50 Best Italian Restaurants near Irvington

“I used to go to Big Joe's as a teen, I'm around 40 now lol and they came to mind when my kids wanted a Italian cheeseburger. I had a chicken parm. Still delicious as it was over 20 years ago! Thank you Joe's for bringing back that nostalgic feeling. My kids loved it, you're their go to now!“

“We place large orders here and they are always extremely delicious and handled with utmost care. I'm obsessed with the turkey ham and pineapple (don't judge me). The pizza has that chewy crust, the cheese is quality (I know because it melts right), and it's always on time.“

“Can I please give it 6 stars? I recently went there with a group of five family members while visiting New Jersey and we had a truly extraordinary night! As an investor in restaurants I'm very critical when visiting any restaurant and not often impressed even with well known critically acclaimed restaurants. It's very rare when a place has truly incredible food with every appetizer and entree as well as first class VIP vibes for service. You could literally taste the passion and care put into every plate with beautifully prepared flavorful abundant meals. In fact, it was the first time in almost a decade I brought home leftovers as the meal was delicious and easily sufficient for two people. Our entire table raved about their meals and the attentive but not obtrusive service was always there to refill our wine and assist without any of us having to look up for service. The food alone would have made for a great night but what truly made it memorable besides the great waitstaff was the manager, Eli. When was the last time a manager, GM or owner greated you at your table to share a polite, interesting and passionate conversation about the food and why they love sharing this experience with their valued customers? He made our entire table feel like VIPs and made perfect recommendations for wine and dessert. It felt more like we were in someone's home as we were there for close to 3-1/2 hours talking, eating, drinking and laughing. The ambiance is warm and unpretentious and the memories of a great experience will certainly bring us back again.“

“Great food and service. .we went with a group of 10 people and everyone enjoyed their food .we been back many times and even had them do a party for us :)“

“Wonderful food. Nice attentive service!“

“Don’t let the appearance fool you. This place blew me away. Insanely friendly staff. Best fresh mozz I have ever had. Giant sandwiches. For the cost of one sandwich you get 4 meals. Homemade bread. Homemade mozz. Fresh chicken cutlets to order. Fresh sliced top of the line cold cuts to order. 10/10. We will go here every time I am around.“

“We recently took my wife to celebrate her birthday here. We absolutely loved the environment, the staff, the food, the drinks, etc. They make my favorite Carbonara out of any other restaurant in this area. The owners and the GM are all wonderful people. I’d recommend it!!!“

“Highly recommend supporting our local dinning. In fact, a party of seven was just booked after sharing a night of Fundraising at Giorgio's.“

“Always a delicious meal and great service at Matthew’s.“

“I love food. I love to eat it. I love to cook it. But food to me has always been more than just something to eat. I like to study process. Fun to me is to be able to be in a restaurant kitchen and talk to the chef while he’s making a dish. I want to be able to see what he’s doing and ask about it. Why are you taking the dish off the fire so quickly? Why are you using canned peeled tomatoes rather than fresh? I want to know everything. To me, process can be just as exciting as being presented with the beautiful and delicious final product. This evening, I stopped at an unusual pasta restaurant - All' Assassina. https://www.allassassina.com/ They call themselves the killer pasta project. It’s different. It has an open kitchen. The small dining room is colorful – eye catching. You go up to the front and order your pasta. You decide what will be added in – mushrooms, capers, tomatoes, chicken, olives and more. And then the chef makes it right in front of you. The owner told me that not everybody watches. They’re missing out. This restaurant is offering dinner and a show. And the cooking here is a performance. You get to see what goes into your food and how it is made. It gives you an additional appreciation for what you are about to savor. All the senses go on alert. You could see it. You could hear it in the pan and you could smell it. If you are anywhere near Union, New Jersey, check out All' Assassina. But do not just order and walk away. Look. Listen. And learn. Not everybody likes to cook. But everyone should like to learn. The more you know about what’s in your food and how it is prepared, the more you’ll appreciate good food. The tastes, the textures. Wow. There was an avalanche of different flavors hitting my mouth all at once. It’s worth a trip. Go for the meal. Stay for the show.“

