This place used to be top notch. Unfortunately the last several times we've been there, they have completely disappointed us. This will be our last time giving them another chance. Their fettuccine alfredo was actually spicy from the amount of paprika on the dish. The saltimboca tasted as if a salt shaker opened up accidentally onto the platter before being served. The spaghetti carbonara was inedible and was the first dish I ever sent back in my whole life. I've worked in the restaurant business my entire life and I always respect the cook and feel terrible so I would never send back a dish if I didn't love it but this was not acceptable. Sorry to see a good Italian place go down hill. Would suggest going a bit further out into somerset for good Italian food from Lucas, amazing food and a steal for their prices! read more

Coming from Brooklyn, I Was in the mood for a nice authentic Italian dinner. We went with another couple and I ordered calamari fra diavolo because I can eat very spicy food. However, the dish was too searingly spicy hot. As I ate, I learned the cook made the dish with tons of long hot peppers instead of red pepper flakes (the correct way of making the dish). It ruined the dish completely. Also, there were a lot of onions which were slightly undercooked and quiet a bit of scallions. Scallions? Yes Scallions. Its like someone who is used to cooking in a diner decided to start cooking at this restaurant. What added insult to injury was the bill was $150 per couple with no alcohol (BYOB only). This was Olive Garden quality with NYC prices. Never again ! read more

This place has all the makings of a fine establishment - except a Chef. Once in awhile, everyone has a bad night, but what are the chances you serve 5 out of 6 terrible entrees (?) Fish, Chicken or Pasta - it was bad. Sometimes, it's the ingredients that are lacking, a Chef has to work harder to make something of it... tonight the Chef reached 1 to many times for the salt. How those plates left the kitchen is beyond us. A great wait staff, beautiful presentation, but shockingly over salted food - so much so, it seemed almost deliberate! One could day we were A-Salted & the Chef should be tried & convicted! read more

This is my second time here. The first time was during the summer and I got the rigatoni alla vodka both times and the experience has been consistent. The dibs looks like the $21.95 price tag attached to it. The meal comes with a bread basket and olive oil with roasted garlic as well as a salad (including cucumber, a grape tomato, carrots, a slice of mozzarella cheese, and an olive) with Italian dressing. The pasta dish was delicious and the portion is very large, which is enough to take home for lunch the next day. It comes with a creamy pink sauce and some pancetta and tomatoes. I didn't have room for dessert, but I'll be here next week, if not tomorrow, for their Wednesday chicken special! The ambience is great since the walls are lined with Picasso paintings along the brick walls. It's has a very cozy and family type of atmosphere. The service is good and they box up your food for you. Parking is free after 5 pm on weekdays and free on weekends, otherwise, it's metered parking for two hours. read more

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My husband and I found the perfect restaurant for our son, Matt and his future wife, Lindsay's wedding rehearsal dinner....Cafe Picasso was amazing! The Pablo Room in the back of the restaurant had the best ambience for our dinner of 39 people. The owner, Lorenzo was SO accommodating during the planning process and helped us to have the very best experience. He orchestrated the dinner from start to finish flawlessly!! The food was outstanding from the appetizers (the calamari was excellent) , three entree offerings (our guests RAVED about them all) to the assorted pastries for dessert. Lorenzo personally insured that we had excellent service and the best experience possible!!!!! Thank-you Lorenzo....Cafe Picasso is truly outstanding for all occasions or just lunch or dinner!!!!! Pat and Neil Mosca read more

First meal out since restaurants reopening for outdoor dining and what a way to celebrate Father's Day! As usual the food was amazing, we had a mix of specials and menu items. Huge portions, fresh delicious food. They have a done a great job expanding their outside area with tents to provide shade, this was key since it was a very hot day. We made a reservation and were seated as soon as we arrived. Very convenient to BYOB as the liquor store is next door. The restaurant and staff are following all the safety protocols including gloves and masks while still giving you a fun and classy dining experience. read more

I wish I had taken a picture of my dish but after the first bite its was a rap n it was gone lol. We were going to take out but changed our minds cause the drive back was 40 minutes. I know a pain and it wasnt my idea but I would like to thank everyone for accommodating us at the last minite especially on a Saturday night. As mentioned before the food was excellent. My fiance and I had the rigatoni alla vodka (i eat like a bird so we shared) my dad had something with tortellini (i forgot the name however it was delicious) and my mother had a pene dish also delicious. And those garlic knots omg please do not leave without trying one! Definitely a restaurant that will remain on my favorite list! read more

