Anyone who gives this place less than 4.5 doesn't know Italian food. This is probably the best Italian restaurant within a 50 mile radius and I eat out 85% of the time and have tried many Italian restaurants. read more

OVER HYPED DUMP Nice looking building outside and so-so inside. This is just another Italian place all dressed up but delivers no good food. Drinks ok but pricy. Food not very good. Service kinda rude and slow. It's the Emperor had no clothes kinda thing and I'm the one saying he has no clothes. Hey this place is nothing. Food is mediocre. Save your money Go elsewhere. Want better itai plow? Go around the cornet to the diner! read more

Novelli is certainly a great option for Italian food in the Wayne area. This is a go to place for work dinners and I've never had a bad meal. Their menu has a great variety options if you're craving pasta, meat, seafood, or anything in between. The tuna, mango, and avocado app was a standout for me. It was fresh and balanced. I had branzino as my meal and it was excellent. The skin was so crisp and the fish was light, flaky, and moist. I love how it's served with escarole and beans. Transports me back into my grandmas kitchen. I will say this restaurant is pricy for the portions. This combined with drinks will certainly have you spending above average on a meal here. read more

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The place is great. The staff is great. The ambience is great. Unfortunately the food is not great. We're not the types to send stuff back, but if we were we would've asked for at least two of the four entrées to be exchanged. The beet salad looked great but it was completely bland. The waiter recommended the octopus which was very good, but we had to order cherry peppers and balsamic on the side to doctor it up. Short rib pasta was bland as was the squid ink linguine with seafood. The linguine was so overcooked it looked like wilted spinach- when one of the waitresses came by to ask if we wanted to take it home and she saw nearly the entire plate was untouched, she didn't even ask if everything was OK she just took it away. We really wanted to like this place because it got such high marks. Instead it just reaffirmed our theory, if you want great Italian you have to go to into the city. read more

Novelli - Short rib. Looks like Beefaroni. - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

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My Mom and I were out shopping and actually looking for another restaurant (Indian) that, it seems, had closed. We came upon Novelli and my Mom knew of it from her friends (she lives in the area) but had never been there. We saw cars in the parking lot and stopped for lunch. First impression: upon entering, the place is dark. Very dark, in fact. There were perhaps three tables occupied. We waited to be seated, my Mom with a walker and all. And waited. Hmmm ... We were eventually told to sit anywhere. Because of my Mom's walker, we chose a table at the back of the room. It required moving chairs (heavy) so she could place her walker against the wall. No one came to help us. Once seated, we waited another 15+ minutes to get menues. Again, let me mention that there were very few occupied tables. Our server, Mario, was notably dismayed that we didn't order wine or a cocktail at 1 p.m. in the afternoon. Had this been dinner, the situation would have been different. However, I was driving in 'unknown territory' and we were out for the afternoon to shop. We gently declined appetizers and the complimentary salad that came with our meals. We are both light eaters and didn't want to be weighted down from a heavy meal. My Mother ordered the Fresh Orecchiette with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, white beans, garlic and oil. There was very little sausage. VERY little! Not one of their best dishes. I make it better ... and I am not Italian. I ordered the Bronzino which is served over a bed of white cannellini beans, escarole, and with garlic and oil. It was a sizable piece of bronzino - I took half home. The skin was crisp just as described and the fish was moist and absolutely delicious. Outstanding. I would order it again without hesitation. Truthfully, I would return to Novelli just for this fish. We shared their bread pudding for desert . It was a considerable portion that the waiter thoughtfully split into two separate portions. Tasty. Sorry to say, the service was subpar. Was it because we were more casually dressed than their other diners at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday? I don't know. But we did not receive the timely attention that a highly reputable fine dining restaurant generally offers its patrons. So, for rating purposes, I offer the following: Orecchiette 3-1/2 stars Bronzino 5 stars Bread Pudding 3-1/2 stars for food, 1/2 star for thoughtful presentation so 4 stars total Service 3 stars Would I return? Yes. Maybe they do better during dinner. I'd definitely order the Bronzino again. It's expensive - $120 for our lunch, no appetizers or drinks. They have their own parking lot which is a necessity on busy Hamburg Turnpike. Overall rating would be 3-1/2 stars. read more

Disappointed after having so many great meals here. Prime time Saturday night & it was quiet. Ordered the watermelon martini which was good. Smoked salmon appetizer- not fresh. Then came the entrees- gnocchi which was tasty but some were undercooked. Soft shell crabs and broccoli rabe were also good but very salty. We were disappointed. Not living as close as we used to and made the trip for our old "go to." Not sure we will do so again. read more

Service was excellent. The food couldn't have been any better in the ambience is so nice. It's like a special occasion. The waiters Clinton be more kind and accommodating. The valet was extremely nice. read more

Novelli - Veal Melanies - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

First time eating here. Food was cooked to perfection. Excellent service. Great atmosphere and crowd. A little loud on a Friday night but we will definitely be back again! read more

