I've been going to this restaurant since it opened and last night I had one of the finest meals…read moreI've ever had there. And that's saying something!!

We found Luigino's Parmigiano while looking for a local BYOB for an easy Saturday date night, and…read moreit turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. The restaurant was packed when we arrived, with both indoor and outdoor dining, but they were expecting us for our reservation and seated us right away. The front-of-house staff was warm, friendly and even remembered my husband from when he called to make the reservation. The food was the standout. I ordered the short rib, which arrived with quite the presentation, a huge bone topped with incredibly tender, shaved short rib and mixed vegetables. It was delicious and the portion was enormous. I shared some with my husband at dinner, took the rest home, and we still managed to turn the leftovers into an omelet a couple of days later! My husband ordered the double-thick pork chop and loved it. We also shared the fried shrimp and calamari appetizer, and both the marinara and aioli were excellent. One small area for improvement would be helping the younger waitstaff become a little more comfortable guiding guests through the menu. When we asked for recommendations and what dishes the restaurant was especially known for, it took a little prompting before we got to Parmigiano. Our server was perfectly nice. It just would have elevated the experience to have someone confidently say, "This is what we do exceptionally well, and here's what I recommend." Overall, though, we had exactly the kind of evening we needed. We brought a bottle of wine, relaxed, talked, enjoyed the atmosphere and genuinely felt like we had gotten away for a while. Our bill came in at the $100 range, and we left completely satisfied. Great food, generous portions, a welcoming atmosphere and excellent value. We'll absolutely return.

We loved La Rocca Osteria! Our party of eight enjoyed the lively atmosphere, excellent service and…read moreoutstanding food. My wife and I shared the eggplant parmigiana, which was fabulous. The halibut special, served with broccoli rabe and a risotto cake, was cooked to perfection. The duck agnolotti was another standout...so fresh and flavorful. A five-star meal from start to finish. We can't wait to return!

Go to the restaurant minimum once a month and there's a reason…read more Quality of the food is one of the best in north jersey along that's a BYOB MUST TRY

Brilliant first experience at Boschetto and will be back…read more Upon arrival, was greeted by Ryan - who i believe was the manager or owner. He graciously explained the format of how orders are taken and detailed the menu. The was a little hiccup in our food being delivered and he came to the table to apologize which meant a lot to us as we were on a scheduled. The food was good and tasted fresh. We had a pasta and pizza (sorry no photos) and neither disappointed. We arrived around 6pm on a Thursday and it wasn't too crowded but it stared to fill up closer to 7pm. Will def be back!

Always driven by this place - even idled in front of this place for several minutes while stopped…read moreat the train crossing - and I'm only just now visiting. Service is counter service to order with runners and bussers bringing plates out to and clearing your table. BYOB with the liquor store down a block just in case you forget - they bring you an ice bucket for your wine if needed. After ordering, you seat yourself at one of the tables inside or luck out with lovely early autumn weather on the patio. They have plenty of specials to choose from and a healthy selection of pizzas, platters, shared plates, and pastas. My only complaint was the awkward waiting to order and be sat at a table if you're waiting for 2/6 folks in your party but there are plenty of open tables both inside and out. Would definitely come again for a quick bite with a bottle on the patio while the weather is nice.

As my original review indicates, we have eaten here multiple times, which we continue to do. We…read moretypically dine out at least once to twice a week and this is always one of the regular places we choose because the food and service are consistently above average to excellent. This review is from our meal on August 30, 2026. While the menu has been changed from time to time, it does not happen frequently. However, there are often a variety of special additions. One item on the menu we have ordered in every visit is the shrimp appetizer, which I mentioned in my original review. It used to be called shrimp arrabbiata. Now it's called garlic shrimp (according to the online menu, but believe it's baked garlic shrimp on the actual menu). By any name it's not to be missed. I believe it used to be 8 shrimps, which at some point was trimmed to 7 shrimps). The size are large to near jumbo, easily more than a single bite, easily U-25, but maybe not quite U-15 sized. The sauce is so good it's worth finishing with the consistently delicious warm rolls being used to soak up every last drop, or spooned out of the bowl like soup. It's spicy, but not overpowering. This is a must order for shrimp lovers. I usually order one of the many house-pastas. My wife is usually ordering one of the fresh fish offerings. The scallops are a hit too, as is the risotto, though I still nix the chorizo, which I'm typically then rewarded with extra crab. The service is very accommodating in every respect, willing to make every reasonable adjustment. Desserts are typically good, but also typical to all Italian eateries. They used to have a must-have mousse concoction that disappeared after a while. That was a mistake, as it was exceptional.

