Been a customer of Baumgarts in Ridgewood, NJ for 30 years. Food always good. Went there last week for lunch and the restaurant was empty. My wife and I were the only customers. Was greeted by our waitress informing us there is no more lunch menu, only dinner menu. This was 1 PM. OK, do I want to pay dinner prices for a quick lunch, not really. But with the current climate of the economy I said OK and we ordered. I was asked what kind of rice I wanted and I said I was trying to cut back on carbs so can I have some extra vegetables instead. The answer was NO! NO SUBSTITUTIONS! OK, I'm paying $20 for the lunch that is normally $12 and you wont give me a few extra string beans instead of rice? Owners decision, and he was not there to discuss. We packed up and left at that point. Remember, we were the only customers there! Goodbye Baumgarts, never going back. With an attitude like that predicting they wont be around much longer. Funeral for Baumgarts will be held at Feeny's down the block soon. Good riddance! Bob S. read more

Showed up close to closing time and they were still more than happy to serve us. Love the variety of menu options. Big portions, plan on bringing home leftovers. I recommend: shanghai wontons, Thai fried rice (has a perfect kick to it), pineapple fried rice, and the king bao chicken. You can skip the sushi unless you are like me and need a tri-weekly fix to function. Try and save room for a scoop of their homemade ice cream! read more

Baumgart's Cafe - Shanghai wontons - Chinese Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

We've been coming to Baumgarts for years. It is a bit more expensive than the local Chinese food but more reasonable for Japanese food. They are great people and very high quality. Great home made ice cream! Think of it as a very friendly and efficient American/Chinese/Japanese restaurant. They have a dish which is pickled broccoli stems that is the best and unique. more of a garnish but delish just the same. Great for family dining. Absolutely Fantastic Fish entree' is the best. Never had bad tasting or less than absolutely fresh food Originally gave review for Englewood but meant to provide this to the Risgewood location. Englewood is good too but we prefer Ridgrwood every time. read more

Baumgart's Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

I know I wrote a review ages ago for this place, not sure where it went, oh well. Three-cups Chicken Casserole (San bei jei) White meat chicken with ginger & basil leaf, dry chili pepper, scallion & served in hot casserole. $16.50 While it was pricy for the serving, it actually tasted pretty good. There was the mix of sweet and hot you'd expect from a good version of the dish. Otherwise, the prices are high. In terms of the place itself, it is odd. It's a weird mix of Chinese, Thai, and American Diner food (with some ice cream to boot[go to Van Dyck's instead].) It's an odd experience to say the least. read more

We really used to love this place while the food is still very good-the service needs improvement. The hostess is not very attentive (we waited for menus-after choosing our own table) and the waiters seemed ambivalent about us, our orders (each came separately) and our birthday celebration. I was a little disappointed. The food was a little cloying- not as good as it used to be. read more

Ordered take out and drove about 20 minutes to pick it up. They forgot to give me an item on my order. I called when I got home and they told me I could come pick it up. They should confirm orders before just sending people out. The food is good but horrible customer service. Young girls that have no idea what they're doing. read more

Ordered take out from Baumgarts tonight, we live about 20 minutes away but took the drive. When my husband got home half our order was missing. The manager said they would not deliver to us because we live too far, and could not even credit us for what was missing. Some song and dance about the machine not working, but she could put a credit under our phone number for next time or we could come pick up what was missing and get free ice cream. There won't be a next time or no way we will be paying for food we never received !!! Also ice cream when we said we live 20 min away? Don't get more stupid than this. Stay away! Not worth the headache . read more

Oh yum! I love this place. The food is great in both locations-- Englewood and Ridgewood. The sesame chicken is yummy.. the service very friendly. The icecream sundaes are the perfect way to top off your meal. read more

The food is consistently good at the Ridgewood location. The chicken with broccoli and the steamed dumplings are my favorites. Portions are generous and the staff is always efficient. Food is always ready in 15 minutes when I call for take out. read more

