If you're looking for a small piece of Italy in Jersey City, Ita Italian Kitchen is it…read more This place has become my go-to and for good reason. The moment you walk in, the hospitality wraps around you the staff genuinely makes you feel like family. That kind of warmth is hard to fake and even harder to find. I started with the Focaccia with Garlic Oil simple, perfect, dangerous because you'll eat the whole thing before your entrée arrives. Then the Spicy Rigatoni with Shrimp? Absolutely not to be skipped. The sauce has the right amount of heat, the shrimp were cooked perfectly, and every bite just made sense. I've been back multiple times and it never misses. If you haven't been, you're late...go fix that.

Came here on a Friday night about 10 PM. Parking was difficult as it was just street parking in…read moreJersey City, which is always difficult. I was immediately seated when I came in as I had a reservation. The place was a bit small but very cozy. Service was quick and felt a tad bit rushed as it was already past 10 PM and they close at 11 pm. I order the smoky vibe drink it was really good. Also order a half size caesar salad and the squid ink pasta drink. Both dishes were really good.

We've come here a couple times. Passing by this place it is always packed and social media rates…read morethis as one of the best pizzas in the state. The hype is all true. Service is great here. The bread and butter, kale ceaser salad, and meatballs ricotta are all delicious. You can't go wrong with any pizza selection. We've come here multiple times and have never been disappointed. The wait is definitely worth it.

Razza is easily one of my favorite pizza spots in Jersey City, and it's the kind of place that…read morereminds you how exceptional a simple pizza can be when it's made with quality ingredients and attention to detail. We tried several pizzas, including the Santo, Calabrese, and Di Natale, and each one was delicious in its own way. What really stood out was the crust - beautifully blistered, light, airy, and perfectly charred, with just the right amount of chew. The Santo was rich and flavorful with its sausage and chili oil, while the Calabrese had a wonderful combination of creamy cheeses and a subtle kick of heat. The Di Natale was particularly interesting, with a unique combination of ingredients that worked surprisingly well together. You can really appreciate the care that goes into making each pizza. We also ordered the Salumi Misti, which was a lovely assortment of Italian cured meats and a great way to start the meal. Dessert was just as enjoyable! The Panna Cotta was smooth and creamy, with a delicious salted caramel topping, while the Olive Oil Cake was a wonderful way to end the evening. Both were beautifully presented and complemented the meal perfectly. What made the experience even more special was the hospitality. We were celebrating a special occasion, and the Razza team surprised us with a handwritten note acknowledging our celebration. It was such a thoughtful and personal gesture that made us feel genuinely welcomed and appreciated. Between the exceptional pizzas, delicious desserts, warm atmosphere, and thoughtful service, Razza delivered a memorable dining experience. It's easy to understand why this place has earned such a wonderful reputation. Definitely one of the best pizza experiences I've had, and a restaurant I'd happily return to again and again.

It was a gorgeous afternoon and the village was packed with people. Good thing we had…read morereservations!! Perfect table. Half inside and half outside. Service was wonderful. Not rushed. Complimentary crunchy crusty bread and olives. We shared a small charcuterie board. (3 sizes). Everything on it was the so fresh and high quality Bruschetta - incredibly fresh ricotta. I was already getting full Friend had the salmon with sting beans topped with crispy sun chokes. He loved it I had the spaghetti carbonara. They give you a choice of the egg yolk on top, mixed in already or none at all. I had mine mixed in. It was perfectly made. Good portion. Clean rest rooms. Looking forward to going back

Great for a solo lunch…read more Started off with their new cauliflower dish - it was both colorful and flavorful. I was obsessed with the caramelized lemon garnish it came with. I could have a 100 of those. Short rib pasta was good but not anything memorable.

This is an amazing dining experience and by far one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever had…read morein the States. Really extensive menu with very reasonable prices for the quality and quantity of food. The spicy calamari is a must try and every entree and pasta are worth trying, too. Met one of the owners (two brothers) and this is a family run business with a benefit to the community. I will definitely come back on the next visit to Newark and would highly recommend if you're in the area (especially if you are staying at Newark airport overnight!)

