We hadn't been to Mondo in 10 years or so. We used to go a ton. Post Covid we started going to new places. Many were opening and Covid was an inspiration to branch out. Well we wondered why we hadn't gone back. It was so good and even seemed better than our past experiences. Without parking the host gave us one if the best tables in the place. Right by the front window. The food and service were terrific. They would seemingly make you anything you wanted. I had the chicken and sausage dish that was very tasty. Two at our table got the lama osobuco and raved about it. Dessert was terrific and they even had a separate dessert specialist who described and discuss the dessert. We will be going back many more times in the future. After all, Covid is a thing of the past. Enjoy your dining. read more

30 years later, still coming here. Classic old school Italian vibe. Another great meal. Ravioli is the same great dish. Scallops with radicchio is amazing. Thanks Marco! read more

Il Mondo Vecchio - Lamb Osso Buco - definitely would order again - Italian Near Me - Madison, New Jersey

We were very pleased with the maitre d. We were running late and the kitchen was going to close in 30 minutes. However the chef was ok and cooked for us. We didn't want to push it so we didn't order an appetizer. My wife had the pasta shrimp dish. I had the pork saltimbocca. The plates were big so maybe not having an appetizer was a good move. However it is an old school restaurant throwback to another time. But next time I go we will be earlier and maybe enjoy more time and try the meatballs as an appetizer Oh yeah BYOB give it a shot. The service was good enough throughout. The waiter was very good as was the manager. read more

Il Mondo Vecchio - Pasta shrimp - Italian Near Me - Madison, New Jersey

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Always an excellent dining experience. The food is authentic and meatballs are simply the best you will ever eat.

We came for dinner with our family. The vibes here are just perfect for an intimate delicious family meal to celebrate. The white table cloths and attentive wait staff are memorable We started with the truffle porcini ravioli as an appetizer and then moved on to veal Marsala. Both absolutely delicious. Can't wait to be back for more things to try! read more

Il Mondo Vecchio - Veal Marsala - Italian Near Me - Madison, New Jersey

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Pappardelle bolognese was amazing! Service fantastic. One of our new favs for Nj Italian.

Came here for a nice dinner with my husband. I really like the ambiance. I recommend a reservation on the weekends. The staff were very friendly, but it did take a while to order. The food was good. They start with bread and focaccia. After you order they serve a plate of mini bruschetta, salami and zucchini chips - if I had known they were serving that I would have asked for no salami. I ordered the spinach pear salad to start - it was good but not that exciting, I think I would have preferred sharing the butternut squash or mushroom ravioli. For my entree I ordered the pan roasted Salmon with a champagne mustard sauce which was delicious. My husband ordered one of the massive seafood dishes with pasta in saffron tomato broth - he said it was kind of bland and some of the mussels and scallops were chewy and didn't taste fresh so decided not to eat those. For dessert we had the apple dish which was delicious. Overall a nice dinner we will definitely be returning! If you're looking for a nice dinner that you can stretch out, come here - they don't kick you out. read more

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This place is an absolute gem. The menu is huge with a great deal of variety. Portions are large and everything is fresh and tasty. Service is attentive and paced appropriately. With the bread, they bring out bruschetta, some kind of salami, and fried eggplant. It's a little oily but still good. I've had some of the best zuppa di pesce of my life here. It was so good that I came back a second time and ordered it again! Another memorable menu item (also ordered twice) is the chocolate painted fillo with fresh cream & chocolate mousse. It's absolutely decadent. A huge pet peeve of mine is when a restaurant outsources their desserts, but these are clearly being made in house with a great deal of attention and care. The cannolocini with fresh raspberries and raspberry chambord cream, while not quite as delicious as the aforementioned, deserves an honorable mention. With a name like that, it's clearly being freshly prepared in their kitchen. Honestly, if I lived closer, I'd come here just for dessert. This place is a little pricey, but it's BYOB, so that helps a lot. I'm definitely planning on coming back for my third time! read more

