Fantastic meal, cozy spot, totally fair prices, BYOB. I'd be perfectly content coming here once a week for the rest of my life. So much attention to detail by the staff and chef made for a great experience. I really enjoy how they show you the specials on an iPad in a picture format as a picture speaks 1000 words. It was clear the staff was committed to the overall mission of offering a great evening for their customers. Looking forward to going back and working my way through this menu read more

See all

Service was good Restaurant is nice inside Food was disappointing I think kitchen having issues read more

sadly I had a ring of plastic in my mouth that I was glad I caught it before I swallowed it and choked. when I showed it to the waiter he basically said oops I'll take it off the bill not realizing that I was a lawsuit sitting there and fortunate for them I didn't swallow it but swirled in my around in my mouth and was able to spit it out and see what it was management did not take it seriously enough probably one of the more serious things that has happened to me in a restaurant it goes beyond careless read more

guests watch your belongings. reporting theft july 25 ,2024, Friday 1pm my mother's 90th birthday celebration,party of 12. we were the only people in the restaurant. the only FOH staff were two male servers. no host,no owner manager, two other people ,kitchen(?) came in & out briefly into dining room. one couple brought a gift bag with an envelope ,containing an envelope and a bottle of wine,which was placed on the ledge directly behind the table. it was forgotten behind ,left on the ledge. my mother called to inquire,as did my sister. four different calls, each time ,whoever answered ,claiming no gift bag or bottle of wine was seen. fortunately the envelope had a check,no cash,so a stop payment was made.our lovely guest came with another check and bottle of wine to my mother's house. addendum to owners response: i dare!dare! to post the facts. i did not accuse you, or anyone in particular of lying or thieving. you were not even there,and this review was my first interaction with the digital you. i merely stated the facts. the racist one may be you sir, as i am ecuadorian, and yes i am aware your waiter is colombian as he & i had a pleasant conversation after i recognized his accent as being from medellin. great service ,very polite. what will be your next aspersion to cast in our direction? that our table hates colombians because your waiter is colombian? and now we are going down the wrong ,dark pathway of divisive ignorance. back to the path of logic... abate your emotions and consider my statements as the facts for what they are. apply logic into the occurrence of which i am describing. your statement about another review regarding similar occurrence,makes no sense, there is always a first time. is it possible one of our guests took the "check" ,why you put the word check in in parentheses i dont know, i suppose one or all of us at the party may be experiencing age related memory loss, with a touch of kleptomania? we have all known each other going back sixty years or more,all of us ecuadorian by the way. so if you like you may accuse one of us of age related behavior. the event happened,is all i am saying. i dont know if you have cameras, but they are a worthwhile investment. having them avoids silly run on communications like the one you are reading right now, lol in closing , everyone @ the party enjoyed the food and service, Still,too bad about the missing 'check' & 'wine' bottle. i happened to shoot a video of the party that day,the gift bag& bottle can be seen by the ledge ,see screenshot below owner's reply. read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - by the curtain, on the ledge i took a video . - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

There are very few things I miss from NJ besides friends and one of them is Robert's Scratch Kitchen. We love this place and we're so happy to see it's still thriving since we moved 3 years ago. As the name implies everything is made from scratch. Besides the fresh ingredients and the incredibly great flavorful dishes they also have the best specials menu I have ever seen. And this says a lot bc I eat out often. The specials are photographed daily and shared on an iPad. Nothing is more mouthwatering than seeing the specials. After all, we eat with our eyes. I promise you will not be disappointed. It's a BYO and for the high quality food it is very reasonably priced. It is still one of my favorite in the area and don't hesitate try it out. Make a reservation on a weekend. And I promise you will not be disappointed. The food and service are fantastic! And of course you know me...I go places for the dessert. They also have amazing dessert options. I love their cheesecake and I am not a big fan of cheesecake. Pros: Excellent food Really interesting dishes Fun flavors Something for everyone including kids and large groups Great service Cons: Only that I moved cross country and cannot go here weekly! read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Orecchiette with baby shrimp and spinach - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

Excellent! Great service, food & experience. Highly recommend. BYO and on line reservations are a bonus!

