We found Francesco's by chance, and we had a great experience. The Owner is very friendly and helpful, the staff is great, and the food was excellent. They have a nice, fairly priced wine list as well. read more

Went back here and was still amazed by the food. They are currently under construction, but it did not affect the quality of the food at all. Still delicious-stuffed artichoke, fried calamari, seafood pasta, and steak. Great from start to finish. Our waiter was very attentive and had a great personality. The inside is being redone. I can't wait to see the end product as I am sure it will be spectacular. read more

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Delish! Wow - what a great place! Went for Saturday lunch. Wish they had a lunch menu on the weekends; you can only get the dinner menu on weekends. My friend & I enjoyed some pinot grigio, delish bread with a fantastic dipping oil, Homemade Rigatoni - to die for, yummy penne arrabiata, affogato, & a fruit cup. Service was excellent! read more

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Attended a sweet 16 here the other night. Everything was on point and well done. Service was fantastic. The food although a buffet was hot and delicious. Even the fried calamari stayed crispy! The salad was fresh. The salmon with garlic and lemon was AMAZING. So pleased. read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

The waiter was very attentive and made our lunch enjoyable . The food was delicious from the appetizers to our entrees This place is a hidden gem !!! They seem to be undergoing some expansion /renovation Cant wait to see how the place will look . Definetlly will be coming back !!! read more

This place is awesome when you first step in you feel like you're in Italy. From the food to the waiter Biagio (ask for him) it won't disappoint. It's my first time here and now it's my favorite new place. Also the owner came around and asked if everything was ok. read more

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Had my baby girl's sweet 16 party here on Saturday night. They did a great job. The food was done well. The service was attentive. The bartender was fast. Everyone had a wonderful time. read more

Very good first impression. Small, intimate setting with good service and fair pricing. I also appreciated how management subtly oversees to check-in on you but doesn't really interfere with your meal. Thank you read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Filet mignon - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

This is always one of my fav. Italian places to go to. Their food is very authentic and doesn't taste like it was out of a jar. You're able to taste that they use fresh ingredients. The service is always good. They are friendly and attentive. We came in while there was a private party going on and they were still able to accommodate us which was great and appreciated. They do have a private room for parties upstairs too which is nice if you'd like to host an event. Highly recommend for a night out for dinner or just lunch. Would recommend for catering and hosting as well. read more

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I don't know what happened but this place used to be good. We had scallops risotto and the rice was hard and just not delectable. Will not go back. read more

We really enjoyed our experience. The waiter Biagio was great. The owner came over and made sure we were satisfied with our meals and dessert. I highly recommend. Authentic Italian food. The calamari was superb. read more

Went here with my team to celebrate one of their retirements and this is one of her favorite Italian restaurants in the area. However, I am a little bit disappointed and underwhelmed by the food. To start off, the food took a while to serve. Maybe it's because two people ordered the chef's special grilled swordfish but waiting 25 minutes between appetizer (calamari) and entree is not ideal in a limited time capacity. I did enjoy the bread provided at the beginning as it was pretty good. I would say the calamari was decent as well, nothing to complain about nor write home about. My entree, the veal and shrimp Francesco was nothing special. I definitely ordered the wrong item. I am not a big Italian cuisine guy. The grilled swordfish looked good and my co-workers say it was good. If it weren't for the incredibly long wait for the food, I'd probably give this place 4 stars. read more

The evening started with the most authentic Italian greeting from the waiter, Biagio. He was very attentive, professional, funny...simply amazing! The food was a chefs kiss all across the board. Absolutely delicious! The desserts were awesome as well. The owner came around to chat and spent some time getting to know us, which was very refreshing and gave a good ol'school feel. 10/10 give it a try !!! read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Apple crisp pie - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

