Service was spot on. Great place. Ambiance is a little NYC secret and local fav. Drinks were…read moregood. Food was great.

Family friendly restaurants with pizza, pasta, salad and other great Italian favorites. Great…read moreservice. Delicious food. Variety of beverages. Quiet. Great parking. A favorite of my daughter in law.

I was looking for a well rated Italian restaurant in Union County and Lupa Ristorante came up on…read moremany lists so I decided to check it out with friends. Lupa is located in a section of Berkely Heights that has seen a lot of recent construction, so it is very pretty and clean. You couldn't be blamed if you bypassed the restaurant. It is not very flashy looking and that is part of its charm. Be warned, there are not a lot of parking spaces behind the restaurant so you may wind up parking in the bank parking lot next to it (when the bank is closed of course). The staff at Lupa is super friendly and treats you like a regular even if this is your first time. The host was super nice, the waitress fantastic and the chef even came to our table to talk to us when we were done eating! The interior is very clean and modern looking. It's elegant and perfect for virtually any event including dates, anniversaries and family get togethers. We wound up sitting in the same area as the bar, which mostly has 2-4 seater tables and of course you can sit at the bar as well. The other side of the restaurant is where the larger tables are located. Here's a rundown of what we had: CLAMS ON TOAST Baby clams. crispy ham. thyme When I ordered this, I expected to see slices of toast with crispy ham and baby clams on top. Instead, it is two large pieces of wonderfully toasted bread with crispy ham on top. The actual clams sit in a *delicious* broth. Taken altogether these various components form a delicious bite. Be sure to dip that bread into the broth! SQUID INK SPAGHETTI lobster knuckles and claws. broccoli florets. grape tomatoes. Sherry Cream Sauce This dish has a wonderfully deep and earthy flavor. I've had squid ink pasta before and this was a wonderful example of it. The sauce was perfect and it was cooked beautifully. HANGER STEAK Truffled pomme frites. Chimichurri The steak was beautifully cooked (we had it medium rare) and the chimichurri sauce was great. However, the steak needed a bit more salt (and I'm not usually one to add salt to food). The pomme frites were wonderfully crispy and tasty. BROCCOLI RABE lemon. Kilos Broccoli rabe is a simple side dish but it is one of my favorites. It is also one that can easily be overcooked. These folks cooked it perfectly and it made for a fantastic side dish. My party and I loved our experience at Lupa and we all agreed we would happily return any time!

The best Italian restaurant in Union County. Why did I wait so long to try this place? We tried a…read morelot of food and everything was fresh, well seasoned, and presented very well. I had the Dover sole and it was one of the best Dover soles I've had. Also extra credit for providing a proper fish knife and fork. Octopus had a spicy sauce that was excellent. I appreciated the fact that they don't over season their food like many restaurants do. Inside was modern and nice. I liked the rose on every table. Service was so very friendly without it being overbearing. The chef came out twice to say hello and check on us which I really appreciated. I highly recommend Lupa.

We celebrated a graduation dinner last night and the atmosphere was noisy, but expected for a busy…read moreSaturday evening. Our waiter was very attentive and pleasant as was the wait staff. Our food was mostly good; not exceptional. One disappointment was my husband's swordfish livornaise. He is familiar with this dish, having prepared it himself. There was no marinara sauce with capers and olives, as is typical in the recipe. I would have expected an Italian restaurant to get that right. The swordfish was ample and not dry. The lasagna was served in an individual baking dish and it was surrounded in oil. Not appetizing. The prices are high, as expected. Only wish the food was more exceptional for the prices. Tiramisu was delicious. Probably would not go there again.

Felina Summit is absolutely beautiful. The restaurant, located inside the Albion Summit Hotel, has…read morebeen stunningly renovated and feels elegant, modern, and welcoming. The floor-to-ceiling windows create a gorgeous atmosphere, and the food was delicious. Service throughout the meal was very good, and our server, Abby, was friendly and attentive. That said, there were a couple of disappointments. It was my birthday, and we were asked multiple times throughout the evening whether we were celebrating a special occasion. However, nothing was ever acknowledged at the end of the meal. We even had to remind our server about the limoncello shots that typically accompany dessert, which felt a bit awkward after being asked so many times about the occasion. My biggest concern is the seating issue with the windows. While the floor-to-ceiling glass is beautiful, the sun glare was extremely uncomfortable where we were seated. The sun was directly in our eyes for much of the meal, and we found ourselves switching and repositioning our chairs just to be comfortable. The restaurant should consider installing shades, scrims, or another solution to help manage the sunlight during certain hours. Overall, Felina Summit is a gorgeous restaurant with excellent food and good service, and I would certainly return. With better management of the sunlight and a little more follow-through on special occasion acknowledgments, the experience would be even better.

