Al Dente Ristorante

GREAT dinner.
Super food, generous portions, fair prices and wonderful, service.
Highly highly highly recommend.

My boyfriend and I came here to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the day before the holiday. My best friend recommended it, and I must say that it was a stellar recommendation. We started off with two appetizers: calamari with a fra diavolo sauce and a caprese-​type salad. Both were extremely delicious and we devoured them in no time! We ordered a bottle of Merlot for $ 30 as well. For our main courses, my boyfriend ordered a lemon pepper breaded veal. The flavors melded very well together. I ordered Vitello Satbocca (veal scaloppini with prosciutto di Parma and fontina cheese). The veal was on a bed of cooked spinach and came with mashed potatoes. It was plated very nicely with a purple flower on it. My meal was absolutely delicious. It was so good that I didn’t have any left overs! We ordered chocolate covered strawberries and a cake who’s name I can’t remember at the moment. I will update this as soon as it comes to mind! The (insert cake dessert name here) was very moist and came in a martini glass. The chocolate covered strawberries were, of course, delectable!
The restaurant is very small, but there is a nice space in the back for parties. I could see why other Unilocalers said the décor was dated, but my boyfriend said it was cool and «straight out of ‘The Godfather’» lol. I also enjoyed how we were served sorbe in between the appetizer and main course to «cleanse the pallet.» That is super classy!
My only complaint would be that the food is expensive, but this is not surprising considering how good the food is. We did not have a problem with service either; I was a little worried after reading that many people had unacceptable service upon their visits here. I would definitely come here again on a special occasion.

Lived in Piscataway most of my life. This place has been here for so may years I cant count. For some reason weve always driven by. Saw good Unilocal reviews so gave it a try. I agree with several other reviewers that its a «hidden gem».
Its old world Italian inside, very different from what one might expect. Went on a slow night. Service was very attentive. Ordered my Manhattan. It was generous and good. Exactly as expected. It took a while, but you could hear shaking in the back. My wifes pear martini was equally good, and generous. I always like that. We were served a small variety of nice warm breads. The meals we ordered were clearly made and cooked to order… they took a while, but when they come out hot and good, you appreciate that.
They offer several specials, very exotic sounding. All good Im sure.
We mostly got through the generous appetizers and had to bring home ½ of our meals.
This is not an italian pasta and red sauce place. Lots of fish/​meat on the menu. A specialty is ravioli. Very good, and generous portion. Presentation of everything was great. A higher end restaurant.
Points off: 2 drinks, 2 appetizers and 2 entrees: $ 100. But we got good value in a nice place, good food and drinks and service. Every night? Probably not. But we’ll be back.

Mmmmmmmmm lol I can’t think of other words right now. My fiancé & I come here every so often, we love the atmosphere, the service is fantastic & the food is incredible. Everything I’ve had so far has been amazing, my favorite is the penne vodka! I get the penne vodka & add shrimp or chicken, it’s so creamy & perfect. If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be that lol

Staying in the Rutgers University area for my daughters swim meet, we needed a great Italian restaurant. After reading a couple of reviews on Al Dente, we decided to give it a try. When we first walked in to the restaurant, we felt as if we were in a time warp. The décor looked like it was from 1985, and the tile floor made the restaurant feel as if we were eating in a cafeteria. We decided to still give it a try, as we all know you cannot judge a book by its cover…
After the super slow service by our server, we were starving so we attacked our basket of bread that was given to us and wow was it good!!! Our appetizers were equally as good (stuffed artichokes and a fresh salad) and our entrées were delicious! (we got fresh pasta)
Remodeling would be a super suggestion for Al Dente but we loved the food!!! (Service could have been a little better!)

I always find eating at a new Italian place kind of daunting (new to ME, not necessarily a newly opened place)…usually because there is so much on the menu I want to try. Tonight was the first time I dined at Al Dente and it was truly a great experience.
Four of us were seated (it was a surprise dinner and my brother and his girlfriend so we waited for them) and our waitress (Dana I believe) took out drink orders. Their bartender made me a Makers Mark Perfect Manhattan that was one of the best I’ve ever had. We read through the menu as we waited and there were probably 10 items I was thinking about-​it all looked so good!
As I thought I knew what I wanted, my brother showed up and Dana read is the specials… So tonight I tried NOTHING on the menu! The specials were plentiful and sounded great so I ordered an appetizer of crab stuffed frittatas that we shared, the special salad with mixed greens and mango and feta and a champagne vinaigrette, and for my entrée I chose a mushroom risotto with scallops. I also ordered a glass of the Cabernet to have with my dinner.
My salad… oh my, my salad was so ridiculously good I wanted to lick the plate-​the mango and feta were so good with the greens and the dressing… OMG! I will say the crab frittata was just ok… not great… not bad-​crispy, but it was just missing something. Now… my risotto. I’m a big fan of a good risotto so please understand that I don’t say this lightly. This was just about the best risotto I’ve ever had. Rice was cooked perfectly and the creamy mushroom sauce was just amazing. The only negative I’d say was that for the price of my dinner I would have liked 1 – 2 more scallops. Everyone really seemed to enjoy their meals (my other brother also had the risotto and liked it so much he finished his before I was ½ finished.
We brought dessert since it was my brother’s birthday, but their coffee was delicious too. Overall this was a wonderful dining experience… though the specials were a little pricey. I wasn’t here with my kids, but even they would have found something to eat here… and they are pretty picky.
The service was great and the place was full (and for the Unilocaler who claimed she had bad service because she want white, there were numerous tables with non-​whites and they got the same great service we had). I would 100% come back here again.

