A recommendation from a colleague, we decided to visit Caffe Piazza after our high school track and field event. We happened to dine on '1/2 price pasta Tuesday'! Wow what a bargain but even at full price, the pasta entree, Rigatoni Ragu was spectacular! A huge portion prepared to perfection. While dining, owner/chef Antonio came out to greet my wife and I. A real authentic kind person and our server Bella, just as kind. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant ambiance was a very cool, relaxed and well-balanced decor making our dining experience even more enjoyable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Thank you to Antonio and Bella. read more

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Don't judge a book by its cover! Caffe Piazza is a BYOB in a strip mall on Rt. 206 in Hillsborough. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The decor is nice, but not glamorous like some places in NJ.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] But I'll put the food up against the "so called" best Italian restaurants in North Jersey and NYC. Chef/Owner Antonio is a gracious host and the staff are on top of their game and very friendly. Antonio spent almost the whole meal in the dining room socializing with us. It's a BYOB, but Antonio has awesome home made wine and Limoncello. There is also a liquor store in the shopping center across the street if you want to pick something up. Dishes included: stuffed zucchini blossoms, house made charcuterie, braciola, braised short ribs, meatball w/ ricotta, potato croquettas, calamari, and if you like spicy stuff, the n'duja bread is to die for! Don't order off the menu, let Antonio decide what you're eating. You won't regret it. This was our second time there and I can't wait to go back. This is a hidden gem! Grazie Antonio! read more

Caffe Piazza - Our dinner group with Chef/Owner Antonio. - Italian Near Me - Hillsborough, New Jersey

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Just hosted a baby shower at caffe piazza and it was amazing!!!! The owner and his son went above and beyond!!!! The food was plentiful and delicious! We have eaten dinner at this restaurant prior and because of the incredible food and hospitality we were certain that was where we would have our event! read more

We've been to Caffe Piazza for 20+ yrs and they're consistently good. The menu offered great variety, and food was delicious. We had the grilled octopus for appetizer, so good, and short ribs and salmon for entrees. All were excellent! The staff were friendly and professional. Tony sent over limoncello flutes on the house for our anniversary ^_^ [[HIGHLIGHT]]They recently updated the interior, looked really nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Glad to see them thriving! read more

You cannot go wrong here. Local restaurant that is proud to serve the Hillsborough area. Have been a customer for well over 25 years. Antonio, the owner is friendly and makes you feel like one of the family, no matter how busy the restaurant can get! They have weekly and family night specials that in this economy are not only flavorful but well sized providing leftovers for another meal. Thank you Again, for another fantastic meal ! read more

Caffe Piazza was the caterer three events I attended in December. Each had different styles of food and the food at each was incredible! (as it always is!) One party was all appetizers and desserts and everything was delicious! We attended a small dinner party where short rib and chicken parm were the stars and both were top notch! The third event was a birthday party which is always catered by Antonio. Such delicious food! We have been going to the restaurant since it opened and the food and service are always incredible! Can't say enough good things about Antonio the owner, his son Gregory as well as all of the staff! read more

Way better food than you would expect from a "strip mall" restaurant. Creative dishes, very personable wait staff. Highly recommended.

Each time I've been here has been a great experience. The staff is so friendly and welcoming!

Always Fabulous food Antonio greets and talks to his customer [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very family feeling[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] His servers polite and always on top of things It's a definite repeat And BYOB 5 Stars read more

It was my first time here. My boyfriend chose this restaurant for his birthday. He's been here before and had a wonderful dinner. I made a reservation because we came on a Friday night. We were seated immediately by a hostess. My server Bella was friendly and nice. The owner Antonio and his son Greg were walking around and checking on us. They made us feel welcomed. We started with two appetizers, STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS-Fresh ricotta, battered fried, with cheese fondue. The stuffed zucchini blossoms were delicious. Crispy on the outside, with soft fluffy ricotta on the inside. Then they were topped with melted mozzarella.Next came STUFFED CALIFORNIA FIGS--crumbled blue cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and lightly baked with an arugula-aged balsamic glacé. Both were delicious, but I absolutely loved the fresh stuffed figs.It was a nice blend of salty and a bit sweet, and the prosciutto that was wrapped around was crispy and so good. It melted in my mouth. We were served hot bread and received a house salad. It was lightly dressed and good. For my entree I chose CHICKEN DELIZIOSO- Roasted pepper, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, brandy herbal demi- glace sauce, with melted mozzarella. This dish was also very good. It was served in a lovely casserole pan. What I really liked was that all of the dishes arrived at my table piping hot. My boyfriend ordered VEAL PORTOGALLO- Roasted shallots, porcini mushroom, prosciutto, sundried tomato,in a creamy port wine sauce. My boyfriend didn't leave a drop left on his plate. For his birthday dessert he chose their LEMON STYLE PUDDING.They were so kind to put a candle in it. The owner even put on Happy Birthday music( Today's Your Birthday by the Beatles.) Everyone in the restaurant sang and clapped. For my dessert I chose TIRAMISU it was creamy and delicious. Antonio gave us some homemade Limoncello and cheered us! There's plenty of free parking because this place is located in a strip mall. We had a lovely dinner and we would definitely return. read more

