Excellent restaurant! The food was very fresh, and so delicious! Highly recommend! Classy but cozy!

I went to Axton's on Mother's Day. Of course it was crowded, but the service was great and everyone was very friendly. The food was awesome. Everyone loved what they ordered. I will definitely come back here! read more

This is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to! You can see chef Anton cooking every dish himself. I ordered the Solo Mio Seafood pasta and my wife ordered the pork special WOW! Incredible! The peanut Butter cake was outstanding! This is our third time in two months and we will be coming back many more times. Highly recommend! read more

We recently visited Axtons for dinner and Anton again provided another fantastic dinner experience. It has been awhile since we visited Axtons because of the pandemic. The dining room was buzzing and gave a great vibe. Started dinner with a very unique crab cakes and it was fabulous. We both had pork, one special and Anton menu pork. They were born huge and fantastic. The sauces used made our palate for joy. What a way to forget we are still in a pandemic!! read more

I have ordered 2 entrees and they were so Good!! I'm looking forward to trying the other dishes the menu has to offer. The staff is awesomely sweet! And what makes it sweeter this place is literally right around the corner from my house. read more

Had a delicious meal at Axton's Wednesday evening. The ambiance of this restaurant is very nice, lots of Edison bulbs and comfortable seating. On a weekend I could see this getting a bit crowded, so we were glad to be there on a weeknight. As an appetizer, we got the Jekyll and Hyde Calamari which was delicious with the tangy sauce. Others also got the crab cakes which came on mini pieces of toast which looked cool and were satisfying. As an entree, I ordered the Capone Salmon. Being gluten-free and going to an Italian based restaurant can be a nightmare or just disappointing when you're left with only salad options. Axton's has 3 gluten-free choices, a fish, chicken, and pork and beyond that I'm sure other dishes could be slightly modified to suit a gluten-free need. The dish was delicious! The salmon was perfectly seasoned and cooked and the risotto was absolutely delicious, I'm still thinking about it! It had a savory sweet taste and was absolutely amazing. Others ordered the veal options and were blown away by the generous portion sizes and delicious flavors. Dessert was just as delicious as dinner, with many great options. The ONLY critique I would have is I was not thrilled with my coffee. It was weak and tasted a bit stale. After all the decadence, they should compliment their delicious food with higher quality coffee! Other than that, delicious meal. read more

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Axton's is a great BYOB! The food is absolutely outstanding! Chef Anton definitely knows how to put an Italian flair to his dishes! From the appetizers to dessert, each bite was delicious!! Fran, our wonderful waitress is a sweetheart and the ambiance is cozy. Highly recommend a night out at Axton's! read more

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Wait time for food is unacceptable. Owner is rude and mean to staff. Our food was salty and we advised them we didn't like the food. We were willing to pay and move on to our dessert. We were celebrating our special needs daughter's bday so we didn't want to a cause a scene. However, we were then berated by the most unprofessional person I have ever met at a restaurants. I think it's the owners mother. Avoid this place. Save your money. Don't go there. Worst dinning experience of my life. Horrible customer service. She accused us of being trash because we didn't like the salty food. read more

I am not sure how good there food is. First time we went there they didn't have an available table. Good sign. Second time. I made a reservation on OpenTable for dinner. The day of the reservation I got a call from the restaurant and asking either come in early, eat fast or rebook because computer (opentable) made a mistake. We had to cancel that dinner. Instead of accepting my reservation and schedule, I had to accommodate their needs. Not good!!! Third time. We made reservation at 4:30pm early dinner. Only two tables were occupied but they had us seat by the doorway. I asked to seat at other table and we were told they MAY get other reservations and only table available for us were ones by the entrance way. NOT NOT acceptable. So we left. Like I said, I am not sure how good their food is. I would love to try it. As a known foodie amongst my friends, I like to try new restaurants, new food... obviously, their customer service is not as good as their food maybe. Ii has been DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCES after all. read more

Delicious food, the salmon is cooked to perfection and their pasta are homemade service was friendly and fast

The food was outstanding! Deep strong intense flavors, fresh colorful ingredients, unique complimentary combinations ... absolutely loved our dining experience. The scallops were to die for, stacked with tender sweet zucchini, a basil spread that I would love to make to put on sliced fresh tomatoes as a meal, and crispy thick bacon. Served over perfectly cooked risotto - a very hearty satisfying and to be talked about meal. Will definitely return and recommend! read more

