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IL Monello

4.3 (322 reviews)
PriceyItalian
Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

IL Monello Photos

IL MONELLO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Romantic
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - IL Monello

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Branzino
Brad B.

The outdoor area is beautiful. Indoor is a bit cramped so outdoor sitting is essential to get a great experience. We started with a pasta to split a Burrata ravioli and Bolognese sauce delicious. The tuna was great the veal and lemon caper sauce with artichokes was tender and delicious. Now the bad part the service was horrible. We were the only people in the restaurant and three waiters literally just stood there looking at us we had to ask the menu three times we had to ask for the check three times which took over 20 minutes, Martino the owner who is a character and a great guy felt so bad that he bought us a round of drinks. I know he will probably never do this, but if he modernize his ordering system, a lot of this chaos could be avoided.FYI they now have wines by the bottle and glass so you don't need to go to liquor store anymore.

Turbot
Zagat R.

My fiance and I came here for a quick lunch and left feeling like we just had an authentic meal at our Italian godfather's house! The hospitality here is beyond! The owner Martino is attentive to every detail in the dining experience, he was even the one that served us the complimentary shaved Parmesan cheese (see video), which was probably the best parm I've ever tried literally melts in your mouth! We were pleasantly surprised to see turbot (the BEST white flaky fish) on the menu as you rarely see it offered at restaurants. We gave our compliments to the owner for having it on menu but didn't order it and he brought us a complimentary turbot (also pictured) to enjoy anyway! If you want an authentic, detail-oriented, and delicious Italian meal then you NEED to eat here! We will be returning with friends and family for sure.

Owner is so friendly. staff is great. Food and service is so much better than cafe azzuro down the street

Complimentary starters. Marinated Zucchini and salami. Comes with a slice of fresh Parmesan and toasted bread.
Nancy S.

Wonderful lunch experience!! This is the first time we've been to a restaurant in 2 years or since Covid started. We're still being careful despite being vaccinated. This restaurant has excellent, socially distanced patio seating! The patio is right on the street and nice for people-watching. We chose Il Monello because they are one of the few open on Mondays in this area and by the menu choices. My friend was visiting from Hawaii and said there are no good Italian restaurants and was craving some great Italian here in NJ. She was not disappointed!! The prices are spot on!! In all honesty, I read some reviews that said the service was rude, but I found the waiters to be very friendly!! They had a somewhat dry sense of humor that not everyone appreciates. I say lighten up and smile. Complimentary Starters: While browsing the menu, they brought over the 50lb Parmesan cheese wheel and sliced off a nice, long, thin piece for each of us, some salami, toasted Italian bread, and marinated zucchini. It was a delicious combination! Appetizers: We ordered the Spiedini Alla Romana. It's similar to Mozzarella en Carrozza but with anchovies and capers with a lemon wine sauce. If you're leery or say you don't like anchovies, don't worry. You don't see or taste them, but they enhance the saltiness. It was delicious! Main entrees: My daughter is a vegetarian, so there were limited options for her. The waiters weren't too sure about the soups having vegetarian broth, so she decided to get the Fettuccine Alfredo with sweet peas. She enjoyed it. I did taste it, and I thought it could have used a bit more salt, but I love salt. My friend had Linguine alle Vongole (linguine with clam sauce). There was a choice of red or white sauce, and she chose the white sauce. I've always wanted to try this dish but never had the courage to. Another delicious dish! My friend loved it, and it satisfied her Italian yearning! Finally, I had the Veal Parmigiana. OMG! It was the best and most tender veal I've ever had! I could have cut it with a fork, and I'm not kidding!!! The portion sizes were just right on all the entrees. The red sauce had nice chunks of garlic and was not too sweet. I brought my husband home the Rigatoni Bolognese with braised veal, lamb, and beef. He said the flavor was better than any he's had before, and the pasta was done perfectly. I also brought home the Short Rib Meatball appetizer, which was on the specials menu. I'll go back just for them alone!! I know I sound so excited with this review, but this restaurant was THAT good. Maybe not going to a restaurant in two years could have something to do with it, but the food is truly excellent as well as the service!

