Pizza is a slightly above average Jersey slice, 7.3/10. What really makes this place though is the dishes. Their veal, seafood dishes, and chicken parm are amazing for the area. Easily the best (cheap and eat at home) Italian dishes in the basking ridge area. I would rate all of their dishes around a 8.3/10. Overall this rounds up to a 4/5 on the Yelp scale. I would recommend this place for a Friday night to get some pizza and dishes if you're in the basking ridge area! read more

Nice home-y restaurant that's kid friendly and reasonably priced. Some of the dishes were overly sauced or cheesed and quite heavy, but portion sizes were generally huge and the kids menu was a great deal. read more

Cafe Rustica - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Delightful dining experiences in a neat homey atmosphere. Plenty of great Italian food selections. We had pizza, steak,salad and Saltimbaca. All the food was tasty and well executed. Wonderful atmosphere and great seevice. . read more

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Very quiet during week day lunch. Portions are big. Service was okay as its was a younger kid who helped us. read more

Cafe Rustica - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Bumped into this in my recent trip. A cozy and quite restaurant. The ambiance and the hostess were great !!! Loved the food and the service. Huge portions as well. I was full just with the appetizer. The staff suggested a half portion and I could not even finish that. A must visit when you are in the Basking Ridge Area read more

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We have had dinner several times at this restaurant and always enjoy our meal. The staff is warm and welcoming and food is delicious! I will definitely be back! read more

Had a 6:45 reservation and couldn't find any place to park. We waited, and waited, and waited. Other cars squeezed around us only to find there was no parking for them either. How do you run a restaurant with an inadequate, dangerous parking lot? We called and let them know we were late waiting for a parking spot to free up. After several near fender benders in that tiny lot we gave up and went to Luka's. What a shame. And what a waste of time. read more

This seems like the kind of place that has some good dishes but the chefs in the kitchen need to pay attention to their fish and how fresh it is. I forgot the name of the dish but I had high hopes. The service was excellent. The young bartender was kind, timely and good at making drinks. She gave me bread, salad and food all in a timely manner. The place was super cute. I would give it another try if I lived closer. read more