Go here if you are invited to a private party. Had a lovely time at a bridal shower in the upstairs room with an open bar. My favorite part was the penne vodka and the anti-pasta. The calamari was good as well and the fresh bread. I didn't really care for the main food as it was room temperature but the plate was piping hot but it didn't make up for the food. When I eat eggplant parm I want to taste eggplant and I only tasted the breading, cheese and sauce and it was meh for me personally. The mashed potatoes were cold and dry. I wasn't feeling the caesar salad. The broccoli was very good. Everyone who ordered the chicken franchise said they enjoyed it. read more

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Had dinner tonight and it was great. Many specials to chose from as well as the regular menu selections. Variety, large portions along with very fair prices. Nice atmospherwe with such friendly servers. They timed the courses perfectly. No rushing us. Drove from Bergen Cty to Francesco's and it is well worth the trip. Can't wait to go back. read more

The food was amazing, service was A1, Abel was very professional and polite. The vibe is really nice, elegant, and the deserts are very good ! As you can see I had a cannoli, the best one I've had yet. read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Cannoli - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

Always consistent- great food and excellent service!! Excellent specials to top off a varied menu try it! read more

Francesco's is now owned by the same people as Robert Scratch Kitchen in Totowa. The food is amazing and the service was excellent! Full bar and generous drinks. Try the linguine, malafemina, superb! read more

Food was very good I really enjoyed it my favorite was the meatballs and dessert lava cake I would come back one day

The atmosphere here is nice. One of the only places I've been to where I didn't freeze. Unfortunately they ran out of their shrimp special (beef battered shrimp), so we ended up trying coconut. It was good (as I'm not a fan of coconut). I had Caesar salad and my friend had a tortellini soup. Everything came out fresh and hot. I got the special homemade fettuccine, a little spicy, but tasty. My friend got a ribeye. He really enjoyed it. One of cheapest places to get a quality steak in my opinion as the portion was huge. Dessert was less desirable. I got the lava cake which wasn't very lava-y. When I return will try something else. Overall a really good experience. Side note: they have a few for payment with cards. read more

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Delicious food. Best veal parm I've had in years. Sauce was amazing & large portions. The staff were attentive & knowledgeable. Can't wait to go back. read more

I'm a regular (take out) the food is always great. But their customer service needs work. They always sound so miserable over the phone and make me not want to call there. I dread calling... read more

First of all, I have to say the food today was amazing! Not sure where the negative reviews came from or if there was a temporary dip. We had a repast for 17 ppl and heard nothing but compliments from all. We had a full course sit down lunch with 3 entrees choices, salad, pasta, apps and dessert. Probably 75% chose the Shrimp Scampi, which was perfectly cooked and tasty. The eggplant rollatini was also delicious. The Italian antipasto was sooo good! The sangria was also a hit. The waiters were very friendly and attentive - always making sure we had everything we needed. Such a pleasant experience for what could have been a somber event. I've eaten here before, but it was a few years ago. I will definitely be back. Thanks to Frank and crew for a great lunch. read more

Very disappointed. I was a loyal Customer until I ate their calamari. I don't know what this is but this is different than when I tried last year. read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

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I want to always start off with the disclaimer that my parents were chefs my whole life and retired from The industry, so we know good food. I also want to remind people on a public forum that they should really try to live by the philosophy that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Yes, we are entitled to our opinions, and it's always appreciated to have an idea of a place before you go, absolutely. However, there are better ways of expressing feedback without hurting someone's business and livelihood, especially when restaurants are still recovering post a pandemic, when so many places had to close their doors. For example, I had never been here, and when I read some of the awful things people wrote on their Yelp page, I was nervous to honor my father and have his repass there, but had already given my deposit prior to reading the reviews, since planning these awful events are very time consuming and difficult during the grieving process. However I don't regret it. The service was excellent. Listen not all the servers were as quick, but sometimes people are new you have to be patient. The food was unbelievable. Every single course. The appetizers were fresh, hot, and plenty. The salad was crisp, crunchy,and not soggy. The dressing was perfect. Every choice of main course was amazing. All of my guests loved it. One of my dads favorite meals were clams casino as are mine. So of course to honor him, I got them. They were delicious. Everyone told me what a wonderful place we chose, and although it was a sad occasion they thought it was a wonderful choice. I brought up this story because I wanted people to read my review and think about giving something a chance like I did even though other people may not have had as good of an experience. Furthermore, I shared my story because at one point I was terrified of going there, at one of the hardest moments of my life, with something I read in the reviews that said the good reviews were written by friends, family and people that worked there. I actually told my husband omg what did I do. He consoled me and told me they have good ones let's give it a chance. I'm glad we did. But it goes to show you you shouldn't do stuff like this. This could have ruined potential business for the establishment because of unkind feedback. Maybe some people didn't have the same experience. However mine and my family's was really great. I highly recommend the food, the ambiance and the staff. read more