Barb S.

After writing a terrific review we made reservations a few weeks later. My apologies for not sharing this experience sooner. We arrived on time and were seated outside since the weather was still warm. Within no time people started arriving (apparently without reservations) and they started shifting tables to accommodate the newcomers. Our table was shifted so much we found ourselves in a corner. They put the complimentary appetizer on the table and then ignored us. The waiter finally came to take our order and asked if he could bring another helping so we agreed. We were so close to the other tables we could not help hearing everyone's conversations. The service was terrible and the waiter had an attitude. When we got our check they added a charge for the second complimentary appetizer and said the second one was at a price. Perhaps if service was attentive we would have had the appetizers we ordered in a timely manner. All in all shame on Martino as reservations are made for a reason. We were terribly disappointed.

Creme Brûlée Cheesecake- outstanding!!
Cat M.

What a wonderful, romantic place to enjoy dinner! If you go in the winter, there is a cosy fireplace that is REAL - I never see a real fireplace anymore! If you go in the warm weather, the place has a lovely outdoor patio in the front. The service is amazing - immediately after you sit, they are there to open wine, get water, & put out the bread & the great apps they give you for free! You get salami, a spicy zucchini saute, & some large shaving of cheese from a cheese wheel that is rolled out on a cart! The food is always amazing - if you love bolognese - get it! There are lots of specials - I find it hard to remember - wish they were written down. The caesar salad split is quite large & the dressing is homemade. We enjoyed the escargot app & it was prepared differently than I've ever had it before but it was yummy - had mushrooms in some kind of a cream sauce. The pastas are always a great choice along with the seafood & meat. They have some homemade pasta - the crab/lobster ravioli is excellent as well as the burrata one that i enjoyed recently. For dessert, you must get the creme brûlée cheesecake - it is outrageous! And to top off dessert, they wheel a cart out with white Sambuca, homemade black Sambuca, homemade grappa, & limonchello. What a great place!

Rich R.

Always amazing. I can write and write about this place. No one wants to read it. Just come here. It's an amazing experience. You will not find a better place where the staff truly cares about you. They do not rush you. It is an event, not a quick turn the table. We all need that not during this covid epidemic. Take your ur time. Have an amazing meal and go home full.

Ravioli Rigatoni Bolognese

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Amazing food, amazing service! Great ambiance that reminds me of a wonderful dinner with family!

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Ninety Acres - Dry aged strip loin

Ninety Acres

(610 reviews)

$$$$

What an incredible experience on a stunning property. The food was fresh, flavorful, and…read moreinnovative. Not to mention the service was impeccable. Celebrated my 40th birthday here, and I'm so glad I opted to not go to a generic restaurant in New York City. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and the views of rolling hills and vast greenery was very refreshing. Looking forward to coming here in the summer.

Ninety Acres is one of those restaurants that you go to impress business clients or someone who is…read moreeasily impressed by expensive menus. Before even getting into the restaurant, you pay $20 for valet (or self-park for free). Once inside, the ambiance is pretentiously fancy. The food is generally good, nothing spectacular, and priced to match the pretentious ambiance. Most of the dishes contained a puréed food of some kind to be pretentiously fancy. Why so many purées? What's wrong with whole vegetables? Your customers are not babies. Dishes that I would probably order again if I return: * Bluefin tuna crudo with avocado purée * Coffee-rubbed Berkshire pork chop with sweet potato purée * Duck with Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and cauliflower purée * Roasted carrots with sumac Dishes that were fine but not memorable (1 star off): * Brioche rolls with carrot butter: could not taste any carrot flavor in carrot butter; a good plain butter would have sufficed; it also came with a side of smoked salmon roe which I thought was pretentious and unnecessary * New England scallops with carrot and coriander purée, spring pea and mint pesto, and mushroom crumble: the mushroom crumble was good, but the scallops were over-salted * Pan-seared salmon, sunchoke, spring herb purée, salsify, corn, and pommes purée: TWO purées...yay... * Cavatelli with lamb ragu: ragu is basically a tomato purée * Roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash For dessert, our waiter recommended the butterscotch pretzel sundae, which has been on their menu for years. The blondie bites, salted caramel, hot fudge, and salted caramel ice cream did sound good. Too bad they forgot to bring it out for us (1 star off), so we never tried it.