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Went here with family for dinner. They were able to accommodate our large group on this particular night. The food was good, although the won ton soup was pretty bland and had very little, if any, flavor. Service was slow, as there was only one server covering the upstairs dining area, but he was very nice and attentive. The downstairs area appears to be an ice cream/soda shop, but we didn't eat there, so I can't comment on that part of the restaurant. Overall, decent meal, nice atmosphere, and great staff! read more

This place keeps going down hill save your money and health avoid. The food in Bergen county is a rule is poor compared to the city but this place stands out for poor quality. read more

This place is absolutely disgusting. The food here is just gross and the people here are not nice. The hostess was giving us rude comments and dirty looks. Are waiter also was super creepy and tried hitting on my mom. I felt very uncomfortable eating here and will never come back again. read more

So I'm in NJ for a bday party and I'm told we are going to Baumgart's for dinner. Chinese food is alright in my book and I love going out to eat in Ridgewood so I was pretty confident about the evening. While arriving into town, I pass a comment about not having been there before. Dear friend I hadn't seen in six months tells me we went in a group together there way back when. I had no recollection. As we turn into the parking lot, it all clicked and I thought "Nooooooo" with my palms pressed up against the glass and my mouth gaping wide open. Oh well, we were there and it was a friend's birthday so I put my memory of disappointment from two summers ago behind me and figured I would give it a whirl again. Table for ten upstairs up against the front window. Holy draft, if that's what it feels like in early October, every person should refuse to sit near a window from November to March. So, I sit there with my jacket on. No biggie, right? Waiter comes to take drink orders. I ask about a house white wine. They don't do that, he tells me. Okayyy, what kind do you have? They serve nothing. Zip. Nada. Bring your own. This is a birthday party and I have to order a Diet Coke. And what happens? It comes in a CAN. Charging me $1.75 for a fountain soda where I get free refills is absolutely fine. Charging me $1.75 for a can of soda I have to open myself makes me PO'd for the rest of the night. Not wanting to dump any more of my negative income into this place, I decide on one of their "big Chinatown style" soup bowls and picked out the one that was called "Chef's Special" because with a name like that, you would assume it would be good and special. Not only did my "dinner" get served with everyone else's appetizers, it was awful. Floating meat with way too many and way too long noodles with flavorless broth. It made me wish I had forked over the extra $8 and gotten a real meal. But then I snuck bites from friends' plates and realized I was better off. When you mess up coconut shrimp, you've really made a dinner sin in my book. So then I split a sundae because their "homemade famous" ice cream sounded promising. Famous for overpriced! I don't mind paying $6 for a sundae. I do mind when I order a sundae and get only two scoops of ice cream with a tablespoon of whip cream and a little bit of hot fudge that was hardened on the plate (not put on the actual ice cream) by the time it came out. That is not a sundae and they should be ashamed of themselves! I am NEVER going back. And I don't care whose birthday it is. read more

Is it a diner? Is it an Asian restaurant? I like that Baumgart's doesn't try to fit any molds. The name sounds like it might be associated with a classic American joint. But this is anything but a classic American joint. The exterior of the building looks like a house, but the interior is decorated like a diner with classic pop culture memorabilia throughout. The waiters are Asian men, and the menu has a strong Asian influence. We came here for lunch on the 4th of July, and the restaurant was reasonably crowded. I ordered the tofu with vegetables, and my dining companion opted for a create-your-own-stir-fry meal. My dish was simple, but it was executed well. The tofu had a smoky flavor and was very firm. The vegetables were fresh and cooked so that they were crispy, not mushy. It was served with a simple garlic brown sauce that was just a little too salty for my taste. I was ridiculously thirsty for the rest of the afternoon. Overall, though, Baumgart's serves decent food for a decent price. For casual dining in Ridgewood, this seems like a reliable option. I think they have homemade ice cream too! read more

My mom & dad used to go here religiously once and sometimes even twice a week, their food was always really good and fresh. I have also gone there many many times and loved it. So why the 1 star review you ask?? My hubby & I went here w my parents on our 1 year anniversary (Sept 2012) and it was the worst night I ever had there. We ordered the special soup of the day and what was in mine??? A baby roach. Yup. Talk about disgusted??!? The amount of times we have eaten there and they have bugs (roaches at that!!!) We left immediately. Uggghhhh....needless to say it wasn't an ideal 1 year anniversary dinner so thank God we had the top tier of cake from our wedding day to have for dinner!!! Ps my mom is heart broken bc this was her fav restaurant. Go figure. read more