Ever since I saw this on DoorDash been ordering at least once twice month. Average bill over 70.00. Each time I ask for extra potatoes as one half is not enough. Never an extra charge until this past weekend when I was charged $4.41 for one small additional potato. Really! You just lost a loyal customer. read more

just now I usually have a good experience here but my last experience was enough for it to be my last. We had reservations for a large group for 6pm. We were sested promptly. There was no menus for at least a half hour. Our waiter took our order. We ordered some apps and recieved them promptly. Then dinner took over an hour to receive. Our waiter did not check on us after we received our apps. We asked when we were getting our food. The owner was not nice at all when approached and told us that waiting for a meal for an hour was typical. I've been hear many times before and have never waited an hour for food. Id like to add this was a weekday not a weekend. My one kid fell asleep at the table and my other son was shortly behind. We left shortly after 9pm for a 6pm reservation. We did not receive a "I'm sorry" from one person. Severely disappointed. read more

Lorenzo-very racist owner. Do not expect good customer service. There are so many other business owners who would appreciate your business. He charged 200% for jalapeno .When we confronted him he told us to leave and not come back. we certainly will not go back the way we were treated. read more

Had our daughter's bridal shower at cafe picasso this weekend. The attention to detail was fabulous. The food and service was A+++. CDC guidelines were followed 100%. Everyone was able to share a great day in a very safe environment. Our favorite restaurant and now our favorite special event restaurant. Bravo Cafe Picasso read more

Amazing food, huge portions and very elegant. Open kitchen is a great touch and BYOB makes it even better. Liquor store right next door in-case you forget. read more

Went to cafe Picasso this past Tuesday. Now I can't wait to go back. The food was fabulous The service was impeccable most of us got the pasta dishes So much variety Cafe Picasso is like a hidden gem in Downtown Somerville. read more

The best of the best. The owner, Lorenzo, treats each customer like family and is extremely accommodating to his guests. The staff is incredible and very nice. I always go for the chicken parm or penne vodka but honestly I've tried almost everything here and never been disappointed. 10/10 every time! read more

Went for dinner on a Saturday night in December... food pretty good. Nice sized portions !!! Could it be any louder though??? Impossible To hear and even talking to the person next to you is very difficult... why though would the restaurant have a major problem with fruit flies ?? GROSS... it's not July where it is hot and humid....yet our table has fruit flies all over the place.... Why? Food is very good ! Oh and by the way. On a party of 15, they charged $2 a person for cutting a cake that we brought for dessert... $30 on a bill over $800. Seems a bit wrong. read more

Our first and last visit to Cafe Picasso. We had an un-eatable expensive Saturday night dinner last night. We ordered Vitello Alla Milanese to share with a side of rigatoni marinara. The "lightly breaded and fried" veal cutlet came out heavily crusted and nearly black, drowned in balsamic vinegar. The pasta was ok. We should have known. When a restaurant has such an extensive menu it is difficult to get all of the options out right. I gave this review 2 stars because the waitstaff was very pleasant and entertaining. read more

Extremely disappointed. Took my Mom and my dog last night for the car show. We wanted to sit outside and always wanted to try Cafe Picasso. We arrived and wanted to sit outside. The server had maybe 2 tables filled out of the 8 that were outside and was lounging on the door. We said can we have the one in the corner, and his response was like we were inconveniencing him. Okay, no big deal. We're here to eat after all. We sat in the corner, he comes over and asks us to move our dog leash closer to under our table. Remind you, all three tables next to us were empty and were not going to be filled cause of the heat. Wasn't even polite about it, just a "move that over". That started everything bad. Service was rushed for the rest of the night. For the food- , want to talk about high prices! I've never seen Italian Food priced so high for very mediocre food. Server barely checked on us, came to get the check. I can take mediocre and over priced food- seems like the norm these days. But I can't take servers being rude and inconsiderate, especially when they weren't that busy. We will never go back. Really disappointed. read more

We have been to Cafe Picasso several times. It's always been great except for our most recent visit. We went for my mother's birthday and the service was absolutely horrible. The food took forever to arrive to our table and we were all served at different times. By the time everyone was finally served their food, some food became cold. Unfortunately our experience wasn't great. We were disappointed with the service and food. Won't be going back. read more