In a crowded north Jersey dining environment, Robert's Scratch Kitchen stands apart. Attention is paid to the most minute details. There are menu items you don't find in typical restaurants. And it's BYOB! read more

RSK has set a new standard of fine dining in NJ for me. A meal like this, you would expect in a Michelin star restaurant for $150/plate. The restaurant itself reminds me of old school Italian fine dining (think the Rat Pack days). It has beautiful details throughout, especially the ceiling, I LOVED the touches. It's not a huge space but has a private party section and it feels spacious when seated. As mentioned above, the food is outstanding. I love that you can customize any meal because it's made fresh on site. The lobster rigatoni (no mushrooms for me), was incredible. The calamari appetizer was tender and not super deep fried which was a great spin. For dessert, I ordered the coconut cake and I tell you- there isn't much I wouldn't do to eat this cake again! This is a restaurant you HAVE TO TRY for yourself. It's an incredible date night and I love that they don't do cheesy menus for holidays. I highly recommend coming here. read more

See all

This was our first time at RSK. The food, the service, the ambience were all outstanding, Bonus, most of the menu Is gluten-free. We ordered the meatball salad, crab-stuffed shrimp, which was a special, the filet mignon, which was utterly impeccable, and diver scallops, The weight staff were very patient--did not rush us, and were very polite and accommodating. Will be back. It was a great experience. read more

See all

Had liked food here till last visit. Got there after 7:30. Ordered rice with red sauce. Sauce must have been reducing for hours and was too salty to eat. They took it off the bill but I was disappointed because they should have taken care to adjust the sauce before serving. That's a no brainer. read more

small nice spot. Few tables outside as well BYOB. Good service. Good food. Portions are good and the price won't hurt your wallet. Overall i really liked this place. read more

See all

My husband and I randomly stopped into Roberts Scratch Kitchen the other night on our way home from Pennsylvania after only pulling off the highway to get gas. We are so happy we did! What an amazing experience, the service was phenomenal. The servers were great and attentive and the owner Robert was so friendly and welcoming it felt as though we had met him before. The food looked so good based off the menu we didn't know what to decide, Robert came over with a few suggestions and took our order for us. To start we ordered the Short Rib appetizer, this came with potato chips to scoop the fall off the bone short rib which was delicious. We then got the Pumpkin Ravioli special which came with shrimp roses in vodka sauce, by far one of the best ravioli dishes I've eaten. As our entree my husband and I split the on the bone Pork Chop Parmigiana special with vodka sauce and a side of penne. It was so big my husband and I thought we accidentally ordered 2 of them and instead they just split the plate for us. Even though we don't live too close we will make it a point to stop here anytime we are driving past in the future. read more

See all

RSK is a top notch Gluten-Free dining experience. It's no surprise that RSK is our daughter's favorite restaurant due to her Celiac Disease. You would never know that RSK is a GF restaurant specializing in serving Celiac Disease patrons. The quality food served there is for all patrons alike. My wife last weekend held our daughter's Bridal Shower there for @ 40 guests and as promised Robert, the owner and his fantastic staff exceeded our expectations as well as our guests. Waiters Jose and his colleague were spot on to make certain the guests were taken care of for the 4+ hours they were there. The food is amazing, fresh and served in generous portions. The quality remarkable and as Robert, the owners tells us, his daughters are Celiac disease so there lies his passion. Nevertheless, whether you're GF or not, you may be hard pressed to secure a dinner reservation since this is certainly a 'hot spot' for the local diners. I would highly recommend that you call Robert and make a reservation for a fabulous dinner, you can thank me later. To Robert and his staff, our family thanks you for an incredible Bridal Shower last weekend, family and friends are still raving about it. You were very accommodating to us from start to finish. read more

