Shopper, student or sightseer; in a rush or killing time; early riser or night owl; conducting business or meeting friends: Whoever you are and whatever your reason for being in Red Bank, Zebu Forno European-style bakery and café at 20 Broad Street offers a menu, atmosphere, hours and amenities designed to appeal to a wide range of clientele.

The intoxicating aromas emanating from the gleaming Pavailler oven — the focal point in the front window, where you can watch traditional thin-crust Pizza Napoletana being made in the Old World tradition — spill out onto Broad Street and invite people in for breakfast, lunch, dinner and inbetween. Zebu specializes in fresh-baked Artisan Breads — such as Tuscan Farm, Semolina, Seven Grain, Raisin Walnut, Rosemary Boule — in sizes and shapes ranging from baguettes to Pullman loaves. The secret is in the amassa madre — the “big mother” yeast starter. The smells, sights and sounds of baking create a welcome atmosphere in which to enjoy selections from a menu of panini sandwiches, café wraps and salads, soups and, of course, pizza — by the slice or whole, with tons of topping options. But Zebu is about more than filling the belly.

“From the beginning, it was about more than just serving food and turning tables. I wanted to create a meeting place, a town center,” says Andrew Gennusa, co-founder and now sole owner of the 7-year-old business.

“This is more than just a coffee house with exposed brick,” wrote Angelo C. of Red Bank on Yelp.com, a site for user-generated reviews of local businesses. “You could spend the whole day here. Take a cat nap in a lounge chair while watching CNN. Eat pistachio-flavored gelato while surfing the net, or chat it up with friends over your favorite cup of java.”

Besides an ample eat-in, take-out and catering menu and extended hours (open daily except Christmas, from 7 am to as late as 11 pm on Fridays/Saturdays), Zebu offers features such as free Wi-Fi and newspapers, flat-screen TVs, satellite music, interesting artwork, a community-message pegboard, roll-back leather chairs and coffee tables intermingled with high-top and low-café tables, and a no-pressure environment that encourages people to linger. You order at the counter; the staff delivers to your table. Outdoor dining is available the minute the weather warms up.

About a year ago, Jillian Swartz of Red Bank and Amy Sestito of Rumson — editor-in-chief and publisher, respectively, of TheFamilyGroove.com, a 2-year-old cyberspace destination for anyone “with kids in their life” — moved their weekly business meetings to Zebu, first thing on Saturday. “We used to meet by phone, but we get so much more accomplished in person,” says Swartz. “Being out and part of something gives you more perspective, too. Zebu’s a great place for sensory stimulation.” By 8:30 am, they adjourn: Swartz, 31, to take her daughter to dance class, and Sestito, 33, to take her son to tennis.

It’s not just locals who love the place. A woman waiting near the front with her niece and nephew after finishing lunch says she makes a point of coming every time she visits from California. Her sister-in-law pulls up and honks before she can give their names.

And an email tacked on the pegboard recounts meeting a friend’s uncle—a Beverly Hills resident and “big deal in the music industry” — who called Zebu a “fabulous place” and had the fold-up menu in his wallet: “I just thought you might like to know that this guy who travels the world and eats in the best of places thought your place was excellent.”

ZEBU FORNO 20 Broad St.• 732.936.9330