We road trip a lot and tend to eat the same style wherever we go. Italian food is ubiquitous and kid friendly so we love it. We ordered pizza, calamari, piccata and Bolognese. Everything was very good with the pizza and calamari being excellent. Prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was chill. Perfect Friday night, end of the week place read more

I haven't had dinner here but I have recently had pizza for take out. Bottom line: the brick oven pizza is excellent, fresh ingredients and a great crust. I would rate it 1 star below Reservoir Tavern in Parsippany. Needless to say, it's the best pizza by far in the north section of Basking Ridge and Bernardsville area read more

Neighborhood favorite. Great for take-out or a place to take the family. Service could be better, always polite but slow to refill water and bring desserts. Specialty pizza pies are the best. Generous portions and entrees are always good. read more

Tried this place for the first time last night. Not bad, but not great. The place is a bit run down. The food was pretty good for a local, family kind of restaurant, but nothing that you'd be excited to have again. read more

I saw someone put a good review on yelp so I tried it. The food was decent, but there are definitely better places to eat. One thing i really didn't like was that they didn't give any free refills for soft drinks, and of course they over charge for drinks. Every other restaurant in this entire area offers free refills, so I'm not sure why they don't follow. Little things like that is what makes this restaurant still in the stone ages. Price range for lunch is from the $10-$20 range. Like I said, there are better places for the same price range. read more

Has gone down hill recently. The service was inexperienced and not attentive. The food is generally good but can be hit or miss. Not a very friendly place. read more

I found this restaurant at lunchtime while at work. It's a quaint little place that looks like it was converted from a house. The waitress was friendly and quick. I ordered the chicken parm meal with a salad. The food was excellent as was the service and I was very pleased with my lunchtime find. read more

My family and I got there before it opened, along with 2 other families. It was not full when they sat us, but service was super slow. I could forgive the very Anglo non-Italian girl's horrible pronunciation of the Italian food names, but the time between getting our water and our order, our food, our table cleared for dessert, our check -- that wait time was too long. My food had hair in it and was sent back. My fiancé had a tasteless pizza with a thin, rubbery crust. My mom and grandmother had the chicken special. I had ordered some francese. These three meals were drowning in sauce. Aside from the hair in mine, the one bite I took was too lemony and the meal looked unappetizing since it was so smothered in sauce. Grammy said her chicken was tough and neither her nor my mother thought much of the taste. None of us left satisfied. At least they took my hairy meal off the check. But for the I rice we paid, it was not a good meal, nor worth the money. read more

I've dine here many times and never have any complains about the food nor the service. The pizza is outstanding genuine Italian old style brick oven, um so yummy! Las time we were there I order the veal chop OMG so good! Definitely will repeat next time. My only complain will be, that is little expensive being this a family restaurant(reason for the four stars) but I don't mined to pay extra as long as I'm satisfied. read more

I don't quite understand some of the bad reviews. I have been to this place on at least 15 occasions, and found the food to be very good each time. I have never gone wrong with any of their chicken dishes. The atmosphere is also very nice- quiet and dimly lit. The only downside is that their menu is fairly limited. read more

We've been here several times over the course of the past 5 years, but it's probably a year since our last vist. Our previous experiences were VERY good, but this was disappointing at best. Service and drinks were good. The Francese trio was bland, it seems the chef forgot to add any flavoring! And the eggplant parm was lackluster. Foccacia was good, but the bread was ordinary. I can't imagine I'll be rushing back very quickly. Was there a change in chef or ownership while I was gone?? read more

Cafe Rustica does not disappoint ....... best Italian food in the area ...... Fried calamari is 5 star and we had 2 orders of penne vodka sauce and 1 chicken parm ..... excellent! And Chrissie the waitress was on point with everything .... will be going back again and again and again and anyone looking for really really good italian food must try this place ..... Thank u for a wonderful meal and very nice wait staff read more

The risotto is delish!!! Sometimes I order it as a side to my cooked meals at home. Brought my pop here and was waiting for his rough critique on the place and service. First time ever I can remember him not having one bad thing to say. From the front door service to the meal....we had an excellent experience. read more

We went there for diner and it was one of the worst meals I have ever had in a restaurant. The bread was dry and cold, salad drenched in Vinegar. I ordered Pollo Rustica and couldn't eat more then a bite. I don't even know where to begin, it was that bad. I found it expensive and quite frankly upsetting to pay for such a bad meal. I should have sent it back and refuse to pay. Will never go back. read more

Six girlfriends, long out of high school, came to Cafe Rustica on a recent weekend. Convenient parking lot. The decor is lovely. Very nice staff, very prompt service, all enjoyed our meals... and, most importantly, never felt rushed. My only negative comment would be that sitting a table full of children next to a full table of ladies out for the evening might not have been the best plan ... restaurant was relatively empty at the time. read more

