Came here the other night with a group of people to celebrate some birthdays. The atmosphere of the place is great. You would never expect it from the outside. BYOB so thats a good start.. We ordered some apps.. The calamari was ok.. The cheese platter was pretty good.. Tried the long hots but they werent my favorite.. I had the salmon as my main dish. I loved my dish. It was a nice size and cooked perfectly. Tried the lamb chops and that was ok. We all shared a few desserts which were all good and satisfying. Overall, it was a good place. read more

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

Truly the best penne vodka I have ever had. I come back like ever week. I always ask for a little red pepper flakes with it and the chicken extra crispy. The chicken is always cooked to perfect whereas other places would make the chicken rubbery. The owner, waiters, and staff all together are very friendly. Also, you would never expect how wonderful the inside because of the outside. read more

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

BYOB with elegant ambiance. Calamari appetizer was prepared perfectly. Chilean Sea Bass was the dinner delicious and had cappacino and carrot cake for dessert. read more

On Father's Day weekend, the wife and I were looking last minute for a place to eat when Robert's Scratch Kitchen popped up on my phone as Hot and New which is just impossible to ignore, so I gave them a call and was happy to find out that they can accommodate my family even with the late notice (we were literally 15 minutes away, just a town over). Mind you, I didn't realize how classy the place was when I found it on yelp, and my family and I were a bit under dressed coming off a long day of shopping, just wearing shorts and t-shirts. However, when we arrived, Robert was there to greet us and was extremely nice, seating us right away and offering ideas on the menu, never once making us feel uncomfortable at all about our attire. Big plus for a higher end establishment that every single person is treated the same. As for the food, everything was excellent. Being a newer restaurant, there is bound to be some tweaks to the menu that will even make it better and I am looking forward to my wife and I coming back to try them again. read more

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Nice cozy restaurant in a small strip mall with decent size parking.....not bad at all for a Saturday night. My husband called and asked how busy it was (they said they would be able to accommodate us)....this was categorized in the hot and new and of course our curiosity took over us. Robert who my husband spoke to welcomed us right away when we walked in and sat us immediately. The service was excellent!!! I do rate them 4 stars because we paid a high amount of money for the kids to eat. They had fried pork chop and split it into 2 plates which was so nice of them. One had string beans and the other one had mashed potato but the meal cost us $29. I don't know if they will cater their restaurant to the kids, but the owner was nice enough to offer any dish to make for the kids, but it would be good to have a kids menu and have a decent price because kids don't eat as much as adults. The restaurant is definitely a perfect place for a date night or even for a nice bday dinner with a group of friends. Food is fresh and delicious. I had the scallops app in a light cream sauce. It needed a lil bit of more flavor....the lightness of the cream was yummy but just a tad bit of more flavor it would of been perfect. My pasta dish was a fettucini with a mascarpone light cream sauce with cherry tomatoes, shrimp and asparagus was excellent! The kids pork chops were perfectly cooked and the sides of string beans and mash were great. Here are some tips to know: - Specials and desserts are displayed as pictures on an Ipad but does not include the prices - Warm bread and butter is complementary - Always ask for suggestions, they are very helpful in deciding what to order - Located in the corner of a small strip mall - Call ahead or try to make reservations - They just opened on May 1st - BYOB!!!!! I would definitely come back with just the hubby. Robert and Jose took great care of us. Can't wait to try their other dishes. read more

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The service was phenomenal. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Every option on the menu has gluten free options, and after alerting the waitstaff to my girlfriends allergy, the owner came to the table himself to assure us that anything she wanted could be made gluten free. We had lobster bisque, stuffed clams, eggplant, short rib pasta, lava cake and affogato. Not a single complaint on any of the above. The food was excellent. I don't throw out 5 stars generously nor often, but this establishment is more than deserving. We will certainly be coming back, and given how enjoyable our experience was coupled with their accommodations for food allergies, we may just become their new regulars! read more

The food is always great here. Problem we had a few weeks Ago. Our reservation was for 6:00pm. We were rushed to place our appetize and dinner orders. Our dessert was served at 7:45. Bill put on the table at 7:50 and by 8:15 we were asked to get up as there were people waiting for the table. Worst was, the owner who was there sent a waiteess over to ask instead of him coming himself. She was beyond uncomfortable asking us to get up. When the reservation was made, we were not notified that we had a 2 hour limit at the table. Needless to say, they will never get my business again. read more

