Experience up front- One Star Dining Service once seated - Five Star Food - Four Star Overall 3.5 Stars. Decided to try this as the wife's pick for her birthday- first timers. We had a confirmed reservation at 7:45p and checked in at 7:40p. There were a few chairs in the entrance area, of which one was open so my wife sat and held our 2 yr old. 20 minutes in, a staff member arrives and simply asks her to vacate the chair as they needed it. So you take the one chair with the woman and a toddler- classy. The other individuals seated next to her were also appalled and so kindly stood up themselves offering my wife their seats. A 40 minute wait ensued despite a confirmed reservation. The attendant said it gets busy once it hits 7:30- I get that and that is a great sign for business, but what is the point of even confirming a reservation? We were told a few times a table was nearly ready and just had to be cleaned but the wait continued. Thankfully by the time we were seated we knew what we wanted to order and after placing the apps- our first selections arrived within minutes. Note- despite the terrible service up front waiting, our server(s) were on their A+ game! Fried Zucchini- shoestring cut and crispy- dare I say as a french fry lover that these were a wonderful alternative. The kiddos devoured them too. Burrata - this was a huge hit with the wife and perhaps one of the highlights for her. Rigatoni spicy vodka sauce- we ordered 2 to share amongst us and one bowl was gone quick. This was perfectly spiced and a hit for all. Bucatini Cacio e Pepe - this one fell flat. Thank goodness at least our toddler ate some. The other three of us found it way to diluted "watered down" - and muted flavors. The lone miss of the night- food-wise. If you like sundaes- get the Sundae Royale- enough for 3, maybe 4 to share and be more than satisfied. Odd note: While the name of the restaurant is Focaccia, the pieces they bring to the table once seated are rubbery and chewy. The other bread included was about an hour from being a crouton. read more

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Why do people come here? Mediocre food, high prices. Party of ten for dad's birthday. I had no input in selecting the place, which is why we ended up here. Salads are pitiful - I prefer the bagged stuff you get at Whole Foods. Mains are uninspired. The short rib gnocchi is alright, I guess. This place is good compared to a red sauce place, but that's as generous as I can be. This place would never survive in New York. I guess the standards are much, much lower here. Good place if you enjoy expensive mediocrity. read more

La Focaccia - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

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Parking can be hard to find around the area, but they do have a small lot across the street. This is also a BYOB . Lot a lot of the Italian restaurants in the area, the food is consistently good, but nothing I've had on the menu really wows you. Service is attentive. Went with two other couples last night. They do serve a Foccacia bread complimentary. For mains our table had the grilled shrimp, veal chop parmigiana special ( big enough for two to share, which two ladies at our table did, sautéed chicken thighs and I had the black spaghettini with seafood. All were good, none excellent. Not a place I'm going to seek out as a repeat customer, but good as a change of pace venue a couple times a year. Solid 3 1/2 read more

Consistently good for Italian food, warm and attentive service, and a cozy atmosphere. Some people see BYOB as a negative but I love grabbing a bottle of wine from home. The dishes are classic and comforting. I would not say the menu is innovative or creative, but that's ok. Sometimes it's just nice to enjoy something that feels like a home cooked meal. Staff are always attentive and welcoming! read more

This place was recommended by a cousin who lives in the area. They told me I would have the best lasagna ever. I don't know if the lasagna lived up to that, but it was very,very good. We also enjoyed the chicken parm. Pretty restaurant. Parking lot across the street. Excellent service. Nice atmosphere. read more

As usual, a pretty good evening at La Foccacia. Nice looking restaurant that is always tastefully decorated for the season or holiday. Tables are a little tight and the ceiling low so it can get noisy. Lively vibe overall. Food was good. Nothing outstanding but all good. We enjoyed the tuna tartare, spicy clams, veal Milanese, and chicken thighs. Affogato was tasty, sorbet standard and the biscotti uneventful. Not sure what to say about the service. I believe we saw our main waiter only once. He's been there forever and as usual, comes across indifferent. The rest of the night was aggressively handled by the assistant waiter/busboy. I've had him on prior visits too. Guy is working hard but creates an anxious environment as he rushes the whole evening. read more

Love the atmosphere and the food is great! Nice spot, and very cozy. Service was excellent.

