Post-Gordon Ramsay Review: I've been to Leone's many times before, but I hadn't been in at least a year before my most recent visit on Friday, July 22. Before, Leone's had good, basic Italian dishes. The food was sometimes a little underseasoned, but overall I felt it was a good, reasonably priced family restaurant. As a fan of Gordon Ramsay, I was excited to see the changes he brought to Leone's. If you know the show, the changes that were his were obvious. The decor was different: much more modern with a slightly rustic feel. The restaurant entrance has been changed as well; instead of walking through the pizza/takeout area, those looking for the dining room are directed to come in through a separate entrance (which confused some, as they still came in through the old entrance). Unfortunately, the ceilings are still high, which means when the room is full, it can get very noisy. We recognized only one server who we remember from before (deservedly so, she was always excellent), and the server we had was attentive, professional, and friendly. He came to check on us frequently, but not to the point that it was annoying. In typical Gordon Ramsay style, the menu itself is much smaller than the original menu, but still full of plenty of choices. (There was also a list of specials labeled as "Leone's Classics" featuring some dishes from the old menu). Full sized pizzas aren't available anymore as far as I can tell, but a variety of specialty pizzas are available (I saw Gordon Ramsay during filming and overheard him talking to a producer about how pizza was the restaurant's strength, so I wasn't surprised that they were available). Our food was served quickly. Our appetizers were delicious - I had the wild mushroom appetizer, which was served with a poached egg and crostini, which was obviously a Gordon Ramsay recipe. It sounds like an unusual combination, but it worked. The salads were also well flavored and balanced (and also Gordon Ramsay additions, I'm sure). We all had pasta dishes, and they were also excellent. I had the penne with butternut squash, which was rich and flavorful. The lasagna was a lighter version of a traditional lasagna, with vegetables and white cheeses. The orecchiette was served in a light cream sauce with shrimp and asparagus. Everything was perfectly seasoned. I was really happy with the changes, and I will definitely be coming back. read more

The service at this place is INFURIATING. I asked three separate people for a refill on my water and got it about 20 minutes later. Oh, and I was there on a LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. Not exactly prime time. We had to poke and prod to get bread, and when we handed over the card with the check, the waitress couldn't remember where she put it. The real kicker here is that we gave ourselves a good amount of time to eat and get to our movie, but thanks to the lazy and unprofessional staff, we couldn't get there before the movie was sold out. Food was average. AVOID AT ALL COSTS, especially if you have some place to be in the next 6 hours... read more

I've heard a lot about this place (good and bad) and decided to stop here with our family of five for dinner one Thursday night around 7-ish. Things started off badly when the host and waitress fought over who was going to seat us and where. The host won and the waitress seemed pissed and proceeded to make us wait 15 minutes to order food. (When you're dining with two toddlers, 15 minutes seems like two hours.) The room we sat in carried noise and had a large, loud party going on. It wasn't for those who get overstimulated by noise. Our orders were pretty simple: eggplant parm, the special of the day - Chicken Rollatini, a cheese pizza, and kids chicken fingers with fries. My son's pizza came in about 10 minutes while the rest of the food didn't arrive for another 30 minutes. When it did finally arrive (after we had to get up and ask the server where our food was). It was lukewarm at best. Waitress kept disappearing (which was odd because it wasn't busy at all) and my husband never got the pasta with his eggplant parm. Again, we had to get up to find her to ask for it. We also never got the ketchup we requested for the chicken fingers. By this time we were so frustrated we just asked for a take out box and the check, which is too bad. I think the food was good (the sauce for the pizza was above average and the eggplant parm was super tasty). We will try again, but next time we'll get take out. read more