Wonderful food and atmosphere! I've never seen so many varieties of pasta. I couldn't decide! I had it narrowed down to two or three so one of the owners, Lorenzo, said "let me surprise you". They brought me a delicious dish of spinach and ricotta ravioli with asparagus and roasted peppers in a creamy sauce. It was perfect! If we lived closer we would be there every week. I do plan on bringing my friends for lunch as soon as I can! read more

Cafe Picasso - Did I mention my delicious dessert?! - Italian Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

Really bad service. I used to go here to order food weekly. Today I ordered again and it took more than 1 hour. I had to keep checking the hostess. After I came home to finally enjoy the food. And found the bread they gave me were old (hard to bite) and portion was small. Almost like cut the corner pieces they didn't want to sell to me. Hostess was rude too and just kept blaming on the cooks. read more

Best Italian food in Somerville. Know the owners very well and they treat me like family. I always come and try different things on the menu and always end with a dessert. I highly recommend that everyone come and visit this establishment when you are in the Somerville area. read more

Moved to Somerville recently and decided to give this place a try. We ordered delivery and got the chicken Marsala. The portion was large with at least 3 pieces of chicken and lots of mushrooms. The entree came with a salad and plenty of bread including garlic knots which was nice. We were really looking forward to a great meal. We are not adverse to salt, however, the chicken Marsala was so salty that it overpowered the taste to the point that neither of us could eat it. We ended up throwing the chicken away and instead shared just the salad and bread. Thank goodness the sent plenty of bread. read more

This is a great restaurant. I love their food. The service is very good, but there is a huge however. One of the bus people, a female, had her mask below her nose. We asked to have our leftover food wrapped and I asked her to please pull her mask over her nose. She did, but as soon as she gave our wrapped food back she turned and pulled her mask below her nose again. It makes me wonder what she did while inside and thus the reason for the 3 stars. Shane on her! read more

Pablo would be honored that this restaurant decided to name itself after such prolific painter. Decorated beautifully, highlighting some of his most iconic works Cafe Picasso oozes artistic character. Dine here March 11th for a double date with my girlfriend's friends, who are regulars here and strongly recommended this place. We took a walk through the restaurant to our table and passed the open kitchen. I'm a big fan of open kitchens because you get to see the chefs hard at work and there is less room for goofing off in the back of the house. As soon as we sat down we were greeted with a bread lovers paradise, a fluffy assortment of carb overload. Garlic knots, focaccia, and traditional Italian bread. The bread basket was accompanied with butter and garlic infused olive oil. My girlfriend and I both thought the oil was a wonderful compliment to the bread. We shared the calamari friti as an appetizer. Perfectly battered squid served with spicy sauce and regular marinara sauce. Cafe Picasso has such an extensive menu that for me choosing what to order was a bit of a challenge. I wanted it all lol, but settled for the zuppa di pesce. The Mediterranean Sea over a plate of linguine. The dish was supposed to come with plum tomato sauce, but I asked for it over garlic and oil. I was slightly disappointed because the entree had no taste. Twice I had to ask the waitress to top me off with some grated cheese.The good thing about the entrees here is that they are yyyuuggeee and all come with a small salad first. My girlfriend and our dining companions loved their dishes, so that is why I am giving Picasso 4 stars. If I'm ever in the area and having a hankering for Italian food I will be sure to come back here. read more

Best authentic Italian restaurant in the area. Excellent choice of pasta, meats, seafood, sauces to pair food with, generous portions, and a fair price for the amount of food served. Breads are delicious and fresh, quick service, and the staff is courteous enough to make any dish off the menu to your liking. Seafood specials range anywhere from seafood pasta medley to Atlantic salmon with scallops and angel hair pasta. Recommend for business meals, family gatherings, and special occasions. read more

Very disappointing. I was there couple of years ago and I thought it was great. We went for our anniversary dinner today and the food was really not that good. My husband had Veal Saltimbocca which wasn't that bad but it was very salty. I ordered Veal DeLuca and it was really just sausage. My husband tried to trade with me but he did not like it either - he could not even taste any veal the sausage was so overpowering. I than got a replacement meal with Veal Marsala which is usually the safe bet. It tasted OK but it was incredibly salty (and I like salt). The veal was also tough - it took a lot of chewing to get it down - I ate less than half of it. Did not stay for coffee and dessert (went someplace else) as we did not want to leave any more money at this establishment. On the positive note, the staff was very nice and responsive. Would not go back and would not recommend. read more