La Focaccia continues to excel in every way. 30 years now??? The food is excellent, varied, always served hot and fresh. Service is attentive, knowledgeable. It is a feel good restaurant, and the staff is welcoming and accommodating. read more

La Focaccia marries traditional NJ Italian food with modern ambiance. Their food reminds me of Italian restaurants I would go to as a kid and I was missing the expected white table cloth and single carnation on the table. The restaurant accommodated both large and small parties as well as parties with children. The menu is loaded with great sounding dishes. I was excited to try everything. Serving old school dishes like rabbit and calves liver to more modern ones like branzino and salmon. The service was good. My water class was never empty and they checked before opening any liquor we bought. To each their own but I wasn't impressed by the food. The best thing we ate was the grilled octopus appetizer. The artichoke salad was a disappointment. I actually thought it was the Brussels sprouts salad brought to me by mistake because I've never seen raw artichoke that looks or tastes the way it did. Pass on that. The entrees were good. My husband got the Branzino for $38 and was not impressed. My lamb was ok and expensive. The salmon looked like something you would get at a wedding. The kids chicken finger and fries were burnt. For dessert we got the Sundae and that was actually impressive and fun. I hope that if you go you order different things and are more impressed with their food. Everyone has an off night. But as a mom with read more

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We have dined at La Focaccia 5 times over the last 2.5-3 years. The food is always very good but they could do a better job of updating the menu. Service is good and attentive but the various servers seem to trip over themselves when serving water, bussing a table, serving the food, etc. The issue with La Focaccia is that they have 3-4 tables more than they need in the restaurant making it for a very cramped experience regardless of where you are sat and getting bumped into and nudged while dining. The saving grace is the BYO that makes the tab reasonable. But cramming as many butts into the the restaurant as possible for profit at the expense of the diner's experience brings this down a bit and keeps the review from a solid 4 to possibly 5 which would be assured if menu was updated and a couple of less tables. read more

This is a bit of a drive for us, but we keep it in our rotation because it has been consistently good. It's mostly in the old world Italian category, but with an updated slant. Pretty surprised the average rating here is below a 4, because it deserves better. The wait staff is old world too, but they know their menu and professional. It is also BYOB, which is our preference. Most dishes are hardy, so a solid earthy red with body is always a good choice. There are a few standard specialties that should be tried if these are too your taste. The calves liver (for those who love it; my wife does - not me - she often gets it) and the veal parm (not cheap, but worth it, and something ordered about every other visit, just because it's that good; you might skip the appetizers, if ordering, it's that filling). Desserts are plentiful and fairly typical of this type of Italian eatery. However, the gelato flavors are often changed and can be pretty unique. Sometimes there are flavors not listed on the menu, or are in such short supply after having been listed previously, so ask about what is not listed, as it could be a wonderful surprise. read more

Stopped by for family celebration dinner on their busy Saturday night. Dinner/ service was superb! Salad was fresh and light. The first star dish...Meatball was so tender and full of flavor, served in one of the best marinara sauces. Family favorite dish was the Housemade Black Spaghettini! Flavor, texture, temperature, all A+. It was truly a five star meal except for one last dessert dish that was actually terrible. Mango sorbet was so amazing and fully enjoyed... chocolate lava cake was pretty bad. It lacked chocolate flavor and texture was all wrong. It was gummy & tasted like a frozen store bought cake that was microwaved.... don't get this! We didn't let this ruin our otherwise fantastic family dinner where we were all happy with our meal and service was timely, attentive, and friendly. We will be back!! read more

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Really good food here I got the chicken parmesean . Tasty the atmosphere was nice . I would go back

