It’s been a while since I wanted to go to Sirenetta, the sister restaurant of Sorellina, a popular Italian restaurant located right across the street. Sirenetta opened during the pandemic, replacing Maxwell’s, an institution in Hoboken, a bar famous for hosting bands like The Bongos (first band to play there, one of their members being Maxwell’s cook), as well as Nirvana or The Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few. The place opened and closed few times before permanently saying goodbye to Hoboken in February 2018, leaving this spot empty for quite some time.

The owners of Sirenetta did a good job renovating the place, giving it a brighter and more vibrant vibe, taking advantage of the wrap around windows that make you feel you are outside, but with air conditioning…

Food wise, it is mainly seafood. If you are vegetarian, they do have a few dishes, but it is limited, and they did not seem flexible at all to accommodate. Don’t tell me that your gazpacho already has the shrimp in it and you cannot just serve this cold soup and put the shrimp on the side (that would be for me)!

Otherwise, the food was good, but I thought pricey considering the quantity. Here is what we had:

We started off by ordering drinks, a cocktail for me (a Monte Carlo, made with Rye, Benedictine, Peychaud and lemon) and a mocktail for Jodi (Pineapple Hearts, made with pineapple, grapefruit, lime and cranberry). We sipped them with some homemade bread sticks they brought to the table.

We had few delicious vegetarian dishes: I admit that I did not pay attention to the kale salad that Jodi ordered, but loved the grilled fava beans with sea salt and lemon that are equivalent to the edamame you would get at Japanese restaurants, but of course, this time with fava beans that I rarely see at the grocery stores or on restaurant menu, except sometimes pureed. The baked brie, topped with basil and cherries cooked in a balsamic reduction, was superb, the crispy crust revealing the delicious melted cheese.

The seafood dishes looked stunning, but I was a bit surprised by the portions that I thought would be bigger considering the prices. The broiled oysters with ramp butter were nice, with the ramp butter not overpowering the oyster that tasted fresh.

Broiled oysters at Sirenetta in Hoboken, NJ

The pan seared scallops were well seared (I mention it because in many shows, Chefs get yelled at because they do not know how to sear them) and this dish was like a take on surf and turf as they were served with pork belly which fattiness complemented well the sweetness of the scallops that were sitting on a blueberry soy sauce that was both sweet and savory.

Pan seared scallops at Sirenetta in Hoboken, NJ

Then was the octopus. Served with a carrot puree and spiced olives, I was really surprised by this small portion and it was too bad because I loved it: they definitely know how to cook it; it was not chewy and had a nice char.

Grilled octopus at Sirenetta in Hoboken, NJ

The dessert was perfect to end this meal: it was a local peach tart that was accompanied by a cherry-balsamic swirl gelato. House made, the tart was not too sweet and buttery. It paired perfectly with the ice cream that was quite balanced, not too sweet, not too tart.

So, overall it was a nice meal, with beautiful dishes, but the lack of flexibility of the waiter to accommodate a vegetarian diet and the portions vs the prices are two big negatives for me. But if you do not mind paying whatever price and are not vegetarian, this is a great place for seafood!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Sirenetta - 1039 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Seafood at Sirenetta in Hoboken, NJ

Jean-Philippe Gerbi