I have had better. I probably would give a 2.5 for at least what we ordered here. Was supposed to be Fried calamari with a side of special red sauce. Sauce is brown and they poured it on top for a delivery. By time it was delivered they were mush! Orecchiette was ok but didn't wow! Same with the scampi it was bland I put a seasoning on it to make it better. We looked on google and pictures were done by a professional making the food look different then what u get. See last three pics. read more

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Food is freshly made to order and delicious. Robert's takes food allergens very seriously and there are gluten free options for those with Celiac and Non Celiac gluten intolerance. Saturday's are very busy. They're also open for lunch. read more

We had reservations which is highly recommended. We were seated quickly. The ambiance is very nice, first time here. The waiters were very accommodating and friendly. The fried calamari app was absolutely amazing. The best ever! We had the broiled salmon and the linguine w clams for dinner which both were delicious. Definitely returning! read more

Went on Saturday night date with my wife and it was a great experience, from Jose to Danielle our waitress. My wife had branding and I had a great skirt steak. The use of iPad to show specials was a great touch and it made decisions. The closed in outdoor area was also very nice with tables the appropriate spacing as per COVID 19. Will definitely be back! Great job Robert! read more

Excellent Italian food. Also. very nice wait staff. Great place for a date. Not too crowded. Plenty of parking.

On a recent visit the food was pretty good. We like that they show pictures of it on a iPad. This was my second visit. Calamari appetizer was a nice size portion but had soy sauce making it quite salty. It was good but I've had better. A fish special that evening was $38 and the portion was quite small. The polenta was amazing. It was good and you can tell that they take pride in the ingredients and combinations/dishes but there's really nothing that would cause me to come back quickly. read more

Overpriced and service was okay. Corn chowder soup was great but veal chop was too big and nowhere near as good as a veal parmigiana meal you can get for at least half the price. Dessert ok coconut cake was as good as what you can get at any good supermarket. For these prices they need to dramatically up their game. read more

Robert's Scratch Kitchen is my go to for any meal when I visit northern NJ. Fully gluten free menu but the pasta can be subbed for regular or GF pasta! My celiac mind and belly were SO HAPPY with the phenomenal food and all of the options for me to not have to worry about gluten exposure. I've been there for both dine in and take out and the quality doesn't waver. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a delicious & high quality meal. read more

Great food with good prices for the quality. BYOB restaurant and very popular so it can get noisy.

Terrific restaurant!! We were a group of 7 celebrating a birthday. Beautiful food, excellent service. We will be back!

Perhaps, Robert, instead of offering up "Oscars" to customers who are shocked and disgruntled by the unsatisfactory and unprofessional exchanges you employ in the front end of your establishment, you might try, instead, offering respect, courtesy, and appreciation to those wishing to patronize your business. I am the mother of the family of six who wished to have four seated while we waited for the remaining two in our party. We conveyed to you that we would order multiple appetizers while waiting (surely cost effective at paying for the use of your table during that short period) and that the others were about twenty minutes behind due to the inclement weather. And yes, I am diabetic, as well as recovering from surgeries that included an amputation (did you notice the lower-limb disability?). The foyer where you had us wait had a small and occupied bench, and was being used by another group in the same predicament as us, a reserved party of six with four present, also having to wait for their remaining two before being shown to a table. One of them thoughtfully and immediately gave me their seat, and we chatted with each other about your rudeness and the foolishness of your policy while listening to your exchange with my son. It was was your exceptional lack of courtesy and your pomposity that made us decide, in that instant, to leave. That one evening cost you twelve seats, and since it was 8 pm on a rainy night, with your closing time being 9:30 and no walk-ins behind us, it is likely you felt the damage despite your claim otherwise. I should also point out that being crammed into that foyer with strangers violated the social distancing protocols of the times. As our business is also part of the food industry, we are, and have been, a direct participant in the struggles of restaurants throughout the Covid pandemic. We support the industry and acknowledge the challenges, and we would go out of our way to be accommodating in situations that become less than ideal due to supply shortages, employee shortages, rising costs, etc. We understand unavoidable service delays, price increases, even occasional deterioration of quality, however, rudeness and arrogance such as that displayed by you cannot be understood nor tolerated. Whether your food is amazing, mediocre, or awful does not matter; I am no longer interested in finding out. Many businesses similar to yours deserve success, and while we happily have come out of hiding to enjoy the pleasures of, once again, dining out and contributing to the well-earned profits of deserving establishments, we will never support any business whose owner is so enamored with his own ego that there is total disregard for those who contribute to his success. Particularly in the present circumstance and that of the last year-and-a-half, people (i.e. YOUR customers) want to feel that the human being they are engaging with, both personally and professionally, is grounded in the most basic components of politeness, kindness and human decency. read more

