7 things to know before you order catering in Hoboken
Uncle Rocco caters from 112 Willow Ave with 24 hours' notice and no minimum order, for pickup or for delivery around Hoboken and five nearby towns. Plates, napkins and cutlery are not included, dietary needs start with a phone call, and catering keeps its own hours.
Ordering catering in Hoboken from Uncle Rocco means the diner menu in trays, sent from the same kitchen that runs the dining room at 112 Willow Ave. The full menu travels: burgers, rotisserie chicken, salads and brunch dishes, made with the same scratch sauces as the dining room. These seven points come straight from the restaurant's own catering page, so you can plan the order before you call.
| Check | What the catering page says |
|---|---|
| Notice | 24 hours |
| Minimum order | None, for pickup or delivery |
| Delivery towns | Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, Secaucus, West New York, North Bergen |
| Plates, napkins, cutlery | Not included |
| Dietary needs | Call before ordering |
1. Give them 24 hours
Every catering order needs 24 hours' notice. That is the restaurant's stated requirement, so a same-day order is not something to plan around. For a Saturday lunch, get the request in by Friday lunchtime.
2. There is no minimum order
None to place an order, and none to have it delivered. A small office lunch goes through the same way as a party of fifty, and the request asks for your headcount in bands from 1 to 10 up to 50 and over.
3. Pickup or delivery, and where delivery goes
Both work. Inside Hoboken the catering page names Castle Point, Downtown, Southwest and the Waterfront, and beyond it Jersey City, Weehawken, Secaucus, West New York and North Bergen. Just outside that list? Call and ask rather than assume the answer is no.
4. Plates, napkins and cutlery are not included
Easy to miss until the trays are on the table. If you need them, say so when you call. The photos on the catering page show what usually goes out: sliders, wraps and sandwiches, and trays of fries and breaded chicken.
5. Dietary needs start with a phone call
The catering page says the kitchen will do its best with gluten-free, vegan and allergy requirements, and asks you to phone before ordering to talk it through. It is a shared scratch kitchen, open to the dining room, and it does not promise a fully separated preparation area. Because the mozzarella, sauces and desserts are made in house, leaving something out is usually possible if you ask. The dietary page lists what the menu itself states, including the one dessert labelled gluten-free.
6. Catering hours are not the dining room's hours
The catering page lists its own times, and they differ from the restaurant's:
| Day | Catering hours, as the catering page lists them |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 9 AM to 2 PM and 5 to 10 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM to 9 PM |
| Sunday | 10 AM to 8 PM |
The dining room keeps different hours, and on Monday to Thursday it closes from 1 to 5 PM. If your time sits near the edge of either, confirm it on the phone when you book.
7. Some dishes travel better than others
The Whole Rotisserie Chicken Family Meal is the natural centre of a catered lunch: local organic chicken with adobo or classic spices, and rice and beans. It needs 45 minutes and only starts at noon, so build the order around that. Jumbo Chicken Wings and Jumbo Mutz Sticks are made for sharing, and the Greek Salad and Baby Kale Caesar both hold up on the way.
For a morning order, the Breakfast Burrito (avocado, eggs, tater tots and cheddar) is self-contained and needs no cutlery, which matters here. The Bacon, Egg & Cheese On A Roll does the same job in a smaller package, and for something that looks like an occasion there is the brioche French Toast stuffed with Nutella or the Lemon Olive Oil Pancake. Brunch dishes follow the brunch board, which runs to 4 PM Friday through Sunday and to the 1 PM close Monday through Thursday.
The catering page's advice on the rest: anything under melted cheese or on a griddled bun is better eaten in the room.
What kind of events they cater
The catering page names four kinds of job it takes on regularly. Corporate events, lunches, meetings and company parties. Weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions and cocktail hours. Private parties, birthdays, anniversaries and family gatherings. And holiday parties. One of the parties in the photos was a first birthday in the restaurant's own backyard, with the food staged straight from the kitchen.
Where the food comes from
The mozzarella is made in the building, which is what "mutz" means on this menu, and so are the sauces the wings come with. The hanger steak in the Steak Frites comes from Vrola, and the wine list is Old York, sold by the half and full bottle. Not sure of the date yet? A gift card covers catering too.
How to send the request
Call (201) 238-2484, or use the catering request email on the catering page. The email comes pre-filled with the questions the kitchen needs answered:
- the date
- the time it needs to be on the table
- the number of people, in bands from 1 to 10 up to 50 and over
- the delivery address
- any dietary requirements
- anything else they should know
Dietary needs are the one item they would rather hear about by phone. Hosting the party at 112 Willow Ave instead? That is the private dining room, and a holiday party has its own holiday catering guide.