When in Montclair, there are so many different choices in Italian dining. I'll be honest and admit I heard of Leone's through Gordon Ramsay's reality show "Kitchen Nightmares". Since I'm in the area, I figured I'd give it a try. The sprawling restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Montclair only steps away from posh little boutiques, the police station and local houses of worship. Upon walking in you're greeted by a large pizza counter and nothing else. There was no hostess but when staff saw I was holding a bottle of wine, they pointed me in the direction of the main dining room. This room, clearly renovated boasts a reception desk-style servers station along with a table the wait staff use for themselves. Once going through an open doorway you enter a second dining area with a loft. This room is where we chose to eat simply because we didn't wish to be around the eves-dropping wait staff and any screaming kids. Atmosphere aside for the moment, the menu was perfectly sized, not too big. Before heading to the restaurant I checked out the menu online. We both decided to get the house-made lobster ravioli, which while sounding good was sadly unimpressive. The 'pink' sauce was heavy and took away from the flavor of the lobster filling consisting of frozen lobster shreddings mixed with ricotta cheese. As I mentioned, we brought our own wine since the establishment is BYOB. I chose a light Valpolicella since that can pretty much go with anything. Our server (who's been mentioned by name on here before in other reviews) was thoroughly disinterested in taking our order. As we finished our entrée, she asked if we wanted any dessert. We said "not now", and before we could say anything else she said "ok I'll get the check", not even thinking we really did want dessert but wanted to wait a minute. I thought post-Gordon Ramsay this place would shine but sadly it's just a dull Italian place I'll probably not frequent again. read more

I hate people on Yelp who just rant about their service experience but this was simply the worst service I've ever had. Sat outside on a beautiful day. Waitress came up to us barely acknowledging us to get our drinks, took our order walked away before we could even finish asking for sides and then literally ignored us. Had to go inside to ask for dressing, ask other staff members for things as she talked to tables next to us. Could not get her attention for the life of me and it was not even busy. She would not even bring our check to us, had someone else drop it off. when I asked another staff member what her deal was she said she wasn't sure, that the guy at the other table used to work there so she's probably catching up with him... what? How is this ok. First time in my life I've ever not left a tip. Tan woman 40s/50s with dark brown, black hair - get it together. read more

So...it took almost 15 minutes for us to get our water, another almost half an hour before we got our bread and then almost another half hour before we finally got our food (read: an hour to get our food). The waitress said there was some party in the back that they were trying to get out, but should that stop the food from being made or the water from being served...? :/ We went here because Mesob was full and we would've had to wait 45 minutes but then we ended up waiting even longer here. I was pretty disappointed. The only thing that redeemed the 2 stars was that the waitress was very apologetic and the food was hot when we got it. On the other and, the food wasn't that great. I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and it tasted...just okay. I think I've had frozen ravioli about the same. I think we should've tried their pizza instead...maybe the brick oven would've done the restaurant justice. Not sure...but with the long wait, I don't think I'd want to try it again to find out (at least not the sit down). read more

I had the chicken parmigiana & my mother in law had the eggplant parmigiana. It was delicious, I saw the episode of Kitchen Nightmare and what Gordon Ramsay has done. I would definitely come back here for lunch, excellent price too. read more

Leone's - Italian Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Post-Gordon Ramsay. First time eating here so I have no basis for what it was before. Lived in Montclair for over a year now and have tried several (not all) of the Italian restaurants in town. Had high hopes because of Gordon's presence, the fact that it's been around town for a while and some of the better, previous reviews. All of those were dashed pretty quickly. Hopefully, they work out the kinks before the episode airs. The food was decent but the service was extremely lacking. Whomever sat us took the time to point out the most expensive dishes on the menu to us before even letting my girlfriend sit down. He literally blocked her from sitting down while suggesting to us what we should eat. I don't think it was intentional but it was certainly obvious. Our waiter seemed very scattered and stretched all across the restaurant. He took our drink order not too long after we sat down but another 20 minutes passed before we were able to place our dinner order. He passed by us several times, telling us he'd "be right back" while tending to other tables. Finally, after he took the order of some folks who arrived to their table several minutes after us, he decided to take ours. It took him a while for him to offer us bread and when he did, I had to remind/ask for it twice before he finally brought it (after our first course had arrived). The restaurant wasn't busy but it seems that they could use much more wait staff for the space they have and the amount of people there. Either that, or ask Gordon to train them a bit better. Five paragraphs about the service at a restaurant before even getting to the food should be telling. Devil is in the details, if the service was much better - the entire experience would've been much better. Plain and simple. However, the food was decent. We ordered a pizza to start. It was a basic pie with salumi and roasted tomatoes. It was cooked decently, the crust could've used more flavor and the tomatoes were huge, 1/4 chunks which made it almost impossible for you to eat the pizza with your hands b/c the crust wouldn't hold. Decent flavor, needs better dough & execution. The best part of our meals were our pasta dishes. She had Orecchiette (they were out of Pappardelle) in vodka sauce, pancetta and peas. Great flavor and not too creamy (as in, you can taste the actual cream in the sauce). I had the Capellini with crab, lime, chili and mint. Great summer pasta dish that I finished and actually would try to make on my own. Net: best of luck to this place, it's been around for a while. If they can nail the experience and the service and take their food to where Gordon wants it to be, they'll do great. If not, they'll keep having a hard time comparing to other, stronger Italian restaurants in Montclair. read more