Another great dinner, with good service and amazing food. New spring menu. Appetizer - We had the fried calamari as last time but this time it had a ginger dipping sauce. The sauce was slightly sweet and savory with lots of umami flavor to it. Mine - Fra diavolo with angry shrimp - gluten free. At first I thought it wasn't spicy enough until it hit me. Deliciously spicy without overwhelming the dish. His - Shrimp scampi. I didn't try it because he got regular pasta. I was told it was very good (man of few words). One thing that was noted that it was not oily as scampi sometimes is, which is a good thing. Desserts - I was so excited to see cannoli! Until I was told it was not gluten free. My husband who loves cannolis ordered it anyways (selfish). He raved about the cannoli filling and guess what?! Robert brought me some of the filling alone so I could try. DELICIOUS! Creamy, chocolatey as it should be and not overly sweet. Chocolate mousse cake - the mousse was great, the chocolate on top was too hard to cut through with a dessert spoon, it kept pushing the mousse out through the sides as I tried to spoon it. And when I got to the cake... it was dried. A bit sad but the flavors were there just the concept wasn't very well composed. read more

See all

It was our first time here and everything was great! The fried calamari was very good. We had penne vodka with chicken, chicken arabiata which was a summer special. Short rib pasta and I had the branzino. Everything was so tasty that we had to try dessert. We had the blueberry cheesecake and lava cake both didn't disappoint. Our waitress was very nice and even though she was alone the service was still great. The atmosphere was nice too, wouldn't have expected it from the outside read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Short rib pasta - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

See all

Mixed bag. I so wanted to like this place. . Some dishes good other blah and chicken parm was burnt and covered with sauce to hide it. Service was great but food missed the mark. One fish dish was good others blah to bad. Was expecting more not worth the trip or price . I would not likely go back read more

Many rushes are gluten free and they have a lot of flavor. They have gluten free dinner rolls that are very good considering they are gluten free. I had the brushed short ribs with gluten free gnocchi. At was delicious. My wife had grilled shrimp over pasta and she said it was also delicious. The service was also excellent. read more

It's my favorite place to eat. Veal chop parm!!!!!!!! Rob's team does a great job with the service and the food is always consistently delicious. BYOB scores extra points! read more

What a pleasant experience (after not returning since 2019 after moving 15 miles away and 3 yrs of various health issues)! Starting with the greeting by the lovely Nicole, the perfect, friendly hostess to start the night. Cordial greeting by the person explaining the Specials and opening the wine. Then, we were lucky enough to be greeted by one of the most friendly, efficient waitresses we've ever had (Danae). Caesar Salad was perfect. The Appetizer we wanted was made possible, appreciatively, by the Chef - the Shrimp Beeps but with the tastiest garlic & oil sauce (I also asked for no salt or spice). A substantial amount at a reasonable price (as compared to all the places we order it). It had a certain grilled taste I've only tasted one other place, yet as tender and perfectly cooked as could be. My friend liked her Branzino (but she's picky and didn't like/need the toppings on it)(She likes SEAR, Little Falls, Branzino the best) . I loved my Grilled Veal Chop with a very good wine reduction sauce. We didn't order dessert. My friend ordered her Macchiato but she's used to a smaller, stronger blend (Nicolas has the best) but it was ok. All-in-all, it was an unexpected pleasurable evening. A friendly staff and accommodating chef goes a long way! We will be back! read more

Really excellent food and service. Portions are generous, and I appreciate the dim lighting for a nice date.

I feel like a real person, and so does my husband!! I read some reviews saying that the restaurant could accommodate gluten free needs and celiac, but I wasn't sure what that meant. We arrived and asked for the menu.... And the owner said that everything can be made or is already gluten free because his two daughters have celiac. The pastas aren't listed gf, but they can be substituted. We were thrilled. We were seated in the corner, and we could see the entire place from our seats. Very quiet and lovely atmosphere. We could hear ourselves over lunch!! We were served gf bread to start with butter and olive oil. Again, I felt normal! We started by ordering the fried calarami. I haven't had fried calarami since my husband's diagnosis. It had a little less crisp than the original, but the flavor was fantastic. The marinara sauce on the side was even better. I wish we had ordered 5 dishes of it! My husband got the grilled chicken sandwich, which was delicious. His side of potato wedges were even better. I ordered the breaded chicken with the balsamic salad. My breaded chicken was good ( I did love the salad), but I wish I had gotten my husband's sandwich. We were offered gf and non-gf dessert and tea/coffee, but we were too stuffed to try them out. I will definitely be going back to try more on the menu. This was an absolute treat and somewhere I highly recommend, gluten free or not. read more

