We wanted to try out a different Italian restaurant close to home. My wife and I ordered chicken francese and linguine witj white clams sauce.. it came with their house salad. They made their own salad dressing. It was missing more vinegar and olive oil. They added Parmesan cheese. I wasn't a big fan. For the main entrees, the sauce for the chicken Francese was so sour, that we had the server return it to the cook. I assume the cook watered down the lemon sauce, but it was still sour when the server brought it back. The cook should have added a little white wine with the sour sauce and let it reduce. We didn't want it to go back to the cook the 2nd time, so we just ate it. The best part was the two chicken breast cutlets were big and very tender. The linguine and white clams sauce was the better of the two. But by not much. The clam sauce needed more garlic. I don't know if the cook adds white wine to the sauce, but it badly needed it. It needed a little more fresh parsley as well. Overall our server was the best. He came back to our table so many times to check up on us. read more

See all

This restaurant is in an old train station. It has an old world feel. It was not packed and had returning patrons. The servers knew many by name. We were quickly seated and ask our drink choices. I was pleasantly surprised at size and taste of my Malibu Bay breeze. I had been in this restaurant years ago and the serving cup was small. Then the waitress came for our order. I did not like the calamari. It looked too pale and didn't have much flavor. My Veal though was very tasty and a large portion. My husband said his Veal Franchise was just ok. read more

See all

I finally made a return here for another meal. For starters, the bruschetta bread, fried calamari, tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza along with the shrimp beeps were ordered. The bruschetta bread was their own version that was topped with olive oil, provolone cheese, oregano, and tomato. It was essentially a French bread pizza. It was tasty, but I would have liked more tomatoes present. The calamari was fried appropriately with plenty of flavor. The pizza was not bad. The crust was a little thick for my liking, but not a huge deal. The only issue about this was there seemed to be no basil present at all. There was a ton of cheese though. The shrimp beeps were a special on the night I attended. They were sautéed with red pepper flakes and Romano cheese in a light fresh basil tomato sauce. This was the best dish tried of the night. The sauce had a perfect hint of spiciness from the red pepper flakes. The shrimp were crispy and went well with the sauce. I actually used the sauce for the other appetizers. For an entrée, I had the pork braciola and cavatelli. This came with a house salad. The homemade creamy Italian dressing was not as a good as I remembered based on my previous reviews. Regarding the main dish, the braciola was stuffed with Italian spices and slowly simmered in a tomato sauce over cavatelli. This was solid. There were two big pieces of meat which was nice to see. The pork was a tad tough, but nothing crazy and there could have a little more of the spices present. The cavatelli was cooked al dente which I liked. I also tried the veal Sorrentino. The person at my table asked for it to be veal even though the menu only offered the chicken variety, and they happily said it was not a problem. I had the chicken previously and my thoughts were the same (see previous review for similar thoughts). read more

Mama Rosina's - Pork Braciola & Cavatelli - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

See all

Mama Rosina's- we We were 3 couples- one couple had a good experience prior & brought the rest of us. My hubby & me were there 25 yrs ago when they were in a former location in Bound Brook. The food was delicious. We had chicken marsala, Mama Rosina's sausage with broccoli rabe, fettuccine & spaghetti & meatballs etc. All diners were pleasantly surprised with the portions size(three of us had leftovers) & quality & taste of the food. The ambience was quaint and comfortable- a former train station. The service was excellent. I highly recommend Mama Rosina's. I look forward to our next visit. read more

We went on a late Sunday afternoon and were delighted with two wonderfully authentic Italian meals. You'd think you were in Little Italy, that's how good it was. Cudos to our waiter, Tony. We will return often. read more

The food was fantastic I had veal saltimbocca ala Romano my wife tilapia oreganato both were delicious the service was incredible Tony was our waiter the bread was fresh and hot read more

great service (Antonio and Tony are always awesome) great food too. Rigatoni Joseph is my favorite. Def recommend!!

