Our Story
The story of Uncle Rocco, a micro-diner in Hoboken
Uncle Rocco started as Antique at 112 on Willow Avenue, out of the same kitchen crew as Antique Bar & Bakery. That is why a room as small as Uncle Rocco ended up with a scratch kitchen behind it.
A micro-diner, and what that actually means
"Micro-diner" is not a style so much as a constraint. The room is small, the kitchen is open, and there is nowhere to hide.
That changes how you cook, because you cannot run a freezer programme in front of people. So the mozzarella gets made in the building, the sauces get made in the building, and the wing sauces you choose between are ours rather than a distributor's.
Guests notice the openness in both directions. That is the trade for cooking in the same space you eat in.
Reviews
What guests actually say
Rated 4.6 on Google. Every quote below is verbatim, nothing trimmed into a better sound bite.
Such a cute little gem of a restaurant! Our server David was so personable and attentive and made great recommendations! We tried the Watermelon Salad (so fresh!), Mac and Cheese (loved the breadcrumbs and creaminess), and the Big J Burger (excellent smashed burger and bun!). Thank you for having us!Elizabeth Manna · Google
Mentions: Watermelon Salad, Mac 'n Cheese, Big J Burger
Absolutely love this place! My boyfriend and I have been coming here for atleast a year now and it has always been a spot that is reliable, great food, and friendly service. Especially Elizabeth, she is lovely, relatable and you can tell she cares and has pride in the business. …Emily Perez · Google
Such a cute place for lunch. Love the vibe. 80s style is my favorite. My Chicken Caesar wrap was delicious. Coffee is strong and so good. The staff were friendly and welcoming. My waitress Mia was very attentive and friendly. …Delia Serrano · Google
Mentions: Chicken Caesar wrap, coffee
Food here is delicious and service was great! The waiter was so nice and explained everything very well. The atmosphere is very fun and inviting — only thing is there is some smoke from the open kitchen. The mac and cheese was one of our favorite— will definitely order again!Alexis Sabbaghian · Google
Mentions: Mac 'n Cheese, open kitchen
Read every review on Google · Been in recently? Leave a review
Where the name came from, and the one before it
The room first traded as Antique at 112, named for the address. You will still find that name in a few corners of the internet, on our gift-card page, and in the write-ups from when we opened. Same room, same kitchen, same 112 Willow Ave, just a name that sounds more like a person and less like a street number. Searching for the old menu? Here is where the Antique at 112 menu went.
The Antique Bar & Bakery connection
Uncle Rocco came out of the team behind Antique Bar & Bakery, and the lineage shows up on the plate rather than on the wall. It is why a diner menu has hanger steak from Vrola on it, why the rotisserie chicken is local and organic, and why the dessert section leads with a bread pudding rather than a slice of something bought in.
The bread pudding problem
The bread pudding is the single dish guests name most often in our Google reviews. It has since turned up in two more dishes: the Bread Pudding Smash, listed with the desserts, is baby bread pudding with a 3oz smashed patty and caramel, and there is a Bread Pudding Iced Latte behind the coffee bar.
Our room on Willow Avenue in Hoboken
Hoboken is a mile square, and Willow Avenue runs most of the way down it. That geography is why we are a walk from most of the town, a short trip from Hoboken Terminal where the PATH, NJ Transit and the Light Rail meet, and close enough to Jersey City, Weehawken and Manhattan that a decent share of the room came over a river or a tunnel to get here.
There is outdoor seating, a back patio, and a private dining room when you need a door that closes. Jacob Ullom's Google review from November 2025 says "They also have heated back patio seating."
The history
Where Uncle Rocco came from
Uncle Rocco started as Antique at 112, from the team behind Antique Bar & Bakery, and later took its new name. Below: what the kitchen makes itself, the room, and what guests add in their reviews.
Why it was called Antique at 112 first
The restaurant started under the name Antique at 112, a small micro-diner at 112 Willow Ave in Hoboken. Micro-diner is the honest word for it: this is a small room.
A room this size has a full scratch kitchen behind it because of the crew, the team behind Antique Bar & Bakery. That is the sister restaurant, and the reason the ambition here runs ahead of the square footage.
The rebrand to Uncle Rocco came later. One of their own videos puts it plainly: “we're waiting for you to come on down to the fresh, rebranded Uncle Rocco.” Same address, same kitchen, same people, a new name on the awning.
What “from scratch” actually covers here
Every dish here is made from scratch with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Plenty of restaurants write that sentence, so here is what it cashes out to on this menu.
Read the menu closely and the sourcing is unusually specific for a diner. The burgers are grass-fed, and the Smash Burger and the Big J are wagyu.
The hanger steak in the Steak Frites is named to its supplier, Vrola, which is not something a kitchen does unless it wants you to check. The rotisserie chicken is local and organic. The buffalo chicken is organic, grass-fed and antibiotic-free.
The mozzarella is made in the building. On this menu it is spelled “mutz”, which is how it gets said in this part of New Jersey, and it turns up in three places: the Jumbo Mutz Sticks, inside the Spicy a la Vodka, and on the Veggie Wrap. The vodka sauce carries real Calabrian chili rather than a suggestion of heat.
Two more things are made rather than bought: the soft serve, which comes off a machine in the building, and the Baby Bread Pudding, finished with Tuaca caramel.
The bread pudding is the single dish guests name most often in our Google reviews. It is also the base of both the Bread Pudding Smash burger and the Bread Pudding Iced Latte.
The wine list is Old York Wines, from New Jersey, by the half bottle and the full. A short list from one producer rather than a long one from a distributor.
The room itself
Their own description names waterfront views, outdoor seating and a private dining room, and an open kitchen you can see into from the tables.
The open kitchen is also why the team is visible work rather than hidden work, if that appeals, we hire for it.
One thing a guest adds rather than the restaurant claiming it: Jacob Ullom's Google review from November 2025 says "They also have heated back patio seating."
Who the menu is built to feed
Their framing, on their own earlier homepage, is “modern American comfort food with a twist,” with vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free options called out.
A kitchen that makes its own sauces and its own mozzarella may be able to adjust some dishes. If something in a dish does not work for you, ask before ordering rather than assuming a substitution is possible.
The dietary page sets out precisely what their own menu wording does and does not support, including the one dessert they say plainly cannot be made gluten-free.
What a 4.6 rating actually says about the place
Read on 2026-09-02, 321 people had rated Uncle Rocco on Google and the average was 4.6. The breakdown that day: 263 five-star (82%), 19 four, 12 three, 13 two and 14 one. The total moves every week, so the profile carries the current one.
We publish the whole distribution rather than the headline because 4.6 is not five stars and we are not going to write it as though it were. 27 people out of 321 had a bad time. That is a real number, it is on the same page as the good ones, and the honest version of a 4.6 is more use to you than a rounded-up one.
Come and find us on Willow Ave
We are at 112 Willow Ave, Hoboken, and brunch runs to 4 PM Friday to Sunday and to the 1 PM close Monday to Thursday. Book a table, order direct, or call us.
