Augustino’s

Will never go back! Made a reservation weeks in advance for Saturday, the weekend of Valentine’s Day. When the hostess called to confirm our reservation, I had missed the call, so I called back. The hostess went on to tell me that my reservation had been cancelled. Are you kidding me? How could that have been possible? When I asked her that exact question, she told me I had cancelled it. She then went on to laugh (I’m not joking) about the situation as I was naturally mad and upset. At no point did she even try to accommodate me after she clearly messed up.
Very poor service.

A true Hoboken gem! Authentic Italian food. Staff creates a welcoming and fun environment. No place else like it. Consistently amazing food. Must try the stuffed artichoke appetizer, penne alla vodka and fish francaise. Love Chrissy and Sharon, they are so much fun and make you feel like family.

If you can get in GO! The food is fresh old school Italian and SO GOOD.

It took me ten years to make it here mostly because I was sick of calling and never getting a reservation on a Friday or Saturday (I’m rarely in town during the week). So on a random Wednesday night at 8pm, we decided to take the walk over and give it a go. Luckily, we arrived and there was an opportunity to sit at the bar after a 20 minute wait or so. I assumed that we would be deemed a nuisance hanging around the small bar area given that this is a place that is always full and doesn’t really need us in their way, but it couldn’t be further from the truth — we were welcomed with open arms, served cocktails and taken care of for the next two hours better than anyplace we’d been in a long time.
You’ve read it all before — it’s tiny, it’s busy, the all-​female staff is feisty and very, um, New Jersey. But would you want it any other way? The food and atmosphere together make it an exceptional establishment. The place is the real life «Cheers» because everyone really does know your name — they ask you who you are and then introduce you to others around you. Some are new, some have been coming in weekly for a decade.
The menu can be daunting due to the number of items and the different combinations. My main tip is that your eyes are always bigger than your stomach here. For instance, we went with a portion of pasta, split into two, followed by pork chops with peppers and chicken picatta. This resulted in me having one gigantic pork chop leftover for lunch the next day, along with some of the sides. The poor man next to men went with mussels followed by chicken parm and didn’t even make a dent in the massive hubcap of a chicken cutlet.
We did go for the icebox cake to finish up and it was out of this world. Don’t skip it.
Now I finally understand why this is a Hoboken staple.

Out of all the cuisines in the world, I wouldn’t say that Italian food is my favorite. Which is why I don’t mean it lightly when I say this was one of the best dining experiences of my life. I brought my girlfriend here last week because we were staying at the W Hoboken.
Yes, the restaurant is small, crowded and it can take a little time to get to your table. Definitely make a reservation but even still, expect to wait a little bit. Don’t worry, have the wonderful Denise fix you a deliciously strong Negroni while you wait. We ordered the specials: Pasta Special (spicy sausage bolognese) and the Rack of Lamb Lollipops. Best lamb I’ve ever had — I wanted to bathe in that sauce.
But most importantly you can tell that this restaurant is more than a business, it’s a family and a community. They have a lot of regulars, but they treat everyone (it was our first time) with love and a sense of familiarity. It’s this love and respect for tradition and family that makes this food taste so damn good. Don’t know when the next time I’ll be in Jersey, but can’t wait to go back to Augustino’s.

Really enjoyed this small restaurant in Hoboken. It is very tiny so be prepared, but the food is like home cooking. One of the best chicken parms I ever had, and I could only finish half! If you can get in, enjoy your time!

How can you go wrong with very flavorful Italian American food!!! The portions here are ginormous and they make the best chicken parm I have ever had, it is not to be missed! Other great options are the shrimp very tasty! The service is not the most pleasant however and be prepared to wait: make your reservation a month in advance and still expect to wait even with a reservation.

