Full Bar Mutz menu guide for 2026 -- fresh mozzarella bar, inventive Italian-American antipasti, handmade pasta, cocktails, and desserts at 90 Center Ave, Westwood, NJ. James Beard-nominated chef Robbie Felice's bar-first Italian concept is one of Bergen County's most exciting openings. Below: the menu at a glance, every category explained, the mozzarella bar spotlight, 8 FAQs, and comparisons to similar Italian restaurants.
Signature items
What makes Bar Mutz different, who it's for, and what to order first.
Fresh mozzarella, burrata, and stracciatella pulled daily in-house. Start here -- it defines the concept.
The Spicy Rigatoni is the bar's most-ordered pasta; the Cavatelli Sausage Ragu is the heartier choice.
Italian spirits anchor the cocktail list. The bar stays open to 1 AM on Fri-Sat -- come late.
Book via Resy. Walk-ins possible at the bar. No lunch service.
The mozzarella bar is the heart of the concept: every form of fresh Italian cheese you could want, prepared from scratch each day. Here is what to order and why it matters.
Made using Di Stefano La Figliata curd, pulled in-house daily. Served simply with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt. The benchmark for the whole menu.
Creamy burrata with a stracciatella center -- the richest selection on the mozzarella bar. Pairs perfectly with the bread section and a glass of Prosecco.
The silky cream-laced shreds from inside burrata, served loose in a bowl. Use it to dip the Sullivan Street Filone or spoon onto any bread at the table.
Bar Mutz's elevated take on a bar classic: house-pulled fresh mozzarella, hand-breaded and fried golden, with a house marinara. The bridge between the bar's Italian identity and its fun, unpretentious personality.
A curated board of imported Italian cheeses, cured meats, house-pulled mozzarella, and seasonal accompaniments. Available in small and large formats -- the large feeds a full table as a shared opening.
"Mutz" (rhymes with "puts") is New York Italian-American slang for mozzarella -- a shortening of the southern Italian dialect pronunciation of mozzarell'. It is the same root behind old-school Brooklyn "mootz." The name is the concept.
Chef Felice's pasta program punches well above what the bar format implies. Six pastas anchor the menu alongside five substantial entrees. The Lobster Macaroni is market price -- ask your server.
Italian spirits culture anchors the bar program -- aperitivo, amaro, Campari, and Prosecco sit alongside original cocktail creations. The bar stays open to 1 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, making it a genuine late-night Italian drinking destination in Bergen County.
The cocktail list leans on the Italian aperitivo tradition -- drinks designed to accompany food, built with Aperol, Campari, amaro, limoncello, and Italian vermouth. Original creations sit alongside classics like the Negroni and Spritz. Wine skews Italian throughout, with by-the-glass pours including Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Pinot Grigio, and Prosecco. San Pellegrino sparkling water and a proper Italian espresso round out the list.
For a first visit, the Negroni or Amaro Sour are the most representative bar-program choices. The Italian Spritz (Aperol or Campari, prosecco, soda) is the classic aperitivo pairing with the mozzarella bar.
All eight Bar Mutz menu categories.
Bar Mutz is designed to feel like a hip Brooklyn Italian bar transplanted to suburban New Jersey. Bold artwork on the walls, upbeat music, and an energetic open bar area define the space. It is not a quiet, candlelit trattoria -- it is lively, buzzy, and social, built for groups who want to share plates, drink well, and stay late.
Chef Robbie Felice's other concepts (Osteria Crescendo, Viaggio Ristorante) sit closer to traditional Italian fine dining; Bar Mutz is deliberately more fun, more casual, and more bar-forward while still maintaining the kitchen craft that earned Felice a James Beard nomination.
Best for: date nights, groups of 4-8 sharing everything, late-night dining on weekends, cocktail enthusiasts who also want serious Italian food.
Bar Mutz occupies a single location in downtown Westwood, NJ (Bergen County), at 90 Center Ave. Westwood is an accessible NJ town with a walkable downtown -- Bar Mutz anchors its dining scene as one of the most talked-about Italian-American concepts in the region.