We should've listened to the negative reviews about this restaurant as they are 100% correct. The restaurant is located in the main part of Madison, when you walk in, it's a bit confusing to find where the hostess station is. When we approached the station a waiter, who was stoned face, no smile, asked me if he could help me. I told him we had a reservation for three. He rolled his eyes and walked away from me. Then a man in the checkered button down shirt, who smiled, asked me the same question, I repeated our reservation and he brought us to a table, crammed in the corner of the restaurant, next to a drafty door and the bathroom, not a great start. The waiter who rolled his eyes at me, lightened up when he realized he was our server. Admittedly, one of our guests was rather annoying. Couldn't decide what she wanted, could not remember what she wanted first wanted red wine, then white wine and he seemed annoyed. Our appetizers were good, I had the buffalo mozzarella, which is rare to find and my wife had the spinach and pear salad, which she said was good and our friend had the tortellini soup which she really liked. The entrées came out and they were very disappointing. I ordered the spaghetti Arrabiata, which was very bland, after they put Parmesan cheese on it and obviously tasted better. The waiter told my wife to be careful because her possible was hot, we could tell it had been under a heat lamp which dried out her pasta some of the pasta was undercooked and not very flavorful. We skipped dessert. They have these tiny tables, but yet they have these gigantic plates and bowls that barely fit on the table with all the other items on the table. The only reason I'm giving them two stars is the decor of the restaurant is actually pretty nice and the appetizers were good. Otherwise, I would never go back to this restaurant and I can't believe the original owner still has his name on the website. I heard that he had sold it, if I were him, I would remove his name immediately. It's embarrassing. For a Tuesday the restaurant was very busy and it seemed to have quite a lot of regulars and the management and waiters really seem to cater to these people which I understand, but I've never heard a restaurant Owner tell me that they are too busy. You should treat new customers better and get your kitchen in line. read more

The meatball special is fantastic - great ambiance, service and vibes for a weekend dinner read more

Il Mondo Vecchio - Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Madison, New Jersey

Everything here is amazing. First of all, the wait staff is exceptional. Very attentive. All of the dishes are authentic Italian and we have never had a bad entrée here. read more

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Great food and excellent service. The servers were always available. We had a wonderful time.

Amazing food and service! Just bring a bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage and you're good to go!

Outstanding food at this Madison mainstay. It's a storefront spot with parking in a lot to the side. There are 8 tables in a separate area behind a half wall on the left, and a main dining area with about a dozen tables to the right. BYOB. This is an old-school white linen tablecloth place, decor intimate and muted. Reservations honored to the minute. Service is excellent, platoon-style. Orders taken accurately and served as ordered. Time from order to service a quick 10 minutes, and the meal was paced perfectly from appetizer to main course. Wine glasses kept full in an unobtrusive way. Very professional. Thank you! Enjoyed cheese and olive plate served at seating. This is followed by a plated complimentary appetizer of bruschetta and medley of thick cut salami, roasted zucchini, mushrooms and basil. Delicious. We tried a couple of appetizers. Meatballs - double golf-ball sized, moist and tender, smothered with luscious tomato sauce. Carpaccio - a mound of arugula topped and surrounded by paper-thin sliced beef, swirled with olive oil and lemon juice, with a dollop of pesto on the side and garnished with broad thin slices of parmigiana. The arugula made the dish - a tart complement to the sweet, succulent beef. Entrees are outstanding. Gamberi all Acetosella is butterflied shrimp, topped with prosciutto then sauteed with fresh chunks of tomato, shallots, spinach and lemon, served with a whole red potato and stewed carrot half. The shrimp/prosciutto combo is wonderful - salty and sweet. The vegetables add an earthy tone. A delicious and unique prep. Also tried shrimp fra diavolo. Six big tails-on shrimp, sauteed with fire-roasted tomatoes, olive oil and basil, served over linguine. The shrimp perfect - a nice crunch to each bit, crisp and not mealy. Just enough red pepper flakes to tingle the taste buds, but not make your nose run. Linguine perfectly al-dente. The only nit is the tails-on. It's a pain to un-tail on the plate, especially when being careful not to soil the white linen on the table. Always room for dessert! The house-made tiramisu is to die for. The luscious cake is Amaretto-soaked for a unique flavor. Beautiful and rich mascarpone slathered generously, sprinkled with cinnamon. This is as good as I've had. We were also treated to a complimentary dessert - a plate of sliced strawberries surrounded by champagne cream. Berries plump and tart/sweet; cream sweet and custard-like. A great way to end a delicious meal. Recommended! read more

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Great food and atmosphere! Highly recommend you grab a couple bottles of wine and stop in for dinner. Great staff that show they care. read more

Excelllent my favorite restaurant in the state. Been going there since it opened. Big fan of Marco

Great food and atmosphere spoiled by being rushed to order and pressured to get through the meal quickly.

