Places that close mid-day to reopen later lock their doors. Places that close mid-day put it on their website. Post the hours on their door. Not here. So I walk in around 3:30 one afternoon, already hesitant after the last less than cordial treatment last time I went and there they are: the mother-daughter leadership team - but they're chowing down at the counter. Unusual. Felt like walking in on your parents. Now let me say: I'd always liked them - one grew up in my hometown Little Silver; the other's sister has a Pasteria in Red Bank. I've written stellar reviews of this place here on Yelp - in the past. Eli Manning story. Post Sandy romanticized tale. Their remodeling. An interview about their Italian family roots in the restaurant business. I'd been coming here twenty or more years. Live up the street. it's easy. Convenient. Decent food. So I walk in through the unlocked door, stumbled upon their eating and well there wasn't any shouting or yelling, there was an attitude as if I was rude for walking in. Now that's no reason for you the neophyte to write off going to this joint. It's the least expensive snd fancy of Summit Italian Restaurants, the food's fine. And hey if the leave the door unlocked at mid-day break, still don't update their webpage or put a sign on the door and you accidentally walk in, I'm sure you'll survive the malocchio. But me? I had more invested over twenty years. I don't expect to 86'd like some rude interloper. It's days like this when i miss sal's tavern in Red Bank - opened during the Depression when times were hard but people weren't hardened. Customers mattered and Sal's employees knew your name. It wasn't a Cheers cliche - it was America. Ah why am I Complaining? I'll be dining in Paris in two weeks and THEN i'll find out what rough service is! Sacre bleu! read more

Almost every town in New Jersey has at least one family-owned casual BYOB Italian restaurant featuring tasty cuisine in a laid-back ambiance that's perfect for a casual night out with family or friends. La Pastaria checks all the boxes for the residents of Summit and the restaurant was packed with diners of all ages when my dining companion and I stopped in for dinner on a recent Saturday night. The overall ambiance is what one would expect from a casual BYOB -- slightly better than average decor; adequate but not overly attentive service; and freshly-made and tasty Italian favorites at reasonable prices. It's obvious that the chef takes pride making meals that present well and taste great. The dinner menu features a variety of Italian favorites including pastas, chicken, and shrimp dishes, which offers enough variety to appeal to everyone (including those with dietary restrictions like gluten or dairy intolerance). My dining companion and I started off our meal by splitting the Bruschetta Di Pomodoro ($13), comprised of three pieces of pane toscano topped with freshly-diced tomato and red onion. I opted for the Chicken Savoy ($26), with a generous portion of white-meat chicken sautéed with garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar, and Italian spices, and served along with side of pasta and tomato sauce. My dining companion ordered the Chicken Milanese ($26), a generous portion of breaded chicken atop a bed of arugula, fresh tomato salad, red onions, garlic, basil, and olive oil, and (unlike Milanese dishes at many other Italian restaurants) served with a side of pasta and tomato sauce. Both of us really enjoyed the freshness and flavors of our meals. We'll definitely be back. PRO TIP: La Pastaria doesn't have a private parking lot, but there is plenty of on-street parking and parking in the Summit municipal parking lots off Springfield Avenue. Bring change or use the ParkMobile app for the meters ($1 per hour) Monday through Saturday from 8am til 6PM; all street meters are free Monday through Saturday after 6pm and all day on Sunday. read more

La Pastaria - Dinner Chicken Savoy - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

Great place for a simple lunch -- their salads and the vegetable or mushroom sandwiches are delicious (I eat mostly vegetarian, so I haven't eaten their chicken etc.) Good soups. We often have dinner there, too. Their table bread is rosemary focaccia, served with olive oil for dipping -- so good. Delicious Polenta con Funghi. My friend raved about their meatballs. Very nice service, in my experience. And the outdoor seating area is very pleasant in the spring and summer. The menu is pretty traditional, which is fine with us. I went to a Christmas party in their private room, and again the service was really attentive and the food was great. read more

Came here again recently and it was delicious as ever! We had a birthday and boy did the staff delight the birthday girl with a birthday jam. Love this classic place. read more

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The food is excellent, service is always great and the restaurant itself is just right as far as the noise level.