Great service and nice food. BYOB. Focaccia was fabulous. Great service and nice food. BYOB. Focaccia was fabulous. read more

Fabulous place! Food was amazing service was great! Will be back again! I had the tuna tartare and it was sooo good. The rest of our party had the liver, pasta bolgonese and veal milanese. Everyone was very pleased. read more

Had a lovely early Sunday evening dinner that everyone enjoyed. I loved the butternut squash soup to start on a cold night, it was warm but not heavy. My chicken was excellent as well so many mushrooms -which I love. The Cacio e Pepe special was fine but a little bland, it could have had more pepper and cheese. The kids loved the meatballs and they were accommodating with bringing out the favorite brownie sundae to the great joy of my niece. They also allow you to bring your own wine (or maybe it's byo not sure as I don't live here) which was nice to open up something special. read more

La Focaccia - Butternut squash soup - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

Thanks for your message Samantha however I will very hard press to come back and ever give you a better review. I called Sunday to express by dissatisfaction and the lady that answered told me after hearing my concerns that the owner will call me. I am still waiting on it. Perhaps a gift certificate or something to bring a person back to redeem your reputation might have been nice. It is a shame that an apology was too much for anyone at all. Not a good way to operate a dining business. read more

Usually a fan but this past week we met our friends there and our table was in the middle of the room. I was elbowed by waiter a couple times and although attentive to our table with filling our glasses with our wine and replenishing our water it felt intrusive. Not enjoyable- also we were rushed out of there- only to find a lot of patrons waiting in foyer- Over booked? Our food was good- no complaints there but I didn't enjoy our evening at that table. So not rushing back... for sure! read more

GREAT service with Osama!! Delicious food and great atmosphere.. Got the bolognese and it was amazing!! read more

Went back for a 2nd time after a few years off and not as good. I ordered the Fried Calamari App with Rings only and it was served with 95% tentacles. I was really looking forward to having their famous Veal Chop Parmesan and was told it was not available tonight. WHAT? The waiter said a lot of people were asking for the same dish but they didn't have the ingredients. WHAT? Impossible!! They had a Veal Chop special so I know 100% they had veal chop. And of course they had cheese and tomato sauce as you could order the regular veal parm or chicken parm. THEY SHOULD LEARN HOW TO BE CUSTOMER FRIENDLY. The tables were also packed so close together it was hard to hear others at our small table for four but I knew that from my prior visit. I was just really looking forward to their amazing Veal Chop Parm which sadly they wouldn't make for me. I won't be going back. read more

Decent food, acceptable service, but in this day of COVID, the spacing/distancing (or lack thereof) is seriously alarming. My family and I recently dined at La Focaccia on a Saturday evening. Although we've been Summit residents for decades, it was our first time dining there. Upon our arrival, we could hear the rather loud noises coming from the dining room, but didn't think much of it at first. Our party of four was greeted by a friendly hostess (who was wearing a mask, appropriately), and within a couple of minutes, we were seated at our table (we had requested a quiet table, which was almost meaningless because it was noisy everywhere, but I digress...). Once we glanced at the bustling dining room, however, what took us by surprise - if not shock! - was the spacing between tables. Truth be told, it couldn't have been more packed - strangers were within 1-2 feet of each other, so much so, that guests needed to "squeeze through" if they were getting up to leave or head to the restroom. Wow! We were certainly uncomfortable, and even contemplated leaving before we sat down (although we ultimately decided to stay). Still - even with this pre-COVID type Saturday night crowd, each table featured a QR code for touch-less menus, and a little sign which essentially stated that the restaurant was accommodating guests at "35% capacity" (and as such, reservations were limited to an hour and a half). In all honesty, I just don't how the restaurant could have accommodated any more guests - COVID or no COVID. If this was the restaurant at 35%, I can't fathom what 50% would look like, or how 75% or 100% would even be humanly possible! Aside from the uncomfortable, if not concerning, setting, the service was prompt - we ordered and received our food rather quickly, although the staff's sanitation measures were questionable (from what we could see, they seemed to keep the same gloves on while touching items from one table to another, and hand sanitizer was not in sight). The food was decent - not terrible, but also not something to write home about. Our group ordered the Beet Salad, the Caesar Salad, Roasted Brussels Sprouts (which were truly double? fried to death!!!), Mussels, the Chicken Thighs with Sausage, Peppers, and Mushrooms, and the Chicken Arugula. Nothing was excellent - but everything was eaten, and there were no major complaints (except for the overly fried/semi-unrecognizable Brussels Sprouts). If you're not worried about being in close contact with strangers, and cautionary COVID measures (i.e. temperature taking upon arrival, hand sanitizer on each table, etc.), you may not be alarmed by your experience at La Focaccia like we were recently. The food is decent, and if you like hearty Italian-ish food, you may very well enjoy your experience there! In our case, however, given the super crowded setting, loud noise, and "take it or leave it" cuisine - we likely won't be back, nor will we recommend it to others. read more