That's AMORÉ! This is the real deal! One thing I LOVE about Village Trattoria is when I order my…read morepizza, I asked for a thin personal pizza & they made the most excellent pizza pie! Their Greek salad slice is heavenly & add to that their own recipe for a side of Italian vinaigrette- wow, you've got to try it! I'm a stickler for plain & pepperoni slices - but you can't go wrong w any style slice/pie! For the pepperoni slices/pie that add the PERFECT AMOUNT of pepperoni- and you can ask for very little crust or a lot! They provide the most personal experience when it comes to choosing what you want on your pizza, they aim to please! All the guys behind the counter are such a joy, when you walk in everyone says hello & they remember your name too! The owner (Louis, I think) has a passion for making real authentic Italian cuisine. Among the service, the product, the cleanliness, price & order time (so fast) I give Villafe "Trat. 5 stars- you don't need to drive k to Manhattan for a real taste of NYC pizza! Just remember on Fri & Sat night, put your order in early bc they are super busy, just what you would expect from a superior pizza/italian food restaurant. Those are the reasons they are my go-to pizza place! Oh & my sons absolutely RAVE about their buffalo chicken slices/pizza. And they are generous w all their toppings (if you like), courteous & just the right amount of friendliness . You should def try them out, you won't be disappointed! !

Ordered here a couple time for work lunch…read more Pizza fries and salads are all amazing ! Quick delivery and great customer service ‼

A glorious fever dream! Tapas galore! No full bar? Who cares? Four flavors of Sangria (red, white,…read moreblue w/Curaçao, passionfruit- naturally delicious!) and wine. With a google same day reservation, I rolled in with my little family of four and my mother-in-law. Gabriella, the chef's wife, treated us like family and every dish tasted like a hug. Highlights were the zesty Peruvian Ceviche (save bread for the sauce), tasty Steak Yucca Fries, and Berenjena con Miel - eggplant drizzled with honey and goat cheese. The Calamari was crispy and delicious even without the tentacles. Dessert was a victory lap with a smooth and creamy Flan, perfectly crunchy Churros, and Lemon Sorbet that looked like Olaf doing hot yoga. Then came free homemade limoncello to end the meal. It was bright, balanced, and dangerously good! We waddled out with joy! NOTES/TIPS: **Great solo, dates, friends, family. **Huge menu w/several vegetarian options and kids menu. **Wine and sangria available. **Gendered restrooms. Wheelchair-accessible. Indoor/outdoor seating. Warm modern vibes. **For 3 adults and 2 kids with their spaghetti and meatballs, 7 small plates left us very full. **Street parking if you're lucky, parking decks nearby. **Reservations recommended.

An Italian and Argentine tapas restaurant, small shop that had first-come, first-serve seating…read morealong with some Opentable stuff online that you could reserve at. Service was top-notch, folks came back to help us pack up extras and also check on us multiple times. Stopped in on a hot day, tried a bunch: Pitcher of white sangria was a lovely cool sip, just about right for four of us per pitcher. Tapas/apps: - Special baked oyster fondue was only ok (reminded me of Oyster Rockefeller but not as flavorful and the cheese was mostly on the plate, not on the oyster); they had 3 on the plate and they noticed and had them make up a 4th for the 4th person at the table. Great service for that notice and sending a fourth one out - good touch. - Papas bravos was a good fingerling potato in a creme - Grilled octopus was ok - Peruvian ceviche was a touch too sour for me, but others liked it - had another potato dish but wasn't sure what it was called; just ok Mains, also shared: - Short ribs rigatoni was good, but not as good as the one at Ferraro's that I had earlier in the month - Seafood paella - not sure if this is a regional difference, but I'm used to having the crispy rice along the outside of the pan, crunch and savory -- the inside rice and shrimp, sausage and clams were ok, but missing the texture expected of a hot pan of paella rice, so left feeling like I missed out of something Dessert - churros were solid, with dulce de leche - lava cake was ok, not much melting (more like a little chocolate melted in the center but not enough to ooze out), but the chocolate cake was good, and the vanilla ice cream to the top always a good touch - they had a special fruit mix in a pastry shell - good fruit mix and the ice cream below was good - pastry was just ok, maybe needed something more like a napoleon's layers instead of being like a fried skin which ended up being a bit stuck in the teeth Overall great service, a mix of dishes that sometimes hit the mark and others missed, but will come here to try some other dishes that people at the table next to us ordered - the steak looked good, as did the fish!