Reservations via Resy are strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday nights. Walk-in bar seating may be available depending on the evening. Gift cards are available through the official website.
Official website: barmutz.com
If you are choosing between Bar Mutz and a peer -- or looking for a different Italian dining experience -- these are the closest comparisons on Menupedia.
Quick answers to the questions people most commonly ask about Bar Mutz, its menu, mozzarella bar, cocktails, and how to visit.
Bar Mutz is New York Italian slang for mozzarella. The name captures the restaurant's identity: a bar where the star of the show is fresh mozzarella -- pulled daily in-house -- alongside inventive Italian-American cocktails and small plates. The slang shortening (from mozzarell' in Italian-American dialect) is the same root behind the old-school Brooklyn pronunciation "mootz" or "mutz."
Bar Mutz is helmed by Robbie Felice, a James Beard Award-nominated chef based in New Jersey. Chef Felice also created Osteria Crescendo and Viaggio Ristorante. His cooking is rooted in bold Italian-American flavors with a modern, bar-forward approach -- fresh pasta, house-pulled mozzarella, and inventive small plates built for a cocktail-and-share format.
Bar Mutz is located at 90 Center Ave, Westwood, NJ 07675 -- in downtown Westwood, Bergen County, New Jersey. It is a single-location restaurant. Reservations are available via Resy on the official Bar Mutz website.
As of 2026, Bar Mutz is open:
Monday-Thursday: 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Friday-Saturday: 5:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Sunday: 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Bar Mutz does not serve lunch. Confirm current hours via the official website or Resy before visiting, as holiday hours may vary.
Yes. Bar Mutz accepts reservations through Resy, accessible directly from barmutz.com. The restaurant is popular on weekends, especially Friday and Saturday nights when it stays open until 1 AM -- booking ahead is strongly recommended for those evenings. Walk-ins may be accommodated at the bar depending on availability.
The Mozzarella Bar is Bar Mutz's signature concept: fresh mozzarella, burrata, and stracciatella are all prepared daily in-house using high-quality curd (including Di Stefano La Figliata). Preparations range from a simple fresh mozzarella dressed with olive oil and sea salt, to creamy burrata, to silky stracciatella, to the bar's fun take on mozzarella sticks using house-pulled cheese. The mozzarella bar is the best starting point for a first visit.
Yes -- the cocktail program is central to Bar Mutz's identity. The bar leans into Italian spirits and aperitivo culture: Negronis, Aperol Spritzes, amaro-driven sours, and original Italian-accented creations sit alongside an Italian-focused wine list (by-the-glass options include Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Pinot Grigio, and Prosecco). The late-night hours on Friday and Saturday (until 1 AM) make Bar Mutz a genuine cocktail destination as much as a dinner spot.
Partially. Several sections of the Bar Mutz menu work well for vegetarians: the Mozzarella Bar (burrata, stracciatella, fresh mozzarella), several pastas (Fusilli, Lemon Pasta, Sheeps Milk Ricotta Anolini), the Caesar and Wedge salads, all four desserts, and the full bread section are vegetarian-friendly. The Raws and Antipasti sections skew toward fish and meat. Confirm with your server on any preparation details.
Bar Mutz sits in a distinct niche: it is not a traditional red-sauce Italian-American restaurant, nor a fine-dining tasting-menu spot. Chef Robbie Felice has designed it as a bar-first, mozzarella-forward Italian-American concept -- think lively Brooklyn-style energy, creative cocktails, shareable Italian small plates, handmade pasta, and a daily mozzarella program. This differentiates it from peers like Osteria Crescendo (also Felice's, more traditional Italian) or typical suburban NJ Italian-Americans. If you enjoy the energy of a Manhattan Italian bar like Carbone or Don Angie but want a New Jersey location with a more accessible vibe, Bar Mutz fits that profile well.
Full menus, prices, signature items and location guides for restaurants across the U.S. -- Italian-American, fast food, steakhouses, coffee shops and more. New restaurants added on a rolling basis.
Browse the directory -> How we work