My friend and I went here tonight and had a terrible experience. For a friday night the restaurant was empty there were about 5 tables and 3 waitresses. The one waitress was nice but the other two were terrible. To begin when we ordered the waitress said «and that is it» with a very rude attitude. When my food came I politely Asked for a new fork since mine was Chipped and dirty. The waitress looked at it and Said it was fine. I am really not sure why it was such a big deal to just bring me a new fork. Then the table next to us did had a problemwith their appetizer and the waitress yelled at them and distracted the entire restaurant. When we Left the Waitress. said have a good night and when I did not say it back right away She said loudly you Could say thank you! This place needs an attitude adjustment, I highly recommend not going here and I will never return

I love this place! Very nice staff — I recommend asking for Samantha because she was wonderful. The food is delicious and authentic. I had the homemade gnocchi and I absolutely loved it. It is definitely a hidden because it is in a strip mall but looks beautiful inside and very clean.

This place is a total hidden gem… Located on the end of a strip mall, it’s definitely easy to pass. But don’t let that fool you. The inside has a nice and intimate ambience. However, I must warn you, though this place is not that old, the murals and fake brick walls kind of make the inside look cheesey and a little dated. But once again, don’t let that fool you! The food is extremely delicious and a little on the rich side. Some of the portions, like soups and salads are huge. Or at least the presentation makes them look that way. And the entrees in my opinion, are the perfect size. Most of the entrees on the menu are quite unique. No plain Jane spaghetti and meatballs here… I opted for the Linguini Neri (squid ink pasta with clams, shrimp and scallops in a spicy San Marzano tomato basil sauce) and it was amazing! However, the specials menu manages to take their entrees to an even higher level! Speaking of the menu, it’s quiet large and there’s also a good amount of vegetarian dishes. I also like that they have a pretty decent outdoor dining area. But keep in mind, Stelton Rd. can be very busy/​loud at times. So I would avoid outdoor dining during the 5:00 rush hour, during the week.
Lastly, the prices seem to be a tiny bit above average, but it’s definitely worth every penny. So if you love authentic Italian food, don’t hesitate to give this place a try.

So this was the first time I went to this restaurant. Had a reservation at 7:30pm, table wasn’t setup when we got there. Which is fine, finally seated. Waited 10 minutes to get water. 10 more minutes to get a menu. 10 more min again to place an order. Set the stage. By 8 we are starving and are told the bread is in the oven. Fine. I tell them I have a $ 25.00
certificate. Our server says, «we don’t take them on holidays. It’s in the site. If you can’t find it then tell me.» A) Rude. B) Rude. I pull out my print out, it doesn’t state it. I tell her that. She said «well it used to». Manager comes over said «we don’t take them. And you should know that most restaurants don’t. It’s at restaurants discretion». Beyond rude. Our bill was over a $ 100. So really it was useless. The thing I noticed was that we were the only ones that were minority. And we were the only ones that were epically insulted. So at the end of the day, if you aren’t white, think twice.
As far as food: the Italian chains are even better than here. The Gnocchi was tangy made in canned tomatoes. I wouldn’t recommend it.

This place was amazing. I won a gift certificate and had never been here in all my years living in Piscataway. I took my mom and brother here and we had a great time. It’s small but the service was great and the food excellent. I liked that it had a little bar area and outdoor seating. I can’t wait to come back again.

Great place for dinner. It’s not that big of a place and it’s kind of a hidden gem in this small strip mall. My boyfriend and I came here for a couple of our date nights and it was a good experience. I’m not too much a fan of their décor. There is a huge table in the middle with wine bottles and olive oils, but it doesnt look like it’s displayed nicely. They could use that space for more tables. I do like the dim lighting though.
The service is a bit inconsistent. I’ve been here three times and I’ve gotten all different types of service. First time I went there, it was terrible. There was no host to greet us and it took us 10 minutes to get seated. Plus, we didn’t receive any bread. I wasn’t even aware they served bread until the second time we were there and we were handed a basket. The server wasn’t particularly nice either. The second and third time we went though was much better. The servers were very sweet and checked on us often.
The food is delicious though. I must admit, I got the same thing all three times because I really really liked it and didnt want to change. I love their Penne Vodka. Probably the best I’ve had. They only charge an extra $ 1 for prosciutto, which is a steal. Usually, it’s at least $ 2 – 3 for adding meat and there was a good amount of prosciutto too. As for the dessert, highly recommend the panna cotta!
Overall, great place to go on a date or to catch up with a group of friends. Will be back again!