Osteria Morini - TORCIA NERA: squid ink pasta, seppia & shrimp ragù

Osteria Morini

(206 reviews)

$$$

Food: arancini was flavorful and the texture was firm and crispy; the porcini sauce was full of…read moreumami; the eggplant meatballs were delicious with the spicy tomato sauce; patate was crispy and delectable I had their branzino and it was crispy and pan seared to the perfect temperature and texture; toasted almond brown butter sauce was a great pairing Hubby had their spaghetti and it was good but he enjoyed the cicchetti portion of the meal much more Service: friendly, attentive, helpful Ambiance: clean, snug Italian restaurant vibes

We came to Osteria Mornini to celebrate my sister's birthday and had an amazing time. The inside of…read morethe restaurant is cozy but chic. Our table had lots of space to spread out, and the music was not too loud. The server greeted us quickly and offered us drinks. She was also VERY acommodating to my diet restrictions (I am pregnant and can't have alcohol or cold cuts, so she showed me the mocktails and also offered substitutions for dishes with prosciutto). We ended up ordering the focaccia, bruschetta, calamari, and burrata to share. The appetizers were excellent, and my husband and I particularly loved the bruschetta. I then ordered the garganelli with creamy truffle sauce, and my husband ordered the pork chop. My garganelli was very flavorful but the cream sauce was just a bit too heavy for me. My husbands pork chop was cooked very nicely but could have been slightly more flavorful. Overall I could see myself returning for the garganelli as I LOVE pasta with a good creamy truffle sauce. For dessert we ordered the torta and bomboloni to share. The bomboloni came out warm and in a cute little dunkin' style box. They were delicious. They were served with an espresso sauce and a chocolate carmel sauce to squirt on top. I would definitely return for this item! The torta was just okay for me. The presentation was beautiful, but the cake itself was a little dry and could have had a more citrus flavor.

Sette - Pennette alla Norma

Sette

(148 reviews)

$$$

Sette is simply one of the best dining experiences in the area ... excellent food, very attentive…read moreyet unobtrusive service, and a lovely ambience that is perfect for quiet conversation.

We were able to get to Sette as we were visiting in Morristown…read more As we searched found this highly ranked Yelp reviews. We set up a 9 pm reservation. We arrive and the place is tiny. Actually a 2 person show. Either MGR./owner greeted us and offered where to sit. The venue is small and quaint. It is BYOB and the waitress came back to open wine and offer sparkling or tap. We started off with the gentlemen recommendation of bruschetta. It arrived and it came out warm. My wife was ok with it. Me I liked it. Next up we split a bolongese tagliatelle pasta dish. A perfect mixture of Veal, beef pork was hands down one of the best bolognese pasta dishes I have ever had. I am first generation Italian and have been blessed in my home. Their bolognese was special. My wife had the chicken dish spinach and potatoes. She liked it thought it was a tad sweet but did like it. I had the pork medallions with potatoes and spinach. Both dishes were cooked perfectly. My pork was a tad sweet but mixed with the potatoes and spinach was terrific We ended up with a lemon dessert that came out warm and was delicious. In addition had another raspberry dessert from establishment and that was delicious. The place is small well lit pretty windows to view. The other patrons were all enjoying their time. No drama and couldn't ask for better patrons. The waitress was excellent and my wife and I truly loved this place. We will be back keep in mind reservations are needed. We were fortunate to score on a Friday. Their are nine tables why reservations are needed. They also offer a prix fix just in case and is reasonable. I will definitely be back and I'm doing that bolognese pasta not on a share but as a main. Terrific place Recommend

IL Monello - italian - Updated May 2026

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