It was super hot the night we went and I was wishing there was a fan of somesort to help us cool down outside. There were also several buzzing flies which was discomforting, so i knocked one star for that. BUT, aside from that, the experience was great! We each ordered a pasta dish and a couple appetizers. the appetizer which was absolutely mouth-watering and delicious was the fried zuchinni flowers filled with ricotta. My husband got a pesto pasta dish, and his plate was wiped clean! I ordered the gnocchi and it was delicious as well. I will say it was a large portion and I was almost wishing there was something to break up the heaviness of the pasta, maybe half a sald half a pasta would have been a better approach! long story short, the restaurant is beautiful, the food is delicious, and we will most definitely be coming back for more. read more

My son gave my husband and I a gift card for Christmas and what a great gift it was. From the moment we arrived the hostess was super friendly she sat us right away, then our servers were very attentive. The food was amazing, the spicy / sweet calamari phenomenal! I had the swordfish special and my husband had the bolognese pasta we enjoyed every bite. Ended it with a cannoli and almond cake and cappuccino which Walter recommended to us and it was a great choice! Walter was very courteous and friendly throughout the night! Don't forget it's byob , beautiful establishment! Enjoy! read more

Excellent. Staff was very pleasant. Ambiance was comforting, clean, and welcoming. Food was delicious. Will definitely be returning.

Good set up for outdoor dining. BYOB. We ordered The salmon, the zucchini fries and the eggplant lasagna and would recommend all of them. Live music and a nice evening. Danny made the evening perfect! read more

A local hotspot, with consistent food and terrific service. Great appetizer selection (go for the burrata cheese app!) and the pastas are typically well done. It's a BYOB, which helps to keep the bill down. Nice outdoor seating area during the warmer months. It's one of our go-to places for sure. read more

Sat down for an hour and half and never got any food. Not even bread. Was very patient and waited to mention the issue. Waiter never checked in on us. Got up and left. Had frozen pizza at home with our wine. Won't go back. At least the weather was nice read more

Wonderful Italian BYOB. The service is great. The best part is live music during your dinner. Try the duck raviolis... read more

Focacceria - Live music.... beautiful Italian byob ... nice atmosphere and great service...!! - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Do not order Cheesecake on the menu, it is dry, lacking in taste. Check if they have supply of bread on the day you go because on our only visit to this restaurant they didn't offer their signature dish. We selected this restaurant because it has outdoor seating and the outdoor setting is pleasant. We ordered the Risotto dish, which was adequate. The salads were ok. Will not visit again. read more

Awful, incredibly awful wait time and no respect from management/ownership.... Our reservation was not honored within a reasonable timeframe nor with any information from the hostess. "Uhm 25 minutes?" To no fault of the hostess, she had no response to or a solution for our 55 minute wait. They should not take reservations if they will not honor them within at most 30 mins. We had a 7:45p reservation (arrived around 7:30) and weren't seated until 8:38, and only because I interjected when the hostess was going to seat a couple that arrived after us, with a reservation after ours. We asked the hostess and our waiter to speak to management. Many people had the same wait time/reservation issue. The food was great! The service was really good, outside of the hostess and management. However, we will not come back because of principle. They unapologetically didn't honor our reservation: neither the hostess had any information nor did management care enough to speak with us even though we requested to speak with them (he visited another table 5 feet from us, he did not come to ours). Food and wait service are awesome. Management is fringe-awful. This restaurant should not take reservations nor should it subscribe with Opentable because it doesn't honor reservations. Our experience would've been much better, without any hinges, if we didn't have expectations to be sat an hour earlier. read more

Focacceria - Meatballs (top) and sweet/spicy calimari (bottom). Both were great! - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

This is my family's go-to spot for a nice dinner in town. We've celebrated everything from graduations to anniversary's to Christmas Eve here, and each time the service has been phenomenal and it's been a lovely experience. Though the food is delicious as well, it's the friendly, personalized staff that makes us feel so welcome here and pushes this restaurant to the top of the list when we're determining where to go. With five very opinionated people in my family, it's rare that we agree upon something like this. Focacceria provides that common ground-we all love it here! Located in old home in Liberty Corner, they have plenty of seating inside (both upstairs and downstairs, though it seems like they often use the upstairs space for special events) as well as outdoor seating on a beautiful patio. On a nice day, the outdoor patio is bustling with people. It's a nice vibe to it-not to fancy but not casual either. Tip 1: Make a reservation!!! It's a very popular place and you might encounter difficulty getting a table without one. Tip 2: The sweet and spicy calamari is the best I've ever had. I highly recommend this dish. read more

