Crux Cafe

This place continues to surpass expectation! The food is incredible, (great coffee too) pricing is very reasonable, service and atmosphere is outstanding. Crux does everything right! One of our favorite breakfast /​brunch spots… Always leaves us wanting to come back soon.

I had such high expectations for the restaurants – the location is perfect! The interior décor is elegant and simple and it offers outdoor seating. I visited here for lunch, and the food was average-​certainly not terrible, but nothing special. The service was disappointing to say the least. I would give them a second chance and come back hoping for what some reviewers experienced.

Always have a great experience here. The food is wonderful and the owners and staff very friendly !

I’m so happy we stumbled upon this place! We were looking to go to dinner in Collingswood, but couldn’t get a reservation anywhere, and I’m so glad! I recommend the gazpacho, lobster risotto, mahi mahi, and the Sunday gravy. Only downside was the ahi tuna, which was overcooked. Nice bread basket, served with garlic butter, whole garlic cloves, and dipping oil. Dessert was delicious — lemon pound cake and crème brûlée. Nice ambiance, but candles on the tables would have made the place a little more romantic. We will definitely be returning to this lovely little BYOB.

I really wanted to like this place. We heard great things from neighbors and the Unilocal reviews. The décor and service was great. But I started out terrible with a caesar salad, it was way overdressed with gross mayonnaise type dressing, the only thing I could eat off the plate was the bread stick garnish! I got the short rib which was tender but so salty and sides that well… I can’t remember what they were? My husband had a special veal schnitzel, which sounds awesome but was also very disappointing it was greasy and the noodles has no sauce and were too dry. We took our leftovers home, but only for our dog. I was sad because this was a night out without kids at BYOB and it was over $ 70 and very regrettable.

Came here for lunch and it was sooooo good! Had the gazpacho and pork sandwich and both was delicious

We just had our first experience at this wonderful small café. It was for a Sunday brunch. The service was wonderful and the food was outstanding. We had a chicken dish that had marvelous angel hair pasta and a spectacular Swiss cheese-​based sauce. The other dish was the «Sunday gravy» which was gnocchi and an incredible array of pork, meatballs, and sausage. This was all in a rich sauce. We highly recommend this venue.

This place is AMAZING. Living so close, for so long & not trying it out was such a mistake! I had the seafood omelette, delicious is an understatement. They were generous with the crab meat which is rare! Everything was SO fresh as well. I met the chef, and his wife, and they couldn’t have been any nicer. I will most definitely be back!

Fantastic little place for a Sunday brunch in South Jersey. The food was delicious (I highly recommend the Crux Omlette), and the service was great. We’ll definitely be back!

New Year’s Eve was my second time at Crux. We made last minute plans and got in for their first seating. The menu was a 3 course prix fixe. Sometimes these menus are kind of predictable, but there were plenty of apps and entrees to chose from. Three of the four of us indulged in the short rib bruschetta. Delicious, melt in your mouth short ribs topped on top of a crusty little bread and the bonus was a delicious onion ring! Yum! The lone dissenter had the crab cakes which he was generously able to share. Large chunks of crab with light breading. Excellent start to our meal! The main course of surf and turf was delicious and cooked perfectly! One of us had the rack of lamb. It was pink and well seasoned and the portion was huge! On to dessert… again three of us had the gran marnier crème brûlée which I’m told was light and creamy. I had the raspberry cheesecake which was to die for! The perfect end to my delicious dinner! The portions were generous, but we didn’t leave feeling overly stuffed, just satisfied. The staff was friendly and accommodating. The chef/​owner came around to every table to make sure we were enjoying the food and felt comfortable. That doesn’t happen at too many places. Overall, It was a great evening. We live in town and I look forward to going back to enjoy their normal menu. Yum!

Our friends had been talking our ear off about this place for a while so we finally decided to try it last Friday. It happened to be restaurant week so we were able to try a good variety of the food.
As for the food I went with the Caesar salad, salmon appetizer, pretzel breaded schnitzel, and the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. The salad was standard, the salmon appetizer was pretty good, the pretzel schnitzel was unique and very delicious, and the cake was delicious but a little dry. I also sampled the scallops and the pork chops from the wife and they were pretty good too. The bread was excellent
I would say that my thesis statement for the food is that they could have used a little more salt. While good, I thought the flavor was a little lacking.
As for the room, it wasn’t huge but it felt open and I didn’t feel too cramped next to the neighboring table.
The service was a bit spotty on Friday, but it was a pretty busy night.
I would probably return. Bonus point for BYO.