Laboratorio Kitchen was a BYOB Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Montclair. It was a…read morestunning space with sleek, modern furniture and walls adorned with vibrant, colorful artwork. The service was impeccable from the moment we arrived until the second that we left. From a food perspective, our meal initiated with a basket of some of the best rolls I had ever had. They were large, fluffy, and doughy with a hint of crispiness from a light toasting. We then shared the Veal and Beef Meatball, which was gigantic but still managed to have the ideal texture. It was also beautifully seasoned and served in what the chef called his "grandma's plum tomato sauce", which was divine! The sauce was thick and hearty, so when that was paired with pecorino cheese and basil oil, it really made for a fabulous dish. I even cut off a small piece to put inside my roll with a spoonful of sauce - chef's kiss! After that, we enjoyed some of the house-made pasta dishes, tasting each in a family-style format. The Squid Ink Bucatini was tossed with scallops, shrimp, and jumbo lump crab in a seafood tomato sauce. I did not love the briny finish to the sauce or that some of the scallops were chewy. The Tagliatelle with Duck Bolognese, tomatoes, and carrots was good, but I prefer my pomodoro sauce without the addition of a "light cream". Lastly, the special Spaghetti came with lobster, crab, and peas in vodka sauce. That one was definitely my favorite. While I do not love peas, the sauce was rich and flavorful. Across these last two dishes, I thought the pasta was a tad overcooked and could have been more al dente; the bucatini consistency was more inline with my preferences. Overall, I thought the food at Laboratorio Kitchen was above average, but that the service and atmosphere helped elevate the place. I would definitely consider going back to try some of their other dishes.

Had dinner here a few weeks ago and WOW Montclair really is not giving up its title for best food…read morecity anytime soon. We're still slowly working our way through local spots, and Brick + Dough was highly recommended to us. We started with garlic knots, bread, and fries, and honestly... 10/10 across the board. Everything was SO good. The fries especially are still living rent free in my head. We then split three pizzas, all of which were seriously incredible. The perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and crust, just absolutely nailed. We ended the night with cookies and ice cream, and I can confidently say this place will be seeing me again very, very soon. It might even end up replacing our current go-to pizza spot...

We came here for a dinner date with some friends and their dog. They were able to accommodate us…read moreoutside to be able to have the dog with us, which was very nice as we always look for outdoor spaces to be able to bring our furry friends. The service was nice, especially because even though we were the only table sitting outside, they were consistently coming out to make sure we were doing OK and had everything we needed. We ordered some garlic knots, which were good, it just seemed a little bit pricey to charge for the marinara sauce separately, which was not really outstanding nor something special, so I would recommend you skip it. We also ordered the chicken vodka Parm pie which was very good. The chicken was very crispy and the pizza was still delicious the next day when we had the leftovers. One of her friends is allergic to gluten, so it was very nice that they were able to accommodate for her. I do wanna point out that we have been to many places that offer gluten-free options and this is the first one I've been to that does charge you extra to make a gluten-free. In terms of price, it is very similar to the other places in Montclair but they do provide very good service and the ambience both outside and inside is very nice.

Went here for a birthday dinner and the ambiance was very nice and festive…read more For appetizers, we got the goat cheese with nuts and prosciutto, the burrata, and the calamari. The calamari was by far the best. It was crispy and thick and seasoned well and the sauces were delicious. There were some fried onions in it that were flavorful too. The goat cheese was okay, it felt like the flavors did not all go together. The burrata was very fresh and the starter bread is great too. For dinner we got the pork shank which I think was a special, the mushroom ravioli, the eggplant pasta with red sauce and the branzino special with veggies and a sauce. The mushroom ravioli tasted a little like mush to me and I was not a fan of the mushroom flavor. The eggplant pasta was delicious and it came with burrata that melted nicely into the pasta. The pork shank was tender and delicious. The branzino was the star for sure, it was flavorful and delicate and paired well with the sauce and the veggies. For dessert we got the pistachio tartufo and the tiramisu. I didn't think the tiramisu was very special but it wasn't bad. The tartufo was okay. It tasted like a pistachio chocolate ball inside of pistachio ice cream. It was also incredibly small for the price. Our waiter was fantastic!!! Great person who made our experience extremely special. I don't know if I would come back, maybe for the calamari and a drink. Some of the food is amazing and some is not that great.

