After announcing the purchase of a liquor license last August, owners John Vitale and Alissa Napoletano and her parents Joe and Cheryl Napoletano at Caffe Anello went to work on big changes for their restaurant.

They brought in a new team that’s helped transform both the food and drink aspects of the business — Alex and Rachel Alcarrez. She’s a Jersey native and sommelier, while Alex was born in Peru and grew up in Brooklyn before working in kitchens across NYC, Barcelona, and San Francisco.

The first big difference is there’s now a bar, which is a big change for the formerly BYO restaurant. When they moved into the current location back in 2018, the footprint used to host their Sogno Coffee shop (now on hiatus) was chosen in the event they were able to get a liquor license.

The approach was to create a craft cocktail bar that’s “approachable”, including smaller producers of wines, beer, etc. Plans also include a wine of the month club, online sales and of course, happy hour. The full restaurant menu is served at the bar, where walk-ins can now grab an empty spot – if there are any.

With Alcarrez now helming the kitchen, he’s made some changes to the menu — additional Mediterranean flavors and numerous new dishes along with many Anello staples.

Caffe Anello is currently open Wednesdays thru Saturdays from 6:00pm-10:00pm.

Caffe Anello
11 Madison Avenue
Westwood, NJ
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