Decent Italian food in charming downtown Summit. Coming from California I was surprised that service staff weren't required to wear masks...a little alarming after the fact as Omicron cases surge. Service was fine. They did let us sit there for 4 hours catching up with old friends, so thanks for that. Food was fine. It's BYOB so we brought wine. We ordered: Polenta with mushrooms - surprisingly this was the flavor standout of the entire meal Mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers - I found this uninspiring, not very different from what I could pull together at home. Portobello salad - fine Cavatelli with broccoli - my favorite dish to order in NJ. It was fine. I was a little confused my the tomato element. Crème brûlée - tasty Cannoli - this and the polenta were the standouts Would I return? I wouldn't rush back but yes I'd return if in Summit again. read more

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LP is somewhere between decent and good. I must not be alone in that thinking as we were there on a Saturday night and there were plenty of tables available. Clams oreganato, risotto balls and chicken meatballs were all fine. Chicken Milanese was a big disappointment but the pork chops giambotta was very tasty. Their menu is too large; they should cut it down and feature just their best. Atmosphere was pretty flat. I believe LP has been in town for a good 20 years and it shows. They can use a refresh of their decor. Service was fine. Not friendly but not unfriendly. Courses came a bit too quickly. read more

I already left another review for La Pastaria on the imaginary restaurant Antico Arturo that they sell online under, but they deserve another review here. I honestly don't know how this place stays open unless it's a front operation. Nobody I know in the area ever considers going there. It's a big space on a pretty prime spot of real estate in a wealthy town. Normally I wouldn't come on here and kill them but the fact I thought I was getting pizza from another place tonight and got this slop was not cool. Also, the food they serve doesn't even match the pictures from the website. Laughable. They deserve our scorn. read more

We've been here three times for dinner. What's great about this place - plenty of parking, convenient location, patio option in the summer, romantic ambiance, bring your own wine and a service has always been pretty good. The menu has a good selection of Italian dishes but we found that the food was lacking flavour. The only thing we really enjoyed were the salads but the main entrees were not flavorful and at one time my chicken dish was tough and hard to cut. The saving grace was that the server offered to replace the food with the best dish on the menu at no cost. He was right, that was an amazing dish. I was impressed by his commitment to good service. So, I would keep coming back. read more

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Fine Italian restaurant that has been around for many years. They have delicious pasta dishes. A childhood favorite

Disappointing. It was nice that we were seated right away without having to make a reservation. My boyfriend and I ordered a few appetizers and then our main course and dessert. We started with the Italian long hots which come with house made chips, the burrata, and grilled octopus. It took a while to get to us. The burrata was fresh and delicious!! It was just smaller than we expected because it was overpriced. Wouldn't order it again. The grilled octopus was also delicious but overpriced for the small portion of octopus you get. Wouldn't get it again for that reason. Nice char on it though. The Italian long hots, were cooked perfect and had nice spice. The chips were crunchy and good too. This was a decent appetizer but also a little pricey too for what it is. My boyfriend ordered the fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken and a side of the meatballs. I ordered the pesce del giorno, grilled salmon with mushrooms. My boyfriends father ordered the seafood pasta. Our food came out timely and my salmon was okay. It was a good size and cooked well. Flavor was good. Loved the mushrooms with the herb seasoning. I have had better salmon elsewhere so next time I'd try something else. If we come back lol. My side salad was fresh and had one olive lol. Would have liked more olives. Stingy! My boyfriend said the alfredo was not that great. There was minimal sauce! He wanted more alfredo sauce. The chicken was good. The meatballs were huge and bland. Very heavy. Not good. Marinara was also not the best he said. He didn't finish either dish and didn't want to take any home lol. Wouldn't recommend either of them. His father said his seafood pasta was good. He would get it again and he took his leftovers home. Definitely recommend the small size vs the large for one person. Large portion size or pasta. We both ordered the tiramisu. His father ate all of his and liked it. Though none of us were expecting it to be served in a wine glass. A bit unusual. My boyfriend and I shared ours. It's more on the sweeter side and they put whip cream from a can on top which kind of ruined it for me. I hate canned whip cream with a passion. It's garbage. We wouldn't order it again either. His father probably would. Service was pretty lack luster. And it wasn't even busy when we arrived. It got busy later. The bill for us three was about $150 which is crazy overpriced. We most likely won't be back. read more

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Our friends recently had their rehearsal dinner here and I was less than impressed. Street parking is a bit tough but there is a lot in the back. The bathrooms weren't overly clean and in order. The restaurant itself was decent. The servers were extremely nice and they were quick to refill, clear off, etc. The food was mediocre. I definitely didn't love anything except the salad which was mostly due to the dressing. The rice ball was decent but lacked seasoning. The bruschetta was fresh but could have used some sort of balsamic glaze to tie the flavors together. I ordered the fish and it was dreadful. I felt it was slightly undercooked, it lacked seasoning and it came out "warm." It also wasn't served with any sort of vegetables or rice. Most people felt that it could have used at least one side. The dessert wasn't a hit with anyone. The cheesecake had an odd texture and the cannolis were average. I will not be returning to this place given the fact that a mouse was running around the dining room. There were no apologies offered to the bride and groom. Instead the staff was seen frantically looking for it. read more