La Focaccia - This is supposedly 35% capacity? In what world?! - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

This is the third time my family and I have dined at La Focaccia and we will certainly be back. The service was exceptional, as was the food. The theme here is kind of old school Italian American food with a more modern approach. It was delicious anyway you slice it. read more

Hadn't been here in years and have to say that our party enjoyed our dinner on a busy Saturday night. The portions are quite significant which is great because we all wanted leftovers. While the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, just a few key pointers as we felt rushed. The staff didn't quite wait for our table to be ready which made the dinner order a bit chaotic and out of sync. We brought a lot of wines and had a specific order in mind - we asked for the reds to be opened but were still deciding (in seconds) which one to pour. Suddenly a server began to pour (sadly the wrong wine). It's just so important to give folks a breather and work with them before pouring wines (excellent bottles). We enjoyed our dinner otherwise and would just hope to feel a bit less rushed next visit. read more

OK, so I revisited this establishment on a Wednesday evening, and true to my last review it was every bit as special as I remember to be. Perhaps because it was a weekday and the noise levels were acceptable, the service was excellent, and the clientele was very pleasant I loved the special pasta which was papa deli the beautiful chanterelle mushroom sauce, as well as the rack of lamb which was exceptionally prepared. Hence encourages to revisit but during the weekdays read more

Food was delicious and service was over the top excellent! A little loud at times but not a deal breaker!

Went here for my birthday, food was delish and the wait staff so attentive, loved it!

Love the menu and service. However not as gluten free friendly as it should be. No GF bread available. Requested gluten free fish and experienced GI symptoms following. They need to be more considerate and careful for this population. read more

I came here with my boyfriends family for the first time on December 28, 2018 after his parents previously ate here and highly recommended the restaurant. Located close to the heart of Summit, this beautiful restaurant is definitely somewhere you want to come to celebrate a special event (anniversary, birthday or even a romantic date). Unfortunately, the restaurant is a bit pricey, however, you pay for the quality of service as well as the food. During our time there, someone was always coming to our table to make sure we were okay and didn't need anything. However, it wasn't don't so many times that we felt crowded. Our server was also super friendly and humorous! The food was also impeccable.. For appetizers, we ordered the Fried Calamari and Hot Peppers with Parmesan Cheese (and it was EXTREMELY hot for sure)!! For entrees, we ordered the Braised Short Rib, his mom ordered the special (Veal with Risotto), and his dad ordered the Tuscan Stew. See all photos attached... I highly recommend this place, but be ready to spend some money!! But on the bright side... it is BYOB!!! read more