I read a review from last weekend about another couple having to wait 2 hours for their food and we also had a similar experience. We did arrive around 7 however but later on when the restaurant was filled to capacity it became very difficult to find a waiter. I think the restaurant overburdens itself with the massive amount of outside tables during the warmer months. It was so crowded outside and It looked like they actually doubled the capacity of the restaurant without actually doubling the kitchen and staff. The waitstaff started to run around in confusion and we had to yell out to finally get a hold of someone. Just a suggestion, maybe cut back on some of your outside tables to make the space more manageable. It was really crazy out there. Food-still absolutely fantastic though. Maybe wait until the weather gets colder again when the outside patio goes away or come visit mid-week when it won't be nearly as busy. The food really is wonderful here and worth a trip. read more

Focacceria - Black linguine diavlo....delicious. - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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Excellent Italian - very well executed. We were a party of 10, our soccer parents night out and seated outside. A gorgeous summer evening and the place was in full swing. The 2 brothers who owned the place was a good friend of one of the couples and was greeted warmly and seated right away and served some bruschetta, which was delicious. Their olive oil with basil was really tasty. You have to order the sweet & spicy calamari appetizer, best one I've tasted outside of Burano. Perfectly done, very lightly battered but crackling crispy outside and soft inside. The meatballs/sausage was also good, but pales in comparison with the squid. My wife had one of the specials, Rack of lamb, 3 double-cuts with this incredible balsamic flavor. The meat was tender - a little too rare for her, even though she asked for medium, but it's lamb, no? So she wasn't able to eat all of it but there was more than enough meat to satisfy. I had the black pasta with prawns Fra Diablo. Initially I thought it was squid ink pasta but it was marinara (what do I know?). The shrimps were large, perfectly cooked the sauce had the right amount of heat, which makes me perspire and may be too hot for some folks. Portions were reasonably sized, which I like, and was able to eat the whole entree. There was an incredible list of desserts/specials but since I don't usually indulge, didn't get to taste any of the offerings but I heard Cannoli dipped in Sicilian Chocolate and Red Velvet cake, home made. A really pleasant and enjoyable dining experience, service was professional and attentive excellent atmosphere. Will be back for more. And, it's BYO. It doesn;t get better than that. read more

Focacceria - Rack of Lamb dinner special - yeah! - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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At lunch this little gem of an Italian restaurant serves sandwiches for $8, primi patti (i.e., pasta dishes) for $10 and secondi patti (i.e., meat dishes) for $14. Waiter service, white tablecloths and an elegant interior all make this place a nice destination for a fine midday meal. BYO! Our waiter offered sparkling or good old New Jersey tap water :) He brought a basket of bread with pieces of focaccia and sliced Italian white bread, delightful when dipped in the olive oil with herbs from the little bottle on the table. And a bread refill arrived without any prompting. The meals came quite quickly. We tried the orecchiette (pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe), sweet & hot sausages (sliced sausage with white beans and roasted red peppers) and the penne (a solid vegetarian choice with eggplant, mozz, tomato and basil). The waiters instantly offered grated Parmiggiano and fresh pepper. All the food was very very good, nothing high-end gourmet but perfectly made and extremely tasty. The actual restaurant is two small rooms downstairs plus a couple more rooms upstairs. It's very New York with tables rather close together. Their outdoor patio is easily several times larger and looks like a great place when the weather improves. We didn't need a reservation at noon on a Thursday. Our food came so quickly that we were able to fit this visit into an hour without rushing the staff or hurrying. Next time we bring Chianti and make it a proper two-hour lunch! Focacceria is located in Liberty Corner, close to where Church Street dead-ends into Lyons Road. The Yelp map was wrong when I wrote this review and showed a different Church Street; it's *not* near down town Bernardsville. read more

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We have lived in the area for 35 years and I've been looking for new places to go to we decided to try this restaurant and we're pleasantly surprised. We had a 7 o'clock reservation and was honored promptly the service was very good the food was very good and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who asks we are looking forward to when it is nicer out and we can sit outside and enjoy our next meal I should add that the restaurant was very crowded and it did not impact service nor the quality of the food nor the time to get our meals also as soon as we sat down we were approached by the waiter and asked what kind of water we needed and promptly were served bread and our bottle of wine was opened read more

We love this place! The food has always been consistently good. I have been here a number of times with either my family, friends or date night. It never disappoints. The meals are hearty, the service is excellent, you really feel good about having dinner at this place. It's the right mix of casual and "nice", I love that I feel like its a night out when I come here. The covid restrictions are perfect, I felt very safe dining here and had no issues whatsoever about their process. Can't wait to come back!! Thank you!! read more

Beautiful patio with plenty of heaters for a socially distant December outdoor dining experience. Delicious food and attentive service.