Rule of thumb — follow what the Unilocalers recommended.
1) Make reservation beforehand. If you plan to walk-​in, the bar is first come first serve and when we were there, the bar spots were taken up pretty quickly.
2) For appetizer, we got «eggplant stuffed with prosciutto, peppers, and fontina cheese» which is recommended by the waitress. This is the holy grail of greatness! My date who does not like eggplant devoured half of the dish! The eggplant was grilled became tender, almost potato-​like. Along with the prosciutto, roast peppers, and fontina cheese — it really came together!
3) For dinner:
— We ordered pork chops with hot peppers (of course). Describing this dish as huge portion is an understatement — this is monstrous! Essentially you are getting 4 pork chops in 2 pieces. The waitress split the porkchop into two plates so my date and I can have our own plate which is super nice of her. It was perfectly done and it was so flavorful. I am very curious to know how they cook it because the porkchop is so thick.
— We also ordered Ravioli. The marinara sauce is amazing! I wish I can drink an entire bowl of that sauce!
4) For dessert, we ordered the Italian cheesecake. We were so disappointed at the dessert. I am not sure what Italian cheesecake was supposed to taste like but… I am pretty sure it should not taste stale. I should have known to not order dessert as no one recommended dessert here…
5) This is NOT BYOB. I was amazed that the bottle wines are very reasonably priced. A bottle of Riesling was $ 20.
6) BRING CASH! Credit Cards, children, etc. will not be accepted as a form of payment.
This is definitely my favorite Italian restaurant in Hoboken now.

Still love this place but thought they have been off lately. Sent a dish back for the first time ever. Again, I love the staff and the food and the atmosphere but I just haven’t been as wowed lately. I’ll be back though.

My favorite place on the planet!
Mussels w/​white wine + bread and butter are to die for.
Breaded pork chops with vinegar peppers
Shrimp Parm
Ice box cake.
Cash is king!

Had a great time at Augustino’s! The staff was extremely friendly and very helpful. We started with the arugula salad special and fried calamari. Both were delicious, as was the bread and bruschetta they provided to start. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm, which was out of this world, and I went with the country chicken. Country chicken was great too. Chicken (on the bone) and sausage with a mix of sweet, tangy and spicy peppers/​mushrooms in a vinegar sauce. It had a hot sauce like feel but tasted amazing. My only complaint was that the appetizers were a little over priced ($ 14 for each) but our meals were delicious and we both took half home.

Wow! Amazing! We loved every minute.
First I must say that we were invited by regulars for a Saturday night dinner at Augustino’s. We arrived on time and were greeted the owner Sharon. From that moment on, we were family.
We started with drinks and their famous bruschetta. Unfortunately, you only got one piece. Every bite was delicious.
Next, we had appetizers: the pasta carbonara was absolutely fabulous. We also got the mozzarella salad which was very good. Nothing was left on our plates.
For entrees, my bf ordered the sunday pasta special. There was so much food that he had another meal to take home. He enjoyed every bite. I had the chicken marsala with a side of pasta with red sauce. It was a beautifully pounded thin piece of chicken with a delicious marsala sauce. I devoured the pasta and red sauce which was excellent. I had enough chicken leftover again for an additional meal.
Our friends had a chicken dish and the shrimp scampi. unlike us, they were used to the portion size and devoured everything. To complement the meal, the crusty Italian bread was very good.
To finish the evening, we all split an icebox cake. It was delicious.
Overall, we had an amazing meal with great friends, fantastic service, and an experience that was second to none. We can’t wait to be invited back to augustino’s with our friends.

Wonderful in a old school good way!!!
A classic !! The staff food and service is amazing you feel welcomed and at home the moment you walk in! A gem A plus from beginning to end!

Best kept secret in Hoboken. The food is delicious and as authentic as the service. I truly feel like I’m at my Italian aunt’s house; I love it. If the place was bigger and I could get reservations a little easier I’d go more often. It’s cash only but look past it.
And yes they will ask you to finish your drink at the bar ONLY if you’ve already paid, had plenty of time to leave and are hogging the table. Give me a break people. What do you expect them to do when you’re hogging one of their 8 tables? You’re being rude, not them.

