Novelli

I’m giving it 5 stars. Went to Novelli’s Restaurant on Saturday for the first time. Wow, was it great!
Everything from drinks to dessert was excellent. Tuna, mango and avocado appetizer was fresh and delicious and the grilled portobello with Gorgonzola and balsamic reduction was fantastic. The Homemade pappardelle with filet mignon and beer braised short ribs with homemade fettuccini was incredible. Service was a team effort and very attentive. Highly recommend it. We will be going back for sure!

Amazing food. Amazing drinks. The dirty Martinis are perfect and they have blue cheese stuffed olives! Perfect place for a date night!

My husband and I are foodies and are very often disappointed when we go out to dinner. We have not had a bad meal at Novelli’s. The food is consistent, servers are professional, restaurant is clean and menu is creative. The wine selection is above average for the area. This is also a good selection if you have a office meeting because they have a banquet table with a projector and I’ve seen a few business dinners leave happy with the excellent service.
On special occasions & when my wallet allows, I love to vista Novelli’s in Wayne!

Visited 12/​25/​2015 — Christmas day
We gathered for a family dinner and I have to say, none of us were disappointed.
We all enjoyed our meals. I had their caesar salad which was nice and creamy, but could have used more anchovies. (Very few restaurants I’ve visited have enough anchovies in their caesar salad dressing.)
For my entrée… I had the Homemade Pappardelle with beef tips. This dish was excellent! I may go back just for this meal again. Pasta done just right… beef tips very tender with tender chunks of mushrooms. Mmmmm… I’m tempted to run over and get this dish now! Seriously… this dish was that good.
My wife had their double cut pork chop which was HUGE and done perfectly. It has to be one of the most tender chops I’ve ever had, beside the one my nephew made when he worked at Bareli’s last year. This chop (even though I only tasted both of these chops) was just as tender, but not as elaborate as that in Bareli. I’d love to know where they get their meats!
Overall… everyone loved their meals. We didn’t stay for dessert. We still had a ton of dessert at home having entertained the afternoon before on Christmas Eve.
My only criticism was the service. Friendly enough… but we had to wait almost 10 minutes to get menus… and I had to ask for bread when clearly other tables were offered bread without asking. The apps and meals took a while too to come out, but this place was packed, so that’s more understandable. But to have to wait for over 10 minutes for a menu is not something that puts me in a good mood for the evening.

Went here last night for a «date night» with my wife. Appetizers were great — dinner was just ok. My wife’s linguini with white clam sauce was served with part of a wire brush in it. Should have comped her meal. Bad business. Never again.

Very classy décor and attentive staff. The food was delicious! Had the orecchiette with filet minion, mushrooms and brown butter sauce. The filet melted in my mouth and the meal was delicious! Would definitely come back!

A nice place for a special occasion, but we won’t be back often. We dine out a few times a month and were looking for a local Italian place to enjoy, but this won’t be it. The atmosphere is enjoyable, but the hostess was not overly friendly and seemed a bit pretentious. The food is certainly above average, four stars, but not five. The service was wonderful and made the night worth it.

We decided to celebrate our 46^th wedding anniversary at Novelli with another couple. We had been there before and thought very highly of it. However, last Saturday night changed that opinion. My husband ordered the swordfish and was told they were out of it. He then ordered the filet of sole and once again was told they were out of it. As a third choice, he ordered a chicken dish. You guessed it… they were out of chicken. He was about to order another dish and told the waiter if they were out of that, he was leaving. He ultimately ordered shrimp. The rest of us placed our orders. Shortly thereafter, the owner comes to our table and says the waiter was afraid to tell us… the other gentleman ordered the yellow fin tuna and THEY WERE OUT OF IT!!! How can you run a restaurant like this? The owner never apologized for the inconvenience. Although the food we did get was good, it was not enough to make up for the fact that we had such a difficult time ordering and didn’t get what we wanted. As a good will gesture, we feel they could have offered us at least coffee on the house. They did not. We will never go back again.

Been there 2x. Both times food was very good and service was attentive. I suggest the octopus salad.

This review is long overdue ! We went in around Valentine’s Day and the hostess I believe the owner yes in other reviews did not smile much HOWEVER she runs a great restaurant ! We had our daughter with us and at the end of our dinner she did walk over and asked us how our meal was … I honestly can’t remember what we had because I was Pregnant but I do remember that I wanted to give them a great review … The service was excellent and although we’d only back for a special occasion I wouldn’t hesitate one bit !

