Photo by John Lynch / SOC Images.
If you are in Hudson County and are looking for a new fine dining establishment, look no further than Adour Bistro in Bayonne.
Located at 715 Broadway, Adour Bistro has you covered with Italian and French cuisine.
“We call ourselves an American Bistro,” co-owner George Tsopelas told Slice of Culture. “A lot of people are calling us a French bistro because they see the name, but we are an American bistro. We want to cook the way we want to cook and not have to stay within the realm of some specific cuisine.”
Tsopelas founded the restaurant with long-time friend Andrei Kondrashov, who is also the head chef. The pair met 30 years ago working as waiters at a restaurant in Manhattan, and this concept has been on the back burner for 20 years.
“When we started pursuing our careers, he went French and I went Italian. So pulling together a restaurant that would encapsulate both of our experiences felt like we had to study more.”
Their blend of styles has led to unique and popular menu items such as Stroganoff Pot Pie, which is based on a recipe Kondrashov got from his mother, and Pan Roasted Monkfish, a recipe both have been cooking for three decades.
Tsopelas found Bayonne to be the perfect location for Adour Bistro after seeing the growth and development it’s been through. According to Tsopelas, the Bayonne community has been very supportive of the restaurant.
“I couldn’t feel more welcomed and embraced, and not just by the diners and the people that have come to visit us, but also the municipality. Everyone was enthused and excited about having a new restaurant,” he said.
“I’m learning that it’s really like a small town America, everybody knows everybody kind of town. On certain nights more than half the room knows each other, we become a neighborhood party.”
The naming of the restaurant also pays homage to the history of Bayonne, as it is named after the Adour River, which flows through the city of Bayonne, France.
The restaurant does offer wine from the town of Bayonne, France. Tsopelas is also looking to offer Jambon de Bayonne, a type of cured ham which is a staple dish of the French city.
Bayonne residents Maura Cangiano and Chrissy Ellerson have been coming to the restaurant about every two weeks since they opened.
“The service is excellent, the food is great and the drinks are amazing,” said Ellerson. “We can’t say anything negative about it.”
Adour Bistro is opened from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