I made a reservation at Axton's at the urging of my husband. Upon pulling up to the place, I was surprised to see that it was in a strip mall environment. We arrived on time and were greeted promptly by Francesca. Really cute place once you walk in so don't judge this book by its cover. It was a Sunday and it was very quiet - us and only one other couple. I have to say, we did have a lovely time. I am a vegan and was happy that there were options for me on the menu. The food was excellent and we had a very good experience. We both said that we would return. read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - GRILLED EGGPLANT JEKYLL & HYDE CALAMARI - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

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Over priced celebrity chef name who couldn't pull off a simple fresh pasta dish. Service was slow and inattentive

Food was ok when it finally all came, not great. One dish came after just about everyone was done already. Service was horrible. First and last time we all will visit. read more

Consistently outstanding food, atmosphere, and the very best service. a culinary delight. delicious!

The recommendations from friends to try Axton's was spot on. The food was really good and good atmosphere. We started with three appetizer. I have never seen Spiedini bread on a NJ Restaurant's menu, and to my pleasant surprise they serve it here. It was just as good if not better than Carmine's famous recipe in NYC. We also had the mussels in this incredibly flavorful sauce. I judge muscles by the sauce and this one was delicious. We really liked the eggplant salad bc it had so many interesting flavors. I ordered the Salmon special and my husband had a chicken dish topped with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella. Both were delicious, lots of flavor and cooked perfectly. If you know my review you know I always order dessert. They had every dessert I love and it was difficult to decide. We ordered a cannoli crepe and a chocolate lava cake. I loved the cannoli crepe, so different and delicious. Chocolate lava cake was large so perfect for sharing. At the end of the night Chef Anton came out to ask us about our meal. He was super friendly and very interested in what we thought of each meal. I am always grateful when the chef or owner greets guests. Shows they really care. He even offered us an after dinner drink. Pros: Really Good food Great menu choices Everything from salads, steak, fish, vegetarian, pasta, chicken and great dessert menu! Nice atmosphere Very attentive staff Super friendly Chef Cons: None - I will definitely be back! There are only a few choices with good restaurants in our area, and I am glad this one has been added to my favorite list. read more

Visited Axtons a few days ago, experience was very bad. It was a shame since the food is not terrible. If I was rating just the food I would give it three stars- maybe 2.5. But it took 90 minutes for the food to come out, oh but thank god the waitress mentioned 10 times that the kitchen is short staff- that really helped a lot ( it did not). The 'cheapness' of the store owner refusing to hire staff is not our problem. When my food comes out and then the next dish comes 39 minutes later and the next person in my party gets there dish 20 minutes after that it is rude and not acceptable for the prices paid at Axtons. The atmosphere was NOT COZY AT ALL- there is something off putting about a restaurant with the chefs name plaster everywhere and pictures of what I assume is him and the family that runs the place- Again not cozy- zero stars and way to expensive- my opinion go elsewhere. read more

Used to love this place. Unfortunately prices have gone up (which true everywhere so not a big deal). But the quality of the food has gone down significantly. Specifically the calamari is just sub par now when it used to be a favorite dish. read more

We received a gift certificate to Axtons so figured we would go. Servers were very nice and attentive but the food was mediocre. I ordered a filet mignon special medium, and it came out well done, and my husband ordered the same but medium rare and it game out medium well. Since this was the most expensive thing on the menu and we always get excited for filet we were a bit disappointed. For dessert we ordered tiramisu but they were out so we got the chocolate lava cake instead. I always get excited to cut into a chocolate lava cake and was surprised there was no melty chocolate deliciousness coming out of the cake - it was just a chocolate sponge cake. Also way too expensive for the quality of the food, and this is coming from someone who lived in the city for 15 years is use to pricey meals and dined in all types of establishments. Two stars for the server and BYOB. Maybe this was an off night but we won't be returning. read more

The restaurant is a nice small space and the staff is always good to us. I'm going 3 stars here bc it's just that. A middle of the road just okay meal...for a huge price. A one-time celeb chef from so long ago I don't remember what show he was on has no business charging what he does for a never changing menu. The size creates demand bc there is usually only one waitress so it seems hard to get a reservation. read more