Warm bread with olive oil: very good Chicken parm: chicken…read morewas well fried. The vodka pasta was slightly watery but still good Bolognese: good tagliatelle, sauce meaty and good, a little sweet Calamari: very good! Salad: solid Good service and ambiance Very large portions which makes the prices more justifiable

You will get in a car & drive what seems an unreasonable distance- through a marsh, through a…read moregraveyard on both sides of the road with views of Lower Manhattan. Suddenly you'll arrive in a neighborhood, second-guessing the address. Which is correct. Laico's is in that class of restaurants that exist unto themselves, in a neighborhood rather than a typical city district, with the look and feel of a home. The kind of place you go to really understand where you are. The salad is charming, the bread a little stale. The eggplant parm fills the entire plate in 3 layers, an excellent rendition. The accompanying linguine plays nicely. Great service. The chicken piccata is also perfectly executed. We dined nearly alone in the back (save for a local, possibly family, table). On leaving another couple in front remarked "oh, so we're not the only ones here." It might seem dodgy to get to; you might have second thoughts when you walk in to find it pretty empty. Stick with it- you won't be disappointed.

I discovered Laico's from several news articles about the "best Chicken Parm in North Jersey". It's…read morea true, "old school" red sauce type of place, nestled in a neighborhood. The parking situation is a bit challenging but luckily my family was able to find parking on the street nearby. When you walk inside, there is a long bar with seating and a few tables/booths. There is a back part of the restaurant which is where my family and I were seated. Service was attentive and prompt. To start, we ordered stuffed mushrooms and calamari for the table. For my main course, I ordered Chicken Parmigiana which came with salad. The dressing made the salad a little soggy. The chicken was very tender and the sauce had great flavor. For dessert, I had the pistachio gelato which was so delicious and creamy. Overall, I enjoyed my meal and would make a trip back to try out some of their other dishes. Calamari: 4/5 Stuffed Mushrooms: 4/5 Chicken Parmigiana: 4/5 Pistachio Gelato: 5/5

I have been using yelp for most of my adult life, and hardly if ever write a review. But Matthew's…read morechicken parm is the best in NJ and worth a post

In my adult years, I've developed a real affinity for classic, old school Italian restaurants,…read moreespecially the kind of places that have been around forever, have stories in the walls, and maybe, just maybe, had a little mob following back in the day. There's just something about them that you can't recreate. Yesterday, my buddies and I were supposed to hit The Belmont Tavern, but they were closed for the week. Rather than scrap the plan, we pivoted to Matthew's Italian Restaurant at the suggestion of one of the guys in the crew. What a great find. We were pleasantly surprised that an old school spot like this had somehow escaped us all these years. The atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for, the staff was awesome, and most importantly, the food delivered. We came out swinging with Clams Oreganata, Meatballs, Stuffed Mushrooms, Mozzarella Carrozza, and two different types of Ravioli. Needless to say, the table filled up pretty quickly. For dinner, most of the crew went with either the Veal Parm or Chicken Parm. A nice touch is that they'll do the parm with vodka sauce if you want to switch things up. I went with the steak special and had absolutely no regrets. Dessert was on point too, but I'll leave a little something to your imagination. Great food, great service, great old school atmosphere, and exactly the kind of Italian restaurant I'm always looking to discover. Matthew's is officially on our list now. We'll definitely be back soon.

Today we were craving some rigatoni pasta and to my surprise, not alot of places are open for…read moredinner here on Monday. But this place was and it looked great so I was so excited to try! First impression of the restaurant, there is a lot of seating and everyone was nice! We didn't know we came for happy hour so that was a happy surprise, we ended up ordering the shrimp app on the happy hour menu and it was DELICIOUS, then we got the spicy rigatoni with grilled and breaded chicken. Also AMAZING! Talk about huge portions, honestly we should have shared (rookie mistake on our part) but the portions for the money is such a good deal. We had a lot of left overs we can't wait to eat this week! We will for sure be back to try everything else on the menu.

My in-laws were coming into town for Father's Day and because it was super last minute, my pickings…read morewere quite slim for Friday night dinner with reservations for 6 people in Jersey City. My friend who lives in Hoboken gave me a few options for Italian restaurants and Il Taviola took reservations, had space for us, and had a very good menu at decent prices. I had thought I had never been to Il Taviola before. But the moment I stepped into the restaurant, I was like, well, actually I have been here before and I just straight up forgot. Woops. Well, it was a pleasant surprise to be back and I actually had an even better time this time than last time. I had the spicy chicken parm with rigatoni and wow, it was actually quite spicy. It was really good, but super spicy! My SFIL absolutely loved it though and killed the rest of my dish that I couldn't finish. Most of the group had the lamb ragu orecchiette and thought it was quite good. Both burrata appetizers were really good and thoroughly liked by the table. Service was attentive and we were never rushed. I really enjoyed that the restaurant wasn't super crowded. There were other tables but they were far away enough that we didn't feel like we were on top of each other.