Literally the BEST spot around to Grab some Italian food. The service is always spot on in the portions are hefty and fairly priced. They have great deals here. The penne vodka is my absolute favorite! I only wish that they had a bar in here because I bet the drinks would be equally as amazing. But luckily there is a liquor store right next-door read more

The food is so delicious!!! The food at this restaurant is consistently good. The wait staff is attentive and the atmosphere is relaxing. It is a BYOB so be sure to come prepared with your beverage of choice to pair with a meal that can't be compared to any other Italian restaurant in Somerset! read more

Delicious food but doubled their prices about a year ago. Now simply overpriced good food. Too bad.

Had a party of 18 (and 4 Moms) for Mother's Day and loved it. We were originally scheduled to go to Savor, but when the party expanded to 18 (from the original 16), we were forced to change. In retrospect, we're glad we did. Food: We ordered family style apps (calamari, tomato/mozzarella, mussels). The mussels were a 10 out of 10, universally loved. The other two were standard fare, but properly prepared. Note that there aren't a lot of gluten free options in the app section, if this is important to you. Entrees were outstanding. We agreed that the fish/beef/veal entrees were far better than the pasta entrees, although none were "bad". We did have to send back one chicken dish (overcooked), but it was quickly rectified. Two of the guests were underwhelmed with the red sauce, but they are Italians who did a pretty terrific job in their home kitchens, so we'll be kind to Cafe P on this front. The teenagers did not care for the meatballs -- they felt they were overfilled and dry. Service: "Amy", our primary server, was wonderful. She hustled, maintained a sense of humour and took care of every issue, however small. One thing to note: gratuity was (of course) already added as we were such a large party. We added another $22 as a gesture of thanks for a job well done. We saw Amy several times while packing up and using the restroom, but she didn't even make eye contact. I was a waiter for 5 years and was trained to acknowledge anything over 20% specifically so the guests know it was appreciated. It became a topic of conversation (did she think we should have added MORE than an extra 3%?) This was an unnecessary distraction to an otherwise lovely experience. Miscellany: Parking is an issue in Somerville. You will need a street (metered) spot or a slightly farther public lot, so just be sure to leave an extra 5 or 10 minutes to park and get to the restaurant. Not a ton of bathroom space here (and they are both "single seaters", so we had some youngsters waiting a long time when one patron occupied the room for 20 minutes). Cafe Picasso is recommended! read more

Cafe Picasso - Mother's Day party of 18, not counting the photo-bombing busboy in the background. - Italian Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

So very disappointing I ordered lasagna to go for lunch (around 2ish on a Thursday) First I get there & they say total is $22 For lunch? What the . . . So he was nice enough and gave me discount so it was $16 instead whatever. So I walk two minutes back to work and I dig in - into a cold slab of lasagna. It was horrible and I don't have microwave and I couldn't go back (and won't be going back either). read more

Lou D. - thank you for your response. I'm sorry, you are right, everyone has an off night. I said it took 7 minutes for someone to notice us and seat us. It took about 15 for me to flag down a waiter. So 20 minutes to get seated and finally get a waiter. Unacceptable. There were exactly 3 tables with seated guests, no one at the front waiting to be seated, and what looked like no movement at all in the restaurant. It was not a busy night at all. In my younger days I have worked front of the house in fine restaurants - ignoring your front desk could cost you diners - we thought you were closed! If a guest specifically says "my husband isn't feeling well, and we have to leave quickly" it shouldn't take 10 minutes to wrap food (poorly) and another 5 - 8 to get a check. Seamless work between the team members could have made this a much better experience. Your food is expertly prepared, fresh and serve piping hot - all great qualities - maybe we will try again in the summer - if things are better, I'll re-write the review. read more

Ehhh..food is a bit overpriced..portions are big..went there last night for my sister's bday and her meal got screwed up and came out after the rest of us were done eating..then there is 1 bathroom for God knows how many people they jammed inside and I had to wait almost half hour for toilet paper..asked people in there 3x and they ignored me until I spoke with mngr..would not return read more

Huge portions and early delivery. Their char grilled chicken is Amazing! They accommodated our request to sub pork for chicken as well and didn't charge extra. read more

This place feels like you're in Italy! love the ambiance inside Cafe Picasso. They also have great pasta lunch specials.