We couldn't wait to try this place. So many people recommended it and the overall reviews were good. Well, I was highly disappointed. For those prices I better be wowed. I did like the fried calamari appetizer and the dessert was decent. However, my main course, from the specials, was dry, vegetables were bland, food was not hot and honestly not really tasty. Portions were nothing to write home about. If you are going to charge me $30 for a pasta dish it better taste amazing. I've eaten at better places. Possibly an off night for the kitchen but I'm not planning on going back. read more

Went her with the girls and Wow.. when the Manhattan foodies love it you know it's a must go too We have so many different things from clams appetizer to veal chop to pasta and it was all Wow.. read more

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

Friendly staff and great food! We have brought family to this restaurant ( with dietary restrictions ) and everyone loved everything !

I had a solid experience at Robert's last week. Definitely solid. The staff was lovely, the food was good, and the overall experience was truly fine. I wouldn't say there were any superb highlights, but I'd highly recommend checking it out if you're GF. I'm not, but was impressed with the number of choices on the menu. Heads up, it's pretty tiny and a bit loud inside - good to know if you plan on going. read more

My boyfriend and I go out to different restaurants every weekend and this one was a great found. Friendly staff, great ambiance, clean and very romantic atmosphere. We also met the owner, Robert, who was extremely attentive and made sure we had the best service. It's also BYOB, to make it even better for wine lovers like myself. The food was delicious!! I had crab cakes as an appetizer and skirt steak as a main course. The steak was juicy and not over cooked. Everything was cooked to perfection. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. read more

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

My brother and I took my mother for lunch last week and everything was sensational! The service, food, ambiance were all 5 stars! I look forward to spending more time here! read more

3.5 stars to be exact. I really wanted to rate higher, but I felt it was kind of a mixed bag. Some things were really good, and some not so much. I'm willing to try it again as some things I really enjoyed, and would love to give it a higher rating. I was so impressed with how beautiful the restaurant was inside, and it super clean too! For appetizers we ordered the crab cakes and the burrata. The crab cakes are one of the reasons I couldn't bring myself to rate it 4 stars. They were horrible! We were extremely disappointed in them! They were full of breading plus they were really stiff, and they did not taste good at all! The burrata and the roasted peppers and tomatoes they came over were very good! For entrees we ordered the veal chop parmesan and the rigatoni in a truffle cream sauce with lobster meat. The rigatoni with truffle cream sauce was very good, and they were generous with the lobster meat in that entree! The veal chop parmesan was much too thick! There was so much breading that when I was cutting the veal I was actually just cutting breading! The breading to veal ratio was like 5 to 1! The tomato sauce was good, but not like the authentic kind you would find in an Italian restaurant. More like a good American style tomato sauce. The cheese was delicious, and it generously topped with it. That's pretty much what made it good overall, but not great. For desserts we chose the coconut cake and the peanut butter chocolate cake. The coconut cake was delicious! The peanut butter chocolate cake would of been really good, but it tasted either stale or too refrigerated tasting. The cake part tasted too dried out. All the dishes came out really fast, and one thing we didn't like is that the waiter was too quick to pick up a plate if you were done. For instance I was still eating my dinner, and he already picked up the other entree plate that was finished. The waiter should wait till both people are finished before they clean up any plates! He came over multiple times to try to clear my plate while I was eating, and we felt rushed! There was barely anytime between courses to fully enjoy our meal there. One thing I thought was unique there was they showed what all the specials and desserts looked like on an iPad. That's a great idea, and it can make choosing what to order much easier. I'd still like to come back as some things we did enjoy. read more

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The food is phenomenal! I've been there for holidays and parties and it's amazing. It's a BYOB and you should definitely try it. The menus change either season but everything we have tried there is well made and fresh. I read more

This is probably the only restaurant that uses an iPad and photos of its specials. I find that helpful and cool. They ask upfront about food allergies which again is very helpful for those with allergies. I have been here twice and had an okay experience. The food was decent. The times that I went was for a quick lunch but service was always good. This place is located in an unassuming but small strip mall with plenty of parking. read more

Ate dinner with two friends from work on a weekday. Service was excellent. I had the chicken arriabata (so?) which was very tasty and a bit on the hit and spicy side. Would definitely return. read more