Went here for a baby shower.... Food was amazing!! Service was great!! First we had Calamari and Brushetta both were excellent. Then we had penne alla vodka again another hit!! For my main I had the Fillet Of Sole Oreganata (Baked With Garlic And Herb Bread Crumbs, Wine, Lemon And Butter Sauce) which was excellent perfectly cooked!! My husband had the Chicken Vino Bianco (Artichokes, Asparagus, Shiitake, White Wine Sauce) again perfection!! Novelli has a full bar so anything you'd like to drink they have on hand. Dessert was again nothing I can say bad about it, it was delicious. Highly recommend this restaurant beautiful inside and out. read more

We went for dinner last evening after just reopening since the electric fire in October. It has always been great and it was even better last night. Food, staff and Beni and Sima are superb owners. They renovated and made a great experience even better. read more

Our "go to" date night Restaurant! Always a great meal and service is paced so we are not rushed or waiting for our food. My favorite appetizer is the smoked salmon plate...enough to share. Lamp chops are always a great choice or the halibut. And the specials add difficult choices...everything g is great! Planning a neighbors night there this month! read more

Novelli - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

Very good food fresh Bronzino fish special fresh trout fish special and orecchiette pasta very tasty.Excellent service the waiter very friendly and professional , very nice ambiance . read more

Novelli - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

Excellent restaurant. Its a beautiful restaurant and dinner was outstanding. Fettuccine Bolognese and Veal Milanese were delicious. Great service too read more

Great place. Food is great and so is the staff. The ambience is usually very nice but it can get a little noisy.

A timeless gem for over 30 (maybe 40?) years. Even after ownership change some years back I still make it a point for at least one dinner every trip back to NJ. read more

To start from the second you get out of your car, to the second you get back in .... This place is absolutely awesome! From the valet, to the host, to the bar tender that gave us absolutely amazing service. I can't say enough. Shrimp and portobello mushrooms and sausage... outstanding. To dinner .. gnocchi and fettuccine bolognese... I could have eaten the plate!!! Be back very soon!!!! read more

Great service and food. Went for a late lunch and the portions were plentiful and good dessert. The cheesecake was awesome

Another amazing anniversary dinner here! We had crisp calamari for our appetizer. We both ordered the dover sole special, which was absolutely delicious. Sides were mashed potatoes and veggies. We both enjoyed pistachio gelato for dessert. read more

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Wow. Just wow. Phenomenal food! Appetizers: Kobe beef meatballs - melt in your mouth! Grilled octopus -SO tender and perfectly seasoned Entrees: Crispy branzino- huge piece of tender fish with crispy skin - awesome!! I had it with sautéed garlic spinach that was cooked so perfectly (I for once did not burp garlic all night!) Loved this meal! Lamb chops - I tried one from my friend and it was tender you didn't need teeth to eat it. Incredible! Dessert: You must get the apple strudel!! I tried someone else's and wished I had ordered that!! read more

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The food is great but a bit pricey ...sometimes they rush you so order appetizers then the main course. The owners are awesome!

Met up w/ friends last night for a nice dinner at Novelli. Our waiter emphasized flexibility with their menu offerings, suggesting that their fish, veal and pork dishes could be prepared any way - not just what was on the menu. While a nice gesture, it became a bit unclear what that meant, price-wise, if you strayed from the menu and concocted your own dish. Little weird. Anyway - I stayed on their menu offerings and glad I did. The double-cut broiled pork chop with a light panko coating with a balsamic reduction was terrific. Perfectly cooked! My wife enjoyed her pasta dish with lump crab and friends enjoyed their dishes as well. Grilled octopus appetizer, beforehand, was tasty but seemed to have more potato than octopus and they threw in a slice of crostini bread as additional filler. For $20, keep the crostini - load up on the octopus please. Cocktails were well prepared. Mine was an interesting mix of bourbon, a bit of honey and ginger beer named "American Soul". Nice. Ladies enjoyed their lemon drops and cosmos and, all-in-all, a pleasant post-Thanksgiving "anything but turkey please" night out with good friends! read more

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My friend and I decided to go here for my pre birthday dinner and I was looking forward to it. I called and made reservations. When arrived we were able to park in their private parking lot. We were greeted by our server Richy and he took us to our seats. The ambiance was very cute and they did have indoor and outdoor seating. For drinks I ordered the tequila sunrise and it wasn't bad. Richy explained they can revamp anything on the menu and he really knew his stuff. I ordered the gnocchi with broccoli, shrimp and pesto sauce. My friend ordered the chicken cavatelli. When the food arrived it looked very good. My gnocchi dish wasnt bad at all and it was filling. I tried my friend's dish and it was pretty good. As we ate we started to see other dishes and wanted them lol. We will definitely be back to try more. read more

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My favorite restaurant ever and I'm 77 years old so that's saying something. Thepork chop is to die for. Lovely lighting and get service.