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I can't say for certain how long Cafe Rustica has been here, but it has been awhile, because I remember doing some occasional drinking here back in my long ago drinking days, and I remember having dinner here with my birth mother not long after our re-union, which was a long time ago. I remember liking the cuisine (and the drinks at the bar), but...for whatever reason...I haven't been back in years. It's convenient though, a stone's throw from the VA Hospital (I have 2 friends...had, is a better way of putting it, as one of them is long dead now... and they obtained jobs at the VA in their late teens/early 20s, thanks to the influence of a friend's father; they spent pretty much all day every day driving around the grounds in a jitney, smoking pot in one isolated area, driving in the jitney to another isolated area to down beer, popping pills or doing "something else" in still another isolated area, and occasionally doing the odd maintenance job for which they had actually been hired to perform--- I remember thinking, green with envy as they told me about their work day, "Man, I'd LOVE to have a job there!" but they were...not surprisingly...fired before too long; the friend's father was also later fired for getting into a fistfight...also not surprisingly... anyway...forgive me my inevitable excursion down Memory Lane...back to the review...), and not far from where I now live. My old friend had his son back from college, and they wanted to have dinner with me, and this place was easily accessible to all of us. I was a little worried about the parking, but I was able to find a spot without too much difficulty. Inside, the lay-out hadn't changed much, if at all. I passed by the bar area, made a right-hand turn, and there was the dining area, pretty much as I remembered it. My friends were already seated (my friend's bald head serves as a beacon whenever I have to search around a store or restaurant for him), and I joined them. Our server was friendly, attentive and efficient. I ordered a cup of pasta fagioli (you can call me Mr. Predictable when it comes to my culinary choices in a new, or a so-long-ago-that-I-dined-here-that-it-might-as-well-be-new, Italian restaurant), as did my friend. A loaf of fresh bread was brought to the table. I was getting ready to try it, but my friend's son had his hands all over it (still a "growing boy," I guess), and I decided to forego that particular culinary pleasure. The soup had a different sort of taste than I was used to, but it was filling and satisfying. My friend concurred. We then both ordered lasagna (my friend is becoming almost as predictable as I am). I can't remember exactly what my friend's son ordered, but he consumed it with the same enthusiastic alacrity with which he had consumed the bread. Yeah, I can remember when I used to be able to eat like that and not gain a pound. Long time ago...Memories... The lasagna was hot, tasty and had a delicious sauce, although I found the noodles somewhat "gummy." Still and all, not a bad selection. I'd order it again, although I think next time I'll explore other items on the menu. I finished my meal off with a dish of vanilla ice cream, which hit the spot (as it invariably does). I think my companions both ordered pistachio ice cream (I can't remember now whether it appeared as "Gelato" or "Ice Cream" on the menu, but the vanilla tasted like ice cream to me, albeit good ice cream). If there's any negative comment I could make, it's that the space in the dining area is tight if they have a full house, which they did the night we were there. I was elbow to elbow with the lady next to me, dining with her husband; he was sitting across from her and elbow to elbow with my friend's son, and there's not a whole lot of room for private conversation. My friend is a FoxNews zombie (when it comes to politics, anyway), his son is a left-wing firebrand ready to join up with the next Che Guevara to come along, and I'm...well, I'm not a FoxNews zombie (and, at my advanced age, I have trouble driving at night, much less joining up with the next Che Guevara to come along). As I remember it, our conversation ranged from the Middle East conflict to the situation in the Ukraine, to Chris Christie, to Lou Reed, to Iggy and the Stooges guitarist James Williamson, to the late hallucinating serial killer Herb Mullin (at the direction of the voices in his head, he killed people at random in California to prevent earthquakes), Noam Chomsky, Stephen King (good storyteller, bad writer), Midnight Mass (excellent but very dark), Bryan Cranston (very talented), Leonardo DiCaprio (over-rated), etc. etc. While I hold strong opinions, I don't want to needlessly offend other patrons just trying to enjoy their meals, so I attempted to keep our conversation from becoming too animated, so as to not inflame or incite our "captive audience." I think we succeeded. No one complained. At least the couple I was elbow to elbow with didn't. Recommended. read more

Another impromptu visit to Cafe Rustica. Persuaded by recent comments about the Stuffed Oysters, we had to taste for ourselves; they were wonderful! Followed up with a classic Italian dish of Linguini and Clams, both Red and White; fabulous! Finished with Amaretto Ice Cream; delicious! Well done Cafe Rustica, you nailed it! read more

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The first time I ate here I was underwhelmed but my parents rave about this place. My daughter also loved the lasagna. So when my mom was sick I treated my dad to pick him up! We both got dinner specials and I must have just ordered wrong the first time. This was a Marsala pasta sauce with sun dried tomatoes, chicken, mushrooms and spinach. It was sooo good. Portions were insanely huge. Despite the size we always get dessert when I'm with my dad. My daughter had yummy ice cream, my dad had some form of crumble and I had a delicious warm chocolate cake. Pair it with a great bottle of wine and it was exactly the distraction we needed that night. We had an absolutely delicious dinner and I can't wait to return. read more

Cafe Rustica - Dessert - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Located in Warren NJ this family owned little Italian restaurant serves up a great original menu along with classic favorites. I dine here each time I travel up to visit my kids. It's family oriented so, bring the kiddies. read more

Very good food huge portion sizes . Service is average first time there but will come back . It's a 3.5 star not sure how to do half star . Place is legit glad we went will be back again . read more

Cafe Rustica - Pasta chicken was soo good - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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I really wanted to love this place. I've been driving past it for years and it's always busy. Lots of hits but some misses. I'll probably go back for the pizza, which was delicious. The two fish options we got were also really great. Chicken parm was good, too. The vegan member of our party had one option- eggplant parm. It was a real disappointment. Eggplant was coated in egg and flour which usually gives a lighter dish than those prepped with bread crumbs. The batter separated from the eggplant so between the eggplant slices was a mushy layer that was like wet paper toweling. Not really appealing. For dessert we ordered cannoli. They seemed to be freshly filled as the shell was crispy. Unfortunately the filling was very grainy and sandy in texture. A mixed bag but worth another try. read more

