We walked in around 4:30, not dressed up. We came from a family outing at Peddlers Village, everyone was hungry. The gentleman at the door sat us immediately, they brought the menus and got our order for waters. They quickly got us a bottle and poured it perfectly into everyone's glass. After a few minutes we placed our orders and enjoyed the bread with pesto they gave us. Food came out fresh and hot. They even accommodated my son on "chicken fingers" and a side of pasta. Food was amazing nice size portions. Definitely a place to stop into, to eat, price is a bit expensive, but the food was so worth it. The service was fantastic they kept our waters filled and made sure we were comfortable. My kids got a kick out of the cake trolly they bring to your table. Wonderful people there, will definitely need to go back just for the food and service. read more

Cafe Emilia - Pollo Chicken Giordano - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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Good great and service on point. Andy very good host and place has class. Wii def go back again and again no questions

We arrived famished before the standard dinner time, and were welcomed and shown immediately to a table, although there was a large engagement party happening as well. Service was warm and immediate, excellent bread arrived and drinks order was taken. We were only 40 minutes into a three hour drive so we ordered entrees, which were so good that I am planning to visit this roadside restaurant again as soon as the opportunity arises. read more

First time at Café Emilia and it was a great spontaneous stop on my way back to NJ. The place is cozy, nicely decorated, and the service was quick and friendly. The atmosphere feels warm and welcoming, like a local favorite. The menu is small but well thought out. The food was good, though a bit pricey for the portion size, and the Caesar salad lettuce wasn't very fresh. Overall, lovely café with great service and definitely worth checking out. read more

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Went for New Year's Eve dinner and was disappointed. Hadn't been there in years so thought it we be a great time to go back. There was a very limited menu and the prices were all raised due to the holiday. They did not advertise the limited menu on social media or when we called to make a reservation. There weren't really specials either...just selections from the regular menu (or very close to) but more expensive. We all ended up settling for something because the choices just weren't great. Even a glass of house wine was marked up. The food was all fairly good but by no means great. The service itself was really good though...no complaints. It was a very short dinner as they were clearly rushing us out to make sure the table was ready for the next seating. End of day it ended up being a fairly good meal at an astronomical price. With so many other good Italian restaurants in Somerville and Raritan I would not go back and pay the same prices...but will give it another shot with the full menu at regular prices. read more

Cute Italian restaurant. Service was great. Very welcoming. The food was very ordinary. My order of fried mozzarella was just OK, and the cheese ravioli was very bland. My husband's arugula salad was great but his fruita di marre main dish again, was very bland. Based on some of the great reviews, I had high hopes. When entering the restaurant it looks like a great Italian place to eat. But the food was very disappointing. read more

I'm disappointed in myself for driving past this restaurant several times and not realizing what I was missing. You enter a modest, warm and inviting space and you are greeted by their professional and friendly staff. They have a specialty cocktail menu with amazing choices that you just don't see in your local spots. And they do the classics perfectly, the Espresso Martini was silky, creamy and full of flavor. The service and the pacing of the evening was perfect. The food was incredible. I ordered the Veal Chop special, my wife ordered the Chicken Giordano, our friends ordered the Steak Special and the Chicken Special with Crab Meat. Everything was presented beautifully and tasted even better than it looked. Desserts were also amazing. The Tiramisu was perfectly moist and not soggy. We split the chocolate hazelnut cake and it was so tempting that it lost a limb before I got to take a photo. Definitely a must try. Even though it's a smaller space, we never felt rushed, as if they wanted to turn the table. The staff and owners were extremely inviting, they thanked us repeatedly and invited us back. The warmer weather is almost upon us and they have a beautiful outdoor area for dining al fresco. Can't wait to try it. I know one thing for sure, the next time I pass this place I'll either be pulling into the parking lot or calling to make a future reservation. Absolutely fantastic. read more

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I was very impressed with Cafe Emilia, I must have passed it driving countless times, but a very good old friend invited me to meet him for lunch there, He was obviously a regular as the owner was quick to come to the table and chat. My friend has been in sales since the 80's and has some very successful clients, so he is a great judge when it comes to finding the best places to eat and treat his clients. The food was sensational, I find this kind of Italian food to be much more enjoyable than the average restaurant, Ambience was nice and I could tell the sure sign of a quality restaurant which is way they treated the clientele, many familiar faces that were regulars there, and this place is fine dining, so it is because of the quality and the welcoming staff that makes people return. I'm a fan of well made Tira Misu which can vary from place to place, but Cafe Emilia wins hands down for the best. I've had a bit of trouble trying to put it out of my mind. I've been on a post-pandemic weight loss plan lately, but have been very successful and when I soon reach my goal, I have every intention of returning for more. read more