Had a terrible dinner there tonight. I had white clam pasta. There were 3 dominating flavors: salt, salt and more salt. It was essentially pasta water with pasta and about 8 medium clams over-cooked to the point where they were like little bits of rubber. My son had the chicken rustica. It tasted of bullion cube. My girlfriend had chicken parm which she said was just okay. It took 45 minutes for the food to come. The waitress tried hard but couldn't make up for the horrid food. It used to be good. WHAT HAPPENED? read more

I moved to this area about 5 years ago. I live approx. 1 mile from the cafe. When my wife saw the cafe while we were driving around, we thought wouldn't it be great if this place is really good and so close. So, we tried it several times and found it to be well below standard. We even tried the takeout pizza, but that wasn't good either. That was 5 years ago and we never returned. read more

I have worked in the restaurant business in Manhattan as a server, manager and bartender for 25 years. I am extremely tolerant and sympathetic to the challenges restaurant workers and owners have but there are no excuse for bad service and poor food. We would never go back. We had reservations for 7 p.m. and there was no one to greet us. Eventually what seemed like a bus girl sat us in a dark cramped corner with a protruding old empty wooden menu holder jutting out of the wall at shoulder height. On the wall above the table was a very dusty plastic ivy swag serving as décor. The moment we sat down the waitress greeted us hurriedly and asked if we'd like something to drink. Since we hadn't even had a chance to look at the wine menu we asked for water while we perused the selection. She eventually came back to take our order but never offered to let us know if there was any specials for the night. I had to ask and her answers were inaudible as she quickly read from a piece of paper. Only after asking her to repeat what she was saying we ordered the special appetizers of Buffalo Calamari and sizzling shrimp. The calamari was very soggy and dosed with way to much bruschetta and balsamic glaze. The sizzling shrimp was not sizzling but came out swimming in drowning in a butter cream sauce. For entrees we ordered Chicken Amalfi and Salmon over risotto with green peas and mushrooms. The chicken was rubbery and the tomato sauce flavorless and watery. The salmon was overcooked, bland over a bed on rice not risotto as described. The only time we saw our waitress was once to take our order and the other to give us our check. The service was slow and inconsistent with food runners and busers doing most of the work. I don't want to have to ask a food runner for a glass of wine. Basically we were ignored. The bathrooms were very dirty and I couldn't wait to get out of there. Nothing about our experience was satisfactory or pleasant. read more

OK - so I really hope I am not jinxing myself by writing another update. This is the 4th time I have reviewed Cafe Rustica. I've been here countless times now. I've never had an issue with the food. The food is absolutely outstanding. In my opinion, it's the best Italian food in the area. I've been to other places that people have highly recommended but I really do think Cafe Rustica beats them all. Again, I've never had an issue with the food. I've only ever had issues with the service here and my last review was over 2.5 years ago so I do think it's time for an update. I must say that the service has improved tremendously since my last review. I've had pretty good service on my last 3 visits or so. My wife and I still do take out from here, as well. But, I always prefer eating at the restaurant over take-out. It always tastes better and that's how the food is meant to be served. The food is simply awesome. Everything I've ever tried has been on point. We've tried a number of different apps but my favorite now is the Eggplant Rollatini which my wife and I tried for the first time the other day. It was great - it even had crumbled sausage inside and tasted phenomenal. Can't go wrong with the calamari, either. I'm also a huge fan of the focaccia bread they serve pre-meal. It is outstanding - some of the best focaccia I have ever tasted. You could almost make a meal out of that by itself. It really is that good. We even love the salads they serve, as well. I usually order their caesar salad which is great and my wife gets the blue cheese. It's a homemade blue cheese that is awesome. When we've taken other people to this restaurant, they also seem to make the same comments regarding the blue cheese. I've had a ton of different entrees at Cafe Rustica, but I've pretty much just settled on my favorite now - the Shrimp and Scallops Malafemina. It's jumbo shrimp and scallops served with homemade basil fettucine in a pink cream sauce. It is one of the best tasting dishes I have ever had. It is completely out of this world - if you like shrimp and scallops, definitely give this dish a shot. I've had a bunch of their other entrees and like them all, for the most part. The only dish I did not love was the blue cheese crusted NY strip steak. It was a little tough when I had it. I've had some of their baked dishes (chicken parm, lasagna, eggplant rollatini) and you can't go wrong with any of those. I'm typically always going to get the shrimp and scallops when I come here, though. They even do pretty good pizza which we get as take-out once in a while. Rustica also has a pretty cool little bar - about 8 bar stools or so. Surprisingly, they have about 8 beers on tap which is a pretty good number and they always have at least a few microbrews. Bonus points for usually having the Sam Adams seasonal on tap too. Again, if I rated this place strictly on the food, it would be a 5-star rating - easily, not even close. I've had issues with the service in the past, so that is what prevents me from rating this place 5 stars, but I can say that it definitely has gotten much better over the last couple of years. Prices are pretty standard for the type of fare they serve, but I'll gladly pay a little extra for food this good. read more

An awful evening after a long week. Bad service with an attitude. Forgot our water and our salad and when we complained, they complained right back! The owner Therese literally talked about us with her "friend" at the table next to us. I guess she really wants a dining room for her friends not for paying customers! read more