The food was outstanding here. I had a Chicken Valdostano, along with some Pear Salad and Chocolate Lava Cake. Everything was incredible, with huge portions to boot. Service was very good as well, with the food coming out in a timely manner and very professional waitstaff. Prices are somewhat high. With the exception of their more basic pasta dishes, prices mostly hover above $20. Not really a gripe though, since, again, portions are massive. Do note that they charge a $3 fee for splitting your entree with someone else at the table though. There is also a small fee for bringing your own dessert. The environment is amazing, especially their outdoor seating right on the main street of town and easy to walk around after in a nice area. Overall, a very solid place for some classic Italian food read more

La Pastaria - Chocolate Lava Cake - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

I did take out last week. When i came to pick it up it was not ready and of course it was my fault for coming at the time i was told. The woman i spoke with was nasty with an ATTITUDE. I left and came back 15 minutes later and it was ready. Food was good but who needs the ATTITUDE. There are many good Italian restaurants in the area. Sayonara La Pasteria! read more

Ordered the chicken parm and I asked if I can have angel hair instead of Penne. Waiter says the chicken parm comes with penne and if I wanted to substitute any pasta it would cost $4.99. The dinner already costs $25.00 so I was very upset because this is THE first time I've ever heard of such a thing. The dinner was just OK. No return for me!! Place Is way overpriced!! read more

La Pastaria is a very good restaurant, one of our standby Italians that's good for a large group. We were a party of 6, everybody ordered different dishes, everybody enjoyed their food, service was great, no complaints. One standout - my veal parmigiana was really good! Not gonna go into great detail, but the picture says it all. read more

La Pastaria - Veal parm before the grated cheese - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

We ate at the sidewalk table, had a very friendly waiter and had a good meal! Our waiter has worked here for years and made great menu suggestions. We will be back for another meal soon! read more

Seven of us visited for a work lunch on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. The staff was friendly and inviting. There was fresh artesian bread with dipping oil for the table to enjoy after you place your order. Nice touch and the bread was very fresh. We began our meals by ordering appetizers. We settled for two orders of the chicken meatballs and the short stack of eggplant parmigiana. The chicken meatballs consisted of four baseball size meatballs that were tasty but dry. It came with a nice marinara sauce. The eggplant was very good. Someone at the table ordered a Cesar Salad and the portion was gigantic. I had the penne bolognese. The portion was just right especially after eating all that bread and a meatball. Just the right amount of meat sauce and tasty. Other orders at the table included chicken parmigiana, grilled eggplant sandwich, grouper sandwich, chicken fettuccini alfredo, and a crab cake dish with shrimp. I did not hear any complaints and most everyone finished what was on their plates. Desserts included the cannoli and the tiramisu. Once again. No complaints. The prices were very reasonable and the service was friendly and attentive. There was on the street parking as well as parking lots in the area. Overall, a very nice experience. Summit is a beautiful town and worth the visit. read more

I came here for dinner this week and had high hopes. I ordered the fried mozzarella balls and chicken parm. The mozzarella balls were ok but they were soaked in red sauce so the breading was soggy. The sauce was good but once the balls cooled off it was unpleasant to eat. The chicken parm was appalling. It was over cooked and so dry and the breading had a bad, burnt taste to it. It was almost like the oil they fried it in was old or something. I've never met a chicken parm I didn't like until I ate at la pastaria. They also didn't ask for what kind of pasta I wanted with the chicken parm and gave penne when I would have preferred something else, so I think that's a ding to the service of the waiter. read more

We had lunch on their outside dining area. The setup outside was nice, unlike other restaurants, people did not walk next to your table. We each ordered a pizza thinking they were individual pizza . Each pizza was enough for 2 people to share. We have plenty of left overs. We ordered 2 classics and one with shrimp. They were pretty good. We really liked the sauce. We prefer a much thinner/crisper crust like Pepe in new haven. This may be a personal preference. Overall, we thought it was a good choice for lunch. It was open on Monday I like some other restaurants read more