We went for dinner Saturday night 6 pm reservations. We were seated right away. I ordered the double grilled veal chop w/ long hot peppers. My wife ordered the angry monkfish w/ the shrimp & scallops. For dessert we got the chocolate lava cake & the pistachio tartufo. The service was on point , the food was spectacular. The owner Joe came to greet us during dinner and asked how everything was. We couldn't have been more delighted to tell him how delicious the food and how good the service was. We will definitely be telling everyone we know to go have dinner at Francescos. By the way the ambiance was very warm and welcoming. We will be back. read more

(I could swear i've written multiple reviews for this place...I do not see it on YELP...OK, finally found after much confusion)(The first should have been from sometime in May 2025..."Enjoyed last night after a long layoff. Good Sangria. Nice Caesar. Still Shrimp Arabiatta among the best. My friend liked her Branzino. My Veal Chop was cooked well, they were flexible on the potato switch and the waiter was nice enough to bring some delicious mushrooms. Machiotto reasonable priced (unlike others getting crazy) and good. We got talked into Tartufo and liked that too. Pleasant all-around meal and service. Owner/Manager checks in to make sure you're satisfied." As a follow up, we liked it so much, we went back 2 weeks later!! Again, Caesar great...Shrimp Arrabiatta among the 2 best i've ever tasted. The bread and the dip is different and good. My friend loved her Branzino again. My Veal Chop was PERFECTLY cooked and tasted great. Sangria was passable and Machiatto perfect ending. read more

food is excellent. service is too!! I would highly recommend this place. Parking is available too.

Always professional courteous staff - excellent fresh food - well located and great for a family gathering.

Came in for a Saturday night for dinner with my friend and her mom. Not too much to say about ambience. Old world Italian look. It was crowded but it was a Saturday so that's to be expected. We had like three servers so I don't even know which one was really ours but service was fine. My friend and her mom both got eggplant parm which wasn't on the menu but they made it for them which was nice. I tried it and thought it was good. Better than my dish. I had the gnocchi Bolognese. It was bland and kind of felt like I was just eating something really heavy and not that good. It definitely looked better than it tasted. My friend said the lunch is way better and to get a salad or sandwich but Im not close by so I can't imagine I'd return for that. read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

This place was really good! I had the stuffed artichoke and arugula, endive, and radicchio salad and both were excellent! I also had grilled veal chop with hot peppers, roasted potatoes and broccoli rabe. It was cooked perfectly medium rare and was really good. Service was excellent. The place was nice looking and relaxing. All in all food was excellent and I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone that wants good food!!! read more

Ordered through door dash because i was craving pasta , did not regret it one bit everything was delicious and the portions are VERY generous. This is now in my familys take out dinner list ! read more

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If you're looking for service and atmosphere, this is the place. The food isn't too bad either. My wife and an old friend meet here once yearly. This time, I was the third wheel. Though it was a nice evening, the smokers outside pretty much determined that we'd be eating in the dining room, which is very nice. Servers here aim to please. Whether it's keeping your drinks refilled, clearing away plates or letting you know that special accommodations are no trouble. Naturally, all of us ordered pasta. My wife had ziti with shrimp in a pink sauce. The pasta was al dente to the core; the sauce was rich; and the shrimp was gritty and overcooked. Her friend's orichette with sausage looked delicious and she finished it, but with nary a comment. My linguine with shrimp, scallops and clams was delicious, though the shrimp was the same (small) gritty overcooked stuff that my wife experienced and the scallops were slivers and chunks, and not full-on scallops. The sauce was good, if not a little greasy. All of that said, I would definitely come back here, but I might go with the pink sauce and something sans shrimp or scallops next time. read more