A night of misses on the restaurants I wanted to go to but this was a restaurant I've driven by on my way to another. After circling back and notice the full parking lot I just pulled in to give them a try. Very old school Italian restaurant, with multiple waiters on the floor. Started with the Caesar's salad and then the veal chop parmigiana, linguine with red clam sauce. The dinner was really good and the servers were very attentive. Definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

Cafe Emilia - Vitello alla Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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Absolutely amazing. We went here to celebrate two birthdays in the family and were blown away with the quality of the food and service. We had a party of 6 with all different dishes and every meal was executed masterfully. You can tell from the first bite that everything was made in house. I highly suggest trying the four cheese ravioli if available, we were offered samples and I can confidently say I've never had a better ravioli. Thank you for a wonderful experience and we can't wait to return. read more

I can't remember the last time I had such a delicious and enjoyable meal! From the first moment we walked in and the owner helped my elderly father into his seat to the end of the meal when the owner offered me bread to take home with my leftovers ... we had a five star experience. Food - all seven of us really enjoyed our meals. The drinks were on point (not too sweet like most restaurants), the zucchini flower special was so flavorful, the veal parmigiana and pollo Alexandra tender as could be, and the desserts were fantastic! Service - top notch! I feel like great service is a rarity these days. The waitstaff was super attentive without making us feel like they were hovering. And they worked with smiles on their faces! Will definitely be back to this family owned gem of a restaurant! Highly recommend. read more

Really 3.75. But will round up. This is elevated Italian. Service is top notch. Place is nice. Food was very flavorful no matter what we ate. Calamari was on point. Tried a few pasta dishes and every one was good to great. Would recommend this place. read more

This was honestly beyond a disappointment. New Jersey Italian...I highly recommend going elsewhere. From the start, the experience was terrible. We come in for our 7pm reservation, and the place is MOBBED. We look around and there is no table for six even remotely ready to turn over. Awkwardly, we watched the servers have to move a couple to another table in order for us to sit down, ten minutes later. For the food, again a disappointment. The Mozzarella en Carozza came out with stiff/cold mozzarella. The Caesar salad was a disgrace with brown lettuce and bagged croutons (the dressing was quite good). The chicken parmigiana was way too thin, causing the cutlet to be overly dry and there wasn't enough sauce to help. The seared tuna special was requested as rare which came out medium rare/medium, making it dry and chewy. The chicken Alexandra with prosciutto was beyond salty and chewy like jerky. To round it out, the service was not great. From the table debacle at the start, we were never asked after the start of the meal if we wanted another drink and after we received our meals, never asked how it was. Truly disappointing meal and service. There are a number of better Italian restaurants we'll go to in the future. read more

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This was a traditional Italian location with Italian murals and décor throughout the establishment. There was a very small bar in the back as well. There appeared to a large outside seating area on the side of the building too. The menu was somewhat limited, but there was a variety in the choosing as well as specials. The service was appreciated, and the food came out in a timely matter. They start the meal off with a loaf of bread and an oil with pesto flavor. There was a good balance of the pesto with the oil. For my entrée, I had the Vitello Lyndsey ($29). It was veal topped with sliced eggplant, ham, roasted pepper, and melted provolone in a vodka sauce. There was also a side of potatoes and string beans. My first impression of the dish was the amount of food present. There was not much at all. However, the taste made up for it. The veal was very tender, and the sauce was appetizing. The vodka sauce was creamy and went well with the veal and eggplant. I just wish there was a little more!! Will I go back? Probably. read more

Cafe Emilia - Vitello Lyndsey - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

If you want to have a memorable experience don't go here. Choose another Italian restaurant. The food here is average at best and the noise level is off the charts. The calamari was soggy and the eggplant appetizer was over powered by cheese. The veal in the entrées was tough and smothered in a brown sauce that completely masked the taste of the veal. In addition, the deserts were only mediocre. The service staff were average, not very attentive and clumsy at times. I would recommend that the owners should reevaluate their offerings. read more

Excellent service and food is delicious. Drinks are expensive. $16 for cocktails or a glass of wine. Desserts at $14 for a slice of pie is ridiculous! There are other Italian restaurants in the area. read more

Excellent and consistent food and service A little noisy, a little pricey Staff is attentive and very nice We continue to enjoy their food over the years read more

