La Riviera Gastronomia
“The space is old school store front and it's BYOB so get yourself in the right frame of mind.”
“but you can get calamari if that's your poison).”
“All of the specials on the board sounded delicious and we settled on meatballs as an app and chicken Murphy and sea bass as entrees.”
La Riviera Gastronomia
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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For a guy that doesn't really love Italian food, I sure have had a good amount of it this week. VP at work decided to take the entire department out for lunch. Half of us went to La Riviera Trattoria next door by mistake.
La Rivera Gastronomia was a lot smaller than I expected, our party of about 30 took up the entire restaurant. Service was a little slow, but then we filled up the entire place and there was only 1 waitress for most of it.
Bread they served at the beginning was hot and crusty. I ordered the fettuccine alfredo. It was OK. I've had better. Tried the veal stew over gnocchi too. That was much better. The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and the veal was tender, but not as good as the veal I had the other day at Becco. I probably should've gotten the Chicken Murphy, because that looked amazing.
I enjoyed the cannolo served for dessert. It was very light for a cannolo.
Zero decor, cash only, no reservations accepted. Fantastic, authentic Italian food, and warm, genuine, wonderful service, BYOB. Yeah that still deserves five stars in my book.
Warmly greeted at the door and escorted to a table, we were quickly brought more bread than we could possibly manage (not complaining) – which was just delicious. It was served with decent quality olive oil and a couple slices of complimentary tomato bruschetta. Salads were really yummy with a fresh vinaigrette that i loved. We were working on full at the end of the salad round.
When the appetizer we ordered was brought to our table, we started laughing. We had selected a proscuitto, mozzarella and tomato appetizer. It was easily enough for 6 as an app. Piled high with proscuitto, it could have been sufficient with a couple soups and salads as the full meal for us both. The quality of the ingredients was exceptional. I loved that it was just dressed with traditional olive oil, although he would have also preferred balsamic with it (I have no doubt they would have brought some if he asked). Honestly, we finished almost all of it, but were afraid when our entrees arrived that we wouldn't be able to handle it!
Entrees did not disappoint. My lasagna was not what I expected, but it was excellent. It celebrated the pasta – the obviously homemade noodles – over all else. It was mostly noodles and sauce, with some meat and cheese, and was really soul-satisfying all 4 nights that I got to enjoy it (yes, that large). I'm pretty sure he won the entree competition again with a spinach manicotti in vodka sauce special that was divine. Fortunately, he let me try a couple bites before licking his plate clean.
We declined dessert but were treated to little complimentary cannoli anyway. I'm not a cannoli person, but these were really good.
So glad we checked this place out finally!
I write this review only minutes after leaving the restaurant to tell the world that this place is AMAZING and a must to visit in New Jersey!!! The easiest 5.0 stars in my book!
My BF and I decided to finally check this place out after craving pasta. (I blame binge watching Netflix's Chef Table series). I was only looking to eat a hearty homemade pasta dish, but instead got the full bells and whistles of an outstanding meal. Our server Christina really had set the tone. Looking back at it now, for 1pm on a Saturday, I would have expected at least another table, but it was just my boyfriend and me.
This place may not seem like much from its bare walls and dry erase "specials" board, but don't let it fool you. Having read about this place before, I knew that I was in for something that was no-frills and classic. But it was much more than that. The food was excellent. The service was exceptional. The value is unbeatable. Their lunch menu is straightforward. Looking for a pasta with meat in it, I had asked Christina if there was a meaty pasta dish she would recommend. I wasn't really sold on anything on the menu or on specials board. She replied that anything can be done, so she suggested the Bolognese and I had asked for their homemade Tagliatelle. My other half has chosen the TU CASA CHICKEN, since he was looking for a meat dish as well. Before she left the table to head for the kitchen, Christina added that both dishes came with a side starter salad.
Soon enough a warm bread basket of semolina dinner rolls, garlic olive oil, and butter was set on the table. Drinks were dropped at the same time. Next up, our salads that were pre-tossed in a light vinaigrette arrived. Fresh cracked pepper was a option if you wanted it, and a bowl of Parmesan set right in the middle of the table. Our warm bread and petite salads were just the start of it all.
As a watched Christina come out of the kitchen with to large dishes in hand, one could only see the shock on my face. It was a mountain of Tagliatelle Bolognese and platter of a baked half chicken with gnocchi. I wasn't expecting such immense portions, but that's what we got! And of course I tried to eat what I could. We soon enough had given up and decided to take the remaining home.
Having been full off of our main dishes, salad, and bread, we were set on just asking for the check so that we go off our merry way. Christina kindly asks if we wanted a cappuccino or espresso, but respectfully declined. As we wait for the check and our doggy bag, I see Christina prep two small plates and reaches for the small CANNOLI in the refrigerator. What I didn't see was that she also place a piece of BISCOTTI on each plate. She comes to our table and tell us it's on the house, and in turn my boyfriend replies, "I change my mind, I definitely need that espresso now." She smiles and asks if he would like one shot or two. As we bite into the complimentary desserts she comes out with the espresso and says, "All espressos should come with a shot of Sambucca." – BOOM.