If I could give this restaurant one star I would. The dishes are overpriced and it took an hour and a hot get our food. The food was at to salty and we couldn't eat any of it. If I as to give 5 stars to anyone it would be our waitress Nicole she was amazing. I would give Francesca the other waitress minus 5 stars. I've never encountered a more rude waitress in my life. The owner is just as rude. He needs to get off his high horse about his food and the way he treats his staff. I would never recommend this restaurant. read more

We invited friends to eat with us at Axton's knowing they're foodies. We were not disappointed. Everything from the quality of food, ambiance, and service were exceptional!! The overall vibe was a pleasant buzz. We'd definitely recommend! read more

Delicious! We order takeout from here all the time but recently had our first dine-in experience. The food here is always fantastic - you can tell it's going to be great by the bread. The restaurant is a very cute & cozy space. Service is quick, the waitress was attentive. Would love to come back to dine-in. read more

Let me start by saying that I go out to eat often, so I am familiar with most restaurants in northern NJ. This was my first time dining at Axton's and I will already tell you that this will become a staple for me. Love the ambiance. It is byob and I love byob Italian restaurants.... they allow you to fill your glass of wine at your own pace without having to ask or sip sparingly waiting for the meal to arrive. The bread came out warm and was one of the most delicious breads I've had in this area, with a delicious herbed balsamic-olive oil dip. We started with the Jeckyl and Hyde calamari which was absolutely divine. The calamari was tender, not rubbery, light and crispy with no grease whatsoever. The sauce was absolute perfection. I judge every restaurant by their salmon so I ordered the salmon dal Fiume as my entree... what a portion and presentation! A perfect medium, each piece of salmon flaked apart perfectly. The puttanesca sauce was perfect. The spinach was not soggy and the potatoes (large portion!) were perfect. Everything was hot and came out at a reasonable time- not too long of a wait and not so fast that you feel rushed. We finished off with chocolate cake with gelato- again, phenomenal. Our server, Francesca, was friendly and attentive. No details were overlooked. We will absolutely be back. Very very impressed chef Anton! :) read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

First time at Axton's last night. I booked last minute on Open Table & got a table easily. The place is very cute & welcoming. It was not crowded for a Saturday night, for me this might be a weekday place. They gave us warm delicious crusty bread to start with balsamic vinaigrette to dip in. It was delicious. My husband & I both ordered two different versions of steak. Mine was with scallops, mashed potato's & broccoli rabe with a great Madeira wine sauce. It was outstanding. They slice the steak for you which is a nice touch. My husbands loved his as well. All in all it was a very positive experience & we had great service. I am looking forward to going back & trying other items on the menu. read more

Would I go back? Yes! The food here is worth the trip but the service was not impressive except for the very sweet busboy who kept checking us us! The fresh mozzarella app was wonderful, melt in your mouth house made goodness! They served it with fresh tomato basil and olives. The portion was huge. My boyfriend liked his cod and I loved my risotto dish. It was enough for three meals! Next time I want to try the pizza. The service was lacking a bit, the hostess was a young girl who looked frazzled and slammed down our menus on the table and took off. Not a good first impression. Our waitress was nice but when we asked what the specials were she just pointed to a board on the other side of the room that we couldn't even read! Update! Went back and so happy we did. Service was great from start to finish. The hostess was a pleasure and the waitress, although very busy was efficient and friendly. So happy to see they now read you the specials! Food was fantastic. We had the Jekell and Hype calamari app. What an amazing blend of flavor! I had the pasta with with capers and olives. I could eat that every time we go now!! My boyfriend had a fish special that he said was good! I will be going back soon I hope!! read more

We all enjoyed our meals. The portions are large which was surprising, but also not necessary. Would have been just as pleased with a smaller portion. Only thing that threw us off was the menu - appeared to be a winter menu vs. a summer menu. Outside of that, we were very pleased read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - Filet / Scallop special - lovely - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