Still very good. We love it here. The owner and the service is always great. I had the bolognese…read morefor the first time and it was delicious. We'll be back again soon!

Experience up front- One Star Dining Service once seated -…read moreFive Star Food - Four Star Overall 3.5 Stars. Decided to try this as the wife's pick for her birthday- first timers. We had a confirmed reservation at 7:45p and checked in at 7:40p. There were a few chairs in the entrance area, of which one was open so my wife sat and held our 2 yr old. 20 minutes in, a staff member arrives and simply asks her to vacate the chair as they needed it. So you take the one chair with the woman and a toddler- classy. The other individuals seated next to her were also appalled and so kindly stood up themselves offering my wife their seats. A 40 minute wait ensued despite a confirmed reservation. The attendant said it gets busy once it hits 7:30- I get that and that is a great sign for business, but what is the point of even confirming a reservation? We were told a few times a table was nearly ready and just had to be cleaned but the wait continued. Thankfully by the time we were seated we knew what we wanted to order and after placing the apps- our first selections arrived within minutes. Note- despite the terrible service up front waiting, our server(s) were on their A+ game! Fried Zucchini- shoestring cut and crispy- dare I say as a french fry lover that these were a wonderful alternative. The kiddos devoured them too. Burrata - this was a huge hit with the wife and perhaps one of the highlights for her. Rigatoni spicy vodka sauce- we ordered 2 to share amongst us and one bowl was gone quick. This was perfectly spiced and a hit for all. Bucatini Cacio e Pepe - this one fell flat. Thank goodness at least our toddler ate some. The other three of us found it way to diluted "watered down" - and muted flavors. The lone miss of the night- food-wise. If you like sundaes- get the Sundae Royale- enough for 3, maybe 4 to share and be more than satisfied. Odd note: While the name of the restaurant is Focaccia, the pieces they bring to the table once seated are rubbery and chewy. The other bread included was about an hour from being a crouton.

Great BYOB red sauce restaurant. Love the fried bocconcini. (Fried mozzarella balls)…read moreThe Hotsi Totsi Shrimp are also really good. Go with the Parms and pastas can't go wrong. The chicken Valdostano and the the pork chop giambotta are excellent!

Places that close mid-day to reopen later lock their doors…read more Places that close mid-day put it on their website. Post the hours on their door. Not here. So I walk in around 3:30 one afternoon, already hesitant after the last less than cordial treatment last time I went and there they are: the mother-daughter leadership team - but they're chowing down at the counter. Unusual. Felt like walking in on your parents. Now let me say: I'd always liked them - one grew up in my hometown Little Silver; the other's sister has a Pasteria in Red Bank. I've written stellar reviews of this place here on Yelp - in the past. Eli Manning story. Post Sandy romanticized tale. Their remodeling. An interview about their Italian family roots in the restaurant business. I'd been coming here twenty or more years. Live up the street. it's easy. Convenient. Decent food. So I walk in through the unlocked door, stumbled upon their eating and well there wasn't any shouting or yelling, there was an attitude as if I was rude for walking in. Now that's no reason for you the neophyte to write off going to this joint. It's the least expensive snd fancy of Summit Italian Restaurants, the food's fine. And hey if the leave the door unlocked at mid-day break, still don't update their webpage or put a sign on the door and you accidentally walk in, I'm sure you'll survive the malocchio. But me? I had more invested over twenty years. I don't expect to 86'd like some rude interloper. It's days like this when i miss sal's tavern in Red Bank - opened during the Depression when times were hard but people weren't hardened. Customers mattered and Sal's employees knew your name. It wasn't a Cheers cliche - it was America. Ah why am I Complaining? I'll be dining in Paris in two weeks and THEN i'll find out what rough service is! Sacre bleu!

We went here for my friend's birthday. It was the first time we all visited this restaurant and all…read moreseven of us loved it. The restaurant itself had a nice ambience and we loved that it was not noisy. Service was great with various staff stopping by our table throughout the night making sure we had everything we needed. The food was the highlight. We started with a Caesar salad, fried calamari, burrata and prosciutto, and mozzarella Caprese for the table. The appetizers were delicious and perfectly prepared. After finishing our starters, we ordered Linguine and White Clam Sauce, Branzino, Pollo Murphy and Shrimp Fra Diablo. Each meal was perfectly seasoned and were generously portioned. The Pollo Murphy was massive with plenty to eat at the restaurant and plenty to take home. I was visiting from New York however my friends who live near Madison New Jersey will now make this a regular restaurant in their rotation.

Great food, great service in an inviting atmosphere. A byob of great value. The staff are efficient…read moreand friendly.