Last year I missed out on the Cucina Calandra Grinch/Christmas experience and I vowed to not let that happen this year. As soon as I saw that reservations were live, I immediately made mine! I had a Thursday dinner reservation that I eventually needed to cancel and remake for a lunch reservation. Didn't love that I had to go for lunch but oh well. Our reservation was for Noon which meant that they were just opening up for the day and boy were they busy! There were a ton of people coming in for lunch. Getting situated and to our table took a few because of the overwhelming amount of reservations. I booked our table in the Lounge area rather than the dining room and glad I did as it seems to be more festive! Food-wise we ate the Pollo Parm Pizza and the Hot Calamari. Both were good but nothing spectacular. We ordered festive drinks which were $18 each -- a little high but I get it. We skipped on dessert and got dessert drinks instead - I had the Tiramisu Martini which was delightful! read more

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The staff were so nice to us. They came around with play "dough" of leftover pizza dough. The vodka pizza was good. The rest of it was mediocre. The cheese bread they brought out in the beginning was amazing. The decor was festive for Grinchmas but it's a separate event to be there when he comes out. It's decent for a restaurant attached to a hotel. read more

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I recently visited Cucina Calandra for the Grinch's Grato pop-up, and it was an unforgettable date night. From start to finish, everything was top-notch. The service was friendly and attentive, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The food? Absolutely phenomenal! We began with some pre-meal bread, which was fresh, soft, and delicious. For the main course, I had the Cavatelli Con Ragu Di Salsiccia--a rich and flavorful dish that was perfectly cooked. The Pepperoni & Hot Honey Pizza was another standout, with just the right balance of spicy and savory flavors. Every bite was a 10/10. If you're looking for a great meal in Fairfield, NJ, I highly recommend Cucina Calandra. Whether you're here for a special occasion or just a night out, it's definitely worth a visit. I can't wait to return! read more

I came for a conference in this hotel and visited the attached Cucina Calandra for dinner with my family. It was good! Not high end or anything but for a mid-casual pasta place, we really enjoyed it. The cheese bread at the beginning of the meal started us off right. Amazing! The Italian salad was ok, and the spaghetti bolognese was delicious. We finished the night with affogato and that was lovely. Our waiter was friendly. Would recommend! read more

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I had mother's day dinner and was overcharged from the special mother's day menu from the final bill by $10 what a rip-off. Dinner and service disappointing at best read more

*This review is for their cooking class only & not their restaurant* I attended the very first cooking class at this location. Chef Sergio was great & it was a fun informative hands on experience. I looked forward to attending future classes but unfortunately the vibe of the next class was entirely different. Upon arriving early the room was very crowded, extremely noisy & the atmosphere chaotic. ( I witnessed many attendees grabbing multiple loaves of bread to take home leaving none) even though I requested they replenish the bread included in the $49.99 fee I was informed they simply "ran" out. I believe they overbooked this popular event. Sadly I will not be attending future classes. read more

Such a fun spot for the holidays, with cute grinch themed cocktails. Definitely recommend if you enjoy Italian food and wish there were some grinch themed apps. Also they accept reservations and their service is friendly and attentive read more

Cucina Calandra - Grinchmas - Italian Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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Came here for lunch with girlfriends for their holiday grinches grotto. It was such a cute way to spend some time with friends for the holiday. Plenty of parking in the lot. We made reservations ahead of time. The themed drinks looked fun. I personally had a spicy margarita. Food and drinks were good. Service was great. The gave us each a loaf of bread on the way out which was nice ! read more

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the food here, for the most part, is good! The vodka chicken pizza was great, and it's nice that they bring out a cheesy bread at the beginning. the pasta with vodka sauce was very overcooked in my opinion (like falling apart as you try to pick it up). but the sauce was still really great. The house chardonnay is also good, and the service here was perfect. I will say that it is quite bright inside (not really a soft dinner lighting), but honestly i didn't mind! the bar seemed nice as well, will definitely check that out one day. read more

