Service food and atmosphere are perfect. Prices are on point and the quality is excellentread more

First visit was a few summers back and we absolutely loved it…read more "I think we found our new favorite place to keep coming back to!" (But time can be slippery and it took a bit longer than expected for a follow-up visit.) I'm happy to report that first time was not a fluke and this place IS worthy of putting into steady rotation*. (* - if money's not an issue) I'm boring - both visits I went with the (homemade) pasta specials and they were incredible. The Mrs. is equally boring and got the branzino each time. (And loved it both times.) One kid tried the (gulp, $60) steak special and kept raving about it. (Well, he wasn't keen on the zucchini but what teen really digs that veg, right?) The other kid loves bolognese and was happy with their version. A lovely small and warm restaurant. Limited menu with a handful of specials. It's not cheap. (A wee bit over $50 a person and we didn't get appetizers or dessert and only had sparkling water.) BYOB. (Limited) street parking. The host/owner - you won't find a more inviting and personable figure who is clearly proud of what he's created. Is a part of me tempted to dock a few stars because the owner was happy to see one of my kids wearing an AC Milan jersey the day before they were set to clash with my team, AS Roma? Of course! (But that match ended in a 1-1 draw so I'll be nice... this time!)

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.

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!!!!

Outstanding!!! I've seen this place of my Facebook feed…read more. Several Videos of the food. So on this day I told my wife Let's try it out First No Reservations Second CASH ONLY... The place was packed for 7pm on a Saturday We had to wait for a lil while which was fine After we were seated our server Lauren with a great attitude We got Bread & Escarole salad to start Then ordered Shrimp Beeps Fried Shrimp in a mild spicy sauce which I cleaned up with the bread Chicken Murphy One of the crispiest & seasoned fowls we ever had in our lives!!! Spaghetti Giuliano With Shrimp Scungilli Clams in a red sauce Cavatelli with Pot Cheese Delicious flavor in a lil Marinara sauce Chicken Savoy Chicken in a vinegar sauce which I needed more bread to soak it up There are no Desserts You can bring your own & they have Big Espresso Pot for $25 Or lil one for $20 5/5 Fuhgeddabouits!! Thus is a must try The owner & all staff very friendly As I was leaving the owner was seated to eat I went over to tell how much we enjoyed the food They were eating the clams oreganato They asked if I ordered it I said no They made me eat one Which was delish!!! So I suggest to make the trek to Bloomfield NJ like I did from Staten Island

Food. Never heard of a place without meatballs when ordering spaghetti. New one on me…read more So went with shrimp...but mistake. Obviously frozen as it had various flavors mixed into it...dry and stringy Service was poor. Sat at the bar for around q0 mins until the bartender was done talking with friends only to be told no food at the bar. Service slow..for me. Fast if you are a regular. Their mistake. No music. One lone TV. I'm sure there are better dishes but the service put me off. Not coming back. Life is too short and too many other places to try. Try to get the thin blonde as she hustles If you're a regular..good for you. If you're not..try the places. It's ok

I highly recommend this place!! or a few dishes that I really like and service is really good!!!read more

The chef, Giuseppe, loves what he does and you can experience that love in his dishes. Always a…read moregreat experience here and the bar next door gives you options if you're in the mood for a cocktail or two - Giuseppe's will hand you a separate bill for your bar tab. Works for me!

It's really 3.5, but I'll round up. Bella Luce is right on Franklin Ave, next to a municipal…read moreparking lot. The decor is very attractive , and there is a large very nice bar. The service was not particularly welcoming, but was efficient. As for the food, we ordered Antipasto, Caesar Salad, Pork Chop w/ Peppers and Potatoes, Stuffed Shrimp w/ Lobster and Crabmeat in Lemon Sauce, and Mixed Chocolate Cheesecake. The best dish was probably the Antipasto. This was a beautiful selection of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Except for the oddly bland olives, this was delicious. The Caesar Salad was pretty standard. The Pork Chop looked very impressive. This was a very hearty portion. My husband thought it lacked a bit of flavor, but was otherwise fine. The Shrimp were a bit disappointing. The stuffing was rather bland, and the sauce had no acidic punch from the lemon. Honestly, I feel like I could have had the same dish at a diner, and not paid $39 for it. The Cheesecake was very rich and tasty. Overall, the meal was fine, but it is quite pricey. I'm not sure that it was worth the money, so I would hesitate to return.