As restaurant chair for a local social Mens group I sponsored dinner with speaker for nearly 50 men at La Pastaria Summit and it went perfectly. We had the entire right side consisting of two adjoining rooms . It was set up perfectly with tables of 6-8 per table with much room to socialize yet adequate for our speaker to reach all of the guests . We had 5 courses family style with two appetizers , salad , pasta , two entrees and choice of dessert and . It is byob which is also a plus. The food, presentation and service were spot on. From arranging the dinner with Sherrie and Tatyana to service led by Danielle , all were delightful to work with and took pride in their work which showed. Their hospitality was most appreciated. Making nearly 50 men happy and leave with a smile is special. Highly recommend for parties or just a night out with your spouse or family and friends!!!! read more

Really nice staff and loved the food! A lot of great options to choose from and I liked how there were size options for the pasta. I chose the small and it was so filling I had lunch for the next day too. The bread and oil given before were really good too. read more

La Pastaria - Spaghetti Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

Terrible service. I have been coming to this restaurant for years, never had an issue. However it seems the management likes to now take their issues out on customers and wrongfully overcharge them when the prices are clearly listed on the website. I have ordered in person & online several times over the last several months, today my partner was severely overcharged for the same item we always buy. I attempted to converse with the "manager" and they insisted the prices were changed 2 months ago. Which would be fine, except I have been in their restaurant in the past 2 months. So how is the price suddenly different today? LOL. They incessantly argued for no reason with me when they were clearly in the wrong and I have receipts to prove it. You can get better pasta and pizza at a far fairer price from Village Trattoria right across the street. Send your business elsewhere. read more

Yum. Love their pastas. The carbonara is scrumptious and the pasta w vodka sauce is equally delicious. The pizzas are just ok and it's on the pricey side for what it is, but... did I mention that carbonara??? the best!!! read more

We ordered catering for Christmas and the food turned out awful. Worst of all management didn't seem to care. First, they forgot to put any cheese on the eggplant parmesan, which we thought was kind of a necessary ingrediant for parmesan. The owner told us "well there is cheese in the breadcrumb mix." As if that at all made up for it. The chicken and sausage dish was covered in a pool of grease. We drained it from the tray and there was close to a cup of oil that was just sitting on the top of the food. The chicken was extremely tough like shoe leather to boot. Last, the bread the gave us must have been stale for weeks. As a joke we smashed a piece against the counter and it did not break, we could have used it as a hammer. Horrid experience for Christmas dinner and we were only given a "sorry," when we asked for a refund. Never again, there are way too many great Italian spots to deal with this low quality cooking and customer service. read more

Excellent dining , service & food were top notch from the waiter to the bus boy & everyone in between ... ! Definitely will be back !!

Food was delicious . I had the eggplant parm sandwich which was the best I have had in a long time . Nice and crispy and hardly any seeds. They put a lot on the sandwich. You could make another sandwich with the extra. My husband had the meatball sandwich and he said it was very good also . The other people at the table had the meatball sandwich and the chicken cutlet dinner. They also loved the food. Service was excellent and I will return . read more

Great Family meals, for 4. Need to expect to pay cash, and pick up before 5:30, but lots to choose from. Recipient raved about it. Tip, park behind the restaurant is plentiful, take advantage to pick up! read more

One of my favorite places in Summit. I get take out a lot and it's always amazing. I love their outdoor seating also.

Had dinner here over the weekend and would definitely come back. Everything was so flavorful. We all loved our meals. We were so hungry though that none of us thought to take pictures of the food lol! Service was very attentive too. read more

Calamari appetizer was good to very good. Portobello mushroom appetizer did not taste grilled. Roasted red peppers tasted like out of a jar and were cold. Farfalle con pollo - chicken was great, peas were added sparingly, and brown sauce didn't taste like anything. Very Meh. Charged a $3 plate fee to split the entree, delivered in one bowl, had to request a plate that was provided by a very sullen waiter. Wait service was not great, dirty silverware had to be returned. Wait staff did not check on us until we were done eating, had to wait for the check. Wasn't even crowded. $50 for two appetizers and a pasta entree with water for beverages is not good. read more

Such a weird and underwhelming experience. I first walk in and get approached by a waiter who stood there and just stared at me. Then the woman across the room does the same thing until someone finally decides to ask me for a table. Then once I'm seated, I'm surrounded by paintings of Jesus and angels(odd decor) The menu is very one dimensional, with essentially the same four ingredients being used for about 10 pizzas. Forget about ordering anything with pepperoni because No customization of pizza is allowed. The waitress described the pizza being large enough for two, so I ordered that, to only be told I'd be charged a fee for sharing a pizza. When the pizza came, talk about tasteless. I asked for some oregano and it took two different people to go into the kitchen and get some to then hear someone in the kitchen asking "who is asking for oregano?!" Then the oregano comes in a bowl. (Must be some super rare oregano-LOL) Overall, went in with the intention to have a simple delicious pizza from an Italian restaurant and walked out leaving behind half of the pie. read more