I use to be a regular when it was located on Rt. 28 and haven't been back since I moved in the late 90's early 20000. I am still glad they are still in business and still family owned. It was very nostalgic to go back there with my daughter, 30 years later. She got a kick out of it remembering our memories and now she brought her own children to make new ones. Excellent food. Excellent service! Everything we ordered was great ! Server was nice, atmosphere as perfect for a family with children as well as couples. Quick and attentive to our needs. Thank you. read more

First time here. My wife and I stopped by for an early Sunday dinner and we're glad we did. Tony was very welcoming and made sure we enjoyed our dinner. I tried the shrimp italiano appetizer and highly recommend it. The veal parmigiana and chicken parm was excellent. Saved room for the chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Drinks were very good and we look forward to our next visit soon. read more

Mama Rosina's - Chocolate Mousse. Delicious ! - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

I haven't been in this great little gem in probably about 5 years. Finally got back last night. I don't get to Bound Brook very often, so I had forgotten all about it. Shame on me! The decor is great, it's in a historical building, the old Bound Brook train station, with wonderful memorabilia. You can hear the trains go past on the near by tracks. It's a family owned business, I recognized the same staff there that was there 5 years ago, which is wonderful to see, especially since we went through this pandemic. The waiters and support staff were all cheery and friendly. They were very attentive and knew the menu well. We had the clams casino, shrimp cocktail & the Hot Antipasto. For dinner we ordered broccoli rabe with sausage and shrimp and chicken Florentine, our party loved the food. The couple who we went with goes once per week, and they are in the food business, that's a credit to the restaurant, Somerset County has so many dining options and they choose to go here weekly! Our glasses were never empty, wether it was water, wine or a cocktail. We were full, but took desserts to go, they looked delicious! No doubt they will be eaten tonight!! Carrot Cake, Chocolate Raspberry Bash & Chocolate Mousse Cake. A great place to meet friends, bring a date, or go with your family, especially if they are train lovers. Very clean, Covid friendly, they were cleaning areas constantly as people came and went. Won't be waiting five years until I go again! I always take photos but for some reason I didn't last night, will have to do so next time - my bad read more

We have been patrons, customers, and guests at Mama Rosina's for years. it is such a welcoming place to be. Excellent food, casual atmosphere but so unique because it is located in the old Bound Brook train station. The trains run right by the restaurant as they must have done when it was just the train station. There are multiple tvs so if you want that, you have it. But you can just enjoy the excellent food and the company you are dining with, if you so wish. We had a party of four and had no problem hearing each other, which can be a problem in so many restaurants these days. The entrees were absolutely delicious and the food was prepared fresh. You could tell. There is a full bar and a choice from the dessert tray offerings. I highly recommend this restaurant for the food and the friendly atmosphere. read more

I've been to Mama Rosina's only a couple times, but they have other restaurants/bars in the area that I've also been to. I took my wife there for a last minute Valentine's dinner. I'm so happy they had the space. We love their raviolis because they're special-made for the restaurant. I had a porterhouse, and it was really flavorful and cooked to temp. They must've basted it in a garlic butter sauce. I'll definitely be back at some point. It isn't a fine dining location, but it's a really good option for everyday dining and it has a ton of value for its prices. read more

Mama Rosina's - Special Porterhouse for Valentines night - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

If you would like to be told off by the servers, when asking for salt or pepper, go there. If you want to wait 10 minutes for water or bread after you order, go there. If you want attitude when pointing out an overcharge on the bill, go there. Food is better than average but little pricey. Ambience of room is nice. Doesn't make up for the service as it defines a new level of useless arrogance. read more

It's not hard to be a decent Italian restaurant, unfortunately for Mama Rosina it is. We dined there recently and arrived to a restaurant that was mostly empty, save for about three other tables. Despite being nearly empty, the service was extremely slow. S-L-O-W. The menu is your classic NJ Italian one, a good mix of appetizers, entrees and sandwiches. We ordered the broccoli rabe with sausage and the calamari, both arrived well after we ordered and neither was that good, as a matter of fact the calamari tasted like it had been re-cooked, dry and rubbery. My wife ordered the house salad, she didn't even eat half, the dressing looked like it had been watered down and the salad was limp and dry. After what seemed like another eternity our sandwiches arrived, the meatball one tasted like it was a breadball as opposed to having any meat. My Veal Parm sandwich was decent, but the sauce had very little flavor, same with my wife's chicken sandwich. All that being said my biggest complaint has to be the bar. For such a large bar with distinctive decor, the only beers they had were the standard Bud, Stella and a few others. In an age where craft beer can be found even in ball parks, this was very disappointing. The wine list was ok as well, but seemed a little pricey compared to others in the area. Lots of potential but this place needs a makeover, if Gordon Ramsey is reading this I'd suggest you check it out. All in all I doubt I'd go back. read more