First time there the place was packed Saturday night right after New Years. Appetizer we order Mozzarella di Buffalo and meatballs The meatballs were delicious until I bit into two separate bites of something hard inside. Felt like I could have broke a filling. Dinner we had Bass alla Porto and Pork chop both were every good. Dessert had the homemade tiramisu which was phenomenal. Only downfall was our seating. I was looking straight ahead at the coat closet and all the employees who would stand in between the two rooms. I felt like they were watching me eat.. worse seat in the house, I meet a friend there and he said to me later, you had the worse seat in the house. Watching them walk aside your table bringing food to other tables and also clearing out dirty plates from other tables. Also, the party next to us was a large group of people so when they left, they broke down that table to three separate tables and they vacuumed up about 2 feet from our table, which was not a pleasant scene or a pleasant sound. Have to go w 3 stars cause the ambience was horrific. read more

Visited this restaurant for lunch and the prices are great for all the food you get. Service was nice - our waiter was very attentive. The food was okay, portions are large. If you like italian food you can give it a try! read more

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Been to this hometown restaurant several times but never sat down to leave a review. Tonight my husband & I celebrated our anniversary there. Had an early dinner. It was so nice to walk into a dining establishment where the noise level was about a "1" on a scale of 1-5. ( loudest). The waiter was appropriately attentive. The menu had a variety of offerings/ meat, fish & pasta- northern Italian style. We split the fig salad for our appetizer- delish! Love the zucchini/bruscieta (?) tasting they always serve- thank you! My husband requested chicken parm , which wasn't on the menu but they so graciously prepared for him. I had pork saltimbocca which was very good also. Portions are large so we each took home 1/2 of our dinners. Dessert for me was berries & zabaglione (?) cream & cappucino- maybe the best cappucino around . Husband had warm choc cake with chocolate gelato - so good. So nice of the restaurant to put a sparkler in our dessert for our celebration. Even though the restaurant started to fill up during our dinner, the noise level was very low/ important to me . So nice to have this gem in our hometown! read more

Not sure why this restaurant is so highly rated. the food was ok at best. Fried zucchini app was extremely greasy. Salad was so bitter with barely any flavor. And the shrimp dinner was just bizarre, covered in mushrooms. The waitstaff was rude and unprofessional from the moment we walked into. Ambiance was nice but that's about it. read more

Rude staff. Overpriced. An insect in my water glass. Better food at the local pizzeria.

Old school, darkly lit, intimate place. Menu full of wonderful sounding dishes. Great service, with complementary bread and appetizers. Had veal chop with mustard sauce, others in party had pappadelle and breaded veal dishes. All were delicious. BYOB, to help with keeping costs down. In lovely Madison. read more

Il Mondo Vecchio - Veal chop grilled with mustard sauce - Italian Near Me - Madison, New Jersey

Had dinner with my husband for his birthday last night. Honestly, some of the best Italian food we've ever had. We had beef carpaccio, steamed clams, Osso Buco, Pappardelle Bolognese. The portions are very generous. The service is top notch. But the flavors are superb! Highly recommended! read more

The food is consistently good and our server was excellent-but when you are given a makeshift table that was created when you checked in - in the center of a crowded room where parties of tables are sitting to the left and right of you- this is unacceptable. Overbooking where people are crowding around you while you are eating is unacceptable. We are long time customers who will think twice about returning. If we do, we will certainly check if large parties are booked that time and date as well! read more

perfect in every way, year after year! Warm service, great ambiance and the food is delicious.