See all

Food is always fresh and Bob is simply a great host Servers are very knowledgeable about the dishes read more

I love this place! Solid food. Staff is great. Menu changes with seasons. BYOB. Grab your favorite bottle of wine or 2 and enjoy an amazing meal. The pasta of any kind is cooked perfectly. Make reservations! read more

See all

My husband and I very recently met friends here for a late Saturday dinner. We had never heard of it before but looked at the menu online and it sounded great! We were so excited to try it. It was very small inside, very dark and very loud. The decor was old and dated. However, if the food is amazing I can overlook all of that. Our waiter and all of the staff where attentive, friendly, knew the menu, eager to help... That was really wonderful and refreshing! We started with many appetizers; fried calamari (very good), stuffed mushrooms (watery & bland), rice ball (very good), shrimp stuffed with crabmeat (fishy, not fresh & bland), shrimp beeps (fishy, not fresh & way too spicy), sausage, potato & long hots (very good). While all the apps came out LOOKING delicious, unfortunately they didn't all taste that way. Nothing is more upsetting to me than seafood/shellfish that isn't fresh and tastes fishy and bad. Robert's Scratch Kitchen claims to be the home of the CHOP on their website and features a picture of their large bone-in butterflied veal chop parm. I had to have it! My husband and I were going to split it. As soon as I cut into it the texture was off. Very soft and mushy. No crispy outer coating from the fried breadcrumbs. Just complete soft, mush. Took my first bite and as the fork was getting close to my mouth I smelled something off, and then once it entered my mouth I tasted something off. The veal was far from fresh and in the process of going bad. Then my husband smelled and tasted it just to make sure it wasn't just me. He had the same experience I did. The veal was bad and the breadcrumbs soggy & mushy. We told the waiter and sent it back and had it removed from the bill. Huge disappointment to say the least. My husband asked for a Caesar salad instead thinking they can't screw a salad up. He was wrong! It was over dressed and mushy as if it had been sitting in the dressing pre-mixed for hours. We ended our time there with cappuccino's (very good), bread pudding (dry & bland) and apple crumb cake topped w/ ice cream (cake was not hot or even warm and tasted just ok). Between the bad seafood and veal, both my husband and I wound up sick for the next 24 hours. We will never go back to Robert's Scratch Kitchen. read more

A total gem. I have driven past this place for years thinking its a regular little place. I was then invited here and was wowed. I had no idea this place was this beautiful and fanciful inside. The outside signs and lights quickly turned into beautiful wall decor, art, fresh linens, and heavy table settings. We ordered apps, wine and entrees and enjoyed everything. It was a full house so the tables seemed pretty close, at one point the conversations joined, luckily the others were super cool. Will certainly return. Also plenty of convenient parking available. read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Inside - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

Don't let the strip mall fool you. This place is phenomenal! Inside has the appearance of fine dining. Everyone in our party enjoyed the entire meal. My wife had the short ribs over pasta-terrific. I had the lobster dish, fantastic. Danielle our waitress was very pleasant and attentive. If you're looking for a great night out, Robert's is a hidden gem and a great place to go. read more

My wife, my son (28yo) and I went out for an early Valentine's Day celebration. They are gluten-free (I am not) and they heard you can get most everything on the menu in a GF version. Well, we all had a spectacular meal! My wife wanted the calamari appetizer, which I generally wouldn't order, but these were the best I've ever had -- slightly crunchy, with a terrific texture -- not at all chewy. We had goat cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and they were excellent! Also had the appetizer "meatball salad" which was a giant Italian style meatball (gluten free, of course) served with a dollop of ricotta and some salad. I wished there was more ricotta, but the taste was almost as good as my own! For dinner I had the butterflied veal chop, which was served "Parmesan Style" -- it was an enormous plate of food -- enough for two meals (I took half home). My son had the short rib over pasta (very good, but a little greasy), and my wife had one of the fish specials and loved it! Dessert was just as good -- the cherry cheesecake (GF), the chocolate cake (non-GF), and the carrot cake (GF) were all excellent. The coffee could have been hotter, but that's nitpicking. Anyway, we agreed to go back real soon!! We definitely recommend Robert's, especially if you are looking for excellent gluten free meals. It's pretty pricy, but worth it! read more