I came here for the first time the other day and am very surprised I had never been here before. I love this little place, located right in bound brook along the railroad. It was neat to see the trains stop and let off passengers and be on their way. I did not get to sit and eat on the patio but I am sure it's nice. We went in the afternoon, there was only one other person at the bar and us inside. I liked the layout of the place very much. It looks like a nice set up to host a party or event, lots of tables. Now onto the food. I ordered the Rosina penne dish which was very delicious. Penne pasta in a thin marinara sauce with diced up veggies including broccoli rabe, asparagus, mushrooms, and large pieces of sausage. It was a great all around dish. The house salad was yummy with big slices of cucumber and Cesar dressing. I ordered the raspberry chocolate cheesecake for dessert. That was incredibly delicious! My mom had their cannoli, which I am sure was great. I enjoyed seeing a physical visual of all the desserts they had, which helped me make my decision. The waiter brought over a tray to our table which he didn't have to do. Service was pleasant and quick ( of course we were also the only table there at the time). I would definitely come back here and try out the patio seating next time. read more

Mama Rosina's - Raspberry chocolate cheesecake. Yummy! Not too rich or filling. - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

They have their outdoor patio open during covid which is a big plus! Love the food and the portions are so big! Friendly service as well.

The rating shows 1 but this place is actually a 0. We called ahead to let them know we were a party of 9 and didn't have a reservation. We were happily surprised that they didn't mind and told us to come right over. We walked in and found a table set for 9 and went right over and sat down. Then a girl walks over and immediately starts slamming glasses down in front of us with an attitude, now this was probably the 3rd or 4th place we'd been to that day and so we gave her the benefit of the doubt. She comes back and does the same with the rest of the cups and we all just stare at her, no introduction or nothing just angrily slamming cups on the table. About 20 minutes later a gentleman shows up asking for drink orders, and we oblige. The drinks came at a normal pace and we began waiting for the gentleman to return to take food orders. But with a half empty restaurant it took way too long, almost 40 minutes I would say. The whole time we're getting dirty looks from the guests and the rest of the staff. We eventually catch on that we just weren't welcome there and we decide that we'll all just order something small and simple and be on our way. That's when the waiter finally returns to take orders, when he got to me, I asked if he could come back to me as I hadn't decided on the appetizer I was going to order in lieu of an actual entree and the person next to me did the same. Then the waiter snaps that he'll just come back later because he's really busy and doesn't have time for this. That's when when we cancelled the orders that were placed and asked for a check for the drinks. My friend's fiancé wrote on the tip line of the bill "RUDE" and the server took exception. He literally followed us to the parking lot to bark at us because he didn't appreciate what she wrote on the bill. Imagine that. THIS PLACE IS HORRIBLE. read more

Great food and Tony is the best! Never disappointed in the quality of food and service

The restaurant has a nice and inviting environment. The service is prompt and helpful. I ordered mozzarella sticks ($8) and Veal Francaise ($18). Sticks were flavorful. Veal quality was not good. It was stingy, and chewy, not like a veal. Lemon butter sauce was OK. Pasta was overcooked. Chocolate Raspberry Bash ($6.5) had a good balance of rich and tart flavor. read more

Had a wonderful dinner with family & friends.. I had the Veal Marsala over linguine & it was delicious!! I recommend this restaurant!

We were just passing through the neighborhood on some business, I just wanted something quick to eat, we went inside, I was immediately seated,the gentleman that served us was friendly, knowledgeable and the food was great. I highly recommend chicken Parmesan sandwich! read more

Such a wonderful experience, our waiter Tony was very accommodating and sweet. My family and I went for my sister's birthday and were treated to an excellent surprise dessert at the end of our meal. Dishes were 10/10. Will be coming back soon! read more

I've been to Mama Rosina's twice in the past month, and both times my sister, her boyfriend and I were all very delighted. The meals have been delicious, they give you a very nice portion, and their Sangria is fantastic. Both times we went we tried different meals, and they were all really great. It's also wonderful to have dinner in the old Bound Brook Train Station, too. The environment is historic, and very enjoyable. Both times we went there we all enjoyed ourselves and our meals, and we went home very satisfied and happy. I look forward to going back again soon! read more

Decades-old Italian American place which moved this past month from their previous location on Route 28. They have done a nice job renovating the space with a small bar area as you walk in and dining rooms to the right and left. I am a fan of their pastas, especially the penne rosina - penne with sausage and broccoli rabe. My wife tends to prefer the chicken dishes - francese or marsala. Portions are substantial; so expect to ask for a doggy bag. Decent prices and good service -worth a try if you live in the area but not special enough to make a special trip. I would rate this retaurant higher but they still have a few flaws - the house salad is passable but comes to the table ice cold. The cheese which they serve with the pasta is not top quality, tastes to me like pecorino. Both the cheese and red pepper flakes are left at the table in those shaker jars more typical of a pizzeria. read more