The atmosphere was very nice. There was a violinist playing during dinner which made the ambiance…read moreeven better. I didn't have time to pick up a bottle of wine but the restaurant had a local store that delivered directly to our table, which was super convenient! My friend and I ordered appetizers and a main course. The food was plated nicely but was really underwhelming. I ordered the tuna tartar. The tuna was fresh but lacked flavor. It really just needed some salt or something. I also had the 14oz steak which was pretty good because it had some salt on it however the steak came out precut and did not look like a $58 steak. My friend hated both of her dishes. She had the burrata and the lasagna. She said they both lacked flavor. We paid over $200 for our meal and I was actually disappointed that I paid so much money for such mediocre food. I gave 3 stars for the atmosphere and service. Our server Julian was very nice and attentive.

10/05/2026 I (we) love anything "Robbie Felice" puts in…read morefront of us. We have visited 3 of his restaurants and it's clear this man has a flair for putting really great meals in front of you. This was only our second time visiting PR, but I'm sure it won't be our last. We hesitated coming because with our first time the music was a bit loud and with my hearing loss in one ear, just messes with my head. This time (my birthday) we were the first to arrive and had our choice of seating and the music was at a very nice level. Our server, Anijan (sp?) convinced us to try the 5 course Omakase, (chef's choice) although my wife and I had discussed the possibility before we came. I was a little afraid I would leave hungry, but that wasn't the case. Portions are not huge, but we were well satisfied when we left. I can't remember the all the finer points of these 5 wonderful dishes, but they were as follows: Porcini mushroom arancini, unagi gnocchi, shrimp scampi, porcini rubbed hanger steak with grilled fingerling potatoes and finally bao bun Zeppolis or mochi ice cream. (one of each) I was pleased that the room was at nice level of noise, but like I said, we were early on a Monday night. Anijan our server was very attentive and explained the wonderful dishes as they came out. This is a BYOB, which we love and will definitely help bring us back again, very soon.

First off I love this chef\owner's work. I've tried all his places here in NJ…read more that being said pastaRAMEN is very good, but now we're getting to a point where it's more about the VIBE than anything else. Don't get me wrong, the food we all tried here was good to excellent, but maybe we're headed into the direction of "the scene" rather than what we came there to do ( EAT!) and this is a BYOB so no cocktails or wine\beer program to talk about here. Great concept and a new FOODIE term out there " Wafu-Italian" which is a meld between Japanese & Italian ( heck, someone had to eventually invent it ) Street parking and a huge parking garage about 1 block away. There is no sign during the day at this restaurant; at night an overhead spotlight beams the name on the sidewalk; Considering the street # ( 13) is painted to blend in with the facade, we walked past the place 3 times before realizing this was it......Really? Is that supposed to make it seem like a "speakeasy \ in-the-know" kind of place. ( Hope not, it's pretentious if it was) Staff was great. Our waitress ( from Boston) was super helpful & friendly. Ambience is "city vibe". Splashes of paint here & there with plenty of black painted walls & Asian accents. (I personally am not a fan of bathrooms that are so blacked out anything could be in there with you..it's about maintaining a clean environment) THE FOOD---We tried many apps & entrees; Keep in mind the menu is altered frequently. I attached a pic of one from mid-August. Portions are fair\healthy. You'll be full, not stuffed. APPS...... -The Cucumber Salad is one of the freshest, best items on the menu. -The Porcini ( mushroom) rice-balls were ok; but not at 5 small ones for $40 -The clams on focaccia bread was very good. Need more focaccia for dunking! The sauce was killer! -The cacio & pepe Gyoza ( dumplings), just "meh". ENTREES... --the Miso Cod; is a dish I just love; very good example here --Hanger Steak Carbonara was good, nice mashed potatoes --Wagyu short rib also a "good" choice. ( yes, I mean JUST good) --the brothless Ramen Shrimp Scampi was the winner here. An excellent pasta dish full of flavor. Great choice. DESSERT... not here....plenty of coffee shops, etc in Montclair within walking distance. We were told no coffee ( only tea) and only 1 dessert ( a bao bun confection with Nutella & powdered sugar). How boring ! No coffee? Never heard of such a thing. and isn't EVERYONE doing a version of zeppoles in Nutella sauce these days. Really disappointed in this. Let's hope a few tweaks brings this new Felice outpost inline with some of the other restaurants he has.