Nice place with outside tables when weather is nice. Friendly service. I always get the shrimp broccolini with pasta which comes in 2 sizes. The smaller size is big and I typically bring home leftovers. Bread with olive oil to start. Husband and I share a large salad. Relaxing byob place in the heart of summit. It's nice to walk afterwards. Fairly easy to find parking vs Morristown which always seems more congested and harder to find parking. Recommend. They don't take reservations unless you are 6 or more. We've not had to wait more than 15 -20 minutes on a busy Saturday night. Summers seem less crowded on weekends. My husband got the grouper (special) which he ate completely! Solid choice for an Italian byob in the neighborhood. read more

I ordered Rigatoni vodka. The waitress asked small ir large I said large. 22.00 later for a small side of pasta in a large bowl. Limited sauce with no peas. It was a rip off Never again. read more

Great place for Special Occasions. We had our son's Confirmation Luncheon for 30 people and it was excellent! Tatiana set up the party and menu for us and wound up being our server. She did an outstanding job!! read more

Fabulous traditional Italian restaurant. Would recommend for small or large parties. Beat chicken parm!

The restaurant was always recommended as a good place to go for italian food. Being that NJ is the capital for Italian food, they have to be on point.... Well I was generally disappointed with this place b/c the dishes sounded great on the menu and looked good coming out, they didn't have the flavor to back it up. All show and no go... The menu is HUGE, there are so many dishes it almost makes it hard to choose b/c everything sounds so good. C Service: Was very good and attentive but the waiter didn't know the menu to well and wasn't sure if the kitchen could accommodate a simple special request. As a waiter his intentions were good but lacked experience which is fine but a heads up. Food: Cappellini Broccoli Rabe Di Gamberetto 14.95 17.95 Broccoli rabe and shrimp sauteed in olive oil, garlic, butter and white wine This dish pasta and broccoli rabe were cooked well, garlic were raw and flavorless, but the shrimp really were gross. Tiny little cheap shrimp that had a off texture. I would never get this again. The garlic should have been cooked more to infuse the garlic flavor into the oil, the quality of the shrimp must be improved, they should also use a better wine to give it a better flavor. Cappellini Angelo 13.95 16.95 Pink cream sauce with peas, sausage, shitaki mushroomsand parmigiana cheese This dish was ok but the sauce had a off taste to it. As if they used dried mushrooms that have that "off" taste. Also the sausage wasn't very good in my opinion. As for the other dishes we had at the table, everything was presented very nice on the plate, the issues were with flavor which is obviously critical b/c its food you eat the next concern is the quality of the shrimp/meat etc. Its as if they have 90% of the idea correct but need to just have that little extra finesse to pull off a good meal by sourcing some better ingredients and having the chefs taste the food so they realize its bland or off. Overall with all of the good places in NJ to get good italian food, I would say this is not a go to place for me at all. I would avoid if possible but I would go back to talk to the manager and ask them what dishes are they known for or what is the best dish on the menu and try it. So if you are reading this, I would say try them out but I would definitly ask for some guidance as to what they do good and give it a shot. read more

La Pastaria - it looks a lot better than it tasted, the shrimp are pretty small and weird texture. - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

Been coming here for years. BYOB The people and the wait staff are always great and accommodating. I feel the food quality has gone down the last couple of years. This place should be and could be a 4 or 5 star review. They have a good menu and are very family friendly they just need to up the quality of the food that comes out of the kitchen. I am saying this because I really like coming here and really want for the restaurant to succeed. ...... Wanting to love it again!!!! read more

La Pastaria - Veal Parm - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

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I'm not very familiar with downtown Summit, but there is a small parking lot where you can park for free. I decided to eat at La Pastaria because I was craving some comfort Italian food and wanted to park somewhere for free before my Workshop event at Paper Source. This restaurant reminded me of being in Italy. I ordered fried mozzarella and a seasonal salad with butternut squash. The food was flavorful and comforting. Not too expensive and a nice place to grab a bite to eat. Also, I really loved the bread and oil! read more

Excellent place! We have been there with my wife a couple of times, the risotto balls are amazing!! We usually go at 8:30 pm, and the staff are always willing to help us, they are very friendly. read more