Old-school New Jersey Italian cuisine. Think: traditional dishes and HUGE portions. When we visited earlier this month, the restaurant was under renovation, so they had moved all the tables into the bar area. Servers started us with bread from their bakery, served with olive oil for dipping (yum, cutely served in a colander). We continued with two fresh salads, two pastas (one with pesto sauce, one with vodka sauce) and the chicken cutlet with gnocchi. Again, portions were huge! Felt like a pound of pasta on my plate. I should have asked to add a protein, to balance my carb loading. Other than that, the food was pretty good - for that price point I just look for something a little more inspired. We took home half of the food as take-out. I think they could shrink their portion sizes and reduce their food costs, to reduce their menu costs, and everyone would still have plenty to eat. Just a thought. The short wine list showcases mostly Italian wines. I enjoyed a sambuca after dinner while my family shared cheesecake and affogato for dessert. The restaurant was BUSY and servers were friendly and attentive. Very family-friendly spot with lots of kiddos. To our surprise on this recent Saturday evening, live music started mid-dinner: a man, a guitar, and some entertaining backup tracks. It got a little loud for us, but entertaining, and fun to see all the kids dancing to the music. read more

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Came in for a holiday pop up (Grinches Grotto) with friends and had a lovely holiday experience. Make reservations in advance as they are a tiny restaurant and limited seating. We had pizza to start. It was a hot honey and pepperoni pizza. Delicious! I ordered the lobster ravioli, good but a small portion. My husband had pasta and my friend had seafood pasta. Everything was good. We ordered holiday drink but the presentation was underwhelming. Had few desserts - also average. Overall a good spot. We didn't love the blasting music at the end of our dining experience. They seemed like they wanted to turn it into a night club. Just wasn't the vibe for us. read more

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After attending a conference in Montclair, NJ, our group needed a solid team dinner to wrap up the week. One of the locals in our crew suggested Calandra's, which she had enjoyed before -- and as far as I'm concerned, a recommendation from a local is always gold. Even better? It was connected to my hotel. Win-win! Since it was a Saturday night and we were a party of six with no reservation (oops), we figured we might be out of luck. The manager let us know there was one open table -- but we'd need to finish within 60-75 minutes before the next reservation. We gladly took it, and everything worked out perfectly. Service was fantastic, attentive without being overbearing, and the food? Excellent. We started with the calamari fritti and Caprese salad -- both were fresh, flavorful, and well-prepared. The warm cheesy loaves of bread that came out first? Absolutely addictive. We could've filled up on those alone! For my entrée, I went with the Ossobuco di Maiale, which was cooked to perfection -- fall-off-the-bone tender, paired with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Others at the table ordered the chicken parm and ravioli, among other dishes. I didn't hear a single complaint -- and several of us left with leftovers thanks to the generous portions. All in all, it was a fantastic dining experience, and I'd happily return. Whether you're staying at the hotel or just in the area, Calandra's is well worth the visit. read more

The food here was so sub par. There was 6 of us and no one enjoyed (ate) their dinners. THe meatball sub tasted like last weeks leftover meatballs.The lasagna was inedible, took a couple bites and pushed it away. This also tasted like last weeks leftover that was nuked. Another diner ordered spagetti and meatballs.The spaghetti was so undercooked, not even close to Al dente. Other diner order papardelle which came out cold. They forgot to heat it up I guess. Service was okay, they did try. It is an Italian menu however we had to wait for Parmesan cheese for quite some time. Had to ask 3 times. All our food was cool by the time we got the cheese. Ambiance was good but will not return to dine there. read more

We came here for the Christmas decorations and atmosphere and had a great time! I wish the drinks were a bit more festive or in festive mugs but they were good. We shared the fried calamari to start and it was good. For our entree we shared the chicken parm and rigatoni Ala vodka and both were delicious. My friends also enjoyed their dishes. The food was overall very good! read more

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Wanted to find a place with elevated pizza and pasta for a early dinner. On a Monday it's hard to find in north jersey. I enjoy Calandra bread and was excited to try the restaurant. You can imagine the disappointment when they said there is no pizza yet it wasn't listed on the menu anywhere. We then ordered apps but crab cakes come in a trio and not on there own. Finally we get to the dinners and the lasagna packed a punch. It does have peas so I will caution you. Rigatoni vodka was much denser and less saucy then other locations. Chicken was grilled and tasted a bit lemony. Ordered the carrot cake for dessert but it was sold out. Vanilla gelato was pricy but satisfying. read more

