Large portions. Great food. Great service !! Very reasonably priced . BYO. Pietro was our server…read moreand he was great !! Didn't rush us. Can't wait to go back .

As I stepped into the warmly lit dining room, I was immediately welcomed by the hostess's radiant…read moresmile and genuinely cheerful demeanor a delightful first impression that set the tone for the evening. Moments later, we were in the capable and charismatic hands of Maya, our server. She brought not just efficiency, but real joy to the table: quick wit, a warm and friendly vibe, and an infectious passion for the food that made every recommendation feel personal and sincere. Hospitality like hers elevates a meal from good to memorable. We began with the Caesar salad, and it was exactly what a Caesar should be: crisp, balanced, and perfectly executed, with that ideal punch of garlic, anchovy, and Parmesan. No missteps here this was textbook excellence. Next came the meatballs, and they were glorious enormous, tender orbs that instantly transported me back to Sunday dinners at my grandmother's table. Generous in size and soulful in flavor, they were everything you want in a classic Italian meatball. The accompanying tomato sauce was nothing short of velvety luxury: smooth, rich, deeply savory, and so delicious I found myself sneaking extra spoonfuls just to savor it. On a whim, I requested a side of the short rib ragu, and it proved to be one of the standout moments of the night. Braised to fall apart tenderness in what I can only describe as an osso buco style preparation, it mirrored the kind of slow cooked, soul warming short ribs I make at home only better. The depth of flavor was top notch, luxurious without being heavy. For the main event, I went with the chicken Parmesan, and let me tell you; it was the bomb-diggity of chicken parms. Massive in portion (honestly, almost comically large), it arrived golden and crisp on the outside, juicy within, blanketed in that same magnificent tomato sauce and a generous snowfall of melted cheese. Every bite was pure comfort and satisfaction. Congratulations to the kitchen this is how chicken Parm should be done. A lovely surprise came when the chef himself stopped by the table to say hello. That personal touch, combined with the restaurant's charming ambiance lush hanging vines draping overhead like a cozy Italian garden created a wonderfully inviting and relaxed vibe that made the whole experience feel special. I left with generous leftovers, already plotting to pair the short rib ragu with fresh pappardelle pasta at home. From the warm welcome to the passionate service and soul satisfying plates, this was a thoroughly wonderful evening. If you're craving authentic Italian American comfort food served with heart, this place delivers in spades. Highly recommended.

My friend Eddie and his husband Nico invited me to have dinner with them and I'm so glad they did!…read moreThey spoke to me about this place a few days ago and told me how amazing it was! They were not lying! We had the Antipasto Misti! And the appetizer size Orechiette to start. As my main dish I had the Skirt steak medium rare! It was amazing! So flavorful! I enjoyed every bite. The mashed potatoes with the infused caramelized onions was wow, amazing. You know how you always save a little bit of your favorite part of the dish for your last bite, well that's what I did with the mashed potatoes. Overall everything was amazing! Our server Jackie was so nice, super friendly. The owner Caroline was so nice! She was there to greet us and she was there checking in on us at our table and was the last person we saw! The environment was nice and warm, friendly, and cozy. I will definitely come back! I have already recommended it to two friends!

My family and I were visiting from Albuquerque and have a lovely meal here for our last night in…read moreMontclair. Every single dish that came out of the restaurant was fabulous, fresh and delicious. Their house marinated olives were a table favorite, as well as the spectacular Ribeye and pastas. The owner Robert was very friendly and checked on our table to make sure we were enjoying our meal. Every single staff member was working their butt off and made our evening seamless & excellent. We will definitely come back when we are in New Jersey!

Visited again - 04/18/2026 with wife and SIL. This was the…read morefirst time for my SIL who loved everything she had. (The Frito Misto, Polenta Limone and the Funghi (roasted mushrooms). We've been trying to get her to come here with us and she's glad she finally did. My wife and I shared the Arugula salad, the Frito Misto... but I went with my 'normal'... Amatriciana (bucatini, guanciale & chili). Love this dish. My wife opted for the Risotto Cioppino, which she also loved. As you can see and as I've said before, we love Boschetto... and it's a BYOB!

This place has a really cool concept. They do fresh pasta and brick oven pizza where you order at…read morethe counter and then take a number and they bring you your food so it is a quick casual concept. The staff are really nice. They always make sure you have a full glass of water. For dinner, I got the pasta, pictured and pizza and my friend ordered the dessert for us with vanilla gelato. Everything was delicious. Also I think it's important to know that the food also heats up very well. The next day for leftovers which doesn't always happen with other places you go to overall I would recommend.