Cafe Rustica doesn't look like much from the outside, but once inside you get that homey feeling, which is apropos to the name Cafe Rustica. It used to be an old Carriage Inn, and the front portion dates back to the 19th century. This place is quaint, yet casual. They offer a full bar with a nice selection of wines and cocktails. Cafe Rustica is kid friendly, there's no kid menu per se,, but you can get the basics like pasta with butter or sauce, pizza, chicken cutlet etc. Chef Giovanni is very accommodating. There were couples, families with children and my group of girlfriends that were dining. The chef/owner Giovanni Giornalista, and his wife Theresa who runs the front of the house, did a great job with my group. Theresa helped me with deciding on what to order and allowed substitutions. They offer daily specials, and have a really nice menu. I started with a Tito's, club with lemon, and then went on to a glass of Cabernet. Fresh hot bread and focaccia were placed on the table along with olive oil for dipping. For my entree I ordered their Pan Seared Salmon and instead of risotto that came with it, I asked to sub mashed potatoes which they were happy to do for several of us who ordered the pan seared salmon. My salmon came with two delicious sauces and was cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes were creamy. My entree also came with a house salad which was very good. My friends ordered the following dishes, Cajun Chicken Breast Salad- Tossed with fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, cranberries, mandarin oranges & sliced almonds, with homemade mandarin orange vinaigrette. A Swordfish Special that was throughly enjoyed. Another friend ordered Shrimp and Scallops Malafemina- Jumbo shrimp & scallops sautéed in a white wine tomato basil cream sauce served over basil fettuccine. Another friend chose Fettuccine alla Formiana- Mussels, clams, shrimp & calamari sauteed with grape tomatoes & baby spinach in an oil & garlic white wine sauce. We all loved everything that was served. It was delicious and presented beautifully. My friends and I were full, so we passed on dessert. Cafe Rustica does have parking and they do catering. You can make reservations, and they have takeout. This is definitely a place I will be frequenting again and again. read more

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Friday dinner of Pollo Rustico and Grilled Steak Salad was terrific! Large portions and perfectly prepared. Attentive and friendly staff, and server Isabella was a delight. Thank you Theresa and Chef Giovanni read more

First off Café Rustica has that "Family Feel" and you notice it right when you step in that there is no industrial feel to the place whatsoever. I have taken close family and friends here for special occasions going on 10 years. The staff is always very friendly and attentive. They never seem to be in a rush but they get things done in a timely manner just the same. Not once have there been any mistakes in any of my visits here. The Ambiance is elevated casual. I've come in a Golf Shirt and Jeans and felt just fine sitting next to folks dressed to the nines. Here is one area that you will notice the "Family Feel" of this place, customers converse with other tables over the food being served frequently. Be in a friendly mood because folks will reach out to you here. Ok, the Food, this is why we go out to eat right? Another area you'll notice that "Family Feel" of this place. Anything off the menu just seems like Grandma cooked an Italian Classic for you. The plates are well presented and the portions are generous! I tend to have the Veal Saltimbocca as it is among the top presentations of this dish in the area; I mean it! However the dishes all look so nice when they come out. Another reason for the inter table comments. When all is said and done, looking at the bill I am always presently surprised the tally is so reasonable! Good Food, Good Prices, Clean Facility, Nice Staff and Customers will be found here! My advice is to give Café Rustica a try but make reservations as they fill up fast because it's an all of the above type place. I really do love it here! read more

Really lovely Italian restaurant. The ambiance lends itself to range from a date night to a family night. There is a full bar upon walking. They have curbside pickup and indoor dining. I felt very comfortable eating inside during covid. The Buffalo calamari isn't on the menu, but when we asked if we could order it they said yes. Definitely the best part about our meal! So good. read more