Was there for a large group dinner. Tried to make reservations, but no one answered the phone. Showed up as a walk-in and got an apathetic response from the hostess as if our party would be putting them out. (If you don't want our business, please say so.) Mind you, the restaurant was practically empty. Our group trickled in painfully slow, but they were kind enough to seat us anyway. Our server was amazing... extremely patient and informative. We ordered calamari, mussels, and bruschetta for appetizers... all pleasing. The entrees were rather hit or miss. Those that ordered chicken and veal seemed happy. Pasta was too al dente. Also, I got 1/4 of the way through my plate and I found a hair. As I was with a large group and I didn't want to cause a scene, I discretely told the waiter and returned the dish to him. He immediately took it back and said they would make a new plate, but I didn't want anymore food and said that I would prefer that he just took it off the check. Perplexed and upset, he asked if I wanted anything else, I declined. I told no one at the table. For the people that ordered dessert, they were happy. The descriptions, themselves, were very decadent. The check was a mess. Perhaps, it goes with the territory of being a large party, but it was pen on top of pencil with meal prices multiplied times 2 or 3. It looked like a 4th grader's homework assignment written on a napkin. I'm giving this place 2.5 stars based on the service alone and the fact that my family enjoyed themselves because I certainly did not. I will not be going back. in summation. crappy pre-restaurant experience. not answering the phone. crappy hostess attitude. crappy pasta. w/ hair. crappy check layout. byob. w/ cool corking machine. potpourri infused bathroom. good server. does not outweigh pasta w/ hair. 2.5 read more

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We used to come every year for our holiday party with 18-20 people. We booked this year for 18 people in the beginning of November to have our party the middle of December. We called yesterday to confirm and they said we only told them we booked for 15. We never said 15 it was always 18. Then later the owner calls and says now we have to do a prefix menu and he wants $300 to hold the table. We said we've never done a prefix menu and that's not what we were looking for. He says he spoke with us to book the reservation and told us about the prefix. He clearly lied because we spoke with a lady when we called in November to secure the reservation. He was so rude and unprofessional and when we told him we were upset about it he said things change this is what we do. So we told him we were going to cancel our reservation and he said great and hung up. Safe to say we won't be back to this restaurant. read more

81 W Main St , Somerville, NJ is the actual address. The old building actually burnt down but Yelp had it wrong. When you walk in it seems like the place would fit 30-40 people. There is a dessert display on the left and tons of bottles of wine. you can not buy alcohol here but right next door you def can and BYOB it. Mon and Tues the pasta is 1/2 off which is amazing and the food is prob give for take 17-25 range for a plate (huge portions). Apps wise we got mozzarella with chunky tomatoes all over it which was a huge and great combination. I thought it would just be slices but it was fried mozzarella covered with the sauce. If you like tomatoes you will LOVE THIS PLACE since they do a great job with sauces, seasoning them, and etc. Bread basket has reg soft bread great for soaking in the sauces and also garlic knots with an amazing garlic and olive oil dip. Entrees come out with with good sized house salad with fresh cucumbers (like SUPER CRISPY!!!) with their house dressing. Probably one of the freshest salads ive had in a long time. The lamb special with the cheese stuffed inside was amazing pastas also came out in huge portion and a coworker got #2 pasta with vodka sauce. I had the lobster ravioli which was super rich in the vodka sauce and didn't finish since I ate so much before. The dessert (ask them to recommend you it) was a chocolate cake with dark chocolate on one side, lighter chocolate mousse, whip cream, and just amazing trio of flavors and textures. Def worth the 30 min drive from Princeton. read more

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Came in at 9 and they told us the kitchen was closing, mind you they advertise 10:30pm close online and on the door it says 11 pm close. Our dinner was rushed. Poor first time experience. read more

Did not find this to be a very good Italian restaurant. The appetizers and salads were good, but the main courses were not very good. Be sure to ask about the sauces for the meals, especially ones with fish. Some of the sauces do not go very good with the fish and may dry the fish out. The place is also rather busy and so service can take some time. Bottom line, there are better Italian restaurants out there for the price. read more