Read all the great review so we decided to give it a try. Greeting was fine as we entered. Waitress abruptly informed there was no specials, ok. The tone was off but I let it go. So we ordered mussels and spedini. Spedini was good. Mussels were ok. Nothing to write home about. Dinner had a steak and it was cooked perfectly. However the lack of seasoning was apparent. It got nothing. Not even some salt and pepper. Wasn't impressed with it at all. Wife had a seafood dish. Same issue. No seasoning or flavor. Just bland. We may go again or not. Hate to waste the money on a meal without flavor. After all these great reviews we expected more.... Maybe my expectations were too high. read more

This has been on our list to try for awhile and this past Saturday evening we decided to give it a shot. We were surprised when we pulled up to the restaurant because it looks shoddy on the outside. We were meeting another couple and were nervous we made the wrong call. We went inside quick to check it out and it turns out the inside doesnt match the outside at all so that was good. We were all surprised to find it completely empty at 6 pm on a Saturday. We commented to our waitress who sat us and she said it would fill up in the next hour. It did. We ordered a couple of appetizers and they were okay. The clams casino was very small and the mussels were very different and just not our thing. I had a caesar salad which was actually very good. Our dinners were just okay. Nothing really good or bad to say about them, just okay. What made me upset enough to write a review is at about 7:25, our waitress came over and asked if we wanted coffee or dessert. We said no thank you, and about a minute later she came back and told us that we needed to go now because the next table reservation was there. We were very taken back. No one said anything to us about the fact that we only had an allotted time, and we hadnt overstayed our dinner. We literally finished dinner, the plates were cleared, we were asked if we wanted dessert, and then told we had to go. I wonder what would have happened if we DID order dessert...would we have been rushed through it? I am very familiar with the fact that a lot of restaurants are doing time blocks because of the limited seating during the pandemic, however: 1. That was never communicated to us. Not when we made the reservation OR when we got there. 2. When I looked on open table, there were reservations available for every half hour. Typically places that do block seating only have 2 or 3 seatings available. 3. There were no less tables in there than I could imagine there would be if we WERENT in a pandemic. So Im pretty sure they were operating at full capacity. You cant just take advantage of a pandemic to make rules that you dont even communicate. It definitely put a damper on our evening and we would not return as a result. Definitely not the way you want to be treated when you're spending a lot of money on a meal. read more

Excellent food and wonderful service. From the bread served at the table ( So light and fluffy!!) to the amazing cappuccino to end the evening, I recommend this restaurant to all. Our favorite appetizer was the Jekle and Hyde calamari. For dinner, Each of us had something different and all swore ours was the best! I had the steak because I couldn't resist the lure of a perfectly done aged piece of perfection. My husband had the pork chop. It was enormous and he ate every inch of it until I had to wave the checkered flag!! Treat yourself to a cappuccino to end this dinner. It is worth it Our server was Francesca. She spoiled my husband with the mouthwatering bread We adore you read more

We recently got this for takeout because I had a grub hub credit but I picked it up. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious everything was and the portion size. We ordered the Caprese Salad, garlic bread, penne vodka and Carmelo Chicken Risotto which was my favorite. Everything was hot and fresh and we had leftovers for the next day. There was no lack of flavor in this food everything was on point and I can't wait to go back. read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - Carmelo Chicken Risotto Penne Alla Vodka Garlic Bread Caprese Salad - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

Their food are the best .. sadly no more Casanova but I love their chicken Pompton -- pls bring back casanova

My friends & I stopped here for dinner tonight. We were amazed at the transformation of the actual space. It's truly beautiful. It's no longer a dark, dingy pizza joint. We were provided delicious bread with balsamic vinegar & olive oil. I could've ate just that! I had the salmon with risotto which was fantastic. My friends had the scallops and capellini. Both were delicious. I wish I had ordered the scallops though. They were sweet and tender. I would highly recommend Axton's. read more

Just ordered for the first time. Quality-wise it was excellent, but it is pricey. I ordered clams oreganata, which was good but only contained 5 clams. I wouldn't get that again just because of the quantity. Ordered my obligatory eggplant parm and side of pasta, which is my go-to dish and how I determine whether a restaurant will be a repeat or not. It was very good. Expensive for eggplant but I'd order it again. Also a calzone. One of the better ones around. Nice size tomato sauce for dipping, which is something some places skimp on. All-in-all I'd order again. Maybe there are coupons? This was through door dash so I'm sure that didn't help the price. (Though I order from door dash or slice for every other place as well). Things were well package and the included loaf of bread was great. read more