Went here for our anniversary, second time visiting. Nice decor and ambiance...I want to love this place but... Calamari appetizer was just OK, portion is good, batter and taste was below average. Beet salad appetizer was downright nasty - greens were wilted and didn't seem or taste fresh. Main courses were really good - Pork chop special was excellent as was the filet mignon. We skipped dessert. Service aims to please and be above average but they forgot to bring bread - remedied by us asking for some. Give it a try, see what you think. Appetizers - 2 stars Main Courses - 4.5stars Service - 4 stars Overall - 3.5 stars read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Sea Bass & Risotto - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

See all

Very good place. I've been meaning to come for years and finally made it last night. Ambiance is very nice. Service is very good. We like that they show you the food in the tablet for specials and dessert. Also good marketing for them. Who looks at pictures of dessert and then doesn't order something? Haha. For appetizers we had the meatball salad and the shrimp. Both very good. Prob my favorite course actually. For dinner I had the cod teriyaki special. I like mine best out of everyone's o tried at the table. Mom had the broiled salmon and my boyfriend had the filet. My brother had the veal saltimbocca special but I didn't try that because I don't like veal. He said it was great. For dessert we had the coconut cake and cannolis. The cake was a little too sweet for me. I preferred the cannoli. Overall really good experience. I did 4 stars rather than 5 because although everything was good I wouldn't say it was memorable or fantastic. I would like to come back and try a pasta dish. Maybe that will take it to 5 stars next time. Im hoping! read more

See all

Wowza! This restaurant is exceptional! Unbelievable that everything on the menu is gluten-free. The only exception is the pasta, and that can be substituted for a GF version. My family had smiles all around with every course. They even offer GF rolls, warm and straight from the oven. For apps, we shared the fried calamari and short rib fries. Such a treat for celiac, as it's hard to find calamari that's not breaded as well as potatoes that aren't cross contaminated. Calamari was tender and flavorful. The balsamic glaze added a nice balance, and the tomatoes were a bruschetta style. The short rib came apart with a fork. I'd have preferred the spanish-style potato chips to have been a touch crisper, but still so good. I went with the seafood risotto. The flavor was spot on, with a generous mix of clams, shrimp and mussels. You know it's delicious when you're uncomfortably full, but can't stop eating. Everyone else went with a special. Arctic char, delicious. Lamb shank osso bucco, fall apart tender. Swordfish cooked spot on. Plates came up just short of polished off, as there's just so much room for food. The service was polite and attentive. The food couldn't have been better. Parking easy and plentiful. BYO Simply no room for dessert, but we had a birthday cake waiting at home anyway, so the ride home was perfect for digestion. Unfortunately they had no bathroom facilities available for just that night, as there was some sort of maintenance issue. Thankfully, that wasn't an issue. Dinner for 4 was about $200. A touch high, but the food was simply spectacular. I'll definitely be back. read more

My friend and I wanted to meet up at a place halfway between our homes, so we chose this place based solely on geographical location. It was a lovely restaurant, nice decor and very clean. The lunch menu had many great options as well. We enjoyed the shrimp with quinoa. It was a good portion size, fresh tasting and delectable. I would definitely go back one evening to try their dinner menu as well. The area is sort of in a strip mall, so you need to drive. Not a "walkable" location. But good solid meals served in a lovely ambiance. read more

My experience at Robert's was a 5 star experience from start to finish. I called to make last minute reservations for my birthday (December 24) and was greeted on the phone by the owner! When we got there the restaurant had a warm and cozy feel which is exactly what I wanted on my birthday. The food was great, service was EXCELLENT! Bring your own bottle (as much and whatever you like). We ordered steak, salmon and one of our party members even ordered lamb! Bill came up to $140 for 4 People for just entrees which was great for the quality of food! They change menu by the season so I can't wait to see what they have in store for Spring! Best restaurant I've ever been to in New Jersey, hands down. See you guys soon read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Filet Mignon, Roasted Potatoes - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