Great food and great service. All apps and entrees were tasty, especially the Halibut. The downside ws that dinner took almost three hours!
The restaurant would benefit from an updated look.

I tried this place some time ago and it was very tasty. I always order the Seafood Fra Diavolo when I’m forced to go out for Italian food. I say forced because I can just eat at home with my parents any Sunday. What they make will most likely be 100x better then anything I will get anywhere. However, seafood is usually Holiday stuff so I eat it at restaurants when I have to. I know the name of the restaurant is Al Dente, but I have to say my girlfriends pasta was TOO under. A bit more then let’s say… toothy? It was hard. She didn’t like it, but not being complainers and her being pretty full on bread we took the rest home. When it was reheated it was actually a bit more along the lines of… AL DENTE!

Fresh & amazing! Great food, great service, the place is beautiful. You can taste the fresh quality of all their food, the home made sauces are to die for. This was the best Valentines day dinner experience!
We will definitely be returning! Many compliments to the chef! Thank you!

The food was really good, the service was very poor.
Very unfriendly, had to ask for bread 3 times and wait 20 mins to get it. Took my plate when I wasn’t done.
Never checked back after food was delivered. Not a good place for more than 4. Very loud.

Authentic Italian food with an ambiance to match. They had a variety of specials including a portobello mushroom appetizer that was paired with eggplant and tasted delicious. Calamari was cooked perfectly and was served with no tentacles (although I enjoy those) and came with your choice of mild, medium, or spicy marinara sauce on the side. I ordered the filet mignon for an entrée and it was cooked to my liking, neither bloody or well done. Great place for an upscale family birthday dinner.

not much to add here except that i had some friggin excellent homemade raviolis, spinach in butter sage sauce. a meal for two including tip was about 100, which included drinks, appetizers and sorbet between courses. i don’t disagree with the other Unilocalers’ criticisms but i just didn’t find them bothersome.
i’d rate this place highly for one thing alone: the vegetarian selections are varied and clearly marked on the menu.
stay tuned for updates, as i do intend to go back here.

Sad to say that I am giving this place only two stars. I had high hopes, as my Grandma planned this dinner, and she usually has great taste.
I do have to fault my Grandma again, too, because she did not pick a place where my family (a group of about 30) had a private room. We had to sit in the corner of the dining room among other diners, and did not have the privacy we are used to. My family can be pretty loud, so I felt bad for the other diners, which in turn, sort of spoiled my night.
The food was mediocre, Americanized food. Penne vodka, pork chop, caprese salad, etc. It was bad, but it wasn’t awesome. And the salad was wilted down with a heavy (what tasted like) store bought dressing. Gross.
The one thing I must say about the management, was that there was none at all that evening — SATURDAY NIGHT! No manager in sight, no maitre’d, nothing, just the four poor girls running around like crazy. The girls were amazing, doing the hosting, bussing, serving, BARTENDING, and tending to all other customers. My mom gave them extra tips, because they literally did it all themselves.
This place needs better management, better food and needs to treat its employees with respect in having a supervisor there to have their backs should anything go wrong.
Just sayin’

Came here with a nice
coupon and had a decent light meal with my boyfriend. I enjoyed the exterior and cheesy interior of the place, definitely very environment-​conscious and comfortable (although a little cold for this time of year!). I’d say that the best part of the restaurant in that cheese-​ball, intimate factor.
Anyway the pros included very expansive menu, delicious sounding specials, fresh and great bread (served with olive oil) and really great home-​made soup (Root Vegetable special).
However, while my boyfriend really enjoyed his meal, mine was not particularly special. I had the mushroom with whole wheat penne — the penne was a mix of overcooked and extremely undercooked, and was in a dark, strangely tangy mushroom sauce that had a million little chunks of garlic in it. The dish also was said to have sundried tomatoes in it but there were only a few small ones. The dish was overpriced for the quality.
We also got dessert, which was expensive for the size you get — $ 7 for a tiny slice of mousse cake. I wanted to try their dessert of cream puffs but they were all out.
The service was also really off — we were one of three groups in the room and felt like we were being given as little attention as possible compared to a family next to us (who I believe were regulars).
I will definitely give this place another shot, because I may have made a really off-​choice, but I would be weary and ask whats good for the day when making a choice.