Cafe Emilia - Caesars salad, chicken parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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Thee cuisine and service was excellent. There was a wide choice. The zucchini flower appetizer was wondaful. I had the scallop main course and it was also excellent. read more

What a lovely restaurant! The food is delicious and Andy the owner is very accomodating. We had the ceasar salad prepared table-side by Andy and it was delicious. read more

The crew is amazing here. I can only eat here one weekend a year and they always welcome me like a friend who has been out of town and missed. Food is also amazing - that's why I come back every year. I think this is my 10th year visiting once a year. I understand the Cafe Emilia has been open 23 years this weekend. Pretty amazing. You should visit if you can. read more

Cafe Emilia - Linguini Dominic. - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

Outstanding service, lovely atmosphere and excellent Italian food. The wine list is fairly extensive and well priced. The owner/maitre D Andy makes all guests feel welcome. It is my go to when I am in Raritan for business. I try never to miss the opportunity to have dinner there. read more

I have been coming here for several years now. The food is excellent, the service is outstanding and friendly and they will usually modify any dish you want to your liking. Just an excellent Italian Restaurant! read more

This place has such fresh and delicious foods! I highly recommend the pasta dishes. The restaurant is easily reachable and truly gives a genuine feel of Italy. Have some of their wine and enjoy some free bread and olive oil! Service was quick and friendly and the outdoor dining set up felt very covid safe. Will definitely come back here! read more

Cafe Emilia - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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Had dinner there last night, had the crab cake appetizer with Dijon mustard which was very delicious and I had another appetizer, mozzarella en carozza. I can't pass up on their mozzarella en carozza when I come, so I had two appetizers. With their mozzarella en carozza, they put the marinara sauce on the side, this leaves the sides of the mozzarella crispy. Other places I've seen put the marinara sauce on top, leaving it soggy. For dinner I had the filet mignon special with mushrooms and peppers. Cooked medium and very tasty with the right amount of seasoning. I couldn't finish it as it was a big piece, but I have leftovers now. I can say that as I've been coming here for years, and my mother for 20 years. This is not just not our favorite Italian restaurant, but restaurant period. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but for those saying negative things about this place, I really don't think they know what they're talking about. You have friendly staff that are attentive. Beautiful Tuscan decor. Fresh food that comes out hot and tasty every time. If you're dating a girl, this is a special place to save for her. read more

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Why bother making a reservation. Awful experience. Waited 1 hr passed my reservation time - they over booked. Nasty male manager - he clearly doesn't know anything about hospitality- made me feel so uncomfortable. read more

Chicken parmigiana was excellent big portion Good service. Dinner and courses were served in good time read more

The fettuccine seafood dish should be an app I've never seen such small shrimp ,calamari was hard. Needed more sauce. You serve a veal chop parm with roasted potatoes and string beans. We had it a other places and it's served over pasta.. Your Veal chops is nothing to brag about We've had it at other places and hands down 100x better. Your over rated. I'll say your bread was good read more

Cafe Emilia - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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I'd give them more than 5 stars if I could. We arrived a little early for our 6pm Sunday reservation and they were able to accommodate us without a problem. My infant accidentally broke a plate and they were super chill about it which I really appreciated as a new mother. A+ customer service. They took their time with the food which is 100% welcomed by me because it means they take their time cooking the food. I had the Linguini Al Dominic which was absolutely perfect. Great temperature. Great taste. PERFECT PORTION. I had enough room for desert. I ordered the homemade cannoli and espresso which if you can guess was perfect. Will come back. read more

So we arrived on a Saturday evening, parking was tough but we were warned. The restaurant looks really nice both outside and inside. The staff was also very friendly. As we expected it was a full house and it was vey loud. Now for the food. First I have to comment on the complementary bread that they put on the table. It was so tough, you had a hard time tearing it let alone chewing it. My wife had the 'Pollo Giordano" which looked great and tasted good too. I had the "Gamberi Fradiavolo" which basically is 6 fried shrimp over angel hair pasta drenched in spicy red sauce. Not the best. Desert was also interesting. The Pumpkin Cheescake was creamy and soft and tasted quite good. The homemade Tiramisu was another story. It was basically a glob of cream that tasted a little like coffee. Not good at all. See the attached picture. The bartenders did a great job with the cocktails. The drinks were delicious. Overall just an ok experience, a little pricey too for what your getting. read more

Cafe Emilia - Homemade Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Bridgewater, New Jersey

