I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Eataly here in Short Hills. We had been to the NYC location which was an absolutely incredible experience. There I ordered a margherita pizza which was the best i’ve ever had. The grocery section was unique and sported an eclectic mix of tastes. The short hills grocery location wasn’t substantially different, but the restaurant experience most certainly was. For one, we were sat in a very dark awkward corner that was absolutely freezing, (although it is to be noted that the other areas of the restaurant were equally cold). The first red flag though was the shocking amount of items the kitchen was out of. For example, the beloved rustic bread, all meatballs, and black truffle; a feature in a number of dishes on the menu. Luckily, the waiter grabbed a bagged loaf of rustic bread from the market and served it. Fortunately, the first dishes to come out met our high expectations. We found the butternut squash ravioli to be very good and the maltagliati a la norcina excellent. Yet, we had ordered a simple penne pasta with butter and were disappointed by its minimal portion, which was also present with the ravioli and maltagliati. Strangely, the caesar salad was absolutely massive, though lacking in taste. The last item we had ordered was the widened margherita pizza with napoli mozzarella. I must say, that pizza was delicious, although it took so long to arrive that the entire table was finished eating when it finally did. (blamed on “having to make a mother one”) Due to the small portions, we were still unfortunately left hungry for additional food so we ordered the smaller margherita and fried potatoes. Both were exceptional. Afterwards, we headed to the “Il Gelato” section and ordered some chocolate, which was fine. Also, it took a shocking amount of time to be scooped for some reason. Overall, the food quality was generally very high but I feel it is necessary to comment on the disappointing service and subpar ambience, as well as the underwhelming value all in all. One of my fellow restaurant-goers was quoted saying “lofty expectations; poor execution.”
Patricia Zangara
Place is beautiful, food was just ok. Very small menu and not what I was expecting
John Maggio
Good food. It's a bit pricey. The market is small and also pricey. Overall, it was just OK.
Nichelle Holder
Our waiter Shaun was exceptional. Very pleasant and equally attentive. I really enjoyed my meal. Will definitely be back
Kamilah Heartwell
The service was EXCELLENT and the food was good! The decor and ambiance was beautiful- our server, Shaun, was patient & attentive.
Shane Harris
Great decor. The food was delicious. Our server Shaun was kind and attentive. Would come back again!
Mara Pusic
Great pasta and zeniyah was a great waitress!
Danny Yarosz
Great place to bring family or a date. Our server James hit it out of the ball park. Thank you James! We will be back.
Tiffany Krupa
Excellent service, good - we each had the kale Brussels sprouts salad with salmon and mine with chicken - really well done. Dressing was perfect Amount and very tasty. Love chopped salad! Highly recommend. Asia, our server was excellent!
Marcelle Andujar
Asia was very attentive and courteous, we’ll definitely be back very soon!
My husband and I NEVER write reviews. We both have never felt so strongly about writing a review before in our lives. I whole heartedly believe anyone who gave this restaurant more than a 3 star review has low standards for food and has absolutely never been to eataly in New York City. The employees were all rude or dismissive. The food was wildly inferior to the eataly in New York. The pasta was rock solid and the sauces we had were essentially tasteless. For almost 30 dollars a plate it was actually shocking. The server took forever to get to us and wasn’t even the one who brought out our food or drinks (all different people with attitudes) and when the bill came she stood over my husband glaring at him while he chose the tip. This experience was so uncomfortable and so disappointing and if you didn’t feel that way after dining here I urge you to try the eataly in the city. Trust me you’ll notice a world of a difference.
Richard Piovano
Great food, selection and service. Asia was great!
Maria Alvarez
The food was bad, and the service was horrible. I think they need to be more organized. I understand that they just opened up.
I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Eataly here in Short Hills. We had been to the NYC location which was an absolutely incredible experience. There I ordered a margherita pizza which was the best i’ve ever had. The grocery section was unique and sported an eclectic mix of tastes. The short hills grocery location wasn’t substantially different, but the restaurant experience most certainly was. For one, we were sat in a very dark awkward corner that was absolutely freezing, (although it is to be noted that the other areas of the restaurant were equally cold). The first red flag though was the shocking amount of items the kitchen was out of. For example, the beloved rustic bread, all meatballs, and black truffle; a feature in a number of dishes on the menu. Luckily, the waiter grabbed a bagged loaf of rustic bread from the market and served it. Fortunately, the first dishes to come out met our high expectations. We found the butternut squash ravioli to be very good and the maltagliati a la norcina excellent. Yet, we had ordered a simple penne pasta with butter and were disappointed by its minimal portion, which was also present with the ravioli and maltagliati. Strangely, the caesar salad was absolutely massive, though lacking in taste. The last item we had ordered was the widened margherita pizza with napoli mozzarella. I must say, that pizza was delicious, although it took so long to arrive that the entire table was finished eating when it finally did. (blamed on “having to make a mother one”) Due to the small portions, we were still unfortunately left hungry for additional food so we ordered the smaller margherita and fried potatoes. Both were exceptional. Afterwards, we headed to the “Il Gelato” section and ordered some chocolate, which was fine. Also, it took a shocking amount of time to be scooped for some reason. Overall, the food quality was generally very high but I feel it is necessary to comment on the disappointing service and subpar ambience, as well as the underwhelming value all in all. One of my fellow restaurant-goers was quoted saying “lofty expectations; poor execution.”
Place is beautiful, food was just ok. Very small menu and not what I was expecting
Good food. It's a bit pricey.
The market is small and also pricey.
Overall, it was just OK.
Our waiter Shaun was exceptional. Very pleasant and equally attentive. I really enjoyed my meal. Will definitely be back
The service was EXCELLENT and the food was good! The decor and ambiance was beautiful- our server, Shaun, was patient & attentive.
Great decor. The food was delicious. Our server Shaun was kind and attentive. Would come back again!
Great pasta and zeniyah was a great waitress!
Great place to bring family or a date. Our server James hit it out of the ball park. Thank you James! We will be back.
Excellent service, good - we each had the kale Brussels sprouts salad with salmon and mine with chicken - really well done. Dressing was perfect Amount and very tasty. Love chopped salad! Highly recommend. Asia, our server was excellent!
Asia was very attentive and courteous, we’ll definitely be back very soon!
Restaurantji Recommends
Asia was fantastic ! Salads were delicious’
My husband and I NEVER write reviews. We both have never felt so strongly about writing a review before in our lives. I whole heartedly believe anyone who gave this restaurant more than a 3 star review has low standards for food and has absolutely never been to eataly in New York City. The employees were all rude or dismissive. The food was wildly inferior to the eataly in New York. The pasta was rock solid and the sauces we had were essentially tasteless. For almost 30 dollars a plate it was actually shocking. The server took forever to get to us and wasn’t even the one who brought out our food or drinks (all different people with attitudes) and when the bill came she stood over my husband glaring at him while he chose the tip. This experience was so uncomfortable and so disappointing and if you didn’t feel that way after dining here I urge you to try the eataly in the city. Trust me you’ll notice a world of a difference.
Great food, selection and service. Asia was great!
The food was bad, and the service was horrible. I think they need to be more organized. I understand that they just opened up.
Won't allow service animals
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