This place is really under rated, came here with my parents when they were visiting and we waited for 10-15 min to sit outside. We started with the fried calamari and stuffed artichoke, both of which were amazing. For dinner we got the margarita pizza and lasagna, the pizza was truly cooked to perfection crispy crust without being burnt and the portion for the lasagna was huge. It's byob too so we brought our own wine and it was just a great evening, can't wait to come back! read more

No complaints about the food, but the service was so lousy I would reconsider before returning. Our waitress was distracted, all our food was actually served to us by a bus boy or another server. We received our salads quickly, yet waited a very long time for our main course with no apology or acknowledgement from our waitress. We did not receive more bread until we explicitly requested it, and our water glasses were not refilled once. We were seated by the station and we listened to the staff arguing loudly. When we had been sitting for ten minutes, done with our meal, waiting for our plates to be cleared, we had to call out loudly to our waitress in order to get her attention, who blew us off rudely indicating two hands full of glasses, saying she was busy. Our food was so good, it was a shame to experience such a lack of consideration and attention from our waitress. They would have received four stars if only she had not been so very rude. read more

Post Gordon Ramsey Review: Gordon Ramsey was here a few weeks ago for Kitchen Nightmares. When I heard that, I wasn't suprised b/c I wasn't a fan. But, I went there over this weekend, Post Gordon Ramsey, and it has skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list! They hired new staff and our waiter was excellent. Decor updated, as was the menu. Food was amazing. I'm dreaming of the chicken parm still (served, a la carte, which was a little surprising w/o no sides, but it was delicious) Can't wait to go back! read more

We came here for a friend's engagement party this past weekend. The owner, Big Mike came to greet them and ensure all was in order before the 50+ of us arrived. We loved the BYOB aspect of the place - we had beer and wine and were all ready to celebrate! The food came out pretty slow (the restaurant didnt look TOO busy), but everything was hot and seemed fresh, so I wont complain. Serving 4 courses for 50 people is no east task! We had a salad with shaved fennel and carrots, a pizza, caprese salad (just okay, to be honest.. Ive been spoiled with the fresh muzz at Park and Sixth in Jersey City), and our choice of a few entrees... I got eggplant parm which was delicious. My only gripe about the entree was that every other option came with pasta.. EXCEPT mine. I dont know why you'd serve chicken parm with pasta but not the eggplant parm, but it was still tasty. The engaged couple received some help from the staff loading their car with the gifts - what a kind team of caring people to be so helpful above and beyond the duties of our meal - hopefully the manager reads this and gives them the feedback that everyone thought they did a great job handling the mass of people! read more

Post Gordon: Loved the decor and streamlined menu. Friendly, prompt seating. They were a bit busy when we arrived, so the server didn't make it to us quickly. Food was the best it's ever been. Fried calamari was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The truffle oil and mushroom pizza was out of this world. My husband loved his chicken parm and I loved the lasagna. It's on our list of go to places! read more

This place is loud and I was really concerned they were going to get our order wrong. The waitron asked us to hold our water glasses while she attempted to juggle a few other things. When we asked her for ice for the bucket, she forgot. When we placed our orders, she didn't hear us right. We finally flagged someone down to bring us some ice and fortunately, we got what we ordered. We split a really good spinach salad. I ordered the mussels and they were average. My friend got Chicken Scapiella and it was average. I think what I will always remember about this place was the noise level. It prepared us for the loud music we were going to hear later on at Tierney's. read more

After being turned down from a popular nearby restaurant because our group of 30 was too large, the hostess recommended Leone's down the street. The place had nice high ceilings, and the decor was ok, kinda looked like they took some nik naks and spray painted it red, but at least it didn't look like a typical red sauce joint. The service was good, I could tell they were really trying hard I could see the effort. The waitress recommended butternut squash pasta, saying it was a customer favorite, and my group also ordered pizza, calamari, and other pasta dishes. The butternut squash was good, a different taste than most pasta dishes, it was more on the sweet side. My friend like that dish better than her penne vodka dish, which I actually liked better. The calamari was good, and the pizza was great. Some people from my party ordered dessert, it was a hit or miss depending on what you get. Overall the food is better than I expected (knowing when I sat down it was recently made-over) Service was a little slow, but did the best to be knowledgeable and friendly especially for a large group. I would possibly go here again if I was in the area. read more