Cucina Calandra - Zucchini fries and Fried Calamari - Italian Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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I went with a few friends for their Bacon and Bourbon night a couple of weeks ago and while they had plenty of bourbon (3 tastings with 2 shots each) it was more than we can drink because we had to drive. Also aside from a bacon candle and additions to an entrée, there wasn't much bacon to be had. The selections were very good. I went with the appetizer of shrimp with a bourbon glaze, the Fig n Pig entrée and the bourbon bread pudding. They had an expert on hand to walk you through each tasting and the saxophonist playing was really good. An overall phenomenal value at just $50. I'll keep coming back to this place because it is really good food, service and events. read more

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Since moving to the West Coast, I've been severely deprived of NJ Italian food. Cucina Calandra has always been one of my favorites, with a reputation to match-- several bakeries, restaurants, and a shelf filled with restaurant awards. I've visited Cucina Calandra recently when I was visiting back home, and the food did not disappoint. The portions are generous for the value, and include a warm cheese bread and bread you can take to-go. All the dishes I tried were fresh, well-cooked, and flavorful. The chicken parm dish had a delicious pan-fried crust and toasted, melty cheese. The lobster ravioli special was acidic and savory, which balanced out the creamy pasta. And the calamari was so tender! (The plates will also be the size of your head... Maybe bigger.) Cucina Calandra is a solid spot for a dinner at reasonable price point. (Man, do I miss a good marinara.) Cucina Calandra did seem a little understaffed, though. read more

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From start to finish the food, ambiance and service was top notch. You will not be disappointed! read more

Cucina Calandra - Chicken parm! - Italian Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

My son's girlfriend sent me an Instagram reel about Cuncina Calandra's floral garden pop-up. Hubby and I made reservations. We arrived early and our reservation was for the floral garden but it was a bit outside. We were seated indoors. Great ambience, soft music playing, Tuscan decor. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner. Our server Kenny was great! The cheesy bread was served hot! Yum. Hubby and I selected entree's from the specials Pork chop and lobster ravioli. Bonus: Calandra bakery around the corner you can grab sweet treats and breads to go!! read more

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They did a great job redesigning the space but aside from that, I didn't love it. We ordered the Shrimp Picante app. The shrimp was great but the crostini it was served on came out like they just ran it under water. Soft, wet and disappointing. I also ordered the Orecchiette with broccoli rabe. It was sooo salty and over cooked. Such a bummer. read more

TLDR: This restaurant had a good thing going for them until they passed off uneaten food that other customers ordered and did not want or had left over and forced it on to me. They tried to make up for it with free dessert, coffee, and bread. It could also happen to you. Read below for the whole story... Outdoor dining area is great! Even the complimentary bread with parmesan cheese was wonderful and service was on the whole, polite. Now, for the food ... This restaurant did something a restaurant should never do which is to pass off a leftover dish some other customer did not want to another patron just because (enter reasons) and create drama to gaslight the second patron to forcefully accept this dish. That's what happened to me. I ordered the branzino and they came out with salmon. I politely pointed out the mistake and they went back. The water came back telling me he knew what he heard and wrote (but he did not show me what he wrote). Somehow, maybe it's because I ordered a fish dish, they thought I would easily eat another fish or because my group was not the typical demographic of diners that frequented the place, they pulled this off. It's actually disappointing though because it seems like a decent place. I was rushed for time so I quietly accepted the dish. They offered dessert and coffee on the house. And even gave out free baguette on our way out. At this point, it was very obvious it was their way to say "sorry we had to do this but we will give you some freebies ". Lol. The salmon was too buttery and potatoes were dry. Without this experience, I would definitely have returned and perhaps even recommended this place. But I can't even though they tried with the complimentary dessert, coffee, and free baguette. But I figure, this place will try this again to some unsuspecting patron in the future so consider this a heads up. It might happen to you. I was torn between 1 and 2 stars. Upon researching the 1 and 2 star ratings from other reviewers for this restaurant, 1 star seems to be the better rating. read more

My wife and I went to Calandra"s tonight for dinner. How this place is in business is beyond me. The only English speaking people in the whole place were my wife, me and the manager. Firs red flag was when I ordered a bottle of Mondavi cabernet. The waiter brought me a Merlot. He corrected that. We ordered appetizers and main courses. My wife wanted some flat breads that are on the menu. So she ordered two of them. The waiter said to us in what little English he speaks that not on mondays do we have pizza or flatbreads.! Then 15 minutes later all the food we ordered came out at the same time! Not kidding, everything, apps and main courses all at once! So I got up went inside to ask for the manager. Turns out the manager is also the bartender. She had a full bar so we waited a while for her to address the issue. When she finally came to our table, she was very apologetic. Offered us desert on the house. I personally would be embarrassed to even say I am the manager with what is going on there. The service was just terrible and the food was even worse. After I ate some of my pasta, the dishes stayed on our table while they dried up. I had to go inside to find a bus boy. My wife ordered the some Italian salad special, the tomatoes were white, nowhere near ripe. The mozzarella was tasteless, sent that back. My pasta was supposed to have peas and prosciutto, lots of peas, no prosciutto!. Done with thus dump, Ciao, bye, c ya. Here's a pic of the table, food sat there for ever. read more

