New Upscale Brunch Spot Opens In Hillsborough Wednesday

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A new brunch spot with European and Mediterranean flair, owned by a Hillsborough couple, has its official opening on Wednesday.

Cafe Basilico is opening at the Kingsbridge Shopping Center located at the corner of South Branch Road and Beekman Lane in Hillsborough. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, according to the restaurant's Instagram page.

Menu items include eggs, friattas, waffles, French toast, pasta, and more. The cafe will be BYOB (bring your own bottle) for customers to make their own bottomless mimosas.

A mocktail menu is also in the works. Additionally, cappuccino, lattes, and chai tea lattes will be available.

Joe Trani and Kari LaSpisa ahad originally opened Basilico in Raritan at 46 W Somerset St. in June 2021. They had initially planned on keeping the Raritan location open while they expanded and looked for space for a second location.

"While initially, that was the thought process when looking at additional space we were approached by someone to buy our Raritan location from us," said LaSpisa in an earlier article on Patch.

This got the couple thinking that maybe they should focus on one place.

"Do one thing and do it well instead of spreading ourselves too thin since we like to be so hands-on," said LaSpisa.

Basilico in Raritan closed Sept. 9 with the new owners only purchasing the equipment, and furniture and bought out the rest of Basilico's lease. The name itself and the restaurant were not sold.

All of the food at the new Hillsborough restaurant is authentic, made-from-scratch cuisine straight from Trani's Italian heritage. Trani was born in Princeton and spent 30 years in Ischia, an island off the coast of Naples, in Italy, moving there at the age of six.

The larger space affords Cafe Basilico the opportunity to hold events in the evenings and catering both on-site and off-site. Trani is also available to serve as a private chef at on-site events.

For more information on Cafe Basilico or to follow for opening updates, visit instagram.com/cafebasilico_hillsborough.

Patch's Alexis Tarrazi contributed to this report.

Original article:

• Hillsborough Couple Sets Opening Date For New Elevated Brunch Spot