No. 12

Where do I even start! From the outside. So I love the cool speakeasy vibe where the main entrance is hidden in an alley and you need a special door code to enter. Something totally different and unique for Ridgewood. Upon entering I was greeted by Zaid, he welcomed us in, was super police, warm and friendly! The lighting, decor, and music fit the vibe perfectly for the speakeasy theme. Definitely works for a first date spot as well if you kinda wanna take your date to an intimate spot. To the food, I really liked a bunch of things on the menu so tried about 10 items. The plates are tapas style so they are great for sharing. We had the claim chowder fries, oysters on the half shell, ceviche, grilled oysters, scallops, foie Gras, octopus, and honey glazed carrots. For dessert we had the beignet which was perfectly crafted. Everything was delicious! My favorites were the octopus, scallops, and beignet. Lastly the service by Zaid was top notch! He was very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu and made great recommendations. The service alone is a reason to go back alone. I definitely look forward to going back again soon!

Went here for a bridal shower and everything was great. Service was quick and food was so delicious. The decor makes you really feel like you are in a speakeasy which for cocktails and something small to eat is perfect. It is quite dark inside but that's the vibe of the place as they are going for the speakeasy look. I'm definitely going back to try the cocktails they make as the drinks were provided by the hosts not the restaurant. Also, it's a bit hard to find, so when you're looking at Stella on the corner go to the right of it and walk down the alley, it's the blue door on the left.

My friends and I had so much fun at No. 12. We went on a Saturday evening at around 8:30p for our res. The steak was INCREDIBLE!! Best steak we’ve had at a restaurant in a while. Overall food and presentation was well prepared. Ziad was so lovely and personable as was the rest of the staff. Really good vibes and music! It would be nice if they got their liquor license back because it sort of goes hand in hand with the speakeasy vibe, but understand those are expensive these days. At least there’s BYOB! I recommend coming here!

A fun filled night, which began by checking in at a different restaurant and getting a secret code for the door of Restaurant No 12... We had a big party and took over a good part of the restaurant! Ziad handled our group professionally and courteously. We ordered lots of the small plates, so that we could try a large variety of the menu. Everyone was happy with everything that we ordered! Carrots and the meatballs were fantastic! Everything was great! They even turned up the music for some impromptu dancing! Great time was had by all!

We had a memorable meal this past weekend at No-12, a tapas style restaurant. Unfortunately, the experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Warning signs came early and quickly. Our server was unable to answer the questions on dishes that the menu indicated we should inquire about (what fish is the ceviche from, information about the oysters, and we learned that the special pasta is “rigatoni”). We ordered the tuna tartare, half-dozen oysters, the bang-bang shrimp, clam chowder fries, the spicy mussels and the sweet ricotta toast. Sadly, each dish suffered from a profound lack of imagination in its execution which then combined with an air of cheapness that permeated each plate. I definitely have never been to an upscale restaurant with such bad presentation skills. With just a little thought and care these dishes could be made so much better but the restaurant manages to create simple dishes in all the wrong way. Unnecessary extras distract from the average at best main ingredients. No-12 should focus more on the stars of each dish instead of, for example adding raw cucumber slices or beds of shredded lettuce to a plate. Presentation like this is reminiscent of concession stands at the zoo or a bar at a railway station, not a fine dining establishment. No-12 does have some things going for it. The atmosphere is great, the old school continental charm for some reason combined perfectly with the turn-of the millennium R&B and old school rap for a hip vibe. Regrettably this can’t make up the substandard food combined with not even the servers knowing what’s being served. One leaves with a feeling that this establishment would be a ripe candidate for one of those TV shows where they rescue a restaurant. In case the owners read this review please find my detailed feedback and recommendation on each dish below. Staff knowledge enhancements are needed without saying of course as well and would go a long way in alleviating in what was overall a truly abysmal experience. Tuna tartare: Reeks of cheapness with the raw cut cucumbers on the bottom and the tartare that feels pre-made at a Whole Foods or Wegmans. Ditch the cucumbers, switch the plate for a bowl, create a slightly more interesting tartare mix and garnish with some micro herbs and a more interesting sauce. Oysters: Decent enough but not excellent. The ketchup was a weird accoutrement and the horseradish was so dry that it was almost powdery. Not sure what advice to give here. Bang Bang Shrimp: Get rid of the bed of shredded lettuce unless you’re deliberately going for the cafeteria feel. Use fewer but larger shrimp and enhance the presentation by making a design on it w/ the spicy mayo and a putting a few green micro herbs on the plate. Clam Chowder Fries: Great concept, probably my favorite dish. Unfortunately seems to combine canned clam chowder and frozen fries but the concept is solid. Fry the fries crispier so they hide the paste like “qualities” of the potatoes if you stick to frozen. Spicy Mussels: Ok at best. Weird combination of white wine and red sauce, which even with a considerable spicy punch ends up being bland and blatantly uninteresting. Ricotta Toast: I’d recommend that the bread be toasted. Other than that, the ingredients were good quality but let’s face it, when it comes down to it, this dish is something that can be made at home in minutes and doesn’t necessarily qualify as cooking. Still can be amazing and has its place on menus if executed well, but with without good quality bread that is just impossible. There are great restaurants in Ridgewood and unfortunately this is not one of them!

Bottom line: so good I want to leave a bad review so I can get reservations when I want. Gluten line: very willing to accommodate and knowledgeable of their ingredients. Bottom line: the whole thing is more about the experience. From getting the reservation, to arriving and how well they play along with keeping it hush hush, getting the code and walking to the side door, to finally getting inside and feeling the very intimate atmosphere. Wifey and I had a blast. Even the menu is only written on the large glass pictured. Servings are not as small as they say. From a culinary standpoint we were pleasantly impressed. We will definitely be back.

A+ dining experience. So cool that you need a code to unlock the door. First off, it's BYOB so plus points right there. We had oysters to start. They have a phenomenal selection of east coast to west oysters, be sure to try a variety! The menu changes weekly (good thing, because we will be frequent diners). It is mostly small plates but some plates are larger than others (chops, steaks, etc). Everything we ate was delicious. First, they give you fresh baked bread which was maybe the best bread I d ever eaten. We started with burrata toast which was delicious. Then we had the short rib stuffed peppers which were creative and tasty. The clam chowder fries might've been the best plate of the night. Chicken pie was hearty and very tasty. The pasta was the best pasta I've had in years (and uses fresh-made daily pasta from their sister store around the corner). Simple ingredients executed perfectly. We finished with the beignets which are very light so if you have even a little bit of room in your stomach, make it happen. Prices are fair for the quality/experience. Looking forward to the return.