I am not one to write negative reviews and I have never done this before but this time I feel it is warranted. Wednesday evening my friends and I had dinner at Robert's Scratch Kitchen in Totowa. I had been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time and was eagerly anticipating this dining experience. Out of the six of us, one couple had been there several times and really enjoyed it. This time, that was not the case with me, my husband or the man who had been there before. First let me say that I was quite surprised when I entered the restaurant. I expected a no frills simple decor based on the outside, but inside the restaurant was quite beautiful. We got seated at our round table in the corner which was perfect. The waiter, who was lovely, took our orders when we were ready and the problem arose when we got our entrees. My friend and I both ordered pork chop dishes and my husband ordered blackened cod which was not good because it was not blackened. The pork chops were so dry that it was hard getting it down. My friend mentioned it to the waiter and he did ask if we wanted something else but at this time everyone was more than halfway finished. Then we ordered dessert, which was good, paid the bill and left. At the least, someone from the kitchen (the owner or chef) should have come out to speak to us. My friend had questioned the waiter to make sure that he relayed our situation to the kitchen. He said that he had. The fact that no one came out from the kitchen, (and there were only a few tables occupied) no adjustment was made to the bill or any complimentary dessert offered made the whole dining experience even more disappointing. read more

We were at Robert Scratch Kitchen Saturday night. Juan was fantastic as our service. The food and the whole staff was great as usual.

I am absolutely obsessed with this place! My boyfriend has a pretty tough diet to adhere to, and this is the ONLY place that will make food that tastes good and adheres to his restrictions. So thankful for the chef and the amazing service! read more

I've been here several times and the service is great and I like the high tech menus but the food is usually just ok. Many friends of mine love this place so I must be ordering the wrong menu items. read more

Been here a couple of times and the food is always fresh and delicious! The owner Robert is super nice. Love this quaint little place!

I don't know why it took so long for me to try this place but so happy I finally did! First positive of course, BYOB. Staff is on point and so attentive. Owner was around the restaurant greeting and overseeing everything. This restaurant may be the cleanest restaurant I've ever dined at (this is important for me lol) Food was PHENOMENAL! Every bite had flavors exploding with taste. Prices reflect quality of the food. Can't wait to go back! read more

I was really expecting this place to be a lot better based on the reviews and recommendations. The atmosphere was very nice. Parking was easy. We came for a Monday night dinner so it wasn't busy. We ordered a bunch of apps. I'm not into fried calamari, but did enjoy it. I liked the ginger soy sauce and there was a lot of meat, not all breading. The long hot peppers were OK, it was weird they came over french fries. The special stuffed mushrooms were super duper bland. The cheese platter was weak, not much going on there and strange presentation. The house salad tasted like a salad you would get at a wedding, but more wilted. I tasted my company's salmon and it wasn't bad. I ordered the lamb chops and I didn't realize they came with breadcrumbs - it was way too salty. I would have much preferred a clean meat with nothing on it. read more

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We had an 8 pm dinner reservation for 4. We waited over 1 hour to be seated. Once seated (after 9 pm), we were more than a little hungry. We attempted to order an appetizer to take care of the hunger pains BUT we were told we had to place our entire order at once. They would not allow for an appetizer while deciding on our entrees. The 1 hour delay may have been out of their control BUT making an exception to their ordering policy, certainly was not. Needless to say this put a damper on our dining experience & ruined our friend's birthday celebration. Our party of 4 agreed that we'd never return. Food was okay. read more

Great place for an intimate dinner or a five star take out. The place is small and cozy. The staff is nice and great. Everything I have tired is delicious. read more

Food is great and the owner is very nice. He came up to each table and made sure he asked how everything was and chatted with us for a bit.

This place is AMAZING. We went last night for dinner to try it out to potentially use as for our rehearsal dinner. My fiancé who is the pickiest when it comes to food said he was blown away by EVERYTHING! We had the special appetizer of tomato, mozz, eggplant with truffle and balsamic, it was unreal. The mushroom rigatoni I could eat every day, I think it is the best pasta dish I probably ever had & my fiancés chicken was equally amazing. Whether we are able to make our rehearsal here happen or not we will definitely be back for another date night!! The staff was also attentive and so very kind & our cannoli dessert was amazing! read more

Very good food, the stuffed chicken was delicious but the potatoes were a bit undercooked. Service was phenomenal and I would go back there for the cannolis alone. Atmosphere was pretty lax and at times loud but not bothersome. read more