I am not a frequent visitor to Basking Ridge, and the few times I have been there I always seem to end up at Café Rustica--and tonight, just like the other times, I always come away wishing it were just a little bit more than what it is, especially for the cost. We started with a flatbread appetizer with figs, blue cheese and carmelized onions-very good, but we could have enjoyed an entire pie for its $15. The Mrs had one of their margarita specials, and it was neither a margarita (totally a prefab mix) nor special (and at $14, way overpriced). Their wine by the glass list is small, and so are the glasses themselves--easily one of the more meager pours I've had. They make up for it on the pastas, as the portions are substantial--but again, just off the mark. The Mrs' puttanesca was great, but my sausage and broccoli rabe--despite a spicy sausage--was underwhelming and almost bland. I think next time I'm in BR I'll stop wishing it were a little bit more and just give one of the other Italian spots a try. read more

I just ate here last week with my family for dinner. While I always enjoy the fantastic food of which always comes out piping hot and fresh, the service is almost unbearably slow. The three of us waited about an hour for two pizzas and a plain pasta dish with marinara sauce. Our waitress also was inattentive, as she did not keep us updated on the status of our elusive food, and eventually another waiter just assumed her position and started taking better care of us. Unfortunately, it wasn't even that busy that night. While waiting quite a while for the food is typical here, it was exceptionally slow-- but at least the food did make up for it. Service just needs to improve and be more consistent. read more

I live about 3 minutes away and get take out here regularly. the pastas are very good and the pizza brick oven and very good. nice bar. good neighborhood place read more

The pasta and fajoli is a 5 star dish. The pasta is great. The veal parm is excellent. The calimari are delicious. The atmostphere is cozy and the staff and owners are friendly. read more

I have been a loyal customer for at least 10 yrs from the area; however, recent price increases on the menu have me sick. Lets keep in mind no one gets 5, but CF could be in the high 3.5+, but after I saw my recent takeout check for 9.99 for kids parm takeout which is one chicken cutlet in a 5.5 inch tin I ALMOST BARFED. I never flinched at the other entrees cause I thought they might care about quality but PLEASE. That is gouging +++ One cutlet with cheese and sauce give me a break at 7.99 it was pushing it. I know trips to Italy cost money but with the border crossers in the kitchen it can't be that big a hurdle. Too Bad but that is the reality of this blunder and I will be going to elsewhere to get a decent Pie and not get rooked for one chicken cutlet. read more

First of all. The people that are raggin on this place bout the price your crazy. Second of all don't complain about the steak you went to an italian restaurant, Don't get steak its obviously not the best thing on the menu...although i love the steak. Its not a 40 dollar piece of meat...Ever single pasta dish is unbelievable OMG its like you wouldnt believe. The prices are cheap compared to other italian restaurants. I have had every single pasta dish there and i am 100% italian so i think i would know a lot about italian food. BTW the ribs are amazing too.. They fall right off the bone best rips i have ever had. The salmon amazing!. The tilapia is like you wouldn't believe. OH and the fried calamari. You wont taste anything better in nj. I have tried about everything at this place and its GREAT. read more

Cafe Rustica was a fantastic experience. I was extremely impressed with the service and words cannot describe how superb the gourmet food was! The Port wine home made dressing on my salad and the penne vodka entree was delicious ! The employees were inviting and friendly which make it perfect for a family atmosphere. I look forward to bringing my friends there again! read more

The food was delicious and culturally accurate. It was like eating grandmas cooking. It had a familiar taste yet it had a significantly tasteful twist. It was grandmas cooking but with the critiques you told her about. The service was like being served by family. They made sure everything was okay and wouldn't get mad if you sent the food back. They would send the owner out with your food that was sent back so your opinions would be heard. The wait for the food wasn't long and it wasn't a big deal because the bread was delicious because it was freshly baked. All in all Café Rustica deserves 4 stars. read more

Cafe Rustica is an absolutely charming restaurant. Located in a quaint setting, the restaurant offers a charming atmosphere. There is ample parking. As you enter the restaurant, there is a small lovely bar to the left, where one can have a casual drink, served by experienced bartenders and dine, if desired. The rooms and lighting are perfect. Having dined there several times with friends and family, everything was always excellent. Sometimes, we enjoy just have a light meal at the bar with an excellently poured cosmo. The food is exceptional and made to order. It is not your defrost and go type food, so be prepared to wait for the finest quality food. I highly recommend the Bruschetta, and the Pasta e Fagiolio is awesome. The Margherita Pizza is one of the best I have eaten. Perhaps my favorite meal is the Penne Vodka, which has an inviting experience to your palate. The food is always fresh and cooked to perfection. The portions are awesome, so be prepared to savor the tastes of fresh food made to order. I have also attended large gatherings in their back room. Everything was perfect. This restaurant is great for any occasion, especially, a quiet dinner for two. It is the perfect family run restaurant. read more