Pros: pretty landscaping. Outdoor tables shaded. Food attractive and fresh. Cons: bit pricey. A special cost way more than other menu items, so feel a bit taken advantage of there. Should I have had to ask the price? Dressing very good on Caesar, BUT, asked for lightly dressed and it was definitely not! SERVICE TERRIBLE! Not busy(less than 1/2 full), but everyone really preoccupied with cleaning tables after people gone , and getting glasses for other people who brought alcohol. Barely saw waiter. Food came in batches, not all at once. Had to flag random people down multiple times for things- water, bread, utensils, to go items. Very frustrating first time visit. Felt we were invisible. read more

We haven't been to Focacceria for some time but glad we came back. This place is BYOB. The food has gotten so much better. For starters, I'd suggest the sweet and spicy calamari. It's great. I had the night's special which was the grilled salmon, friends had the grouper and the black linguini shrimp fra diavolo. All were excellent and were cooked to perfection. The food came out in a timely manner and the staff were very attentive and accommodating. Seating is limited so make reservations. The atmosphere quaint but somewhat loud which is perfect for my group of friends. Will definitely come back. read more

Focacceria - The night's special, grilled salmon. - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

While I'm not normally one to leave a review, our experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I needed to say something. First, we made a reservation on Open Table. In the special requests section I asked for a high chair for my daughter. Upon arrival we asked for a high chair (which we did not receive). It wasn't until about 25 minutes after we sat down (and my daughter's food had been on the table for at least 10 minutes) that I had to get up and get a high chair myself. My husband and I ordered an appetizer and we each had one of the specials. My meal (the red snapper), while tasty, had fish scales with almost every bite. I did not complain because I know that things like this happen and I don't send food back to the kitchen. Honestly, I would have never even written a review about the first 2 issues until the last issue happened. Finally, upon completion of our meal (an appetizer, 2 entrees, dessert and coffee) and once our $170 check was paid and the server was tipped (25%) we were asked to leave because they needed the table!!!! I have never experienced something so incredibly rude in my life. My husband and I don't go out much because it's not easy with a toddler. We were trying to enjoy a rare Friday night out with our daughter (I forgot to mention I'm also a restaurant manager so almost never have a Friday night off) when we were rudely asked by our server to leave so another guest could have our table. In total we weren't even there for an hour and a half which is pretty normal (especially since our meals didn't come out that fast). I've had guests sit at a table in my restaurant for over 3 hours and have NEVER asked someone to leave so another guest could have the table. Long story short, this was our first time at this restaurant and it will definitely be our last! I'd rather spend $170 at a restaurant like Cafe Emilia or Matt's Red Rooster where the servers are always super attentive and never ever rush their guests out! read more

Excellent, as always. Wonderful staff, delicious food, unbeatable outdoor atmosphere in one of Liberty Corner's historic landmarks. Hands down best restaurant in the area. read more

We had a fantastic meal under the stars! Mussels and clams appetizer was very fresh and tasty. The eggplant lasagna was also so fresh and delicious and a large portion. Finally the black ink linguini and shrimp fra diavlo was outstanding. The service was excellent and it was really nice sitting outside. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because in this beautiful outdoor atmosphere with this delicious food and great service ... they had a guy playing Pop hits on an organ - the kind of music you hear from music stores in a mall or elevators ... it really ruined the mood. I suggest they either don't have any music - which would be very peaceful and relaxing or pump in some soothing jazz or classical music. Now Springsteen is my favorite artist but hearing hungry heart on what amounts to a Casio organ is cringeworthy ... I hope they take my advice read more

After reading the reviews I wasn't sure how it was going to be. So happy I had the opportunity to try their food. Everything was amazing. The service was fantastic. I even loved the setup of the old house. Would absolutely recommend it. We were there for a rehearsal dinner. There were 4 appetizers, not one thing was ok. Everything was amazing. The entrees were big and delicious. read more