I actually liked my food but the service was so weird and spotty that I had to take a star off. I wasn't anticipating awesome service here when I saw that they had a huge b-day party going on in one of their dining rooms but still, the service just left me in a bad funk and that needs to be noted. We had 3 different servers who took our orders 3 different times, each claiming that the other was incompetent and that they had to make sure our order went in. That's unprofessional... I don't care what kind of drama they have going on, I don't want my server talking crap about his/her co-workers when I'm trying to have a nice meal out... I ordered something called Leone's Pizza which had a smoky and crunchy crust and artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, and a few different cheeses as toppings. There was no sauce by the way. Instead of the usual tomato sauce you would find on a pizza, there was ricotta cheese smeared on it and then the toppings went on top of it. It made it sort of dry but I found the texture interesting and the pie pretty tasty as a whole. The pasta was pretty good too. It was linguini with shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, red onions, and spinach. There was an excessive amount of sun dried tomatoes but other than that, the pasta was cooked well and the sauce was fragrant and good. We had lunch here but our bill was more expensive that we anticipated it'd be. The pizza was like $15 and the pasta was $20. How are you going to charge $20 for pasta at lunch time when an entire pizza is only $15? It wasn't like there were any fancy ingredients in it... I don't know... maybe I'm nitpicking but I really didn't think it was worth it, especially since it always took awhile to flag down a server and our drinks weren't ever refilled. I will not be returning here. read more

Walked in on a whim after another place close by had a long wait and we noticed Gluten Free pizza on the menu so why not. We were seated after about 15 minutes, which isn't bad for a Saturday night. It's BYO so make sure you have your wine! Our waitress was a sweetheart and was chatting it up with us about how we were new in town how shes been in Montclair, and Leone's, for years. Even though she was super busy with tables, which was made apparent by her yogs across the floors, she kept stopping by to tell us a story or a little fun fact. She definitely added some pizaz to our experience! As for the food, we had the Mussels Marinara as an appetizer and they were delicious. The sauce was great for bread dipping! GF Buffalo Chicken Pizza for the boy and I was between the Meatballs Al Forno and Rigatoni Di Manzo (Short Rib Ragu). Our waitress made it seem like a no brainer; I should go with the Rigatoni. When our plates came out, I was less than excited. My plate was just dry pasta with a spoonful of the Ragu on top - all it needed was a quick stir of the pasta in the sauce to bind it all together but unfortunately, this fell a little flat. The GF pizza was a hit though, so at least one of us was satisfied! I would consider coming back to give them another shot since some of the plates and pizzas I saw circulating around us looked better than my dinner and the service was clearly one of a kind. read more

Excellent authentic margarita pizza. By "authentic", I mean fired up in a wood burning oven, with fresh fresh fresh mozzarella and basil. Janice Soprano was our waitress. read more

One word: The Margherita pie. This is where hubby and I fell in love with her last year... (After that we were on a search for her everywhere and found a close second from Cafe Bello in Bayonne--until we switched our obsession to the Bruschetta pie we first tried at Godfather in Morristown--which we had La Guardiola in Bayonne custom make for a time--till we switched over to Eggplant Pesto with Plum Tomatoes from Pizza Masters--which are all a whole other story in themselves and should really be in separate reviews--but my ADD, OCD, and hunger... Please understand all four of us at once. And while you're at it, let me just squeeze in one more thing: hubby and I get into these phases where we zero in on a specific food for a time, and before our fixation with Margherita, we'd only order plain pizzas to really compare them from crust to cheese. And before that, it was Sicilian. Okay, I'll stop now.) Final word: Now that the bees are out and about, we look forward to visiting this place again. Should be a nice drive to Montclair to enjoy alfresco again in one of the town's landmark eateries. This time I'll be ready for a different entree from the menu. I mean, I'll try. Extra words: 4 stars for the quality and price of the pie we ordered, and its prompt service. As I understand, this place gets packed. Maybe we got lucky since they just opened when we got there. But we dined alfresco, so we didn't get a good look inside. I hope our next visit would give it a solid 4, which is my practical stand-in for 5, because 5 would mean I'm in heaven... But we're still on earth, which I am in no rush to leave. I look forward to my next meal here and hope that it won't disappoint. Additional note (or fun fact): This was featured on Food Network, which helped give it a complete make-over, revamping its operations, food and service. read more