Delivery many times ... always fast, hot , friendly service , no delivery fee or minimum amount. Tasty food. read more

I have been here 3 times within the year. The food is on point and the service is awesome. I always get the ice cream. read more

Baumgart's Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

***Dessert Only Review*** Not bad, nothing great. Our fav part of their sundaes was the lovely homemade whipped cream. Service was kind of curt, but not rude. read more

Love the fact that they will happily deliver as little as a sandwich. The wraps are great, chicken with veggies and sesame dressing is really good and the Chinese food is delicious! Chicken with pine nuts is very good! The sweet potato crisps are AMAZING!! A mix between a fry and a chip, with a sugar crunch and a delicious horseradish sauce. I ordered a cheesesteak today and that was mediocre I wouldn't order again. Always friendly service. read more

Baumgart's Cafe - Cheese steak with sweet potato crisps- the sweet potato crisps are amazing!! Pass on the cheesesteak ! - Chinese Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Baumgart's, oh how I've missed you. Don't know why I strayed or stayed away so long. So glad we've reconnected. No, it is not your familiar, greasy Chinese slop. Anyone with a craving for red tablecloths, a fish tank, a pot of hot tea and all the duck sauce you can tolerate should consider more traditional establishments. No, it's not fine dining either, but doesn't pretend to be. Had a fun, enjoyable dinner here on Saturday night. We avoided the Babies R Us crowd by going a little later. We were told the wait would be about 15 minutes. It was 10. 5-stars for honesty! Have been here many times already but decided to break out of the comfort zone of our standbys. Instead, we had the mini crabcakes appetizer (loved the dipping sauces), three cups chicken, and baby shrimp/scallops w/snap peas. Very good; I'd recommend them all. Tasty, not too salty, greasy, or overly spiced. The service was great. Perhaps we got lucky that night, but the chap who seated us, our server, the gal up front, and even the busboy were all wonderful. 5-stars for friendliness! (For a little history lesson and greater enlightenment, Grasshopper, check out the original Baumgart's located in Englewood - if you can park, that is.) read more

We love the chicken and pine nuts. As a low carb guy, I like the rice less no name roll. My son loves the pan fried noodles with shrimp. My new favorite new treat is the fried tofu with string beans. The kids are hooked on the ice creams. read more

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Favorite sushi spot in new jersey. Sushi is always fresh and cleanly made. Ingredients always high quality. The Chinese food is also very enjoyable. We order from them at least once a month and we are never disappointed. delivery is fast and hot plus they always throw in free ice cream enough for multiple people to enjoy. read more

I hadn't been to this restaurant in a few years and recently went there again, and have been back a few times. I had forgotten how much I liked it. It's not loaded with MSG, and the menu offers a wide variety of cuisines, like Thai, Japanese, and even Malaysian. I now remember having the Malaysian food a while back and was very disappointed, and that's probably why I stopped going until now. I now stick to the Chinese and Japanese and have not been disappointed. One thing, we had ordered the carrot cake for dessert and it was dry and stale, so we sent it back, then we ordered the key lime pie which was just as unpalatable, it was too sweet, sticky and definitely not worth the calories. Next time, I will stick to their ice-cream. Overall, a great place for a mid-week dinner that won't break the bank. read more

Reliable Chinese food prepared in a unique way unlike other Chinese restaurants. We particularly love their lo mein served with udon noodles. Many other tasty dishes from which to choose and gracious service make this a go-to restauran! read more

Nice interior but the customer service could use some work. I did enjoy the seating area and the food was pretty good. It's just the customer service that needs work such as coming by to see if everything was ok and they were having trouble splitting our checks read more