This place is definitely an experience — a good one!
Even all of the Unilocal reviews couldn’t prepare me for the «Jersey» service experience. The waitresses are a riot. One of them, as she was telling us the specials, said that the pasta special was well worth ordering because it is «f-​ing» delicious. And the other one, kept clicking her fake nails on the table each time she picked up something from the table. But despite these strange «habits» we actually felt that we got really great service. We were never in need of anything, the waitresses came by plenty of times to rearrange our plates for the next course, and when we left, they even thanked us by name (we had made a reservations).
Yes, I know some people would have a problem with that type of service, but honestly, just roll with it and have a good time.
Oh and order the specials. They really were … delicious! :)
Cash only.

Love Augustino’s!
This place is like walking into your mothers house after college break and all you are looking for is some love and food to soothe your soul.
Cash bar, so be prepared for that, and there is signs in the front and ATM’s near.
This place is glorious and best Italian food in Hoboken by far. They make you feel like family they way they interact with you. If you are stuffy, and pretentious and looking for a place where they don’t bust your chops and rub your back while making you laugh then this place isnt for you.
Going with the Specials is never a bad move. Always something creative and delicious on the menu. As far as the staple. get the PorkChop. Eat one and take the other one home for tomorrow. ITS THAT BIG…
Can’t wait to come back and give hugs and kisses to everyone!
–Steve

You gotta be kidding me! 1^st off, they do no take credit cards. Luckily we had just enough cash to pay as the sign was so small on front door. In other words, they are tax dodgers to start. 2^nd, beyond overpriced. 3^rd, food below average. 4^th waitresses annoyingly flirty. Do I want bread? Yes! For the fifth time!
So 2 pathetic plates $ 20.99 each. 2 glasses of house wine, plus. oh wait. TAX! The balls to charge tax when you are dodging. $ 67.00! Dominos would have been better.
Just saw that all the good reviews were from 1 to 7 years ago. I will report them to IRS for that debacle of a meal.

Food is really good the only thing if you don’t have it booked you can’t get in lucky thing we have it booked every month for the year

After 7+ years in town, I finally made it to Augustino’s, a same-​day res for a weeknight at 6:30. Probably the hardest place to get into in Hoboken, but if this place wasn’t SO small and therefore SO hard to get a table, there would be nothing remarkable about it. Except of course, for the staff, which was entertainingly «Jersey.» Until dessert was on the table and they told my girlfriend «I love ya… but you gotta get outta here. I need the table.» That’s my #1 takeaway from the entire disappointing experience.
As for the comfort Italian food, it was pretty good, though not especially memorable. Broccoli rabe appetizer had burnt garlic that added bitterness, veal Marsala was tasty, lobster fra diablo had lots of seafood but the flavor was a bit one-​dimensional (red pepper flake). We had a pretty good bottle of Cab for $ 40 which was actually a good deal. I don’t remember the dessert (something chocolate?) or coffee all that well, other than being rushed through it.
For $ 180 for an early weeknight dinner for 2, I expected something to stand out. Rather than food — ranging from fair to pretty good, but overpriced– or ambiance — kitchy, dated — it was the service. It was amazing to see how quickly the schtick can go from endearing to insulting, and how quickly we went from making future reservations to swearing «never again.»

First note you come here for the atmosphere and the service. Don’t get me wrong the food is good but it’s really the owner, staff and the ambiance that will keep you coming back. The owners will make you feel like you’ve known them forever which is extremely unique.
The space is tiny but is just large enough to accommodate a lot of laughter and just the right amount of customers. The menu is extensive and has a bit of everything you could want. They are helpful with food allergy questions and gave great suggestions for each of us when choosing our meals and wine selections.
Call early getting a reservation can be difficult (we were on a waiting list for two weeks before getting a call that we got a table). Augustino’s is really the perfect place for a family dinner. It has all the feelings and tastes of home.
And bring cash***