Pretty standard Italian fare. They're doing a decent enough job. It's a place to go if some of the other local places have too long of a wait. Not much more than that. On a more positive note, they are not overcharging for what they're offering. The service is friendly-though not stellar. The portion sizes are decent as well--especially the pasta. read more

My family and I came here when everyone was visiting from out of town. Here's why we gave a 3 star: 1- the food was actually quite good, but most portions were too small 2- the server was ridiculously awful, she was inattentive, brought us the wrong food, and never checked on us 3- however, the manager came to her rescue offering us some free options which we greatly appreciated 4- they seemed far less busy than everyone else on memorial day weekend, not sure if this is good or bad read more

The food at Leone's was delicious, but our waitress Terry was even better! Even between managing a large number of tables all of our needs were beyond taken care of! read more

We were wandering around Montclair looking for a bite to eat. Leone's looked like a good spot and was filled with patrons, which we took to be a good sign. Service started out rough. We ordered 3 times to 3 different people, including the owner. Not a good sign. Plus, a huge party in the next room left the ambiance somewhat less than desirable. We ordered two dishes. Leone's Pizza and a seafood pasta dish. The pizza was somewhere between good and ok. It had a thin crunchy crust topped with artichokes, spinach and cheese. I only ate a slice.. maybe two to be fair. My pasta was good. It had seafood plus spinach, onions, and lot and lots and lots of sun dried tomatoes. It also had sun dried tomatoes. The pasta sauce was pretty good; I was soaking it up with the bread. I did prefer the pasta over the pizza, but how both came out to $40 (w/ tax) confounds me. We had to check the menu again to be sure everything was added up correctly. review 2/10/2008 I.M.Y. read more

Leone's had been on our "To-Try" list for some time. We did just that this past week prior to taking in a movie around the corner. Our order was taken promptly and bread and butter along with iced teas were brought to our table. I purposely ordered the basic pasta with meatballs to determine the quality of both. To my surprise, the meatballs were very good and tasted "home" made. The pasta was cooked firm, as ordered and the sauce was very good as well. Additionally, it should be noted that my portion was more than adequate. My wife's entre' was above average, although I cannot recall what she ordered at this time. The dining room is very spacious with extremely high ceilings. The walls are adorned with enlarged photos of Old Italy, in black and white. Voices are amplified due to the high ceilings and expanse of exposed bare flooring and walls which was somewhat distracting. I intend to try Leone's again to see if their food remains consistent. Pros: Good service, good food, reasonable pricing. Cons: Atmosphere could be improved and made more home-like. read more

I usually appreciate it when servers seem to be delighted to have their customers. But that didn't seem to be the case here. Nevertheless, the five of us liked what we ordered and said we'd come back. So there ya go. I might've given it a 3.5 if possible. read more

Leone's - Outdoor seating. - Italian Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Went to dinner for my friends birthday, i would like to give it a better rating, but the service just didn't allow me to. The calamari was very good and so was the mozz sticks, my veal was a little over cooked. The service was slow and we had to keep asking for our waitress, waited 20 minutes for a glass of water. Now i can over look that, but the main reason why i could not give it a better rating was the hair i found in my dark side of the moon dessert, it also seem like the waitress wasn't phased by the fact there is a 7 inch long hair in my dessert. Maybe, maybe i will give this place another try. read more

It's always hard to rate a restaurant when the food is good, but the service leaves much to be desired. For an app, I had the ginger calamari. The flavors were perfect! I also had the orecchiette bolognese. The al dente pasted was in a proportionately appropriate meaty vodka-like sauce. I would definitely order this dish again. For dessert, we had tartufo. Sadly, it came out partially melted and from there it melted quite fast. As I mentioned, the service was an issue. It seemed as though it would make sense to keep commonly requested items, such as water, or necessary items (like extra plates) in a few locations throughout the restaurant, so it doesn't take so long to retrieve whatever a table needs. Just a thought. I do think Leone's deserves a second chance. I hope to be back soon. read more