If you are looking for authentic chinese, this is not the place. But if you are looking for some great unique chinese fusion with an awesome selection of sushi, then stop looking elsewhere. One great thing about this place is that you get some really creative dishes without the fine, eclectic dining and extreme prices generally associated with fusion restaurants. We shared an order of sizzling shrimp for a main and the cold noodle apetizer. Both were great. I also tasted the flat noodles in brown sauce which was amazing. If you like ice cream, this is not the place to pass on desert. The flavor selections were limited but with a good selection none the saem. I had the black raspberry mini sundae and tasted the espresso flavor, both worth the trip alone. read more

I love it here, my family has been coming here for years. They have the best sesame noodles I've ever had, which is saying something! Their sesame chicken is absolutely perfectly crunchy. The hot and sour soup is only served on weekends, but definitely try it if you have the chance. Their sushi is super fresh and they give you a lot of fish, but it's pricey. Also, the ice cream is amazing, and you can't NOT get hot fudge on top. read more

Baumgart's Cafe - Tuna N' Tuna sushi and sesame noodles. Delicious! - Chinese Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Decor is diner like but fine. Service was great and very friendly. Food was good and we all had a good time! Tuna in Spicy Tuna Roll was actually very fresh and delicious, and the dish I had was very tasty, so there! No, it is not authentic and is a mash up of all things Asian, but we enjoyed it. Not sure why there are so many haters, but it is what it is and fine for that. If you want hardcore sushi or Chinese or Thai go somewhere else. read more

Wow..that's fresh good food! The crispy noodle and the beef and broccoli were excellent! !!! Great friendly service too. I'm definitely coming back! read more

Great atmosphere after 7:30 or 8pm - otherwise you just need to be toddler tolerant. This place definitely has it's own unique cheeky style. Really like their orange beef. When I'm not feeling so gluttonous, my healthy creation: sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, mangos and jumbo shrimp with the spicy brown garlic sauce. read more

Sushi and appetizers are good. Don't bother ordering the entrees.. The atmosphere is loud with screaming children everywhere. It's a good family restaurant but an awful place to take a date (unless you're trying to convince your date not to have children). Service is above average! The food comes fast too. Overall I give it 4 stars if u treat it like a tapas bar and go during school hours. read more

I have been to Baumgart's previously when I was younger and I enjoyed it. I ventured back with some family members to the cafe around lunch time for a get together. I for one, truly and earnestly, have a difficulty with restaurants that don't really know their identity. I love a restaurant that MAXIMIZES on what its good at and MINIMIZES on what it's average or below average at. There's a mexican restaurant in my town that made some pretty slamming delicious tamales. No other restaurant offers them. But they refuse to maximize on that, despite it being why they are a little more popular. I don't understand. With that said, Baumgart's is a hybrid Thai- Chinese- Diner. I don't know where they got the idea, how it became what it is, but it's there. Because of this, walking in this place with a Yelp presumption, I still had a difficult ordering the "Spaghetti or Veal Osso Bucco from the Italian Restaurant." I want to get what you're best at! Don't you understand?!?!?! The waiter was little to no help but very attentive and cheery during our visit. So I ventured into the menu and ordered. The Shanghai Wontons, dumplings in a spicy but flavorful sauce, were outstanding. It's a great idea. I've seen it a few times since then and still really enjoyed their variation. Then I ordered the Duck. This was a whole different battle. The duck had bones in it, not in a routine way or uniform way so I hesitated every bite. It was slightly too dry and they weren't generous enough on the sauce. I ate and picked it apart but never really hit that point of satisfaction. Disappointing. I always want to give restaurants a chance but without having an identity, I just can't reconcile how I am supposed to order. All in all, there are plenty of serviceable types of food at Baumgart's. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there because it really hasn't hit that specialty that would make it, Go Out of The Way Worthy. But if it's there, it'll hit the spot in someway. :/ read more