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I came here today with one of my girlfriends to celebrate the holidays and her new engagement. When we arrived we were excited to be seated in the winter tent. We were greeted who we thought was our waitress, we weren't given a cocktail menu so we searched online for our drinks. Our waiter came and he took our cocktail orders and we said we were ready to order our entrees as well. I had to repeat I wanted the linguini alla vongole with white sauce four times, after he kept saying red sauce? It still came out with red sauce and the receipt , he put red sauce. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it so I ate what I could and packed it to go for my husband. The pasta wasn't fresh either, and the red sauce was watered down. We also felt pressured to order an appetizer too after he took our cocktail and entree orders. He pushed us to get calamari since we were talking it would be good for us to "pick at". We ordered it but we barely touched it-- our fault for feeling pressured. After our entrees, we still just wanted to get more cocktails and dessert since we drove 40mins to this restaurant. We gave our dessert orders and said we wanted to order a round of cocktails... he walked away. I assumed he put the same order so I chased after him and he told me he already put in the same cocktail order and I was stunned because he didn't ask if we wanted the same, maybe a miscommunication but there was no clarification if we wanted the same rounds. And again, 10 mins later he tells us one of the desserts we wanted, they didn't have. That's fine but you'd think he'd know. Overall, I was pretty disappointed we went out of our way to visit and celebrate at this location. The best part was just the hot chocolate bar and the Christmas decor, I won't be back again. read more

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Been coming for years and still the best Italian around ...whether is a casual dinner or a special occasion read more

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Food (3.1), Decor (3.5), Service (3.0) I tend to use Chicken Parm as my first dish when visiting somewhere for the first time. It was average at best. Good sized piece of chicken over linguine. The chicken was not very tender, a slight amount of toughness, as if it were frozen for a few weeks or just simply a poor cut. A friend had the same and thought it was Very Good so I adjusted my rating up a bit. Their table bread was good but tough, the dough has an odd texture where it stretched a bit. Never seen this, but it was still tasty but chewy. The server was difficult to understand but tried to help us. As it got late and we were one of the last tables (9:00), the staff was shouting across the room while cleaning, drowning out our chat. They could have been a bit more respectful. read more

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The food was wonderful! The service was avg at best we had the Steak and shrimp! And chicken parmigiana! The house cheese bread was good also the music was a bit loud for the space read more

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Stopped here after doing so Xmas shopping and so glad we did!! Beautifully decorated and great selection of choices for Happy Hour food. We got the meatballs sliders which were really good. Bread was nice and soft. Mussels had a bit of a kick to it and also delicious. As far as drinks I had a peppermint martini it was like having dessert! Yummm.... Service was quick and and waitress was sweet. Definitely go check it out! read more

Cucina Calandra - Holiday Drink List - Italian Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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We went for Risotto night and it was great. The portions look small but with the salad and cannoli it's just enough. The service was great and they had a guitar player who was very good. It was a nice relaxing atmosphere. read more

Always a great experience at Cucina Calandra. The Arancini was a great appetizer. The Cavatelli with sausage and ricotta was amazing, and the Neapolitan pizza is always a hit. Always great service and a great relaxing atmosphere. read more

First I will say the ambience in the garden was pretty serene. The hanging wisteria and well lit fountain created a beautiful ambience. They had a very talented folk singer in the garden and he wasn't playing too loud that it was hard to hear-- noise level was just right and the guy was great. The limoncello martini was very good but the aperol spritz was just ok. We got the burrata app which was good and liked the cheesy bread. My meat lasagna was just ok. The red sauce was too oniony and the meat wasn't layered in well. Overall I really liked the atmosphere but the food and service could be better. Price point was too high for the food/service. read more

