Bin 14 is one of my favorite places in Hoboken for brunch and dinner. Their small menu changes often and there is always something that will excite you and want to go back. The place is cozy and warm, with a patio in the back that is much quieter than the outdoor setting, where a band comes to play music for Sunday brunch.
Talking about brunch, Chef Pino’s Wine Bar offers a great deal: the $29 Zeppolini brunch is composed and of three zeppolini (mini zeppole but not so small - larger serving if you order directly from the menu), an appetizer and an entree, with discounted prices for cocktails like the berry spritz (my favorite) or the Sbagiato Nero, made with Campari, sweet vermouth and lambrusco. Of course, they have the classic Bellini, mimosa, etc.
They have a wide range of brunch dishes, from waffles to eggs to burgers and know that you can also order a la carte. Quantities are not huge: this is when you remember that it ia better to have quality over quantity.
What is surprising is that they bring the zeppolini first. I am fine with it: why not starting a meal with dessert, that way you are never full to have some! Know that, when you order in the brunch menu, you will get 3 of them versus 5 when ordering off the menu.
Few things are popular there: first, their thin crust pizza that they cook in their wood fire oven. Jodi always orders the wild mushroom and burrata pizza. I like it but usually ditch some of the arugula on top.
Another popular dish is the hand cut fries. When they opened, they used to have truffle fries that were always a must have. Now, we get the chilies and pecorino fries. Not spicy at all.
But then, if you go there, you must try their meatballs: they are some of the best I ever had. Not dry at all, they propose them as an appetizer or with poached eggs and a creamy polenta that is to die for.
Other egg dishes include their egg in hole that is made with a slice of brioche (with the hole where the egg is cooked), smoked ham and mornay sauce, and served with house potatoes (I prefer the fries though). Very creamy, this is a quite comforting dish. And that brioche is so good!
Dinner is also quite good with lots of dishes that change quite often. When we went recently, they had this cherry marmalade and burrata that was served with roasted hazelnut and crostini. That homemade burrata was amazing: very creamy, I loved the pairing with the cherry marmalade with its sweetness balancing well the milky flavor of the burrata.
One of my favorite appetizers was the grilled octopus that was served with a cannellini beans ragu: I could have eaten even more it, this very comforting dish being succulent and homey; they surely know how to cook octopus and I loved to taste the fact that they finish it in their wood fire oven, giving a nice char.
They also have pasta, Bin 14 being not only a Wine bar, but also a trattoria. So, for the first time, I decided to try one of their pasta dishes and got their truffle and bucatini that were served with a poached egg, parmesan and a light cream sauce. Overall good, although I thought that there was way too much cream.
So yes, Bin 14 is always a treat, for brunch or dinner. if you go for brunch, get their menu: this is a very good deal! But in all cases, I recommend the octopus, the meatballs, the pizza and the zepollini.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Bin 14 - 1314 Washington street, Hoboken, NJ