Had dinner here twice. The food is average not as great as you would expect it to be. First off the menu has way too many options to choose from so im not really sure what their specialty is! I would rather have less to choose from otherwise it becomes overwhelming. Ive had the steak and it was a bit dry, i also had gnocci with grilled chicken on the side, the grilled chicken did not taste great at all! In general ive had better and wouldnt be my top choice for italian.

The Bronzino was so delicious, the atmosphere was very pleasant! The service was excellent! Highly recommend for. a special occasion!

Don’t see what the praise is all about. The hostess seemed as if she would rather be having a root canal, than being there that night. The head waiter seemed equally as thrilled to be there. Went with a group of twelve people for a Christmas party in early December. There was one smaller group across from us and a larger group across the back of the restaurant; using a projector and having a presentation before they ate. The service was very slow and while one of the waiters was very good and was attentive to the group; the rest seemed to just be standing around talking to each other while we waited for food to come out. The various courses took a long time to come and when they did, the portions were small and the taste was not that great. The «vegetable» consisted of a slice of carrot. Dessert was to be included; up to a value of $ 5. One of our party wanted tiramisu and had to pay an additional $ 5 for a small piece of tiramisu. $ 10 for a small dessert that was not that good? Are they kidding? Needless to say, it will be a cold day in hell before I will ever go there again.

Some of the best Italian I’ve had anywhere, but in New Jersey, in Wayne you won’t find any better. Pasta is a homerun but that is a given. The fish is incredible. Service is outstanding. I will definitely be back.

Arrived at 730 pm on a Saturday night. Place was 50% full. Very nice place as far as dacor goes. Was greeted and asked if we had a reservation. Did not have a reservation so that’s where the snobby I can’t believe you don’t have a reservation attitude started from the very rude hostess. She couldn’t have sat us at a worse table either. Asked her if we could sit over there pointing to another table and was told sorry we are full. Oh well. we each had 2glasses of sangria. We split a salad a I had a dish of pasta with shrimp in it and my GF had a piece of fish. We shared a dessert. Well all I can say is WAY over priced and VERY small portions. Food was very good very tasty but I’m sorry I don’t see what all the hype is about this place. If I would have known sangria was 12 a glass I would not have gotten it – $ 48 for sangria – yup I’m an idiot. Never again. Btw no one ever was seated at the table we asked for. Snobby pretentious and over priced will never work for me. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

Food is okay Italian, 4 stars is about right. but really I give three stars for the pretentious atmosphere and snobby service. It’s a nicely decorated place and as I said the food is okay but it’s expensive and I’m not a fan of the server seeming inconvenienced by having to serve. We’ve lived here for 9 years and been a few times, each time we feel the same way. Too bad

We’ve been coming here for over 7 years and this is my first review. This is by far our favorite place to eat for a nice date night. The food here is fantastic. It’s all fresh and always delicious. The restaurant is very clean and has such a nice ambiance. The owners and wait staff remember you and treat you like an old friend. They are also very good with special requests. We are always told that if it’s not on the menu it doesn’t matter, they will make it for you. My husband loves the Shrimp Novelli and I recommend any of their pasta or filet mignon.

After a few hectic weeks, I wanted to dine out at a good place, be pampered, and eat great food. I was not disappointed.
For appetizer, I had PORTOBELLO grilled with Gorgonzola and in a balsamic reduction. It was delicious. I forgot the name of the veal dish that I had, but it was
Scallopini with Assorted Mushrooms in a Marsala Demi Glaze. The veal was tender and the dish was superb. Finished the meal with cappuccino and Italian cheese cake.
The prices were a bit high, but the portions were adequate and the quality of the food and service made it worth the price.
A nice place for a special occasion, or if you just have the need to pamper yourself

I like to sit close to the fireplace in the room closest to road. I find that room to be a much cozier experience than the banquet room. Sitting at the tables across from the bar also gives a nice little ambience.
The octopus app is one of my favorites of all time. The food is of very high quality and is delicious. Only problem is dinner and a drink for two will be about 120 dollars all but it is well worth it.
We go once a year

Great place for a business lunch or for a romantic dinner. Décor is quite nice. White tablecloth service. Wait staff is older, attentive. Background music was set too low to notice.
Prices at lunch are under $ 10 for most starters. The entrees included a good selection of chicken dishes and pastas for $ 10.00 — which came with soup or salad. Broccoli soup today was very good. I had the chicken Milanese — chicken was nicely cooked but the accompanying salad was heavy on chopped onion, cherry tomatoes, not much by the way of greens. Big portion. My guest had the chicken saltimboca which was quite nice.
One of the better places for a business lunch in Wayne. It compares favorably with Aldo’s. Novelli has a full bar which sets it apart. Definitely worth a try it you like Italian cuisine.