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I have been going to this place for years and I finally got the chance to sit down and properly review it today. The ambience is amazing. We sat in the lounge area by the bar and the chairs were so comfortable, and there was plenty of lighting. Our server was very kind and did not rush us even though they were closing in a little over an hour. Best part was the CHEESY BREAD! Omg I usually never rave about bread and butter since I never eat it but this was amazing. It was seasoned and piping hot. Next up the appetizers were rice balls, calamari, and broccoli rabe with sausage and potatoes. The calamari was fresh and served perfectly. Finally we had the chicken francese and rigatoni vodka. All of which were large portioned and amazing. Cannot wait to come back! read more

Cucina Calandra - Chicken Francese, Rigatoni Vodka Sauce, moscato - Italian Near Me - Fairfield, New Jersey

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I was there for a dinner celebrating a birthday this past Saturday night. Before I get into specifics, I am scoring 3 different aspects of the experience; atmosphere, service and food quality. 2 of the 3 were 5 stars and the other is the reason why I took my rating down a notch. We were seated promptly and our server was over in a couple of minutes to take our drink order. The drinks came out quickly and he went over the specials with us even though they were on the daily menu. We shared the burrata salad and arancini appetizer and then on to the mains. I had the shrimp and calamari fra diavlo. The seafood was nicely done and the linguini clearly fresh with a spicy sauce that had the proper amount of heat. Others had the pasta in vodka sauce, snapper and one that I forgot (sorry). Dessert was affogato and tartufo. Every dish was very tasty and well prepared and presented. Now the reason for the rating reduction is the seating. I understand that while undergoing construction in the main room, it leaves them only the lounge for seating. The tables are way too close to one another and seating 4 people for an italian meal with shared dishes, bread, S&P grinders and drinks, makes for a cramped and uncomfortable dining experience. In fact, it seemed like we were the winners of the unlucky lottery when we were given a single table that 2 would be comfortable at while the 4 diners plus a baby were seated behind us at 2 of our tables put together as should be the normal table for a party of 4. We will be back but if we were to be seated in a similar fashion again, my tendency to keep quiet and not complain will surely not be observed again. read more

Yess!! Decided to dine here with my hubs on a Tuesday night and we picked the two for $40 menu. What a great value! Staff was very friendly and Jesus was a great server. The complimentary butter cheese bread that was brought out first was such a yummy surprise. We shared the garden salad, gnocchi, ricotta stuffed meatballs, and carrot cake. We were so excited to start eating that I forgot to take a picture first. Everything tasted great! The gnocchi and stuffed meatballs were everything we had hoped for and more. The carrot cake was a little dry for my liking but had a good flavor. Overall great food and we would definitely come back! read more

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nothing beats the Pasta at this place!!! it's truly the best I've had! Dont forget about the incredible bread- I absolutely love coming here!! read more

From start to finish--wonderful! Been here a few other times and this time I brought my entire family. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted and attended to quickly. The location is so clean, wonderfully decorated and warm! The environment is great. The server was wonderful - Javier and the team who supported him were all conscientious and attentive for our entire time. I had been served by Javier before so I anticipated it would be great, but now the family got to experience his wonderful personality, great recommendations and attentiveness first hand. FOOD-- yummy! The lentil soup started us off with the lovely baked bread! Excellent! Then we had pasta dishes and pork and chicken dinners--- the flavors, the freshness and presentation -fantástico! I tried every dish and know that each tasted very well. Would strongly recommend a visit and promise I will be back again! read more

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Of course you can never go wrong with a dessert from calandra's so I was excited to try this restaurant.....the food here was fantastic! Don't skip the arancini! read more

the Grinch Dinner was sooo fun. the help is great. the manager Maria is awesome and so helpful. our family had an awesome time. decoration and characters were fantastic. only thing. 15 cover charge way too high. we went last year. there was no cover charge. we were 10 people. 150.00 to see 4 characters and take your own pics is way too much read more

First time here. Saw it on Tiktok. Lol. Food was delicious. Prices were great so was the service. They serve hot cheesy bread for every table. We had the rice balls to start and a fried burrata which were great. Then I tried the mushroom Risotto. Excellent. Would definitely come back. And especially during Christmas because they decorate in and out. read more

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Don't go on rissoto night unless you're doing wallpapering. Hands down the worst food and service I've ever witnessed. Stay home and fry an egg instead read more

a wonderful place to have a family or romantic diner. Excellent food ang great service.