Last week I heard about this new addition to Pompton Lakes by a neighbor and me, along with a party of five decided to go for dinner. I had never seen reality television's Hell's Kitchen or the episodes of Chopped that featured Chef Anton Testino, so I went with an open mind. Being a "foodie", I am always interested in trying new and innovative dishes and the raspy voiced tattooed restaurateur did not disappoint. This is one of the best new restaurants to come along in years. Our table started out with two types of calamari, traditional Italian with a marinara sauce and Jekyll & Hyde, which is tossed in a sweet apple balsamic glaze topped with slivered almonds. As the traditional selection was what I expected, crispy yet tender, the J&H version knocked my sock off! AMAZING BITE. The clams casino were perfectly seasoned and tender with savory bacon and tart lemon. My choice for entree was filet Mignon, port wine balsamic with bacon and mozzarella. (Risotto, asparagus and the sweet mashed potato accompanied with the filet.) The sauce was a perfect compliment to the tender beef (mine was done "Black and Blue" style, seared dark on the outside with a bright crimson interior). Dessert was an excellent lemon tiramisu. The restaurant (BYOB) which is tastefully designed with an open kitchen motif was a bit understaffed, but perhaps they were not prepared for such a crowd on a Wednesday night. I hope to have many future meals at Axton's but you can bet I will always start with Jekyll & Hyde. 4*s BYOB Prices: Reasonable Closed: Tuesday Crowd: More adult (GET A SITTER!!!) PS-I went back for lunch today with a good friend With the J&H calamari as our appetizer, my friend ordered the chicken Caesar, which looked amazing, while I had the delicious crispy "Donna's Famous Sicilian" personal pizza. Let me say, Anton's portions in general are humongous. It may have been a personal pizza if you were Oprah Winfrey, but it can literally feed four people with a side salad or appetizer. Note: This pizza has a lot of mozzarella, almost like if you ordered extra cheese, so keep that in mind. Hint: If you like the top browned, ask for it more well done. read more

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Great restaurant, loved the vibe and the menu. Very different type of restaurant. Open kitchen so you can see inside and very creative. Appetizers were ok but the main meals were incredible. Did the calamari which I found the sauce have a burnt taste. The Spadini and salads were great. Did the Axton's Filet which I loved. All meals at the table were good portions and looked fantastic. New restaurant to add to the list. read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - Axtons Filet, Long hots make the dish! - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

PLEASE READ.... I've been here few times and the food was ok I always got the risotto which I liked. But I won't be returning! I was at Starbucks and overheard a mom telling someone how her daughter was treated while employed there and as a women and a mom of daughters I will not support such disrespect and bullying! My money is good anywhere and you lost mine! read more

Crazy good food-and BYOB! Excellent food and service. Ambience can be improved upon but always a perfect meal. read more

Great find in Pompton Lakes. Tonight I had the opportunity to visit this excellent addition to Pompton and wasn't disappointed. It's BYOB which is always a plus. Made reservations on Tuesday for the Friday evening dinner. We stated with the Jekyll and Hyde Calamari for appetizer. Calamari was cooked perfect, but I'd prefer less sauce as it overwhelmed the Calamari. Fortunately, this was the only part of my meal I was unsatisfied with. The fresh bread was on point and tasty. Our meals came with house salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. No complaints! Main course. The wife ordered the Pamela which was excellent. Lots of flavor! I had the Grouper which was cooked to perfection. The risotto under the Grouper had lots of flavor and the assorted vegs of artichoke, carrots, broccoli was cooked a delight! Overall, I'll be returning to Axtons and looking forward to ordering the scallops or seafood marechiara. read more

Vegans take note: Axton's has a nice selection of beautifully crafted, exquisite menu items. Oohhh la la! So happy I found my way here with a friend while traveling through the area, And an absolute-best high-five shout out to waitress Susan, who was a delightful server and impeccable in her care of us while we dined and enjoyed the ambiance. I loved the experience, my meal, really everything. read more

Axton's By Chef Anton Testino - Italian Near Me - Pompton Lakes, New Jersey