Francesco's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - West Paterson, New Jersey

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Good customer service. I just felt that it should be recognized. I ordered my meal through yelp (Grubhub) and it came out to about $37 or $38 after delivery tip. I called because I realized I forgot to add the cannoli I was craving. The girl I spoke to said she doesn't think they could add it on at this point, but she put me on hold to ask and a gentlemen picked up the phone to help. I said I could pay the delivery person the difference since initially I paid with card but it was not their delivery person so they wouldn't receive the payment for it. Very accommodating, added it in for free! I'm not saying they will always do stuff like that or that I expected it at all, but it was a nice surprise. It's not good customer service because it was free, it was because although it put them out of their way, he did what was necessary to accommodate me and make sure I have a good experience. Food: Good quality food, flavor is on point. Portion and pricing is spot on. But the pasta was on the mushy side, clumped in your mouth when you chew. The reason I gave 4 stars although I really really wanted to give 5. I found a hair in the calamari and it completely turned my appetite. But after finding the second hair I had to bump it down on the star. Just some feedback, for improvement. read more

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Francesco's is always a must try, I solemnly go there but every time it's a hit. From the appetizers to the dessert it's a must try. read more

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Sitting here dining now and I have never been treated so poorly. Our meals arrived 37 minutes after ordering, fine. One meal was totally forgotten. Our child's spaghetti with butter was inedible. The octupus we ordered was hard and sour, told the waiter he said that's how octupus is too bad. No that's not how octupus is. No water refill without asking. Thankfully they gave us more bread so those who had inedible meals had something to eat. Go elsewhere save your money. read more

My husband and I ate once at Francesco''s quite a few years ago. We weren't particularly impressed. The food was just ok and the service terrible. We recently decided to give it another to try to support one of our local businesses. We ordered take out and all I can say is "WOW". The menu was much larger than I remembered and the food was amazing! We are definitely looking forward to going back to dine in the restaurant or maybe sit outside for lunch. Would highly recommend Francisco's for anyone looking for excellent Italian food. read more

little to no ambiance. when you walk in you are greeted the kitchen. High windows reminds m of a factory. And the whole mess overlooks the Passaic River. Good wine selections. We very much enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco at $33. Our party of four on an unbusy Sunday afternoon ordered 3 different appetizers: I ordered the mozzarella, tomato, olive, roasted red peppers and I think it was roasted thin sliced eggplant @ $14. Stuffed mushrooms 4 for $12. Third appetizer was the straccatelle soup that was most enjoyable. One entree was the salmon heaped with crab. A decent portion. Another entree was the stuffed flounder that was excellent. Third diner ordered the chicken piccata, again a good portion well prepared. I ordered the zuppa di peace. Again a large portion over thin fettuccini. Sauce was light and delicious. None of the entrees were overwhelmed by garlic. At first the macaroni was a little too undercooked, but miraculously got more edible. The shrimp and mussels and few clams were properly cooked. The scallops were undercooked, mushy in the mouth. Three of us enjoyed decent cup of coffee. I was the only one for dessert and the affogata was perfect. I wanted to try several of the desserts. A pleasant afternoon of conversation and an overall good dinner. With the 20% tip for pretty good service the bill was $280 for 4. read more

Sorry to write this but today.food Mediocre. Short ribs were tender but Very peppery. The Malafemina seafood Was not as before with a flat linquini..this Time it was very thin..similar to spaghetti. Seafood over done. Perhaps a new cook. Lastly no fresh pepper or grated cheese Offered and no water refills. This explains Parking area empty. A sad commentary on Restaurant. read more

Updating my review - take out dinners no longer come with a side salad??? We found a piece of plastic in the fried calamari. The rigatoni and ziti we ordered was VERY al dente. read more