I ate at Novelli with family last night. It was beautiful and the food; delicious. The restaurant was a traditional Italian restaurant with a traditional menu. Our appetizer was meatballs which the waiter kindly gave to us as single servings since there were 4 meatballs and 4 of us. The meat melted in my mouth. For dinner I ate the Shrimp Novelli which included shrimp on top of pappardelle and a white sauce. It tasted simply divine. My family's dishes looked great as well. For dessert I had their tiramisu. It was decent. I would definitely go back. read more

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We had pasta fagioli soup was great also had calamari for appetizers. They didn't disappoint. All the main dishes we ordered was delicious.. but the star of the night is still the pork chop! You definitely have to try their crème brûlée and the bananas foster. The service and the ambiance was also great we highly recommend you to make reservations and come to this restaurant read more

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We dined here with two of our friends who live in Wayne. I must admit I was shocked at how wonderful the food was. The Branzino was one of the most delicious fish dishes that I have ever eaten Bread pudding and cheesecake were also terrific. Service was attentive We ate early and the restaurant was empty but we were told the place gets noisy when its full read more

Wonderful meal on NYE and great ambiance. Notably, the calamari, the meatball and short rib orecchiette. Probably not the most kid friendly establishment, but would highly recommend for a date night. read more

very elegant and very clean service was excellent we both had pasta....excellent freshly made pasta was so good place was a but noisy but that comes with success it was packed the night we went. read more

Nice place with very good food always. The prices are very high for food and alcohol. A place to treat yourself not a place for value. Service always good. Tables are packed too tightly together, akin to family style. Enjoy coming here. read more

In the middle of the suburban neighborhood is a fancy place with good food. Good ambiance and very lively environment. The parking is valet only. We were seated right away as we walked in. The server brought us waters and collected our wine order. We ordered the clams that were so delicious! The flavor of the herbs paired with the bread crumbs topped with a squeeze of lemon was just amazing. We ordered the lamb chops and seafood linguini. Both were delicious. For dessert we had the creme brulee and tiramisu. Didn't like the tiramisu but the creme brulee was amazing. read more

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Such a great place. Staff could not be nicer. Ronnie our waiter was on point with his service and attention. The food is always 5 star. read more

Novelli - Branzino - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

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I've been here a few times and never been impressed by the food. It's a nice restaurant so I think people get caught up in the atmosphere. I have a friend that likes it so that's why I've went back but would never go here by choice read more

You must get the pork chop with the cherry pepper glaze. Best I've ever had. Trust the process and don't ask to change the temperature of the meat. read more

Great atmosphere and great food. They don't rush you which I love. Never have had a bad meal. Their seafood is fantastic. They also had a pot hop there as a special which my friends still rave about. It's def not cheap but it's worth the $$$$ as a great night out. read more

Very good food and service over all. They absolutely fail at Thanksgiving however. Especially this year. The turkey was awful. My Family insist we go there for Thanksgiving every year the past 5 years. I don't know how you can ruin Turkey! It had an odd off-taste. All five years running. The person who prepared it doesn't have a clue. Last year it was cold. This year is was mildly warm stacked over an absolutely steaming pile of VERY mushy stuffing, which also had a very odd taste. The green beans were stringy and the sweet potatoes were NOT cooked to the point they were almost raw. Add to that an absolutely card board and dull penne pasta appetizer. Canned macaroni would have tasted better. To top it all, the pumpkin pie was absolutely disgusting. Another odd flavor with the crust pale white. It was also kidde-size, which, in this case, was a plus. $60. plus tip and tax for plate full of total $h##? Never again. I noticed the place was half empty this year. read more

Novelli - Italian Near Me - Wayne, New Jersey

The food was great! The service was excellent! They were very professional and responsive. The ambience was nice as well. It's kind a cozy, dimly little lit ambiance and overall a nice experience. . read more

Exceptional dining experience that balances traditional Italian and contemporary cuisine with an elegant yet modern aesthetic featuring tremendous staff from the bartenders to servers that make the overall experience so special. The nightly specials are carefully curated to maximize the freshest ingredients available for the season. Their daily pasta and risotto options are phenomenal and always recommend the veal Novelli with the fried cherry peppers. Highly recommend for everything from a quick drink and an appetizer to a formal dinner for business or your most personal celebrations. read more

Service and food were definitely better this time than last time so I will up my stars. I do like the food and the service is good but to me it's just overpriced for what you get so sorry can't give it five stars. read more

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Great food , been going there for years. Never a bad experience. Servers are exceptional

FANTASTIC food. My wife and I ate here for our wedding anniversary back in February. Delicious high quality menu to choose from. The Kobe meatball appetizer is so good. We had penne vodka and a tortellini dish with spinach and prosciutto as well. They're offering outdoor dining now due to Covid restrictions. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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