I was inspired to write a review of Leone's after a bad experience at another Italian restaurant in the area, Fresco. I ate at both restaurants within two weeks, and the difference is remarkable, especially in terms of service. I found everyone at Leone's to be friendly and efficient -- you don't realize what a difference it makes until you go somewhere and it's quite the opposite! Everything was very flavorful...forgive me for not remembering all the details since it's been a couple of weeks now, but the salmon was amazing. We started with an avocado bruschetta, which was probably the tastiest thing I have had in quite a long time -- I'm still thinking about it and remember what it was, which is telling, as I usually forget. Definitely get it when you go, you won't regret it! The pear salad was also very good, and very refreshing. All in all, great location, great staff and great food! Highly recommend. The only reason I didn't give five stars is because I don't consider myself to be a culinary expert, and I have only been there once so far. I will definitely be back! Edit: screw it, I'm giving it five stars now, it was perfect! read more

The food itself at Leone's is pretty great: I've sampled an array of pizzas, pastas, and salads from here, and even on their not-so-great nights service-wise, the cuisine is simply delicious. That said, the service is quite inconsistent and often leaves something to be desired - while some days the servers are perfectly polite and courteous, other days your request for water might go unanswered for 30 minutes, even when the restaurant isn't crowded. During my latest visit, the funghi misti pizza was quite runny but delicious, and our server was alright - distracted, but overall really nice. BUT. I asked for my pizza to be wrapped up, and when I got home, I discovered that the three slices were piled on top of each other, sandwiched between two paper plates, and tossed into the paper bag I carried it home in - which was soaking wet from the runny pizza by the time I got home. Maybe I should have known to ask for my pizza in a proper to-go container, or at least wrapped up in foil...but here's hoping they'll know better next time. read more

My son and friends were turned away from ordering food on a Tuesday afternoon At 4pm and the establishment was completely empty. and their excuse was because dinner "WAS ABOUT TO " start .... Ive worked all my life in this industry and I've never heard such nonsense. And that's all the "manager" kept saying when I called because I just couldnt believe it . But in reality ABOUT TO is not actually . And cmon empty and on a Tuesday which its slow everywhere . Regardless what they wanted to order they would've been done in 10 minutes or less and even if they took longer your restaurant was EMPTY! Not a soul in the place and this industry lost so much because of covid and they're turning away business . Very disturbing to know my son went through this and I'm just shocked You never know how treating people /situations right could bring in the future .I interact with a lot of people daily and they always ask where is a good place to eat in Montclair . I will never recommend this place over something so simple to get to eat and their mind blowing answer w a completely empty establishment. my son is smart when he told me the story I know he was bothered by it ,but he said you know what mom I'm just not gonna spend my money there smart kid not so smart staff. AHPIZZ Italian restaurant in town is my go to for over a decade . GO THERE instead !!! Consistent with their customer service and with their amazing food. read more

I go to Montclair often but never noticed Leone's before until this past weekend, we were just walking by and thought it would be a good place to eat since it was one of the only places that wasn't crazy busy on a Saturday afternoon. It said Italian so i hesitated a bit because its usually hard to find "healthier" options at an italian place plus my sister wanted a burger. So we walked in and looked at the menu first and it we noticed they had burgers and good salad so we sat down. The wait staff was super nice and by looking at the food selection, you would not think its an italian place. They had brunch and lunch and all these cool entrees like Salmon burgers, Turkey burger with bacon and avocado, pasta, nutella stuffed french toast, salads with fresh seasonal fruits, paninis....etc. Huge selection for sure! i think the menu was like 3 or 4 pages long. Needless to say my mom and sister got the turkey burgers and i got a peach salad with hazelnut vinaigrette, it was AMAZING!! They loved their food and i loved mine. I would definitely go back. As i was walking out i noticed there was a small little pizza shop that is a part of it as well so not i get the ITALIAN part i guess. :) read more

On a rainy day my date and I strolled in off the street and were warmly greeted by the very experienced, charming staff. The service is a tightly run ship with a combination of youthful energy and veteran experience and the kitchen works quickly. Calamari appetizer was excellent and well portioned for price. Complimentary bread is somewhat mediocre, Italian bread. Main entrees included chicken parmigiana and a shrimp salmon dish both of which were complemented by nice side dishes. Nice family atmosphere and reasonably priced for food and service provided. read more