See all

I loved it. I finally made it here and I'm so glad I did. There were 4 of us and we all loved our meal. It's a seasonal menu. Robert comes over with a tablet and you get to visually see pictures of the specials, which I think is a great idea. He even offered us to sample a special that we were indecisive about. He stops by regularly to check on things to make sure we are happy with everything. There was an fiochiette pasta entree special, which he recommended that we all shared as an appetizer, which we did, as well as the goat cheese salad and balsamic fried calamari. All excellent. He currently has a short rib with homemade pasta, melt in your mouth. The lobster pasta, excellent, as well. The coconut cake for dessert didn't disappoint either. Airy, light and a lot of flavor. I can't wait to go back. read more

See all

Service was very good. Food was just Ok and came out barely warm. Based on the prices, I thought the portions were undersized. It was a very busy Friday night so maybe the kitchen was overwhelmed. My wife did not enjoy her chicken special, veggies were steamed with no flavor. Some great reviews, so maybe an off night, but doubt we will return to find out. read more

RSK had superb service. Our waiter, Jose, was amicable and always made sure we were well taken care of. Dinner specials were shown on an iPad, which is great so you don't have to wonder what the dish is going to look like. We both got the filet mignon entree. Really enjoyed the smooth, garlicky mashed potatoes and crispy asparagus sides. The filet mignon had a top-notch light, woodsy mushroom sauce. I typically have gotten filets cooked medium well, but regret ordering it that way; it was a bit too well done for me, but it was still good. Got cannolis to go. Wonderful treat to end the night. read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Filet mignon with asparagus and mashed potatoes. - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

See all

OMG! YOU HAVE TO GO HERE! It's BYOB, which my boyfriend and I love. We were greeted, sat, served and well taken care of by Robert himself. The passion he has for his food is so apparent. What he does, which is smart and snags you, is that he shows you the daily specials and desserts in pictures on a tablet. I mean come one! How can you resist! He made sure our glasses were always full, that we were happy the whole time and enjoying the food. And oh my, that food was spectacular! He changes his menu seasonally, except the meatball salad and veal chop which we ordered, so there's always going to be new options to choose from. The meatball salad..yum. The veal chop was huge. It was pounded thin, breaded and served parmigiana style with penne. That was my boyfriends meal. I had the short ribs over home-made pasta and that was phenomenal as well. The dessert slide show sold us on a chocolate cake. Between the superb hospitality from Robert and his wife (?) -she was a sweetheart too, and the food, we will definitely be making this one of our regular spots. Robert, phenomenal job. Keep up the great work. Thank you for having us. (I wish I would've gotten more pics but here's the veal chop and the chocolate cake) read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

See all

Wow amazing food, amazing service, food presentation was on point, you have to order all at once but they bring it separate, go check them out read more

A must try! A few things I love about this place: 1. Seasonal menu so items are always fresh! 2. Great specials and they show pictures as the waiter describes the dish which makes you want all of them 3. BYOB 4. Great service 5. Absolutely delicious food! I can't wait to go back and try more dishes. For apps we had the rice balls(special) and an arugula salad. Meals I had the salmon which was so tasty. My friends had the cod and lobster pasta ( both were specials and both they said were delicious). Dessert we had to get the chocolate peanut butter mousse cake (those pictures on the ipad really are a selling factor). I could have ate three more! If you are in the Area, this place is a must try. They also have a nice tent area set up with heaters inside. read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen - Chocolate peanut butter mousse cake! - New American Near Me - Totowa, New Jersey

The food is disgusting i've been there twice both times was disgusting The food has no taste. The only thing that it's good is the service. I would recommend it. Read all the reviews before you go to this place. Zero rating. read more

I've been here three times now. Service is great, but the food is average at best. There are so many amazing options in the area for great Italian food, but unfortunately, this place misses the mark read more