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Oh do I love Cafe Rustica! One of my favorite lunch spots when I'm at work, I always order for pick up. I've tried the fried mozzarella (YUM) & the Penne vodka (YUM YUM) the first time I ordered. Today, I ordered the grilled vegetable panini which came with a spring mix salad with vinaigrette and tortilla chips for $9.99. Great meal for a great price! My co-worker, my boss & I all get the same thing every time. Cafe Rustica is a cute & intimate little Italian restaurant in Basking Ridge; the staff is also nice.i never actually sat down in the restaurant but for the take out aspect it's only a 20 minute wait for the food, there's a bar inside where you can hang out while waiting, and the portions are great. read more

Cafe Rustica - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

We have eaten here several times over the years, and I was surprised that I had not yet reviewed it. Owned by a lovely family, the food is solid, well priced for the area, and the service has always been very attentive. We've done some takeout recently given the closure order, and they have operated very efficiently and the quality of food has not suffered. Offers everything from pizza to seafood dishes and everything in between. My new favorite is the buffalo calamari. Update: they're doing a great job with curbside pickup during all this. Seamless ordering and delivery. read more

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Really good Italian place with a nice outdoor seating area. Everyone enjoyed their food especially the Pollo Rustico and the baked Rigatoni Rustica...good drinks too! Dinner for 4 with appys and drinks was around $200 so it's affordable too, especially if you don't have alcohol. Can't wait to go back and try the pizza it looked great...will definitely be returning soon read more

I ordered a cafe Rustica salad with chicken and it was $33!!! No salad is worth $33. The ambiance was old and run down the money was not even worth the experience. I will not be coming back here. Way too over priced. read more

very disappointed with this restaurant as we have been living close by and wanting to try. so disappointed for my birthday dinner. the drinks were either rushed or late, the veal was bland and the pasta underwhelming. service was unfriendly and untimely and the dessert of cannolis we took home was rancid. so disappointed for my birthday dinner: read more

Always a problem there that's keeps the rating low. The food is always good (and it's close by, which keeps me going back) but you either get the scowling owner/hostess, a wait staff you can barely understand as they drone on about the specials (although I think they've taken to putting the specials in writing) or an intolerable wait time to get the food, like last night when it took 90 MINUTES from the time we sat to get our entre. And no, they weren't busy and we did not order apps. Unacceptable wait time. And they were all smiles up front but when they knew they were missing the mark they were nowhere to be found. read more

Best Italian in our area. Great menu selections and the pizza is terrific. The lunch menu has a great selection of hot and cold sandwiches. Service is spectacular. read more

The last 3 times I was there, there was no taste go any of the dishes I ordered. Not sure who the Chef is. The drinks are excellent. The servers are fantastic. read more

I love this restaurant. I discovered it a couple years ago. I was lost one summer , and driving by , and saw people eating outside. Finally went back. Everyone here is so so nice. They decorate so cute for every holiday , Their food is fantastic. I never got any thing I didn't like. They have good desserts too, and gluten free options , which I really need. This is one of my "go to" restaurants! read more

Order pizza from Rustico and always yummy. Outdoor patio has nice ambiance. Staff always very pleasant

We try the take out from this Italian restaurant I thought the vodka sauce was excellent and the penne was cooked perfect. The lasagna was excellent too in there sweet red sauce . They have a very good salad dressing peppercorn excellent! Now this why they didn't get four star or higher the calamari was soggy and tasteless! They had plenty of parking and the place is super small ! read more

Huge portions and excellent service. Great chocolate martini. I brought my mother-in-law here when she was visiting

I like Cafe Rustica for dinner although if I just want pizza I go elsewhere. I've brought out-of-state guests here and they were happy with their meals and very pleased with the classy service. The waiters here are much more attentive than in most restaurants and really know their menu and specials. I usually get a salad and either salmon or chicken. Everything has been consistently good. I'm not a beer-drinker but the beer aficionados in our party were enthusiastic about the quality and variety of beers on tap. The restaurant has a small bar area. At Christmas the restaurant had tasteful and festive decorations up that created a warm atmosphere. All in all, a very nice local place. Will certainly return. read more

