what a great night! Not easy to satisfy 11 people all at once! we all enjoyed our fabulous dinners. and we certainly appreciated the excellent care from Martino and his sidekick! They made our evening extra special! Definitely we will all be back! read more

Il Monello in Peapack NJ is amazing! It is an old style, calm, comfortable and relaxing Mediterranean style restaurant in a cozy house with excellent food and service. I have been hosting group dinners of 25 to 30 friends there for the past 10 years and they have never let us down, a wonderful experience in every way :) Mark K. read more

Rude service. Argued about what we ordered after missing an item. Didn't know how to handle wine. Too annoyingly chatty. Mediocre food.

Food is pretty good but the service can be hit or miss. The main waiter can be pretty rude if you displease him. Not sure I would recommend, but it's a shame because the food is good at there is a nice ambiance read more

The food, Service, and ambience was perfection. My parents and I enjoyed everything about our dinner. The branzino was absolutely delicious! And the minestrone soup was exactly what I was craving to eat today. Thank you to the Il Monello team! read more

Dinner tonight was excellent as always, some of the best Itlaluan food in North Jersey. The complimentary spicy, garlic, zucchini with salami and hard parmesan cheese is a winner. Breaded tomahawk veal chop with vodka sauce over pasta was the size of a Frisbee, enough for two meals. read more

My friend and I, respectively, had delicious dinners this evening. From the delicious complimentary starters: spicy zucchini, parmigiana and salami to the halibut special and the pollo Milano, we loved all of the dishes. Additionally, the service was quintessential. I am looking forward to our next dinner there and will bring more friends. Wonderful cuisine, service and atmosphere. read more

WHAT A LOVELY PLACE!! So so happy we came here for my husbands birthday. It was a group of 6, it was like walking into a little house and we sat in the dining room. Wait staff was very polite and attentive. and the cheese cart was fabulous!! Had a great time and will be coming again soon. It is BYOB which was also nice to bring what we wanted!! read more

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I've eaten at Il Monello several times during the past year, and I've yet to have had anything that wasn't great. The food is typically Italian: perfectly seasoned to bring out the natural flavors. This is a southern Italian restaurant, and so there are some pasta dishes, but they don't dominate the menu. Service is relaxed, maybe a little too much. read more

Always a Fantastic time at IL Monello. Called a head for a reservation at 7pm during the week, and had an essentially empty outdoor patio to choose from. Great service Amazing dishes Plenty of desserts and complimentary limoncello. Can't go wrong with this place , and it's my go to for quality home made Italian. read more

It's sad to report that last evening the management has reverted to his earlier aggressive and rude behavior. ( see my earlier reviews for background) He is self destructive to this restaurant and highly volatile. We will not return,as there are other alternatives near by with excellent service , ambiance and good food offerings as well byob . Two which I would recommend ,within a half mile,9 are Azzurro's and Cafe Sapori I give one star in consideration of the service staff who are not at fault. read more

Martino is the best. Friendly staff. BYOD. Excellent food and inviting atmosphere. I think the best in Gladstone.

We did a Yelp search after leaving a nearby winery and decided on IL Monello (translates to "The Brat") in a good way. The restaurant is on Main Street and parking can be conveniently found in the back of the building. We were met by Martino, a very pleasant and welcoming gentleman whom was managing the place. The place is BYOB and if you're reading this review I suggest if you plan on running back out to a liquor store the nearest one is probably about 4 miles out. We looked over the menu and had pretty much decided on our appetizers and main meals. That is until Martino came back and ran thru the specials, so change of plans. Appetizers consisted of escargot with sliced portobello mushrooms in a buttery garlic sauce and short rib meatballs in a tomato sauce. Both appetizers were delicious, especially the escargot. For the entree we ordered a Turbot fillet in a lemon butter sauce that was melt in your mouth delicious. And for me I had changed my order from the gnocchis Neapolitan to the special stuffed fiocchetti pasta. The stuffing for the pasta was Gorgonzola cheese and pear, and served with a 3 cheese sauce that was very similar to Alfredo sauce. I have to say that the meals were very well prepared and presented. We opted out of the dessert only because we really didn't have the room for it even though we had leftovers to take home with us. I did order a single espresso and to our surprise our waiter brought us two dishes with some sherbet on the house. If I could I would give them an extra star or two. This is what a fine dining experience should be like at any place. Great food, excellent wait staff and management. This restaurant is a little out of the way for us travel wise but I'm glad we stopped by and will definitely drive the extra mile to come back. Looking forward to our next visit! read more

