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.

Came here for Thanksgiving yesterday. We had never been here before, but heard positive things…read moreabout it so we were a little nervous. Everything was beyond delicious. Our appetizers and our dinners. No complaints from anyone in our large group. Staff were very friendly for working a holiday. Inside is very clean. I definitely recommend and I would come back for sure.

Delicious meal. Fresh ingredients, excellent preparation and presentation. Service was outstanding.read more

$10.58- 1 plain, 1 Sicilian, 20oz coke $30.00- chicken parm…read morehero, 2 margarita slices, 20oz coke, 16oz water. Small inside dining area, took it to go. Friendly girl working the counter. Chicken Parm Hero 6.8/10 (not very big) Sicilian slice 8.8/10 Plain slice 8.1/10 Margarita Slice 8.9/10 Price justified by quality & speedy service.

Just had the BEST buffalo chicken pizza for lunch For $12…read morewith a drink, this was such a steal. The slices were huge and it honestly tasted like real NJ-style pizza, which I loved. The crust was perfectly crispy, the cheese was melted just right, and the flavor was amazing. What really made it stand out was that they used actual buffalo sauce; dipped chicken, not those breaded nuggets some places use. You can tell it was real chicken tossed in sauce, which made it way more flavorful. Definitely one of the best buffalo slices I've had in a while , affordable, big portions, and super delicious. I'll definitely be coming back!

Best pizza place in town by far. Clean and spacious inside, but we always do takeout and it's…read moreready within 20 minutes every time and made to perfection. Great owner and staff that care about their customers. We've tried all the pizza in Berkeley Heights and this is easily the best all around.

This is a hidden gem . The food 's delicious and the service was excellent! The portions are…read moregenerous. Id definitely come back and try the other pizza flavors.

Pizza is not worth it. The pizzeria dishes are not bad, slightly above average. Overall, their…read morepizzeria section gets a 6.9/10. Their ristorante section is a different story. There dishes are pretty good. They got a great array of seafood dishes and anything related pasta. There meat dishes are not bad, there chicken parm is slightly above average. Overall this section is a 7.9/10. Both of these scores average to a 7.4/10. Which then averages to a 3.7/5 on the Yelp scale, so a 4/5.

Cheers to one of my faves places to stop by after a long day of work! Frank is my go to bartender…read moreand makes a great orange cosmo! Food has always been great from their grandma's pie and the exceptional garlic knots that actually taste garlicky!

Excellent service. Great selection and variety of dishes…read more Festive ambience. Our first visit...will definitely return.

We have been to Amerigo several times and have loved everything about it, so we decided to have…read moreAmerigo cater our Christmas Eve. We weren't disappointed. The food was amazing and our guests loved everything. We ordered clams oregonata, chicken parm, rigatoni with Sauage and broccoli rabe, and rigatoni with vodka sauce. And of course we had to have the best bread ever, the Focaccia bread. Thank you Amerigo. John Greco Berkeley Heights, NJ.

Ordered something other than pizza for the first time. (Pizza was not so great, bland and under…read morecooked) But we ordered Calamari. Couldn't chew through it! Sliced way too thick and large circle pieces. Not cooked enough? Not soaked in milk? Whatever, very tough and chewy. Will not order again. Wait staff needs some training. Love their pizza. Salad dressing is the bomb.

Excellent food and service Staff is so nice and prices are…read moregood. Thin crust pizza is my favorite

The reviews are eye-opening.. I agree with others about the slow service which often seems to…read moreprioritize the loudest patrons. If you're sitting quietly and just want to pay and leave, it can be frustrating. However, I like to support new businesses and this one has a lot of potential. The neighborhood is charming and quaint, it's where the annual Christmas tree ceremony takes place! Just be aware that in winter it can get very cold by the window so dress accordingly. On the plus side, the chicken wrap is delicious and the baby greens with toppings are fresh and tasty.

We went to brunch here last Mother's Day and had a wonderful experience. The food and service were…read moreexcellent, so my husband made 10:00 a.m. reservations again for this Mother's Day. Unfortunately, this visit was a huge disappointment from the moment we arrived. We were the only people there, yet the floor around our table was dirty with old Goldfish crackers and blueberries. We ordered the banana bread appetizer, an egg tortilla bowl, a western omelet, and two kids' waffles. The banana bread appetizer didn't come out until the rest of our food arrived, and everything was ice cold. The breakfast potatoes tasted old, as if they had been made the day before. While it wasn't ideal, we tried to be understanding since it was a holiday and the staff may have been overwhelmed. The highlight of the meal was the fresh-squeezed orange juice that we enjoyed with our BYOB champagne. However, no one checked on our table during the meal, and I eventually had to stop someone just to ask for the check. When reviewing the bill, I realized the kids' waffles seemed more expensive than expected. Sure enough, we had been overcharged for each one. When I politely questioned it, I was told, "That's the price in our register," and the staff gave me a hard time about correcting it. After asking again, they reluctantly handed me cash for the difference. The waitress was rude and dismissive throughout the interaction. Overall, it was such a disappointing experience, especially compared to how much we enjoyed it last year. Sadly, we'll be choosing a different spot for Mother's Day brunch next year.

Tino's rocks! Italian food is not my favorite. I'm one of those weird people who generally isn't a…read morefan of pizza BUT I have had their pizza three times since they've opened! And I find myself craving it! I'm gluten-free and their vegan, gluten free crust is amazing! I have had their Capracotta (twice) and Ruchetta and both were excellent! I can't wait to try some of their other "formaggio" pizzas and their gluten free chocolate cake. My husband has also had one of their pizzas and enjoyed it, but his favorite is their chicken parm, at the moment. He said it is so good! They did an excellent job with the interior of the space and all the employees have been very nice and helpful. So happy to finally have a great pizza place in town. If you haven't tried them, go now!

For some reason this place barely shows up on google maps unless you zoom all the way in but I'm so…read moreglad I found it. Even though it's been open for a while, it's still a hidden gem. I'm proud to write the third review! The pizza is incredible..the 12" American Pie ($16) and 12" Cacio e Pepe ($18) are perfectly delicious with toppings so evenly distributed that every bite is full of flavor. They use olive oil too, no cheap oils and their website is "nojunkpizza." The business adds real charm to little Berkeley Heights town and the inside is more spacious than others there.

The best tasting and best looking cakes! I hired dessert ladies to do my wedding cake and a…read moresurprise grooms cake for my husband and they were incredible to work with. The grooms cake turned out better than I could've ever imagined and is something I'll never forget. I don't live in the area (I had a destination wedding) but wish I could eat their lemon cake every day!! If you're a bride, look no further!

They made the most amzing looking and tasting cake for my husband's birthday. i absolutely love…read morethem.