Let me say right up front, I'm going to try and be as respectful as I can with my review. That…read moresaid... Came here on a Saturday night when they had entertainment (the guy from Jersey Boys, sorry I don't know his name.) 1) The JB guy shows up with a karaoke machine and does a few songs, which were nice. But then turns the mic and machine over to 2 drunked up chicks who dominated the night with their slurred off key singing, and for a good part of the time too! Um, I didn't pay for this. Which brings me to... 2) Dinners were up charged because of the "entertainment," which we don't mind. But I didn't expect to pay extra for 'drunk Saturday night karaoke.' So we quickly ate our dinners and left, which was a shame. 3) The service was good. I don't know the woman's name, but she was attentive. Likewise, the food was good (chicken dinners). Nothing great, but nice. The one thing that was really good was the ginger calamari. Will I eat here again? Maybe. But when they don't have "entertainment."

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.

The staff is friendly and competent , the food is fresh and flavorful and the atmosphere is warm…read moresnd welcoming. Mike, the owner, is always in the restaurant.

I checked out La Venere today with my husband and parents being it's a local spot with great…read morereviews. To start: there's a small parking lot in the back but otherwise appears to be street parking. Both of our cars found spots in the lot since we got there a touch before 5pm. When we got in there, there was only 1 table of two people occupied but we were asked if we had a reservation which we didn't have. Admittedly, it was a bit of a last minute decision to go out so it completely slipped my mind to look to see if I would be able to reserve something but it was before 5pm so I'm surprised we were met with such resistance. Luckily, they were able to take us with warning we would need to be out by 6:45. For reference we left at 6 since we only got entrees. The place itself is somewhat small and has a little covered patio which saw had some tables. It's no frills and the menu wasn't all that extensive. I swear there is more of a menu on their Slice app for takeout ordering. Bread was placed on the table as well as a water pitcher. To be honest, I didn't think the bread had much flavor and my husband and parents agreed. We were pretty hungry so we did finish it (even when bread isn't great, it's still good in my book) but we weren't offered any more than the first basket. All of our entrees came with salad which were typical pizzeria salads-not bad, not amazing. My mom and I both ordered the Chicken Avellino (chicken breast sautéed with chopped red onion, red peppers, sliced hot cherry peppers, shitake mushrooms in a white wine sauce with a touch of plum tomatoes) which came with roasted potatoes. I'm not the biggest fan of spicy but I thought I could just take off the sliced hot cherry peppers and be okay. Wow was I wrong because the entire dish had a kick to it. Even my mom who gravitates towards spicy food admitted it was hot. That said, the quality of the chicken was phenomenal. It was thin sliced and very good. My husband very much enjoyed his Scaloppini Marsala and my dad liked the Pollo Francese but did wish the sauce was a touch thicker. I will say I think the quality of the food served is very good but the portions are not plentiful. I'm guilty of always taking home and making another meal or two out of what I get out somewhere but all 4 of us cleared our plates. At a $30 price point I just wish there were larger portions.

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

Oh yes..Italian eatery with a swanky bar and creative cocktails. It's as advertised...and then…read moresome.. We tried a number of items enjoyed every bite. The service was excellent. Enjoyed the atmosphere and the cocktails. Overall a great experience.. Carbonara was well made & delicious. Amazing.

Delicious. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this dish…read more I only took off one star because it doesn't have any chicken. But I enjoyed it nonetheless