Got off to a great start with the bread that was served was excellent, reminded me of Vitiello's…read moreand the butter, yes the butter served with the bread was outstanding!. Was not busy and service was very good. Was seated right away. Eggplant parm appetizer was some of the best I have had. Entrees were also delicious, my wife got the Skirt Steak special and I got the Snapper risotto special. Also they have Affogato for desert! Highly recommend and we mist definitely be back. Nice ambience and there are only like 20 tables so the ambience is upscale but comfortable.

Bucco is a true gem, and everyone I bring here falls in love with it and can't wait to come back…read more It's a small Italian restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and incredibly friendly, welcoming staff. The food is amazing, and they always offer several daily specials which makes choosing a dish delightfully difficult. Their tiramisu is outstanding, and according to my friend, it's one of the best she's ever had. This has become the best girls night place and a plus is they are also BYOB.

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.

Try the chicken parm Try the espresso martinis…read moreTry the fried calamari Try the ceasar salad Try the berries and cream Try the dirty martinis Try the straccatella soup Try the stuffed artichoke Try the fresh pasta Try the seafood dishes Try the veal Try the Sunday Sauce!! Try everything!!!!

We dined at Gioia Mia for their Valentine's Day pre-fixe dinner and overall had a lovely experience…read morewith a few highs and a couple misses. The evening started strong with bread that tasted house-made! I even took the leftover back! It was warm, crispy on the outside, soft inside, and perfectly buttery. Such a simple thing, but it set the tone beautifully. For my courses, I had the tuna tartare to start, followed by the spicy rigatoni. The rigatoni wasn't actually spicy, but the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The real surprise of the night was the eggplant parmigiana. It genuinely did not feel like I was eating eggplant. That dish was so well done that my husband who normally avoids eggplant completely devoured my plate. It was such a great substitute for chicken parm and easily one of the highlights of the night. Dessert, unfortunately, is where things fell short. We tried the red velvet pound cake and the mint chip gelato entremet. The chocolate crunch layer on the gelato was extremely hard and honestly it felt like it had come straight from the freezer and hadn't had time to thaw. The mint gelato itself tasted very much like fresh herb mint, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. To me, it just leaned more herbal than classic mint chip. Also that pound cake was a bit dry and again hard like it was from the refrigerator. There was live music for Valentine's Day, which was a nice touch in theory, but it felt more like a performance than background ambiance (unless that's what they are trying to go for). The singer was belting songs (for example, Lady Gaga's Shallow - which for the record I love that song!) however when sang tonight we had to raise our voices to talk. Softer, more subtle background music would have made for a more intimate dinner experience. Still an overall good meal, I'd come back for the entrees.

A little late with this review. I hate when I have to post a negative review,I am noy interested in…read morehurting the workers or ownership. I believe they need to hear the truth so they can quickly fix things. I have been in the business so I understand how difficult it can be. The menu is absolutely terrible! There is maybe 5-6 Apps,Almost no salads,and maybe 7 entrees. I went on a Saturday night,the inside was very nice and clean. The best thing on this night was how comfortable I was at the table,we went with like 8 people.Most places in Montclair will squeeze you in on top of people. I thought the Meatball app was horrible,the mussels were ok I just don't like spicy . The Calamari was ok. Like I said they didn't have a choice of a small salad for dinner. Can I at least get a Cesar salad? My entree was the Eggplant,I give it a 2 out of 5 it was pesto infused with marinara,WHY? Also I could not even get a side of pasta with marinara with my dinner ,the only choice was Cavatelli.This is a Italian restaurant and no sides of pasta. Not that it was a issue but our entrees came out at least 30 mins after the apps. They were not even busy. I don't see this place lasting the summer the way they do business. All the great ratings are because of the last owner/chef. Like I said I don't mean to hurt the business,I am truly trying to help. Work needs to be done on the menu!The prices were high while the portions were small.