Beautiful location, in an old railroad station. So much promise, alas horrendous service. Apparently pasta with olive oil and garlic is an upcharge (have never heard of this at a decent Italian place), and flat out refused a request to put cheese on a salad. Appetizers were not that great, pizza was pretty bad. The chicken francese was quite good, but the bill left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. A 15% tip was added on a party of four, though never was this mentioned anywhere (an 18% gratuity on parties of six or more was mentioned on the menu). When questioned, our waiter insisted that the restaurant was REQUIRED BY LAW to charge 15% on all bills, and that all restaurants do it, "just ask anyone." Complete crap. If you subject yourself to the poor service, don't get the pizza. read more

Oh my goodness! The best Italian food I have had in years! Fast service, great wait staff. I had the shrimp scampi and my husband had the veal francese. Delicious! M read more

Nice restaurant with an old train station ambiance. The portion sizes were adequate and the wine was pleasant. Would definitely go back again. read more

Mama Rosina's - Great food and quick service. The portion sizes were pleasing. Can't hear the trains outside when they pass by but it's nice to watch. - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

Used to come here a lot. Has been going downhill and the customer service is awful. Very rude. Unpleasant experience

My wife and I had the enjoyment of visiting your place this past weekend. Let me tell you up front it was a great experience and we will be back. I do want to give you a few suggestions. I went to your web site, very interesting and very eye catching. BUT you do not have your hours posted, if you do they are so well hidden that I could not find them. Other than your address there is no way on your web site to "Contact" you. I would also suggest that you should have a common domain name. INFO you're not a school or a collage so why have INFO, most common is COM. Mamarosinas.com is available; if I were you I would grab it before someone else does. I would be glad to help you with that, at no charge. I have done web sites and non-profit groups and small businesses for the past 25 plus years. FYI Now on to the food.... Before we decided on your shop we went on line and read the reviews, the one item I was sure I wanted to try was the House Salad, sounded like it was really good from the reviews. The dressing lived up to the reviews, BUT, there was at least a 1/2 of unwanted water that took away from the experience. A home style salad spinner can be purchased for very little and it would make your salad out standing. If you read your reviews on line you can see the same comments. The same goes for your pasta, no matter how good a sauce is when it is sitting in a ¼ cup of water it loses. My wife had the Rigatoni Bolognese she said it was very good, except for the water. I had the Veal Marsala it was tender but once again the sauce was so watery that it was not enjoyable.. We both had dessert and it was good very well presented. Your coffee is one of the best kept secrets, Startbucks or DD do not even come near the flavor. Now for the service.... WOW!!!! You need to package your service and sell it to other restaurants. Carlos meets us at the door, showed us to our table, and gave us water and the menu. He never stopped the whole time we were there, the best service I have had at any restaurant. Even though the food had too much water we would come back just because of the service. He made you feel like you were apart of his family. read more

A great place. Being in an old train station is cool, but I'm all about the food...and it is excellent. My current favorite is the Rigatoni Joseph. I simply can't get enough of the sauce. A must for anyone who wants quality Italian food. read more

This is a nice casual place. I have an issue with all the chicken dishes since the meat all looks too white like it was boiled. They need to saute and get a nice color to the chicken. And the espresso machine is hit or miss much of the time. Definitely potential here if someone would go the extra mile. I think mama would agree! read more

I ate here with my husband and in-laws a couple weeks ago for a weekday dinner. My in-laws are regulars here and have been anxious to take us here for months. After all of their hype, I found the place to be OK - nothing special, a small restaurant with good food. The food deserves a 3-star rating, the customer service a 1- or 2-star rating. Customer service (1-2 stars): The restaurant was pretty much empty when we arrived, with the exception of a very loud, rowdy party of 15+ people. We were seated at a corner table directly next to them!!! It was unacceptable for the host/server to seat us there Especially since as the evening progressed, other parties were seated at the opposite side of the restaurant and in what appeared to be a small room offset from the main restaurant. Ugh!! (Note: I wanted to switch tables immediately, but nobody wanted to "bother" the staff. Regardless, the staff was extremely inconsiderate or oblivious to making us comfortable.) Food (3 stars): The food service was slow (considering the large party). Our table received a bread basket and individual garden salads. We ordered fried calamari as an appetizer (par for the course). For my entrée, I ordered one of their daily specials - chicken marinated in a butter sauce with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and artichokes (hold the pasta). It was flavorful and tasted fresh. My husband ordered a chicken parm sub (with fries) which he said was par for the course. He's had much better at a good take-out joint. My in-laws ordered their regular chicken parm and veal parm platters. *Despite being located directly on the railroad tracks, the trains were fairly quite. Or perhaps I couldn't hear them over the roar of the large, rowdy party. :( read more