My wife and I were out for a ride when great hunger set in. Thankfully, Cafe Rustica appeared on the horizon and we stopped in. It's a bustling, popular place and the noise level was deafening. When our pleasant server recited the specials, I made out every fifth word. Fried calamari was very tasty. Good breading. Tender. Off to a good start. For mains, a prociutto pizza for my wife. Pork chop with spinach and mashed potatoes for me. My wife loved her pizza. My chop was grilled perfectly- medium, but surprisingly, lacked flavor. The spinach and the mash was excellent. A salad served with my meal was ignored. Cafe Rustica is a nice spot. Reminds me of the seventies type roadhouses I visited with my parents for Sunday dinner long ago. We'll stop in again. read more

Cafe Rustica - Pizza with prosciutto, mushrooms and arugala. - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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Dined here on a Saturday night, busy but no wait. The food is pretty good however what really took away from my experience was the pricing and other related practices. For instance, the $14 bourbon on the rocks was watered down. Not sure if it was because the drank had sat for awhile before reaching my table or for other reasons.... Also I ordered a veal dish over spinach but wanted to substitute the spinach for plain risotto (as other dishes came with risotto) and the waitress told me they could do it no problem... however when I got the check I was upcharged $8 just for the risotto substitute!! The waitress never told me it would be an upcharge. Nevertheless $8 extra for risotto which I'm pretty sure is way less expensive than the spinach I substituted and on top of that I didn't even get that much risotto. There was also an error where we got charged for a bowl of soup even though we ordered only a cup. The portion size of the Caesar salad was rather small for $12.99. Lastly, i wanted the hot fudge brownie ice cream sundae and was told they didnt have it so i asked if they could just do a normal vanilla ice cream sundae and was told they could however it was only $1 less than the brownie sundae which seems like a stretch. Also they didn't give that much hot fudge. It's not like the food wasn't good it's just a shame to have to deal with the pricing/ portion games. read more

Their red sauce is superb. Their calamari was good then second time, I gagged. It was so stringy or off, tossed. What I find sad is that all their dishes are the same. Cheese, sauce and X (chicken/fish, etc.). I am used to smallish menus with variety and true Italian food. Boring. read more

How hard is it to get a phone order correct...order 1 thing got another ..at least my dinner was correct

This is the first time I am going to say this. First and last time visitor all in the same visit. Waitress was horrible. Food was even worse no flavor at all don't even start with what the difference between ranch and creamy Italian. This place says they are the same. Not sure how that works. So if you are in for fun out of fasting. This is your place. Bring a bag. You may need it. Oh the beer was good. read more

I have gone here numerous times and enjoyed the food, drinks and the service has always been good. I went last night, Halloween, with two friends. Service was good, but sadly the pizza I ordered was burnt. I tried to pick around the black parts, but the burnt taste was still there. Pizza isn't that hard to make and to serve a customer something like that leads me to believe, they really didn't care if I was satisfied. As it seems that that was their attitude, no problem, because I'll go elsewhere from now on. read more

We have wanted to this place for awhile and went last night. While we were seated immediately with menus and were given bread shortly thereafter, no wait staff came to our table for 30 minutes. People who came in well after us were seated and their orders were taken immediately. Waitresses were serving other nearby tables but never so much as looked in our direction. We were finally able to flag down the girl who brought us bread to get anyone to take our order. Waiter came over and said no one told him he had a table. Strike one. We gave him our entire order--drinks, appetizer and entrees--at the same time. Wine was lousy. Entrees showed up and we asked where the appetizer was (the first thing we ordered!!!!!!!!!) and the waiter said there was "miscommunication" and he "didn't get that" part of the order. Food was mediocre at best and this was definitely and one and done! read more

Ordered the sriracha wings and they were awesome. Extremely flavorful and cooked perfectly. Sorry I ate them so fast I did not take any pictures. My lovely wife ordered the Farfalle Theresa and said it was amazing. Will definitely come back! read more

Amazing fresh pasta and fresh seafood . We order pizza from café rústica very often and it's always Great and delicious . Love this place . read more

Cafe Rustica - Shrimp & Scallops Malafemina - Pizza Near Me - Basking Ridge, New Jersey

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