Focacceria - Italian Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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I came here on a Saturday night at 8:15. I would give this a 3.5 if I could, but I think 4 is a bit on the higher side. I would maybe come back to try it again. But I would be more inclined to go elsewhere in the area before coming back. RESTAURANT OVERVIEW: -I've been here a few years ago and sat inside. I'm not totally sure if changes have been made inside, so I can't really speak to it since I sat outside -The outside seating area is great, and the reason I made a reservation here. very cute and nice when the weather is right APPS: -Fresh Mozzarella Caprese with added Prosciutto: This was good. It came on a rectangular plate - first pieces of mozz, then topped with lettuce, red onion, roasted road peppers, balsamic, tomato slices, and covered in prosciutto. This was tasty to pick on. I've had better prosciutto, and the menu did not state the dressing addition. I would have most likely asked for this on the side or not at all since it was a bit too much for me -Homemade Meatballs: The meat balls also came on a rectangular plate. There were a 4-5 placed in marinara sauce, coated with melted mozz, and then topped with basil. These were good! I've had better meatballs, but they were good nonetheless and I would probably get them again if I came back DINNER: -Orecchiette: This was good, but I had had better orecchiette as well. I did like the added in fresh tomatoes and the broccoli rabe. The pasta itself tasted a bit bland for my liking, so I added in fresh pepper and later decided to get cheese for more of a taste. I'm still a fan of this dish, but it's not my favorite Orecchiette -Five Cheese Ravioli: This was VERY cheesy. The sauce is creamy, but also just very very cheesy. It was good! A bit too much cheese for me and not enough other flavors though. My boyfriend really enjoyed it though DRINKS: -BYO!!! I didn't realize it was BYO, and had to drive 10 mins to pick up wine while my boyfriend sat. I am not docking points for this though since it was totally our fault to not look into this SERVICE: -Loved the blonde, young hostess. She was very nice and sweet! It did seem like the waiters were running around from table to table without one real server assigned, which was a bit confusing. My boyfriend had to remind them about his sprite order 3 times. Then when we asked for our food to be wrapped, we sat looking around for a server for maybe less than 10 mins. Then we had a different server ask if we wanted the dessert menu - we said we were done and asked for the check. Then we had another ask if we wanted a dessert menu and said no just the check. Then after waiting more, I saw the blonde hostess and we asked her. Then we finally got our check from a 3rd different server...so it was a bit confusing with how they handled serving tables. read more

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A last minute decision among six friends turned out to be a fabulous evening. Seated in a lovely upstairs room the acoustics were perfect for great conversation. The menu, while not overwhelming, was filled with a variety of choices and specials, yet my husbands request for a traditional dish was easily accommodated. We all enjoyed a variety of appetizers as well as our individual entree selections, even leaving room for dessert. The entire wait staff was extremely attentive and consistently checked back to be certain all was well. Would highly recommend Focacceria! read more

Enjoyed fried zucchini flowers, veal Marsala and ahi tuna . Good size portions. Friendly staff.

Great food. Lovely outsoor seating. We've been back several times over the last year. BYOB

I love this place! The rigatoni Bolognese is incredible. The service is wonderful and the food is excellent.

Food and service are wonderful. They also had live music which provided such a nice ambiance. Great for a date night. We sat in the tent and were perfectly comfortable. read more

Very poor management on Christmas Eve. Had 7:30 reservation for party of 4. Arrived to 10+ people waiting OUTSIDE IN THE COLD under warmers that were NOT warm. No room to wait inside because there were 2 more parties waiting to be seated. We were told there was a 20 minute delay. After 10 minutes, we learned the 6:30 party was just getting seated. After 20 minutes, they said it would be another 20 minutes. We left at 8pm very disappointed in this establishment. We will NOT be back. read more

Amazing place! Delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. Have been back and will continue to do so.