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loud, noisy, crowded with tables uncomfortably close together. extensive menu with the usual Italian fare and a supplemental menu with specials. we were a party of four, arrived on time and were promptly seated. waiter was engaging and opened our wine immediately. following that we perused the menu and had some questions for when he returned. he was knowledgeable about the offerings which helped us decide and we settled in enjoying our wine but conversation was difficult since it was so loud and crowded. our appetizers arrived and we sampled their butternut squash soup X 2 and the two others shared the tuna tartare which was large enough for two. there was a nice break before our entrees were served and we continued to struggle to hear what the others seated with us were saying. we even joined about how hard it was to hear with the low flat ceiling and hard walls. entrees came and we began to eat. my wife ordered the gnocchi with short rib ragu and much to our surprise it came with beef and brown gravy. i'm not sure what recipe they followed but it was not the standard rendition. my wife struggled to eat it and gave up. our friends wife ordered the veal and it was overcooked. the third entree was red snapper off of the specials menu which was an adequate presentation but not memorable. i ordered the tuscan stew which is supposed to be a seafood combination in a savory broth, they substituted a heavier tomato sauce with very little flavor. when our waiter returned and asked how we were enjoying our food both women let him know how dissatisfied they were. my wife asked him to take away her almost full plate and requested for it to be taken off the bill. he left and shortly thereafter someone else came to the table and apologized asking if there was something else on the menu they could prepare instead but she refused. he apologized again and agreed to take it off the bill. our friends wife then let him know about the overcooked veal and he also apologized and offered to prepare something else which was refused with the same condition that it be taken off the bill and he agreed. the remaining plates were cleared and we collectively decided to call it an evening. our waiter returned with the dessert menu and we asked for our check. we paid the bill and made sure we tipped enough to cover the two returned entrees in cash since it's not the waiter's fault the food was not properly prepared. as the saying goes you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. our conclusion was that quantity as in as many people as possible is better than quality. fewer tables less people and more care when preparing the food would be something to consider here if they are truly interested in satisfied returning customers. to say we were disappointed is an understatement. read more

La Focaccia - gnocchi with short rib ragu aka brown gravy - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

Food was great, but they purposely gave me a smaller portion due to me being female. They wrote "lady' under my order and I know this after seeing the receipt. When my order came out it was the same dish as the male next to me but almost half the size. I didn't say anything, the food was great, then noticed that they added "lady' under my chicken order assuming because I'm a woman I would eat less and deserve a smaller portion.Whether I finish my food or take leftovers home should not matter. I shouldn't have been given a smaller portion just because of my gender. It seems like a joke that I'm even writing this but that was my experience. The food was great, but I would not return on the basis of being purposely given a smaller portion. read more

La Focaccia is a romantic restaurant in the town of Summit! Located right outside the center of town, this restaurant is definitely a place you want to go to if you're looking for a nice dinner. I came here for the first time on December 28, 2018 for my sisters 22nd birthday and it was definitely the right place to come to! This quaint restaurant is super family friendly for everyone of all ages! We ordered the Brussel Sprout Salad as an appetizer tasted fresh and crunchy. The dressing was a mustard vinaigrette which flattered the salad perfectly. We each ordered something for dinner and all were amazing and fresh! It left you wanting more. For dessert we ordered the Warm Brownie Sundae and it was definitely one of he best sundae's I've ever had! The whip cream and brownie ratio was picture picture! See photos attached... read more

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Another great meal. Veal Milanese was excellent as usual. Very attentive service. We will back soon to try some dishes.

Came here for a birthday with reservation (2 adults and 2 children). The restaurant is very efficient with seating services and staffs are friendly. Definitely a local hidden gem off the beaten path. The dishes are large and can be shared, flavorful and delicious. It's BYOB and would definitely come again! read more

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BYOB - Local Italian Restaurant (I would categorize as "northern italian"... not a typical "red sauce" kind of place. Good mix on the menu. Great specials like Veal Chop Parmesan, Osso Bucco, duck, rack of lamb etc. The night we were there we had the veal chop parmesan (excellent) the meatball appetizer (pretty good( and the linguine with white clam sauce (delicious!). Wed will definitely be coming back. read more

