As one of the newer-ish restaurants to open in Bergen County, NJ, the buzz around ORA is that it’s a must-try place. ORA took over the spot where Cool Beans used to be and transformed the space into a chic, modern spot that is both casual and dressy and the vibe is cool and relaxed. It’s a place where you can go to celebrate a milestone or to have a nice meal out with your family. It’s two floors, where upstairs seem to accommodate families and larger parties. One side of the upstairs is a bar lounge section with couches and coffee tables to meet for drinks before dinner or a comfortable spot if you want to stay for more drinks after. Conversation might be tough with the loud music but the couch cushions are inviting and some of the cocktails are good.
My first time here was in the Fall of 2025 and 12 of us came to celebrate my friend, Elise’s birthday. Some of us arrived a few minutes early so we can have drinks at the bar before our dinner reservation. We didn’t expect the cozy lounge area upstairs and were immediately impressed. Dinner that night was a series of hits. The service was attentive, appetizers and drinks were flowing, every entrée came with enthusiastic approvals. We left that night understanding the hype.
ORO BIANCO
Grey Goose Martini
FUMO ROSA
I am a vodka soda usually. If i’m feeling adventurous, I’d ask for a splash of cranberry and 2 limes. As important a chef is to a restaurant, the mixologist/bar chef also plays a big role for the drinks that go with the food. So when a restaurant has beautiful bar section, specialty cocktails are on order. We tried to get to ORA early for our reservation so we can go upstairs to the lounge to hold down some cushions and try a new cocktail off their drink menu. We made it right on time for dinner and they sat us at our table right away so we decided we would to go to the lounge after dinner instead. But I still had to have my cocktail! I couldn’t decide between the ORO Bianco or the Stella Viola. Our waitress said the ORO Bianco is better because it’s less sweet out of the two. I was intrigued by the combination of blanco tequila, white creme de cacao, lillet blanc and pistachio oil. The contrasting flavors didn’t compliment each other and made the drink taste odd, but not terrible. Alfred and his friend ordered Grey Goose Martini’s and they both agreed that was the worse blu cheese stuffed olives they ever had. Booo. Better luck next drink, right? I needed a dictionary to look up all the ingredients of the drinks on the menu so I asked the waitress what her favorite drink was and ordered that. The Fumo Rosa tasted like bandaids. That pretty pink stuff that looks like salt on the side of my glass did not offer any kind of sweet, salty or tangy respite. That tasted like dirt. I feel like a jerk for saying this but I feel nauseous just thinking about that drink now.
We did not enjoy the Clams Casino. Is that fennel I taste in there? I generally don’t like fennel but it works in some dishes, just not this clam dish for me. I have had the Octopus at ORA before and I remember it being good. This night was different. The octopus was soggy and mushy. The gigante beans and smoke tomato vinaigrette were good but couldn’t save the dish. The Piccante Wood-Fired Pizza was the best thing we ordered this night. The dough was medium-thick, chewy and crispy and oozed wood fire taste. I love the little round pepperoni that gets crispy on the edges from baking. The peppers were tangy and perfectly spicy and I wish there was more of it on the pizza. The dots of stracciatella was such a good topping to bring the cured meat, tomato sauce, peppers and doughy crust together in all its creamy rich glory. The Tuscan Fries were not great, and that’s coming from someone who basically loves all fries. They were too hard/crispy and not any kind of tender, even in the middle starchy part of the fry. The Broccoli Rabe “Aglio E Olio” was delicious. The tender bitter greens had so much garlic-y olive oil, citrusy and salty in a very good way. I also want to note that the butter that came with the bread plate was so good, whipped and warm. Yes, I always eat the bread and yes, I know it fills me up before my meal but I can’t help myself, especially when the butter is so good.
Clams Casino
Tuscan Fries
Octopus
Broccoli Rabe “Aglio E Olio”
Piccante Wood-Fired Pizza
Bread Plate and Butter
Alfred and I have a rule of not ordering steak at a non-steakhouse restaurant. Apparently, Alfred throws rules out the window because this was the 2nd time in two weeks he did this and was left disappointed. He ordered the 16 oz. Dry Aged Prime Ribeye. It was cooked perfectly medium-rare but it lacked flavor. There was too much coarse pepper and the meat didn’t taste meaty and it wasn’t melt in your mouth tender. The texture was more rough and not silky soft nor intensely flavorful like dry aged steak usually is. Alfred had the Double Cut Pork Chops the first time he ate here. It was tender, flavorful and cooked a perfect medium. My friend, Vicky ordered it this time and she said she liked it. I ordered the Branzino Alla Plancha last time I was here and loved it. This night I ordered the Florida Grouper. It was perfectly cooked, moist, tender and flaky. I especially enjoyed the lemon-artichoke farrotto that formed the base of this dish. It was a perfect blend of tangy and smoky from the tomato vinaigrette. The snappy texture of the asparagus and spring peas gave the farrotto a nice balance. I love barley and farrotto has a similar nutty, chewy, robust texture.
16 oz. Dry Aged Prime Ribeye
Double Cut Pork Chop
Florida Grouper
After dinner, we ventured back to the lounge area. Thursday night at 9pm, the lounge was packed and the music was loud, so we called it a night. Overall, the vibe was nice and service was good. They tried too hard on being bold and edgy with the cocktails but it didn’t work for me. A few hits and a bunch of misses.
6.5 out of 10 from me.
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