The service was horrible. Food was ok. Plates were chipped. My husband left the restaurant because his food came after the rest of the table finished eating. Other tables that came in after us received their food first. Needless to say, we will never dine there again. read more

We had a pretty awful experience here. First, we waited 20 minutes before someone even looked at us. Then, once we had a waitress she didn't pay any attention to us either. We were given water another 15 minutes later, and no refills. Another 20 minutes after that our first course - cold calamari. No one checked on us. Then we saw our waitress give our pizza to another table (we knew because they sent it back too, and they were right next to us). Complained and asked to take our pizza to go. When giving us our pizza the waitress stated she 'adjusted the price for a small instead of large'. Except that the pizza in the box was a small, super undercooked, and cold. Worst dinner. Wish I demanded my money back. Next, best thing is yelp I guess! Really, don't waste your time or money on this place. read more

The wait staff was unprofessional and inattentive. The female server appeared to be unwell and continued to hack and cough the entire time. She left mid dinner service to go outside and smoke. Another server was asked for help and rather than helping yelled across the dining room to the other server. The chicken was chewy and not cooked properly. Other guests also were disappointed with their meals. Would not return. read more

Loved my meal and everyone was so friendly! I plan on eating the grilled eggplant with goat cheese mousse every day for the rest of my life. read more

Came here in 2014 with my son and forgot to review them! I loved every aspect of this place. It didn't have that annoying dim feeling where I couldn't see. Everything was alright. Set up was a little weird and pizza was a bit dry but if I worked in the area, I would absolutely return. My sons drinks were so good, he had more. ( chocolate milk) Prices were great and service was good. read more

It's the "CHEERS" of Montclair --everyone knows your name & Michael is the Sam Malone of the place; steering the pasta boat. I have lived in Montclair a long time & Leone's was always good but ever since the renovations a few years back with a new & improved staff, it's GREAT ! The food is great & at a good price point. They are accommodating in seating & perks. Last night we had the best time since the vibe is "family" and one never feels rushed or waiting long for a table like some other smaller restaurants in the area on the weekend. Whether I make it a romantic dinner for two or-as in most cases-a large group, the experience is always positive. Thank you guys! read more

Out of all the wonderful Montclair restaurants, this is my favorite go-to neighborhood joint. The owners are very kind and personable. I see them working hard and checking in on tables every time I'm in. It's family-owned and it just feels like you're part of the family being there. It's a fun family spot but also great for date night. The food is always served steamy and hot, and it's very consistent. I often order the pasta fagioli soup to-go in a quart size container. It's the best on a cold day. It's not creamy but thicker than your standard brothy fagioli soup. Pizza is very good, but not great. Almost classic jersey style but it's doughier. However, it has the right ratio of cheese and sauce. Nicely balanced. Save the pizza for a to-go order and enjoy the entrees on site. I've ordered quite a few but I have two ultimate favorites: The Calamari Arribiatta to start, a great twist on the classic calamari - this one is savory and sweet. It has a balsamic reduction with peppers and garlic. It's like Italian meets Thai. And the best entree on the menu hands down is the Rigatoni di Manzo, otherwise known as the shortrib ragu on top of chunky penne noodles. YUM! This bad boy comes out steamy and the pasta is cooked to perfection. Very filling and a great comfort food. For dessert, I always order the chocolate covered cannolis with the classic filling, which come with 3 mini ones. I'm not often a cannoli fan but I somehow make room for these every time. Please go here! This place rocks. read more

It's really 3.5, but I rounded up. I was craving southern Italian food and had my bottle of Amarone and was heading to Corso, which was closed for a private party. So tried Osteria Giotto at 7:30 w/o a reservation and only patio seating available, so no luck there either. Leone's was empty inside, but I knew they could deliver the southern Italian I wanted. I also knew that if everything else was bad that their calamari is great. What makes it great is not only the flavor, but that they use fresh squid. I know this because it has a lot of "squiggleys", not just the rings. Rings only is a tell tale sign that the restaurant uses frozen squid. We decided on the calamari arrabbiata and it was outstanding. I had the gnocchi with red sauce and my friend had the capellini angelica. Both sauces were very flavorful. My dish delivered what I was looking for - a simple, hearty meal. Service is friendly and no nonsense. No superficial ass kissing here, just like the food, which is old school, authentic, bare bones, good food with a very fair price. read more