Our family of 4 came here for my wife's birthday the other night (kids aged 4 and 9). The food was amazing--apps were grilled calamari, and spicy peppers (very spicy!) and Parmesan. I had the black spaghettini with shellfish and my wife had the short ribs. Brownie sundae for dessert was fantastic. Would highly recommend everything we had. The part about this experience that really turned me off was the kids meals. There was no kids menu, but the waiter said they could do the usual stuff... pasta with butter, chicken fingers, spaghetti, etc. We asked for penne and meatballs for each of them. When the bill came, we found out that they charged us $48 for what we thought were 2 kids meals! Thinking a 4 and 9 year old could EACH eat $24 of pasta and meatballs is unconscionable. He should have at the very least warned us to split it. The waiter who delivered our food and bill was different than the one who took our order, and he just mumbled when I brought it to his attention. We were extremely turned off by the ending of an otherwise delicious meal. read more

Great BYOB place. Great and consistent food. Staff is very nice and attentive Can't go wrong from the menu or specials read more

Nice little place but prices went up and quality and quantity went down. It's now better to make your dinner yourself at home and wait until the restaurants come back to reality. Competition will clear the field. read more

My wife and I have been searching for new places for date night and stumbled upon this place when looking for somewhere to dine outside. Besides the food absolutely being stellar, the outside dining makes it feel like you're transported to a different place rather than dining on the sidewalk. The tables are spaced appropriately so that you don't feel like you're too close to each other while still maintaining an intimate feeling. Every course was just the next level up in deliciousness. I started out with the oysters which were huge and delicious. Then for our entrees, my wife had the Lasagna Bolognese and I had the Chicken Parm. We both devoured our meals, the Chicken Parm was awesome and I was able to cut through like butter. Just when we didn't think things could level up even further, the dessert was on point (totally recommend the iced coffee). The panna cotta was perfect and the brownie sundae that my wife got was scrumptious. Just a heads up, this place is BYOB, but shares a parking lot of a well stocked liquor store. If there isn't enough parking there, there's a lot across the street that's open to the public that's shared with a school. We're looking forward to going back here in the future. Currently, they're very understaffed, but just be prepared to be patient, it's absolutely worth it. read more

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Creative Italian fare combined with enthusiastic service, make this place a must-visit. Cozy indoor dining and large airy covered outside dining. Niti and his brother will make you feel special. And please try their homemade meatballs and sweet and spiciy calamri. read more

La Focaccia is a Northern Italian BYOB restaurant located in Summit, NJ. They have their own parking lot they share with the liquor store they own on the corner. The service here was excellent! They have an extensive menu , and in the price range from low to high depending on what you order. One thing I didn't like is I didn't really care for the appetizer selection. There was lots of salads and not really much else to choose from. They had tons of entrees here from pasta, seafood, filet mignon, and lamb chops. For appetizers we chose the burrata and the warm-pecan goat cheese salad. The burrata was good, but the warm-pecan goat cheese salad was a huge disappointment! It was a tiny piece of goat cheese that was burnt. Then it was a whole bunch of arugula and nothing else to make the salad tasty. Hands down the worst salad I ever ate! Trust me don't order it! For entrees we order the veal chop parmesan that came with penne and lasagna. The lasagna was excellent! The veal chop parmesan was just ok, and wouldn't recommend ordering it here. I find that Northern Italian restaurants don't make a good veal chop parmesan versus southern Italian restaurants. The sauce needed more flavor and the veal itself needed to be more tender. It also lacked enough sauce and cheese. Also for $44 it shouldn't come with penne pasta that came out a box, but house made spaghetti instead. I felt like the dish was coming from a pizzeria with the penne pasta it was served with. Desserts here were delicious! I highly recommend ordering them! We had the bread pudding which was great, but what was even better was the chocolate peanut butter mousse cake! It was fantastic! The lasagna and the chocolate peanut butter mousse cake I'd definitely would come back here for despite the 3 star review. I hope when I come in next time and review this restaurant again they can approve their salads, and add some better appetizers to choose from. Maybe some stuffed mushrooms, eggplant rollatini, or spiedini. I still say try it out for yourself as there are some dishes here worth ordering! read more

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