“We had an intimate Repast at Farington's Cafe after the sudden death of my nephew. We were all so impressed with the food... a delicious salad and one of the best penne vodka dishes ever. These were followed by the main course...choice of lemon sole, flank steak or chicken parm. Each and every dish was superb! Beyond this, the compassion shown by the staff was so consoling. I recommend this restaurant to all. You will thank me!“

“very attentive service without being intrusive. Our meals were absolutely delicious, so fresh and hot. Dessert was heavenly. Thank you for making our wedding anniversary perfect“

“Vinnie’s Mootz are the best food for authentic Italian food. Their food are amazing. if you are looking for Authentic Italian food for day to day and catering Vinnie’s Mootz the place you need to visit. Great job as always 5 stars 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️“

“Great food and wine! variety of cocktails, appetizers and entrées. Spacious place with chic decor.“

“We have been coming to Piccolinos Restaurtant in Bayonne for years. My father loved the veal and the great service our family received from the staff. It would only be fitting to host his repass there and when we called Byron to let him know he passed, he quickly helped my family with arrangements to host our family and friends in their private room. The food was cooked to order, absolutely delicious and the service our family and friends received from the staff was impeccable! Mostly everyone had to try the his favorite dish, the" veal martini" and loved it. The Wanko family would like to take this opportunity to send our sincere thanks to Byron, Jackie, Angelo, Juan Carlos, David, Yahir for their outstanding service to attention and delicious menu cooked to order on such a sad occassion. They truly made our friends and family know why we "love" Piccolino's and why this is surely the best Italian Restaruant and staff in Bayonne.“

“We love this place and have eaten several times for lunch. Food is consistently good and inventive.

My only warning is - if you come for dinner, especially on a weekend, be ready to wait. It's free seating so there's lots of groups standing around waiting for a table to open up. The real bottleneck seems to be their pizza oven. We got our meal almost immediately except for the pizza - had to awkwardly wait for 20 additional minutes as people eyed our table.“

“excellent, outstanding food and very nice atmosphere.“

“Seasonal dishes fresh and beautifully presented! Friendly and helpful team with excellent dish recommendations :)“

“Four of us ate dinner here on a Thursday night. The restaurant was relatively empty and nice and quiet. Very different from the weekends.

This is a very expensive restaurant but also a very extraordinary restaurant, so we felt the expense was worth it.

Decor is upscale and elegant. Perfect to celebrate a birthday or anniversary or just to have a nice dinner with friends.

The tables all have white table cloths, and service was amazing. There is also an extensive wine menu. To our delight they serve our favorite Sancerre (unusual to find in an Italian restaurant) and at a very reasonable price.

The complimentary bread served at the outset was fresh and very tasty.

The grilled octopus appetizer with chickpea sauce was tender. The pasta with pieces of shrimp for the second course was tasty, though the shrimp was slight overdone.

The main courses were all fabulous. The char and swordfish were nice and moist. The filet mignon was one of the best I've had and a huge portion. Side orders of mushrooms and broccoli rabe were very excellent.

The Italian cheese cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert was amazing. The biscotti, espressos, tea, and sauterne were also great.

The ambiance here is wonderful, the staff are friendly and attentive, and the chef himself even came out to offer us a suggestion on something we ordered. It was an absolutely perfect fine dining experience and we will definitely return.

Parking: Large lot across the street. But busy on the weekends.“

“First time having dinner tonight. Absolutely fantastic. service, food and atmosphere. cant wait to go back.“

“My Step Dad Recently had went for his birthday dinner, with my mom and my step family and wanted to share they recommend this place(they don’t have social media). They had a big party of like 20 people. Food was delicious, servers and service were amazing. Everyone got their food at the same time. They were extremely happy with the restaurant.“

“The best Italian restaurant in Rutherford. Huge portions and the fish dinners are incredible. If you see mahi mahi, snapper, cod or salmon on the menu, order it! You will not be disappointed! Friendliest service around!“

“The best pizza in NJ“

“Very fun social vibe, special Birthday ritual, food was excellent, I practically licked my plate, service was attentive and the manager very active.“

“Had a great dinner! Always great service too!“

“Always A+++! Best Vodka sauce! Best staff!“

“Excellent service and food. Accommodating for dietary needs. They even took our group earlier than our reservation which was much appreciated as we were all from out of town and heading home immediately following lunch. Roasted potatoes, chicken francese, eggplant parm and sausage with peppers all got rave reviews.“