My boyfriend and I just recently moved to the area and decided to try this place out despite some of the other reviews. The area is cute and the place has a nice classic feel but that was about as good as it gets. They sat us at a table by the door on a single digit degree day. It was so cold that I had to put my coat back on. The waiter was inattentive and emotionless. We asked for Ginger Ale but we received a very obvious completely clear club soda. I don't understand why he couldn't just tell us that they didn't have ginger ale so that was a waste! I ordered the Penne Vodka and my boyfriend the Chicken Parmigiana. The vodka sauce was watery to the point that it splashed and the pasta tasted just like that, noodles. He said his chicken was good but felt the same way about his pasta. The reason I didn't give 1 star is because the carrot cake was the only delicious part of our order. With so many other restaurants to chose from, we probably won't ever return. read more

Mama Rosina's - This is their version of ginger ale. One sip and I knew it was club soda. Sad. - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

My wife and I have eaten at Mama Rosita's 4 times already including take-out, and never had a bad meal. Very nice atmosphere dining outside watching the trains go by. The wait staff were friendly along with the owner. The times we ate there we had Chicken Franchese, Pizza, Chicken Marsalla, Shrimp and fish dishes, Eggplant Parmasan and more. Everything was prepared nicely and tasted well, and the prices were reasonable. Mama Rosita's has become a regular for us and recommended. read more

This is an excellent location. I love the old train station. It's much more charming than their previous locale. But, I hate to say it, the food has been mediocre past two times we've been here. Chicken dishes have been chewy with not much flavor. Pasta dishes have been lackluster. It hasn't been inedible...but not worth the price. Service has been "meh." Not bad, not great. It's a bit worse on the patio, which is a shame. Thankfully, there is a stocked waiter station outside, so hey, help yourself. We used to go to the previous location and the food was much better then (we even had our rehearsal supper at Rosina's). It pains me to write this but...I think I'm done with suppers at Rosina's. read more

Not good or bad, Sat us in the Bar area so it was hard to have a conversation. The service was slow. It took forever to get the check. Probably added another half hour. We had a seven yr old with us so this was not fun. Food was good but could have used some additional seasoning. Not good or bad, Sat us in the Bar area so it was hard to have a conversation. The service was slow. It took forever to get the check. Probably added another half hour. We had a seven yr old with us so this was not fun. Food was good but could have used some additional seasoning. read more

This restaurant is accommodating to large parties which was great because we had to split the check ten ways. They have an extensive Italian menu but they were out of some specials on their daily list. I ended up trying the veal francaise, manicotti special, and chicken penne alla vodka. I thought all the meals were good portions and priced well, really nothing that stood out about the food though. The manicotti cheese filling was so dry and the baked cheese on top was hard, pretty disappointed. The side of penne with marinara that came with my meal, I could have made myself. The veal was the best part and I enjoyed the vodka sauce on the chicken dish. read more

Mama Rosina's - Veal francaise - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

See all

Went there with family visiting from Italy. I liked the way they kept the feel of the original train station in their design. The food was very good and the service was also. If I happen to be back in the area I would definitely stop again. read more

Mama Rosina's - Came here with family from Italy. Very good food and service was excellent . - Italian Near Me - Bound Brook, New Jersey

Pleasantly surprised. Took advantage of a Groupon offer and shlepped down to Bound Brook. Greeted and seated quickly. Received water, ordered coffee which came out quickly. Wait staff was pleasant and efficient. Had 2 "red sauce" dishes and both were tasty. Pasta done well (NOT well done), meatballs were okay, pistachio tartufo dessert was standard tartufo fare but, worked for us. Worth a stop by if in the area. Not inexpensive but, food was pretty, pretty good. read more

I love their pasta. The stuffed rigatoni with brandy sauce is my favorite. I believe the bartender's name is Maryann, she is fabulous and mixes up great cocktails. The outside seating area is great. read more