private room in restaurant

juliebeannn · January 2011

helloooo -

so i'm hoping to have a relatively small wedding in northern NJ (~70 people). does anybody have any recommendations of a restaurant with a private room that could accommodate?

so far i'm thinking maggianos (hackensack), brick house (wyckoff), biagio's (paramus)...

has anyone been to a wedding "reception" or even a private party at any of these restaurants?

i'm picturing a very simple lunch/dinner after my ceremony (in Paramus). no dancing. no dj. just a simple meal with the people i love to celebrate our marriage.

i like maggianos cuz the food is good, the banquet rooms are nice, and i've been to a few 1st birthday parties (its a really big deal in my culture) there but i feel a little weird about having my wedding reception at the mall. lol. is it just me?

any recommendations or suggestions would be really appreciated!

thanks!

smw42 · January 2011

I've been to a baby shower at Biagio's and it was incredibly cramped. I'm not sure if this was the fault of the hosts or the restaurant but way too many people were put into the little front room where you couldn't even pull out your chair. They had a buffet style meal and it was good and the staff kept replinishing the food which was nice to see. As long as you aren't near the maximum for the room at Biagio's I'd recommend it. What about Ravello's? I've heard good things about them.

mbcdefg · January 2011

I would enjoy a wedding like that. MH and I batted that idea around for a while.

I know that Courtyard on Main in Freehold has gotten good reviews (although that's probably too far south for you), and ditto Ravello's.

Try searching on restaurantpassion.com for places with private rooms.

vjt730 · January 2011

ponte vecchio in old bridge is perfect for that but its probably 45 minutes from paramus..

USER876 · January 2011

No dancing? People even danced at our Engagement Party and all we had was a guy playign accoustic guitar singing, kind of like those entertainer guys do at bars.

Anywho, all those places you mentioned have decent food. Have you considered a cocktail reception instead of a lunch?

jesmall127 · January 2011

My FI's family has most family events (rehearsal dinners, showers, birthdays) at Brick House and Biagio's. Both have great food although I would give the edge to the Brick House. We've always had great service there, and I love the look of their private rooms. We will probably have our rehearsal dinner there.

My family also loves Ponte Vecchio in Old Bridge, but I think the nicest venue and best food would still be the Brick House.

JoBell123 · January 2011

As with your thoughts, my first thought when you said Maggiano's was 'they're having thier reception at a mall?!" Unless you're doing it on a Sunday, I'd stay away from there because the parking at Riverside is never easy when the mall is open.

Laurms15 · January 2011

I really enjoy Brickhouse. You might also want to look into Portabellos in Oakland. They have a few different rooms that can be used.

JoBell123 · January 2011

I agree about Portobellos. Great restaurant, and they have nice event spaces.

kristen8040 · January 2011

Sherri - Biagio's has a new banquet room, not sure if you were there before they added it, but it looks pretty big (unless you were at a huge shower which of course is possible!)

Brick house was my second runner up for wedding, I never ate there but I've heard great things.

I've also heard that maggianos is pretty reasonable with weddings.

Jobell - just a tip, drive around to the garage and go up to the second level or roof of the garage, no one ever parks there. I used to work at the gymboree there and hated parking till I learned that secret!

smw42 · January 2011

This was back in 2008 so it may very well have been their old room- it was directly off of the restaurant so possibly just a dining space and not the actual banquet room.