I've been coming to baumgarts for years always delicious and consistent. Sesame Chicken: Baumgart's Sesame Chicken is hands down the best sesame chicken you'll ever try. They use clean white meat chicken drenched in a delicious sweet and savory sesame sauce accompanied with some string beans. The chicken is not too breaded like other places, where is taste doughy and mushy, each bite is a guaranteed crispy piece of chicken, I even get an extra side of sauce to dip the chicken in, as well as other dishes. Chicken with Pine Nuts: Is one of my favorite appetizers small white meat chicken morsels , pine nuts, thin shredded cabbage, in a delicious brown savory sauce (very similar to a chicken and broccoli brown sauce.) I don't even use the lettuce wraps, this dish taste good on its own, even taste good cold the next day, the sauce is amazing. Hot Sesame Noodles: Thick udon type noodles, with a peanut butter sauce. Sauce is a bit thick and doesn't cover entirely, but still tasty. I've used left over sesame sauce on the left over noodles without sauce. Ice Cream: I've only had the coffee/espresso flavor (which somewhat reminds me of the old Starbucks coffee ice cream you'd find at the store, nice bold flavor) and the black raspberry both excellent! read more

Don't know how this place got such low reviews. The food I has was great! Another complaint I had read was that it wasn't clean. I had no issues with the cleanliness and its worlds cleaner that any other Chinese food take out restaurant that I ever been to. BYOB is another big plus for me and the wait staff was fine...I had a great time and a great meal. Other Chinese food places should learn how to prepare General Tso's chicken from this place. It should be slightly crispy when served...not mushy, chewy and watery. My General Tso's was in the top 3 best I've ever had served to me. The food reminded me of the food served at the now defunct Avanges Tea House which was practically across the street. Could some of the chefs/cooks have come over once Avanges closed? read more

Fabulous and reliable food. My family and I have been going/order from Baumgart's for years and are never disappointed. The food and service are great! The take out/delivery service and staff are incredible! read more

Sat down and we were immediately usually attended to with water and a menu. Service was pretty excellent all night. We ordered the coconut shrimp which I thought were pretty mediocre. 4 butterflied and pounded it shrimp covered in dirt coconut and drop fried. Too much coconut flake, I thought the dish was pretty bland. From there I had the Chinese eggplant special which had shrimp, chicken, squid, and Chinese eggplant. The shrimp, chicken, and eggplant were all very well cooked; the squid was a bit over and chewy. Everything was very well sauced and seasoned though, and the fish was very enjoyable. My girlfriend had the shrimp and veggie stir fry in white sauce which she liked. I thought the pea pods were a bit undercooked, but the asparagus and shrimp were spot on. Overall, we both, for the most part, enjoyed the meal. I would say my biggest issue would be the price (around $17 an entree), but the service is good and the food is tasty enough. Would definitely go back - and next time I'll take advantage of the byo. read more

The food was ok but the service was terrible. It took forever to be served, food came out at different times. They forgot about one kid's meals. Food was pretty bad, actually, and a piece of plastic was in our sushi. They only took off 50% of that dish when we complained. read more

I found it strange that a restaurant would serve both Chinese and American (plus a little Japanese) cuisine simultaneously, but I decided to give it a shot. I ordered an island wrap and my brother ordered a Chinese chicken dish (forgot which one). Both were pretty bland and not worth the price, although I will say that they were cheaper compared to similar items I had in other restaurants in Ridgewood. Still, what's the point of paying for food if it isn't all that good? Overall, I think this restaurant needs to focus a specific type of cuisine instead of being all over the place. Either that or they need to attempt to attempt to make fusion food that people will enjoy rather than stand-alone products on the same menu from different cultures futility hoping that something is good. read more

Absolutely horrible experience. I went here for lunch and found a hair in my sushi. I showed the waitress the hair and she came back to the table and had the audacity to tell me it was one of my eyelashes but they will take it off the bill. I then explained to her that there was no way that it could have been my eyelash since it was way too long and she continued to argue with me. When I left, I saw and heard the waitress by the register talking to her co-worker explaining the hair situation and said I was very rude and bitchy. I did not appreciate being talked about and will never be going there again. It is unfortunate since I've been there many times prior, but due to that type of behavior they lost a customer. read more

If I could give this place no stars I would. The hamburger meat wasn't fresh and it was undercooked. The fried wontons were a disgrace. They put lettuce in the shrimp fried rice. The tofu was gross. The chicken pad Thai was the worst I've ever eaten. After eating here, I decided to just sit down and meal plan so we never have to order from here again. I can't believe this place is in existence. A literal dumpster fire. read more