I feel bittersweet about writing this review because I know this restaurant is the worst-kept secret in Northern New Jersey…. But it's only right to share the wealth. This place is amazing.
You will arrive, with a minimum of two bottles of wine in hand (BYOB!), and plenty of cash (cash only!). You will be acknowledged by either one of the owner's sons, or by one of the warm and doting waitresses. You will note that the ambiance is casual (bright lighting), but very intimate. You will wait, but typically not too long.
When you are seated, you will soon be served with a complimentary 'amuse bouche', or mini appetizer. It is usually bruschetta, always fresh. Don't be fooled, you should still order an appetizer, preferably whatever is the special of the evening.
Please note: They make their own ricotta cheese, and it is as smooth as silk. It elevates every dish it touches, from the eggplant rollatini to the cannoli.
You will deliberate over what to order from a menu that is both extensive and old school, meaning that the dishes lack description. Don't be shy, ask about the food! Most likely, you will have spotted one of the numerous specials on the dry erase board, and you may want to inquire about those too! Already you know that you will have to come back to this wondrous place.
The service is always warm, professional, and quick. We have been to this restaurant a minimum of 10 times, and this has never failed, even during a rush. These people have service down to an art.
After your meal, you will again be served with a complimentary mini dessert item. It may be cantelope and cannoli if you are lucky. Either way, do not leave without eating a cannoli. You will regret missing out throughout the entire ride home, and you will vow to return for that reason alone.
When your leftovers are undoubtedly wrapped up for you, do not be ashamed. They take special care with leftover wrapping, and even place extra homemade bread in the bag for you! On one occasion, after ordering a mussels appetizer that was served in marinara, they wrapped the marinara for us to take home!
Finally, after all is said and done, you will fall in love with La Riviera Gastronomia. And you will thank me.
The service was excellent! The atmosphere was very simple. The food was overall not too shabby.
I enjoyed the penne vodka very much. The chicken marsala was good, but a little too peppery. However I heated it up the next day and the leftovers tasted better! Many yelpers recommended the stuffed artichoke so we ordered that and it was a hit with the entire table.
We used this place for catering and everyone seemed to enjoy the penne vodka and chicken francese.
This family-run Italian restaurant offers the kind of experience everyone wants to have when they go out to dinner. Friendly and attentive service, authentic menu and a welcoming atmosphere.
Its BYO, which is always a plus, and cash only.
The bruschetta appetizer, which was complimentary, was great! Between all of our dishes we had the Rock Shrimp, Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna Bolognese, Calamari Marinara, Pasta with Veal Meatballs, and Lentil and Pasta Soup. The best was the Lasagna, which almost melted in your mouth. This is where there homemade pasta goes the extra mile. They have gluten-free options as well!
Nothing bad to say to about this, I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.
Italian cuisine ranks last on my list of preferred food choice. I'm not a fan on the heaviness of sauce and cartbs contained in plates of pasta, which constitutes most of the meals on an Italian menu. However, this place prepares quality food. I came here for a work meeting with a large party. I decided to go with a meal suggested by the waitress when I told her I felt like eating something with chicken in it. The meal contained chicken, sausage, peppers, and thinly sliced potatoes in a broth. It was absolutely delicious. I recommend this place to anyone who is a fan of Italian food.
I had a detailed conversation about what to rate this restaurant, because our service was EXCEPTIONAL!!! Parking was easy and convenient, the location was pretty close to a major highway and we didn't have to wait to be seated.
Domenico, was our waiter. He was great, knowledgeable, outgoing, engaging, and made some recommendations. He definitely made sure we didn't need anything and that everything was okay. He gave us wonderful service, if this rating was based off service it would have been a 5 star experience.
The problem was the food, it really was a let down based on the reviews. We ordered the calamari special, which was sausage, hot pepper, onions and fried calamari with a balsamic sauce. It was a huge portion and was just not what we expected. For our main courses we had the goat cheese gnocchi, and the gravy. The goat cheese gnocchi had a weird consistency, it wasn't typical gnocchi. The sauce with mushrooms seemed more like it belonged on a steak than in a gnocchi dish. It wasn't very flavorful and wasn't very appealing. We each had one and didn't eat the remainder of the dish. The gravy dish was over rigatoni an had sausage, a meat, and a meatball on top of it. It was kind of unappetizing to me, and needed a little salt.
Nothing we ate here was bad, it just wasn't very good. It definitely did not qualify as authentic italian food, it is more american italian food based on what we had.
I feel badly writing anything negative but based on the other reviews this place was definitely a let down. I may give it another try and update my review if it changes, maybe it was just a bad day in the kitchen.
Also this place is cash only and they don't have an ATM on site. For the price of the food you definitely get your moneys worth of food.. maybe even too much so. I feel like restaurant impossible should come in here and fix this place up because it has potential.
Still… AMAZING service!!