We found this place by accident a few years ago on a work trip and had to come back again. It is an…read more"old school" family recipes, incredible service, fantastic food, and simply an amazing restaurant. My only concern is that they don't see to be busy enough for how good they are! We had 6 of us. Every single thing everyone ordered looked incredible. (I mean, I don't really care for muscles, but I could absolutely see the love cooked into even that dish.) I wish them every success and I'm already looking forward to visiting again next time I'm in the area!

"Would you like some lemoncello? Orangcello? Anythingvello?"…read more Angelo, one of the owners, is talking to the table next to us, but already I know I've found a second home. "You won't want to cook anymore" he tells us a bit later. He's not wrong. I had the fish special, cod, served puttanesca, with mash potatoes and spinach. He had the rigatoni bolognese. Perfectly cooked pasta. "Everything is homemade," Angelo explained later. Smart and fairly well-priced wine list. We asked why the 2020 Carparzo Brunello di Montalcino was so low priced, and learned the wine has been priced the same since their father closed their Upper East Side location and the kids opened in Newark. "New York food at NJ prices," Angelo explained. "I've never had tiramisu I've liked better", husband told me. "I've never had flan Ive liked better" I told him. (It is coconut flan.) Great service. Wonderful spot. And Bon Jovi has been in twice, most recently he brought his wife. Enough said.

This is BYOB! Date…read morenight never disappoints... My husband and I ordered everything that was recommended, and we were so glad we did! I tend to eat on the lighter side, so I was pleasantly surprised by how filling everything was. I enjoyed every bite! The toast with wild honey gave the ricotta such a lovely, creamy flavor. The Angry Chicken was incredibly tender--the meat practically slid right off the bone, with no effort needed to separate it. The pasta was absolutely fresh and perfectly cooked. It wasn't overcooked at all, which made such a difference. For dessert, the cake had just the right amount of chocolate without being too rich, and it paired beautifully with the chocolate frosting on top. The frosting was where most of the sweetness came through, and honestly, I just wish there had been more of it on the cake! Overall, everything was delicious, thoughtfully prepared, and incredibly satisfying. We enjoyed every dish!

Fun and popular local neighborhood spot in Jersey City. Though parking is a bit of a pain in the…read morearea the food and warm, welcoming atmosphere make it worth the hassle. While the inside of the restaurant isn't large (note they have a larger back patio area as well) it's cozy and parties of two may share a larger, communal table which can be a nice way to make friends should you choose. As others have noted it's a BYOB place with a convenient local wine-shop just a minute or two nearby. The menu changes regularly though we got many of the classics that have stayed on the menu (only missing the Angry Chicken which we'll get next time). The pastas were delicious though I wish the rigatoni was a bit saucier and really enjoyed the ravioli which had a lighter, mid-summer flavor with some pine-nuts for extra texture. The ricotta bread and honey was tasty though a large portion for two people and we felt that the standout was the halibut. My only complaint is the 3% mandatory card-processing fee (which at least is prominently displayed). Please also note that this restaurant calculates tips based on the total, not pre-tax amount and the waiter tends to hover while you swipe your card which can feel a bit overbearing.

Ordered the Bucatini Alla Bolognese for Take Out. Great…read moresauce, Pasta cooked al dente, good size portion. I will definitely be ordering from here again!

Honestly, I think this is the best Italian restaurant in the Bayonne/Jersey City area. My family…read moreand I had a very nice dinner there and we will 100% be back again. There were a few minor things that I didn't love, but, the Pros FAR outweigh the Cons. PROS Cute restaurant Friendly staff 10/10 food CONS I asked my Server what was in the Espresso Martini Mocktail and he said, "It's an Espresso Martini ... without the alcohol." Yeah! But, what's in it? Sugar? Dairy? Is it literally just Espresso shaken and strained into a martini glass? You should have a better idea. For dessert, I wanted a Cappuccino and I asked the person taking my order if there were any non dairy option like Almond Milk or even Oat Milk. He seemed to have zero idea what I was talking about and pointed to our Server who was busy taking an order at another table. By the time my Server was able to come over, the Cappuccino was already on the table. At least the service was fast. Haha.