Oceanos Restaurant, Fairlawn, NJ:
A Dining Review

Oceanos Seafood restaurant. Fairlawn, NJ, A dining review

Oceanos Restaurant
2-27 Saddle River Road
Fair Lawn, NJ

A 2024 Best NJ Restaurant

Oceanos:  Restaurant Highlights

Fare: Mediterranean-Seafood

Price: Expensive

Food Quality: Well-executed. Seafood is sourced daily.

Service: Welcoming, professional, and attentive.

Ambiance/Decor: Old world elegant with lots of polished dark wood and dim lighting,

Overall Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Note: Four-star Rating System from 1/2 star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class

Noise Level: High during peak times

Dress: Upscale casual

Recommended For: Diners who enjoy excellent sea food in an upscale, elegant setting.

Not Recommended For: Diners who may prefer simpler food, lower prices, and less trendy ambiance.

Recommended dishes: When available; The Lavraki, Bronzino - lean Mediterranean white fish, mild moist tender flakes; the Dover Sole, fresh fish from Holland, firm texture with a fine delicate taste; and for landlubbers, and the 22 oz Rib Eye Steak with grilled shallots demi sauce.

Liquor:  Extensive international wine list with over 5,000 wines, specialty cocktails. Bar scene is vibrant.

Oceanos is arguably the best seafood restaurant in Northern New Jersey.

Owners Nicos (Nick) and his father, Executive Chef Peter Panteleakis, know seafood. Peter is enthusiastic about making trips to the Fulton Fish Market to make fresh seafood selections to ensure the highest quality seafood is served at his restaurant.

The restaurant's decor is elegant. It has two dining rooms decorated with polished dark wood, dim lighting, grass-cloth wall coverings, white table linen, and black-and-white prints of vintage sailing yachts.

It's a good choice for special occasions, business meetings, and for a romantic date. For quiet conversation, ask to be seated at a back booth.

Weather permitting, outdoor dining is available in a tropical setting with lush tropical greenery, cascading flowers, and chandeliers.

The ambiance is energetic and friendly, from the manager or hostess's initial greeting to the bartender and the well-dressed wait staff.

Chef Peter, in addition to having a passion for preparing the menu with fresh seafood, personally oversees the baking of fresh bread and desserts each day.

The cuisine is decidedly Mediterranean with overtones of classic Greek selections.

The food preparation is well executed, using fresh daily seafood ingredients prepared in a classic and simple fashion. The popular signature items are the whole fish dishes, fish that is simply grilled and served with julienned vegetables and lemon roast.

As you are greeted by your server you will be served well-prepared warm bread accompanied by a white bowl filled with a colorful selection of olives from up to six continents with a scattering of pepperoncini and chili peppers to keep the fruit crisp

For starters, they have an excellent raw bar, as well as the popular servings of Shellfish Starters.

Oceanos is open for lunch for six days/week: Monday - Friday and for Brunch Sunday, and seven days/week for dinner

Without reservations, you can expect a wait of up to two hours on busy weekends and evenings.

For holiday dining, Oceano’s Restaurant is open for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Mother's Day.

(Updated: December 2024)