11/8/25 Been here a few times... always good food and…read moreservice. The Mrs. and I started with the mussels (white wine and butter sauce which was very good) and the arugula salad with apples and goat cheese... SO good! My wife ordered the roasted Branzino (butterflied, deboned & served with salmoriglio sauce, sautéed spinach, green beans, and tomatoes which she loved. I opted for the Tagliatelle duck, duck Bolognese, tomatoes in a light cream and pomodoro sauce. Great dish I would order again anytime. Service is always great here... A bit loud, but I guess some people would call that "ambiance." Still a great BYOB we always enjoy.

What a cute charming BYOB 11 minutes from Montclair' University. We tried the appetizer special…read morewhich was a fig crostini topped with Gorgonzola and walnut. This is very good and on the sweet side. Next came the Caesar Salad. What was different about it is there was a hint of basil and instead of croutons they did a dusting of fresh bread crumbs which was unique. Our meals were the rigatoni and a meatball. And WOW what a beautiful sized meatball. It was a bit too salty but my daughter liked it and that's all we care about. I had the linguini and clams which was good. The clams needed some better cleaning since I had a few with some sand in them. Stand out dish was the Fettuccine with shrimp. Had a nice pesto sauce mixed in with the Alfredo sauce and it really made the dish pop. Shrimp were good and cooked to perfection.

I went to Brick + Dough with my best friend and sister, and we had such a great time…read more First of all, the crispy brussel sprouts...SO good! I've been on a brussel sprouts kick lately, and these absolutely satisfied my craving, perfectly crispy and super flavorful. For pizza, we ordered the gluten-free Detroit-style pepperoni pie and a margherita pie, and both were really delicious. The crust, the flavor, everything just hit. The atmosphere was chill but still lively, making it a perfect spot to hang out, catch up, and enjoy some good food. Also, major bonus it's BYOB, which is amazing because it helps cut down on spending on drinks. Overall, such a great spot to satisfy your pizza cravings. I'd definitely recommend and would 100% go back. 10/10 recommendation.

Stay tuned, slice pick up is coming soon!…read more This well-appointed pizzeria serves up a delicious plate of (all beef) meatballs with fresh ricotta in a most scrumptious sauce. As for the pizzas, kinda a mixed bag. Margarita was good,the pepperoni was a bit of a disappointment, the roni cups needed to be more charred and for some reason I wasn't thrilled with the sauce. HOWEVER, the White pie was an absolute standout! Do not pass on it!!!

Went here for a birthday dinner and the ambiance was very nice and festive…read more For appetizers, we got the goat cheese with nuts and prosciutto, the burrata, and the calamari. The calamari was by far the best. It was crispy and thick and seasoned well and the sauces were delicious. There were some fried onions in it that were flavorful too. The goat cheese was okay, it felt like the flavors did not all go together. The burrata was very fresh and the starter bread is great too. For dinner we got the pork shank which I think was a special, the mushroom ravioli, the eggplant pasta with red sauce and the branzino special with veggies and a sauce. The mushroom ravioli tasted a little like mush to me and I was not a fan of the mushroom flavor. The eggplant pasta was delicious and it came with burrata that melted nicely into the pasta. The pork shank was tender and delicious. The branzino was the star for sure, it was flavorful and delicate and paired well with the sauce and the veggies. For dessert we got the pistachio tartufo and the tiramisu. I didn't think the tiramisu was very special but it wasn't bad. The tartufo was okay. It tasted like a pistachio chocolate ball inside of pistachio ice cream. It was also incredibly small for the price. Our waiter was fantastic!!! Great person who made our experience extremely special. I don't know if I would come back, maybe for the calamari and a drink. Some of the food is amazing and some is not that great.

Sapori in Montclair is one of those spots that just gets it right. The food felt authentic and well…read morethought out without trying too hard. We started with a couple of appetizers--everything was fresh, well-seasoned, and came out quickly. You can tell they're using quality ingredients. For the main course, the pasta really stood out. Perfectly cooked, great flavor, and not overloaded with sauce like a lot of places tend to do. Portions were solid too The atmosphere is cozy and a little upscale without being pretentious. Service was attentive and friendly the whole time, which made the experience even better. Overall, really good experience. Definitely a place I'd come back to if I'm in the area.

Finally made my way to NJ to check out pastaRAMEN after seeing the feature on Eater! As a fan of…read morewafu restaurants, I enjoyed my meal but didn't find it to be as impressive as hyped up to be. Started off with the clams and the calamari. The clams featured an addicting onion-forward and buttery sauce. The clams themselves were generally fresh, although one or two were a little sandy. The clams were served on top of a bed of focaccia bread. While it soaked up all the sauce and flavors, I'm not sure if I want all my bread to be soggy from the get go. The calamari were also solid with spicy mayo sauce, teriyaki sauce, and shiso leaves. Calamari were fried in a light batter. The mochi ramen carbonara featured the delicious and chewy ramen from Sun Noodles. It was cooked nicely and remained al dente throughout. The egg yolk flavors were very prominent for sure and the richness was temporized with the citrus flavors. The spicy miso ramen offered an interesting concept, but not sure if it really came together. Noodles again were very solid. The broth had more mushroom, umami flavors. Didn't quite get a taste of the butter or pork, but the leeks were good. Made a reservation for 8:30 but didn't actually get seated until past 9pm on a Friday night. Staff were polite. Should have utilized the BYOB but they also offer drinks. Dim lighting, faux cherry blossom trees, and walls of anime give it a nice intimate date-night vibes!

