JL Ivy restaurant reflects Ed "Jean-Luc" Kleefield's mastery at transforming a worn down but structurally beautiful space into a sumptuously decorated and warmly ambient restaurant for the community. This 300 seat bi-level restaurant located in the heart of Princeton, NJ, sits on a lushly landscaped parcel overlooking a twisting brook off the main thoroughfare of Route #1. The non-descript brick exterior with newly planted ivy adorning the edifice hides the beauty within; filled with soaring hand-painted murals, lush banquettes, natural-stone walls, fireplaces, glowing light from custom sconces, honey-blonde onyx bar tops, marble tables, and deco art remiscient of the 20's. The restaurant is home to a gorgeous 48-seat outdoor patio, 80-seat Jazz Lounge with stage, and private room dining comfortably serving 10-36 persons at one time tastefully encased multi-media flat-screen tv's housed in custom built mahogany bookshelves located in our WoodDraw Suite. The second floor also hosts a second bar and lounge affectionately nicknamed The Tiger Bar as a testament to the local Princeton mascot motif.
The restaurant caters to an entire mix of the Princeton community from businesspersons, young professionals, neighboring familes, students, their visiting families, and of course the administration and faculty of the esteemed University of which it abutts. The incredibly well-received Bistro menu that has an accent on aged steaks and fresh sushi is created nightly by esteemed Executive Chef Julio Quisbert who recently received 3 1/2 stars out of four from The Star Ledger through our preview opening this summer. An excellent review for an excellent Chef who has starred in the New York Times four times and hails from such restuarants as NOBU, RAOUL'S, ECCO, TRIBECA GRILL, JEAN-LUC, MADAME TONGS, JL EAST, JLX BISTRO & now JL Ivy. Our Fall menu promises to expand on our winning formula with fresh local produce and tasty stews enhancing the already expansive menu. Open for Lunch & Dinner, JL Ivy promises to serve the community for not only a la carte dining, but also to host catered events for as small as 8, and as many as 400 persons. Weddings, Rehearsal Dinners, Fundraisers are all our specialty; where our experienced staff led by General Manager Fred Shafi formerly of TAVERN ON THE GREEN, THE BOX TREE in NYC and previously THE PALM BEACH HILTON will work within your budget to make each event unique and successful.
JL Ivy has a unique background as its partners all either hail from the Princeton area, or have ties to the University as alumni. They comprise a healthy mix of businesspersons, landowners, professionals, and leaders in the community who with great effort made JL Ivy a restaurant to be proud of as both cosmopolitan and down-to-earth in the area they reside in.
As the Fall turns to Winter, JL Ivy hopes to establish itself as the consistent destination restaurant that is both reasonably priced and elegant at the same time; a task some in this business find difficult to master, but one goal which for now we have maintained for both Lunch & Dinner here in Princeton. Very simply, we aim to be part of the community for a long time, and the quality of our service and food mixed with our location and decor will produce that result as this restaurant team has successfully created in other locations and will continue to do so here.
Business Hours: Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30-3:00 Dinner: Sunday-Thursay 5:30-10:00 (Friday&Saturday 5:30-10:30)
Brunch: Sunday Only 11:30-3:00 Lite Fare: Sunday-Friday 3:00-5:00 *Bar remains open between lunch and dinner*
Best Regards,
The JL Ivy RESTAURANT TEAM