I had dinner with a friend there a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant has changed hands from the original owners since I had been there, and the food has dropped dramatically. Remind you of a catering hall wedding reception. read more

A great Italian restaurant with excellent service towards the shore. Definitely one the best in the area, and a great choice for a nice dinner out! read more

Service and food are above average in a lovely setting. The Spaghetti Pescatore was spectacular

One of our all time favorite restaurants! Always amazing! Service is always great - food delicious! read more

If you're looking for a hidden treasure in the heart of downtown, Il Mondo Vecchio is a must-visit. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by a warm, inviting atmosphere -- soft lighting, beautiful decor, and a friendly staff that makes you feel like you're dining in a friend's home. The menu is a perfect blend of authentic Italian food with a modern twist. I started with the carpaccio , which was beautifully presented. For the main course, I got the grilled lamb chops. It was perfectly cooked -- amazingly medium rare and packed with amazing flavor and filled with the most delicious mushrooms. The dessert was the true highlight of the meal: a warm, apple tart with delicious cinnamon ice cream. I highly recommend Il Mondo Vecchio for all events. Rather it be for an intimate outing with loved ones or an event for a special day. Il Mondo Vecchio is a spot that does it all amazingly! read more

Il Mondo Vecchio is a gem for anyone seeking authentic Italian in a welcoming environment. The service was impeccable, proving thoughtful recommendations and ensuring we felt like honored guests. The food was equally as good. I had the Angelo Griglia (grilled lamb chops with natural sauce). Now one of my favorite lamb dishes! I also ordered the Carpaccio, portobello ravioli, and vongole fascino as an appetizer for the table and everything was absolutely delicious! It was too good that we took the sauces to go! Highly recommended for casual outings and special celebrations! read more

We were there on Monday for the great weekday lunch specials, and the food did not disappoint. The food here has been consistently great for all the years we have been coming - and thankfully that part didn't change. The one complaint we do have is about the price for a single espresso - $5? Really? We pay that for a double espresso at much higher end restaurants. The only reason this drops from a 4 star to a 3 star review is the extremely strong smell of some type of air freshener. It was obnoxiously strong when we walked in the door, and was almost as bad while we were sitting at the table. Not sure what it was, but they need to pay more attention. The smells in a restaurant should be of their great food - NOT their air freshener or cleaning product. read more

Best Italian restaurant in North Jersey! Service is always amazing! We absolutely love the scallops, the mushroom ravioli, and the Osso Buco. We have been coming for years and it never disappoints! read more

The food was excellent, and the service was top notch. Attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommended.

My wife and I had not been here in many, many years. We decided to go to as part of our 35th wedding anniversary celebration. it was fabulous. Fig salad was delicous as were both of our meals, the Red Snapper and the Branzino. Service was great. . Ambience is welcoming and everyone on staff was friendly and professional. Thanks For giving us a special night. read more

Went here for dinner last weekend on the recommendation of a couple of friends. I usually start off most of my reviews saying what, if anything, was wrong with the restaurant. Dinner came out a bit slowly because they were serving three huge parties. However when it arrived, it was abundantly clear that it was well worth the wait. The food was spectacular. As was the service and atmosphere. I find that there are two types of Italian restaurants. The first type has a limited menu offering a smattering of each different type of cuisine, fish, meat, pasta... You get it. With second type you have an encyclopedic menu that makes choosing rather difficult, at least for me. It literally took me 10 full minutes to figure out what I wanted and in the end I just went with one of the specials because I was overwhelmed, of course in a good way. This is probably the best restaurant I've been to post pandemic. Absolutely loved it. Will definitely be returning soon. Kudos. read more

Old fashioned Italian. They finally updated the interior so that is nicer - and less packed. The initial bread and eggplant is dated and not that flavorful. Food is ok, nothing spectacular - however, the pasta is fresh and homemade and the main reason I come here. Oh, that and the BYOB! read more

Went to Il Mondo the other night, party of 6, and once again this restaurant proved itself to be 5 star! They have a new brighter look in the dining room, comfortable chairs and a little bit more light. The food, as always, was out of this world delicious. Had the veal toscana, and it did not disappoint. Everyone at our table loved their meals. The service (Luigi our waiter) was excellent and the owner Marco was on top of everything. This place is simply the best! read more

Absolutely spectacular. I've been here several times in the last 6 months and the food is consistently superb! Service is attentive and the place is super quaint. BYOB. A must try if in the area. read more