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Great, local Italian spot. Complimentary slices from a HUGE parmesan wheel along with a marinated eggplant appetizer that was awesome. The portions are generous so you will not go home hungry. I had the tuna special and sampled my friend's fig ravioli. The seafood salad appetizer was also good and big portion. The owner/chef was around to make sure all customers were happy. You can tell he really cares about your experience! Complimentary limoncello was also served to cap off the dinner. Highly recommend. I will definitely be back. read more

We loved it, I know that sounds lame but it is oh so true. From start to finish everything was excellente! I'm still dreaming of the Mare & Monte and the flavoring on the beans....oh and the artichokes. Thanks for not shaming me for asking to hold the bacon. And finally my gnocchi. Was such a fabulous night. Thanks read more

This is one of our new favorite places to come out for dinner! Staff are incredibly friendly here I love them. Food is absolutely amazing too. You are bound to find something to love. They have a great selection of pastas, specials, and meat dishes. I personally loved the Short Rib Ravioli Carbonara. Dessert was also amazing! We loved the lava cake with our cappuccinos. Definitely coming back. read more

IL Monello - Lava cake and cappuccino - Italian Near Me - Peapack, New Jersey

Excellent service and fresh pastas I had the bolognese and it was excellent This my go to place when I'm craving for Italian food read more

Absolutely delicious! Service was impeccable. Felt at home from the moment I walked in. Such a broad selection on the menu and we tried a little of everything. I don't think I could pick a favorite. It was all delicious and the owner was so accommodating and helpful. read more

We had a delightful meal recently at Il Monello! The service was excellent - very friendly and attentive- they seemed to appear whenever a glass went low or we wanted anything. They gave us 2 different complementary appetizers while we perused the menu - and then brought out a great wheel of Italian cheese and carved each of us a slice. The meals were delicious- I started with a Burrata salad and my wife had an amazing watermelon and fennel salad. Then I had a wild boar Osso Buco and my wife had a Parmesan crusted Turbot - they were amazing! They let us relax and talk throughout and after our meal, as we finished our wine (BYO - there's a wine shop up the road). There are several excellent choices in Gladstone but, Il Monello is a bit of an undiscovered gem! We will be back soon! read more

Lovely experience. Restaurant is inside a beautiful Victorian home, waiters in tuxedos. The service was efficient and professional, and the food was delicious. Prices were reasonable. The "goodies" they give you were such a pleasant treat. Would definitely return. read more

By far one of the best Italian restraints in New Jersey. This place rivals most of the top Restaurant in NYC.

Had reservations for Christmas Eve. When we made the reservations there was no mention of a special menu on the website. In fact, as of tonight the restaurant website still features only its Thanksgiving menu. When we arrived, we were shocked to learn the only dining option was a fixed $100 per person menu. Given the holiday and the late hour, we had no choice but pay the fixed price and order off the limited menu. The owner took our order. He was loud and rude and talked over the female members of our party, contradicting their orders with a bullying tone, telling them to order "better choices" on the menu. The portions for the first two courses were small and lukewarm. The food was nothing exciting. Average Italian dining. Experience was unpleasant. Would never go back. read more

Nice little Italian restaurant the ambience was very nice. It's a byob so that is great that you can cork your own wine. The food was tasty my only con is that the food came out fast not giving you time from meal to meal to digest and enjoy before moving on to the next. We met the chef/owner he comes off as bit rude but I guess that's just the way he is even though he is being nice and pleasant. Overall we would come back the staff was great food was delicious. read more

Very very good food. The waiter/owner who took our order was very unfriendly and stand offish. The rest of the staff/helpers were wonderful. We loved Alby very genuine and nice, helpful. He basically ran everything happening there. Food was delicious. We had Pollo Milano, Crab Ravioli with a delicious tomato bisque sauce, homemade gnocchi my daughter loved and a salmon dish we asked for well done but they did what they wanted with it. I think the owner wanted us out of there cause we all had shorts on idk but felt a little uncomfortable. It's BYOB. read more

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Sorry to say this but the service and the food was absolutely disgusting. The price for four people for Mother's Day was the cost of a weekend trip and the food was worse than the hospital cafeteria at my job. The best thing there, was the bottled water. Plus they also were not honest that it was a fixed menu so I was not happy about that either. Not sure how a place like this stays in buisiness. Just awful so do not waste your time and money!!!!. read more