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We came around 5ish on a weekend night - already several tables inside but not yet crowded. I got a veal dish and my husband had a seafood pasta dish. Both were very good, I would recommend the veal. For dessert I had the banana chocolate mousse cake - it was better then expected. The atmosphere was nice although a little loud inside as it's a small place. The one small downside was the server: upon sitting we were asked if we wanted sparkling or flat water. We just said flat assuming that meant normal tap water - it did not and was a waste of $8 as we had alcoholic drinks already. So unless you wanted bottled water make sure you say tap! read more

Passing by consistently I see cars packing the lot so I made a 5p reservation. Not needed at 5p but you did by 6p. Many regulars and the wait staff greeted people by name. Full bar. Had the salad special as an app and the portion was perfect and the taste extraordinary. We had Veal Stanski and Shrimp Fra Diavolo. Truly the food was hearty and more than enough for us - no room for dessert. Loved the meal and the service. We'll be back. read more

Being out of towners, my wife & I randomly picked this establishment for dinner. Little did we know it is a locals' favorite. The place was packed. We were lucky to get a table but the Maitres d' couldn't have been more friendly or inviting. He went out of his way to make us feel comfortable. We were seated in under 10 mins. Our very friendly waiter then took our order promptly and once served the food couldn't have been better. Everything was delicious and very well prepared. The Maitres d' then comped us two very tasty after dinner drinks. Following coffee and dessert we were on our way back to our hotel very pleased by our experience. By the way, the cheese cake is amazingly good. We highly recommend Cafe Emilia and know you won't be disappointed if you give it a try. read more

This place doesn't care about their customers, just the all mighty dollar! I called a few months back to make a dinner reservation for a communion celebration, figuring it will book up fast I called early in the year. I was told there are no other parties at the time and we even discussed the menu. Just to receive a call today and was told they cant accommodate my party cause they have a lot of parties. What happened to first come first serve? so you booted me for a larger party. And not to even apologize, I asked where you will sit us and was told I'm not sure I can. Ate you kidding me?' who runs a business like that. To top it off, he said oh you have kids, no it will be loud. I had the whole thing planned, to now be scattered looking for another place. I'm very understanding, and understand places get busy, you should have handled this differently and maybe apologize and come up with a solution! RUDE RUDE RUDE! That's not how you run a business. So disappointed and I've had events there. Will never come back! You don't replace a party for a larger party! read more

1) We enjoyed the plain shrimp scampi, thin pounded chicken parm, and chocolate pecan pie very much!!! We are happy they were open for take out. Many thanks for keep the spices off. Delectable chocolate pecan pie-- more like a chocolate cake with icing and a few nuts and caramel. We thought the red velvet was just ok but the rest was amazing! See soon: Foods Around The World Supertasters for videos! 2) Back again for great shrimp scampi and dessert and all is amazing! And great caring staff who will bring it to the parking lot. Thank you. read more

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My parents held a surprise 50th birthday party for myself and my husband. The restaurant catered to all our needs! The service, food and attention to detail was exceptional. Highly recommend it! read more

This place is amazing ! A friend recommended Cafe Emilia to me and I couldn't be any happier that she did! Our reservation was booked through open table for 8:30. (Even if they are fully booked through open table give them a call and see if they can get you in) As soon as we walked in and sat down we were treated like family. This would be perfect for a date night or a nice family dinner. They have a full bar with a large selection of wine! The hardest part of the night was deciding what to eat! For our appetizer we went with mussels in a white wine sauce. They give you a nice sized portion of mussels which was perfect for the two of us. For my meal I went with Gabriella's Linguine which is shrimp, red peppers, and mushrooms in a pesto sauce. Dessert is rolled out to you on a cart and you pick what you want. I chose the cheesecake. (best decision of my night) Everything was absolutely delicious! The managers/ owner made sure to chat with us during our meal and before we left. It really made us feel very welcomed and we will definitely be back! If you are in this area give this place a try! read more

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It's a popular local spot with many moms here and i had dinner here few times. lovely menu and great list of cocktails and wines.

The Friday night we were there in July 2024 was so noisy we couldn't even taste the food. Yeah. Seriously. Zero ambiance, slow service. I guess the food was OK but it was not an overall positive sensual experience. Maybe it was a bad night, but still bad enough for not ever wanting to try it again. It's a shame. It was highly recommended but our experience was poor, at best. read more

Everything from service to food was perfect. They truly know what they're doing at this establishment.

Service was great. Food was very tasty. Shrimp melted in my mouth. Everything we had was delicious. Cheesecake was really good for dessert.