“Delicious food with great service!!“

“We went just before closing time and the service was phenomenal! We have a person with autism and they were so patient; when we asked him how he liked his food his response was “the food is so good I feel like I am in Italy.” Thank you for a memorable evening.“

“I have used catering from Mazzella's several times now and never disappoints! Food is always fresh and abundant. Guests always ask where I got the food. 👍👍“

“I'm very glad to visit this place. And I'm so happy to find it on the maps cause i thought I'd lost.
The best service I've seen in our town in the last 9 years. I would like to give special recognition to Elizabeth the waitress, she made me think of a mistress for the first time in my life. Elizabeth, thank you for all your hard work, you are wonderful.“

“We had our daughters 18th Birthday Bash here at the Appian Way on: February 5th, 2022. We dealt with Bob throughout the whole process. And he was just great! Alot is included in the price you receive. And many other venues don't compare when it comes to price. Helping to save you some money along the way. The rooms are beautiful and my guest were amazed. The workers were accommodating and helped get our room together way before time. This helped us tremendously with getting most of the setup being done the night before. The lighting is awesome. The food was absolutely delicious. My guests are still raving about the food. It really was better than I expected. I will definitely be back to celebrate more gatherings. Thank you Bob and your staff for your get service.“

“Delicious food. Great birthday celebration.“

“I am from Maryland, was passing thru on the way home. The food was excellent. The Tony salad was so good, got a meatball pizza that was delicious also. Got two pasta entrees, chicken Marsala and one other I can’t remember the name of. Both were delicious. Price was good especially for the area.“

“Amazing food and the service is top notch the best around 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Excellent food, excellent service and reasonably priced!“

“Delicious food and great service!“

“A lovely traditional Italian dining experience, this restaurant definitely tickled this Italian girls fancy! From the olive oil and warm bread to dip, to miniature lemon gelato as a pallet cleanser before our entrée, I was repeatedly impressed with our experience. I highly recommend.“

“The BEST Italian food I have ever had. Truly indescribable“

“I have always loved Bella Mamas,, and now it's has gotten even better, with the grilled pizzas , the new menu, the portion are huge and you are definitely taking left overs. very inviting atmosphere.“

“I had a fantastic experience! The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making me feel right at home. The service was excellent; our server was attentive and helpful. Overall, this place offers fabulous food and flawless service. I can’t wait to go back!“

“The traditional double sausage!“

“I have celiac and am dairy free and felt very safe dining here. Ordered a gluten free bolognese and it was DELICIOUS and the mocktails/cocktails were fantastic as well. Can’t wait to come here again!

Dietary restrictions: Amazing gluten and dairy free options. Staff was very accommodating!“

“I work locally and went to Tino's for the first time and I know it will not be my last time. The Balsamico sandwich was delicious. Bread was crispy and perfect and the roasted peppers were amazing. Kaya who took my order was friendly and welcoming. A wonderful experience as you walk in. I hope Tino's becomes a Montclair staple for the community. Kevin Lester. ?“

“Delicious pizza! Needs a little more crunch though.“

“I’m not from JC. My boyfriend is a firefighter @ Rescue 1. For various reasons I won’t bore y’all with details, I had to call back multiple times to change delivery time as well as add on to order. Everyone I spoke w were absolutely amazing! They are an extremely accommodating business. Everyone who I spoke with is a class act. Thx y’all!!!!“

“We had our daughter's surprise graduation party at Max's Esca last night. Every single thing was outstanding- from the atmosphere, to the service, the drinks and the food. They created a beautiful, private space in the main dining room for us to decorate. Christina and Chrissy (& the rest of the staff!) took excellent care of everyone, and Nicole's cocktails were spot on. The food was incredible, as usual! Highly recommend!“

“INCREDIBLE food! The eggplant and lasagne is THE BEST around! And the cannoli's are out of this world!!! 5+ stars no doubt!“

“Always a good meal at The Manor. The staff is great, very attentive and definitely not overly distraction

Dietary restrictions: My cousin has gluten restrictions and they always make sure that she doesn't get the wrong ingredients.“

“Our family celebrated my son’s and future daughter’s engagement party here and it was amazing. The food was great and staff took care of us very well. You have got to get there for dinner yourself.“