We had an amazing dinner this evening. The food was fresh and mouth watering. Lovely decor, music and service! One of our favorite restaurants! Pasta dishes.... one was with truffles!! OMG THE BEST EVER! read more

Delicious food, just moved into the area and couldn't have been happier that we found our go to Italian place coming from an area heavily populated with Italian restaurants and this is a large part of our life the food truly lives up to the bill. Always greeted with a smile and love the complimentary parmasean cheese, hard salami and the spicy zucchini. read more

IL Monello - Veal - Italian Near Me - Peapack, New Jersey

Food was cold and owner is RUDE. Unnecessary attitude put a bad taste in my mouth just as much as the food did

This place is spectacular! Wait staff is very attentive. Cheese served tableside with salami antipasto right when you sit down. Menu also includes number of specials, one being a lobster seafood pasta pictured bellow. We had a few appetizers: soup, burrata & tomatoes, and broccoli rabe with lamb meatballs. All delicious and good portions. For dinner we had the lobster & seafood pasta special, a fish special, pork chop milanese, and chicken scarpariello. Plenty of food! For dessert, we had tartufo, ricotta and pistachio, and chocolate gelato. Homeade limoncello and sambuca. Great way to end the meal. Cannot wait to return! read more

IL Monello - Lobster, clams, and shrimp with pasta - Italian Near Me - Peapack, New Jersey

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Back again! This is officially a neighborhood favorite! The service,the food the outside seating! Calamari Artichoke Osso busco Mushroom ravioli with black truffle sauce special Salmon a Monello read more

The food and service was 5 star. The chef even came over and we had some laughs. I highly recommended this restaurant to everyone. You will not be disappointed. Everything that my family ordered was done to perfection. My uncle who just turned 89 had so much fun with the staff. The waiter and chef were so amazing. I love this place and there staff. read more

You absolutely have to come here! One of the most amazing Italian restaurants in this area. Each one of the dishes was top notch, not to mention the great service. Loved our lunch, and will definitely be back. read more

We have been dining at Il Monello for at least 20 years and still make the trip several times a year even though we don't live in the area any more. It's BYOB so remember to bring your wine. Everything we order is authentic and the service is always warm and friendly. The meals starts with complimentary salami, marinated veggies and cheese and ends with grappa or limoncello. Just like visiting a friends house! read more

Absolutely amazing restaurant! Such a quaint and romantic Italian restaurant. The food was excellent as well as the service. Martino, Albi, and Luca truly make sure you feel like you are taken care of. Such a great atmosphere. Will continue to keep coming here read more

IL Monello - Italian Near Me - Peapack, New Jersey

I really like this place and Martin is awesome! Food I really good and staff is so nice.

Amazing food! Amazing service! Martino makes you feel so welcome as well as all of his staff!

Amazing experience, ordered the fusilli pasta; very tasty! Wonderful staff, would definitely come back.

After four years of patronizing this business for Christmas Eve, this year was unfortunately ruined. We made reservations back in October and we were so excited. Every year we go with my in-laws and my kids love the meal. I emailed them three weeks ago asking if they had a special menu and I received an odd phone call 10 minutes later saying that the menu wasn't finalized but they would be many options. Cool. I was excited! They called to confirm my reservation and sneakily confirmed it one hour earlier than we wanted because they said they were busy. After him pushing and prodding for us to change the time, we agreed. We got there today on Christmas Eve sat down only to learn it was a prefixed menu at $100 per person. Way different business model than then past 4 years. Terrible. They had multiple chances to tell us and never did. Tonight when we directly asked them for other options, they said there weren't any and let us walk out saying we need to pay $100 per person or leave. After many good meals here, I will never visit again as they RUINED this Christmas Eve with greed. Bah humbug!!! read more

AMAZING FOOD! The ambience is lovely and it is a wonderful date spot, bestie dates, significant other dates, the whole shebang. Delicious, deeply recommend! read more

IL Monello is by far my favorite restaurant of all time and I've been dining all over the world in 5 star restaurants! Martino and Shaban are the absolute best and are like family to us. The food is perfection and they prepare it in such an artful way. This is a long overdue review as we've been dining at IL Monello since 2015!! I recommend experiencing this lovely gem of a place!! read more

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