Crux! I had higher expections!
I went here on a Tuesday night with some girlfriends. There were about 5 other tables seated and we noted right away basically 1 server and the manager/​owner. I wanted to go for the surf & turf, but I have had so much beef the past week I thought I was going to turn into a cow. I opted for Chicken Oscar.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Bread comes out. We chat. We share two apps. The scallops were cooked perfectly! The risotto was delicious. but why did it look like you used canned peas? Dark army green canned peas… fresh would have had a nice pop of color and flavor. The beef carpaccio, way too much horseradish. Take away about ¾ of that aioli and it would have been lovely. Wasn’t excited about the fried osyters either.
We opted out of wine that night and stuck with water. Ok, that’s a lie. I didn’t follow up that this place was a BYOB. It got to a point where I wanted to get up and refill our waters it was taking so long.
My chicken was OK. Not something memorable. Pasta could have used a touch more salt. Possibly more sauce as well?
I noticed the Chef going around to every table to chat… except ours. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to bother with the loud, laughing our heads off table (remember no wine here! just friends having a great time together), but our table actually had two trained chefs at it. so I found it funny he skipped us. Maybe next time.
Desserts didn’t taste as if they were made in house. I got the chocolate cake. Had a couple of bites, but then took over my friend’s lemon pound cake, which was better.
All in all… I want to come back. I want to try more. And I want to love it.

The Crux Café has created a whole new caliber of culinary expertise! From the moment we arrived we were treated like royalty. The décor was absolutely astonishing, everything from the light fixtures to the powder room. The service was wonderful, the entire staff displayed a polite and elegant demeanor. Our meals were the highlight of our visit of course and the presentation was phenomenal. The chef has such a passion for fine cuisine, all of my minuscule requests were delightedly accommodated and the chef made a special effort to visit our table to ensure that our visit was as exceptional as it could possibly be. We were greeted with fresh baked warm bread and butter and our glasses remained full the entire time. These details made the experience better than perfect. I would definitely recommend visiting The Crux Café to everyone. The Crux Café will always be our favorite place to dine.

Simply outstanding. There’s no other way to describe it.
Our server, Lauren, was knowledgeable and friendly. She made spot on recommendations and always catered to us.
We began with the New Orleans Clam Chowder and Mussels. Oh. My. God. Both were out of this world. The sausage in the chowder was smokey and sweet. The broth was creamy and flavorful, each bite exploding with flavors. You really tasted every ingredient and they all came together harmoniously. The mussels??? I literally took spoonfuls of the broth and sipped it like soup.
For our main course, I had the pork chop. Succulent. Tender. Fall off the bone. I didn’t even need a knife to cut it and it was thick. My husband had the gumbo. To. Die. For.
We split the caramel apple tarte for dessert and let’s be honest, I ate the whole thing. My husband’s spoon didn’t stand a chance.
Kudos Crux! Thanks for bringing outstanding food to the ‘burbs. I can’t wait to go back.

Great atmosphere, cute place. I was able to come here on a date night with my wife. The food was very good. Flavors galore and not salty or over seasoned at all. The chef definitely took his time in preparing his menu. We had the PEI mussels, New Orleans style Clam Chowder, the fork tender pork tenderloin and the gumbo. Everything was delicious and the service was friendly!

We did the farm to table menu. They were out of sea scallops so we were offered cod as a substitute. Overall the meal was very good except for the steak tips. I could tell as soon as my wife cut into it with her fork that it was dry. I don’t know how the chef could put together the other courses so well but not realize that this dish was sub par.

Fantastic new gem. We were impressed with the food, the friendly service and the reasonable prices. The chef owner has done a great job and we appreciate him stopping at the table to say hello. I hope your shoulder heals soon. Hazelnut shrimp, portabella with polenta fries, gumbo, short rib, tuna — all were thoroughly enjoyed. Keep up the great work. Everyone who loves dining in the Collingswood area should give this a try. You will not be disappointed.

Tremendous service owners are naturally friendly
Had duck with risotto and bok Choy great pairing and all cooked to perfection!
Tell Jane I said ‘hello’.

This place was a delightful surprise. My boyfriend drives past Crux Café everyday on his way to work and we decided to try it out.
The place is cozy and quaint, the servers are very friendly and the food was amazing.
We both ordered the same thing:
Clam Chowder
Seafood Alfredo
Both dishes we fantastic!
We looked at the dessert menu and everything looked delicious but we we’re so full from dinner we didn’t order anything.

I went here for Sunday brunch last weekend. Being that there are not a lot of brunch options in this area of Jersey on Sundays, I took a gamble on this place. The service was great, as was the food. It felt a little odd that the restaurant was almost empty, but we enjoyed ourselves.
PS. It is a BYO!