50 Best Italian Restaurants near South Orange

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

“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.“

“I love this place! The food is so fresh; and the service is always great!“

“great food. friendly atmosphere“

“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.“

“Wonderful food. Nice attentive service!“

“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.“

“Overall a WONDERFUL experience...They never disappoint. Whether it's with their friendly, attentive service or specials which are culinary delights, they hit the mark! The staff is almost psychic in their attention. The chef makes this a local gem. Over time, I've become a 'regular'. I HIGHLY recommend. Frankly, the best in Union county..“

“The atmosphere and food is always 5 ⭐️. Met Mario the chef fantastic !“

“My husband picked up your margarita pie today for us to try as first time patrons. Oh My God !!!! We have been Mootz’ed !!! The delicious sweet sauce, the perfect texture of the crust and the cheese …… phenomenal!!!! That was hands down the best pie we have had in ages. Can’t wait to come back and try more items.“

“Consistently excellent meals with a very attentive staff.“

“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.“

“We had my 80th birthday party there with the whole family. It was wonderful. Everyone loved the food. We’ve been there a few other times too….we’ll go back!“

“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“

“I went at an unusual time, to late for lunch and to early for dinner. The service was excellent and my chicken piccata was wonderful, the portion was generous. Next time I will try the seafood risotto. The prices seemed far and I will definitely be back.“

“Matthew 's Restaurant is 1 of the best restaurants in North NJ if NOT The Best. The food is always Delicious & Service is excellent. Beyond that, the atmosphere or aviance is excellent. The vibe & energy is first rate positive fun & culinary enjoyment. I believe that this fine dining experience is also driven by the owner Matthew who is usually in the restaurant greeting guests & helping out. When you visit Matthew's you'll have a great time and it'll feel like you're on mini-vacation from the stress of every day life while seemingly enjoying the warmth of family. It may be a cliche but it's definitely true. 10 stars ⭐ out of 10.“

“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 pizza in NJ“

“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.“

“We are Never disappointed eating at La Campagnola~ the Food is Amazing ~ the Service is always impeccable ~ love the Ambiance ! We Wish you were in Monmouth County ~ but the distance won’t stop us from returning again ~ We’ll be back Brian 🍝🍷👍☺️“

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

“We are thrilled to offer our highest praise. The opening of this establishment in Nutley is a valuable asset to the community, and our first visit exceeded expectations. The atmosphere is elegant. The service was impeccable, and the food was delectable. The Caesar salad was unparalleled. We will certainly return. Cheryl, the hostess, is outstanding!“

“New ownership and some of the BEST pizza in NJ you have to come try this place“

“One of the best Italian dinners I've ever enjoyed! Silvio is a great owner, host, chef. The food, including the appetizers were spot-on delicious. The bread was spectacular. We celebrated our daughter's engagement and my 74th birthday and it was excellent. Silvio, Mateo will definitely be back! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Excellent food and service always an enjoyable evening at Michael Angelo’s in Fairfield“

“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.“

“family environment, friendly staff, good food“

“Delicious food with great service!!“

“Hosted my 30th high school class reunion and it was a blast! Great food & staff. Many thanks to Sal for accommodating all our needs.“

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

“Delicious food and great service!“

“Had a company holiday dinner ! Matt our server was great ! The dinner was family style . Matt took the time to make everyone leftovers ! Will definitely be back.“

“Excellent service , cozy atmosphere. Place is second to none !“

“Delicious food. Great birthday celebration.“

“Excellent food, excellent service and reasonably priced!“

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

“Food is awesome, along with service .“

“everything !!! rice balls can’t be beat. vodka sauce the best“

“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.“

“Just delicious and the service for our large group was fantastic“

“Had some errands to do in Newark, me and friend stopped in for a cocktail and lunch 10/10. great atmosphere, awesome staff. If I didn't live so far I would be a regular“

“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. 👍👍“

“ALWAYS.. fantastic Italian food. The very best!! Been going there every Saturday night since they opened. Unbelievable Italian cuisine, great service & Frankie and Jen are concerned & attentive to their customers.“

“Fantastic!! So glad we came, by far the best Italian we’ve had….ever! Service from the outset was 1st class, very attentive team, could not do enough for you. Food quality was outstanding. Definitely worth the price tag.“

“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.“

“The hot dog & hot sausage combo with the works is the best!“

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

“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.“

“Love this place. Food and staff are friendly. Outside seating. Definitely recommend!“

“Amazing food, the staff is friendly and on point with the service. Stephanie is amazing! Highly recommend“