evening and it was surprisingly quiet. There were people seated at a few tables and a few folks at the bar. A lot of the stuff on the menu looked good so the four of us went family style and shared everything. We asked the waitress if we ordered enough food for the group and she said yes. She was right, as we left very satisfied and we appreciated that she didn't encourage us to order food we didn't need. Great place for a nicer evening out. It's like eating at a NYC restaurant without the parking nightmare and higher prices. We look forward to coming back. ”

“ I had a very pleasant experience at stern and bow! Everything from the complimentary bread was delicious. I had the seared Bronzino, dish with broccolini and mashed potatoes and it was delicious. Service was great! Our waiter was wonderful. Ambiance is really beautiful! I would go back for a drink at the bar and for dinner again. ”

“ We were at SB for Sunday brunch. We arrived right when it opened at 11:30 am, free valet service was already there, no issues getting a table. The inside was very nice, with modern look, and a huge bar. This is the first time we tried brunch menu here. The mussels and Charcoal oyster were delicious appetizers. Loved my 1/2 lobster egg Benedict. It's was cooked to perfection, exactly what I was looking for. And there was so much huge pieces of lobster, didn't even feel like it was half. The pancake, crab sandwich and all other entree items looked so amazing. The virgin mojito was a good drink too. Service was good. Food took some time to come out. But we got to see some magic tricks thanks to Kush. Overall it was a wonderful time there. ”