Ridiculously small portions. Unless you are ordering a bowl of ramen noodles, it's pretty much a…read moretapas place. Bao buns are something you can get anywhere. Got the chicken Bao buns, and they were alright. Drowning in shredded Parmesan. My complaint was the black cod I ordered tasted fishy. It came with a Yuzu tart vinaigrette or yuzu purée that didn't work. At the top, is a bed of pickled turnips. The pickled flavors clash with the Parmesan flavored broth. Why am I sitting down for fishy fish? I went here once last year and found the portions to be good. I go now and the portions are ridiculously small. It's no different from a tapas place. And you have to order a bowl of ramen even to be satiated. Concept is good. But everything is drowning in a Parmesan flavored broth. They don't know how to balance yuzu/sour notes with their Parmesan, creamy, rich broth. That their flavors are all over the place. Did I mention how much they put raw scallions on top of everything. It was a one and done deal for me. It's too pricey when the meal kinda felt flat for me on every note. There's potential for them to balance out their flavors. But I'm not waiting for that to happen, not when I had to grab dinner elsewhere because I was still starving.

Try the chicken parm Try the espresso martinis…read moreTry the fried calamari Try the ceasar salad Try the berries and cream Try the dirty martinis Try the straccatella soup Try the stuffed artichoke Try the fresh pasta Try the seafood dishes Try the veal Try the Sunday Sauce!! Try everything!!!!

Went here to celebrate for date night and really enjoyed it!…read moreAmbiance: Such a cute, cozy, intimate spot! The tables are somewhat close together though and another customer hit me with her puffer jacket hahah Service: Everyone was super friendly and nice! At times, service was a bit slow, but it was pretty packed even on a Tuesday night. Food: The food and price were both excellent. We got the calamari, pasta with vodka sauce, broiled seafood platter, a side of potatoes, and a side of sautéed mushrooms. Everything was so yummy and we had plenty of leftovers to take home.

The food was Awesome and the service was outstanding! Great pace to unwind on a Friday nightread more

Visited 08/17/2025 It's been a while since my wife and I…read morecame here. Glad we stopped in again. My wife and I shared the salad capricciosa, my BIL & SIL shared the crab cake. Both apps were very good. I ordered the Short rib pappardelle, my wife the pork chop saltimbocca. Both dishes very very good. My SIL had the branzino (as usual) and my BIL had the stuffed pork chop Valdostano. We really enjoyed our meals... the service was very attentive and it's a BYOB. Easily recommendable.

We dined at Gioia Mia for their Valentine's Day pre-fixe dinner and overall had a lovely experience…read morewith a few highs and a couple misses. The evening started strong with bread that tasted house-made! I even took the leftover back! It was warm, crispy on the outside, soft inside, and perfectly buttery. Such a simple thing, but it set the tone beautifully. For my courses, I had the tuna tartare to start, followed by the spicy rigatoni. The rigatoni wasn't actually spicy, but the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The real surprise of the night was the eggplant parmigiana. It genuinely did not feel like I was eating eggplant. That dish was so well done that my husband who normally avoids eggplant completely devoured my plate. It was such a great substitute for chicken parm and easily one of the highlights of the night. Dessert, unfortunately, is where things fell short. We tried the red velvet pound cake and the mint chip gelato entremet. The chocolate crunch layer on the gelato was extremely hard and honestly it felt like it had come straight from the freezer and hadn't had time to thaw. The mint gelato itself tasted very much like fresh herb mint, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. To me, it just leaned more herbal than classic mint chip. Also that pound cake was a bit dry and again hard like it was from the refrigerator. There was live music for Valentine's Day, which was a nice touch in theory, but it felt more like a performance than background ambiance (unless that's what they are trying to go for). The singer was belting songs (for example, Lady Gaga's Shallow - which for the record I love that song!) however when sang tonight we had to raise our voices to talk. Softer, more subtle background music would have made for a more intimate dinner experience. Still an overall good meal, I'd come back for the entrees.

The food was delicious and flavorful! Our server Daniel was very personable and told us the history…read moreof the restaurant and name. It is a quiet atmosphere and tables are nicely spaced apart. The restaurant is great for conversations. The decor is very relaxing and soothing. We had time to breathe between courses, which we love! The food wasn't rushing out of the kitchen. It was a lovely dining experience. BYO