This restaurant has now become my favorite place to go to. I love the very nice small intimate separate dinning rooms. Has a very nice elegant atmosphere ambiance as well as music playing in the background. I tried many dishes which all have exceed my expectations. They have amazing Gelato. The waiters all make you feel so special and VIP. Easy to get to off route 78 with plenty of parking. Arber and Cheech are amazing and make the experience perfect for us each time we go there! Sincerely BUCK! read more

Been going to Focacceria for years. Probably go15-20 times per year and have brought many friends and family. Always had a good experience until recently.... Had reservations at 7:00. We arrived at 6:45 and were not seated until 7:55. In total there were 10 people waiting in the lobby which can be best described as a closet. It's winter so waiting outside was not an option. Once seated, another 20 minutes passed until we were offered water. Fortunately I had corkscrew and was able to open my own wine. Waiter (Tony) never took our order. I finally got a bus boy to take our order. Entrees came out in about 15 minutes. Unfortunately our salads never came out. We finished our meal and waited, and waited. I had to call the bus boy over to clear our table. Another 50 minutes passed without seeing a waiter. We were never offered coffee or dessert. I then had to beg to get the check. A young waiter came over and wanted to give us dessert. By this time it was after 10:00 and I just wanted to get the check and go home. He started to argue with me and insist I have dessert. I had to emphatically tell him NO!!! The owner Nick did come over and offered to pay for our meal. I politely said no. I don't need charity. I'll pay for what I eat. I even left a 20% tip. During this entire time, Tony was standing about 10 feet away laughing. Always liked this place but this was absolutely the WORST dining experience I have ever had. Before you go, ask if Tony is working. If he is, look elsewhere. Needless to say, I will not be going back and nor should you. read more

This restaurant has the very best tiramisu I have ever had in my life!!! Service is excellent atmosphere is welcoming and gracious and food is divine. read more

Went to Focacceria for the first time and it definitely will not be my last. One of the best all-around meals I've had in a long time. Appetizers were phenomenal. The calamari was crispy, fried perfectly and had absolutely no grease. It was so good that I ate it without the marinara sauce. Also tried the sweet and sour calamari, which had a little kick, but not overdone. I'd get that again as well. The meatball appetizer reminded me of mom's. They were not fried and I could tell they were made the right way--by simmering in the sauce! And don't pass on the fried burrata. It was fantastic--and it came with fried prosciutto. For dinner, I had the ravioli special in a cream sauce that was light, yet decadent. Homemade and stuffed with cheese. They did not skimp on the filling. And save room for dessert. The gelato is ridiculously good. The mint chip and sea salt caramel pretzel were off the hook. I live about 35 minutes away and walk here if I had to. It. Was. That. Good. read more

I went to Focacceria with my family for dinner. Big disappointment the food did not taste anything but Italian. Not worth the money You may find better places l. Not going back there again. read more

The meal was very good.. the calamari was not as good as the past I call it rubber bands. The mushroom soup was fabulous. Eggplant lasagna was great. Homemade calamari was very good and tailored it to my husband's specific request. Service was fine. read more

I typically only write reviews that are very good, or ones that are very bad. The ones where it's not very good yet they are trying to make up for that fact, I wouldn't write about it. This one had promise when we came in, the decor seemed to be cozy, the outside patio really looked nice, but we decided to eat inside because it looked like it might rain. To make a long story and a long night shorter, all I could say is that we waited a long time for our food, no one ever checked on us or told us that they were backed up, and we never even got refills of water that we kept drinking since we were waiting so long. We almost had to do a wine run, because the three bottles we had between the six of us was running out. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't phenomenal, and it was only warm not hot. They never even offered us dessert or coffee, and we had to ask for our bill. This was also the first time we left less than a 20% tip. The waiters seem to be very friendly, but not attentive. This was our first, and last time ever going here. The other negative reviews, were accurate. read more

Amazing food & service. Portions are very generous. Charming little restaurant, so you definitely need a reservation. It's BYOB as well. Amazing experience & definitely will be back. read more

Food as always is delicious Need to do a better job about spacing of tables Covid protocol is 6 feet apart some tables are 3 and 4 feet apart I am in the medical field and I really feel they need to do a better job with the table spacing read more

Ate here last year & it was excellent. Made a reservation for tonight for their outdoor tent which is open, according to their website "rain or shine". Arrived after our 25 minute drive to find no tent & only an indoor dining option. Totally understandable as a potential thunderstorm was expected, but the total absence of the tent (they have a semi-permanent all weather tent, not a flimsy one) was a surprise & therefore, they should not be accepting outdoor reservations. As a high risk person who cannot participate in indoor dining, we had to cancel our reservation upon arrival due to Covid concerns. A call or text advising of the inability to accommodate the outdoor reservation would not only have been greatly appreciated, but should be standard, courteous procedure. This lack of courtesy, especially considering that Covid is rearing it's ugly head again, has made us decide not to return. read more