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We've been a customer from when they first opened. However the last several years we've only used take out but decided to go in person for Valentines Day. Antonio greeted us and was a perfect host. He offered us delicious wine and they had an amazing Valentines special dinner menu. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere was cozy and the wine was potent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I was lit. LOL. I had flounder with crabmeat stuffing and my wife had chicken with a delicious sauce with all the trimmings. For dessert we shared a Ricotta cake and a Cannoli. Both were exquisite and as fresh as can be. Best cannoli I ever tasted. And I've had my share. We will be putting take out on hold and visiting regularly as we did in the past. Thanks Antonio for providing us a spectacular meal and an evening we will never forget. Sincerely, James and Rene' Gambino read more

Eight adults had dinner....everybody loved their food. Period. Details: We had 6-8 appetizers for the table, all were well made, tasty and large enough that everyone got a little of everything. However, the Burrata ($14.00) Burrata-baby arugula, prosciutto, strawberries, toasted almonds, fig jam and the Stuffed Zucchine Flowers ($14.00) fresh ricotta, battered, fried, cheese sauce were both the 2 best we had (ordered a second of the zucchini! I personally really enjoyed the grilled octopus too. The entrees were equally well received. Gnocchi Liguria, Penne Nonna Anna, Signature Dish (which reminded my friend "just like mom used to make" were some of the entrees ordered - again all thoroughly enjoyed (finished or leftovers taken home). Then the deserts! I had both the Choconnoli ($7.00) Homemade Chocolate Mousse and Cannoli Cream and the Cannoli ($6) - simply phenomenal. Everyone else enjoyed everything they ordered. Only thing I found strange...when both people who ordered a steak asked for a steak knife, we were told the restaurant doesn't have steak knives bc the meat is cooked so well. Sorry, politely going to disagree here - regardless of how well the meat is cooked, a butter knife is insufficient to cut through grizzle/fat etc etc. read more

We booked cafe piazza for our son and daughter-in-laws rehearsal dinner on the day before the wedding. We selected a party package or family style meals. We also ordered a tiramisu instead of a cake. The meal was incredible and so was our dessert choice. If I could do it all over again, I'd pick everything the same. Antonio was easy to work with and his wait staff was very good. I highly recommend this place for a private party! read more

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Caffé Piazza is located in a small strip mall. The average sized restaurant is cutely adorned with that old nostalgic Italian-American feel that I grew up with --faux leaves along the walls, kitchen tools hanging from the ceiling, black and white photos of people hanging on the walls. Frank Sinatra's music is played on a continuous loop. I thought the food was fairly good. The bread service was a little too hard for my liking, but the salad was delicious. Fresh spring mix with a lovely vinaigrette dressing. My entree was the Beef Short Ribs Della Nonna, found on the specials menu. The beef was still on the bone and came off so easily; tender (braised for 5 hours according to the menu!) but a little fatty in some parts. Still good nonetheless. Homemade pappardelle was delicious in the gravy. Perfect serving size. My boyfriend ordered the Bistecca Antonio which was topped with imported prosciutto, spinach and cheese. The steak was nice and tender and very flavorful from the wine sauce. He said the prosciutto was amazing! The steak was served with a decent portion of steak fries that were seasoned nicely. I can easily make a meal out of French fries and could've done so off of these. Dessert was just subpar. They bring out a tray of desserts for you to choose what you'd like. I wanted something chocolaty so I got the brownie with nuts that had melted chocolate inside and it came with a scoop of ice cream. I wasn't overly impressed and found the brownie to be lacking something. It wasn't particularly sweet and it was dry. My boyfriend got tiramisu and it was presented in a glass jar rather than in a slice form. He said it had too much whipped cream but didn't mention anything else about the tiramisu. If I could go back in time, I would've ordered off of the antipasti instead of getting dessert. Bonus points for friendly service! The owner was walking around and talking to guests and the chef came out to a couple tables to show the meat precooked. Pretty neat! Also cool that they have a health-conscious/dietary restriction menu. Those foods are labeled as gluten free, nut free, vegan and vegetarian. A rarity at a lot of Italian restaurants! Overall, nice local spot in Hillsborough for a cozy Italian meal. read more

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I ordered takeout. Perhaps it was just a bad batch of chicken cutlet, but the chicken parm I received was the driest chicken I have ever received. I would say it was drier than the Sahara desert. I hope the other food is better. The side salad was very fresh and delightful though! read more

Service is mediocre, food less Italian than diner. Don't trust the reviews here (including this one?)

The service completely ruined the experience of this restaurant. I am baffled by how we were treated. We were with two young kids who were hungry and Greg (our waiter) said he couldn't put in the kids food order with our drink order bc he can't remember that much; yet he was able to remember our entire food order later, and could have easily written it down. Mind you, no one else was in the restaurant at this time, but us. It seemed that he really didn't care because of the automatic gratuity charge of 20%, which we then noticed he charged us two teas when we did not order tea, but hot water. He was not apologetic and tried to say that there is a cost bc we were using cups and hot water. Does that mean each cup of regular water is a separate charge? Of course not. Should have looked closer at the reviews that said it seems like there's a change of ownership. Clearly they don't care for families patronizing their establishment. read more

What a hidden gem! Although it did take some time to put in our order, once we did the food came out quickly! We had calamari and bruschetta for appetizers. Both were amazing! The salad that comes with the meal is delicious. Not sure the dressing they use but it is so tasty. Every entree we ordered was great. We also had gelato and tiramisu for dessert. Overall amazing food, worth the money. We will be back. read more

Caffe Piazza - Limoncello gelato - Italian Near Me - Hillsborough, New Jersey

This place is garbage!!!!! Far from Italian....bland and flavorless! I've had better Italian food with Latinos cooking in the kitchen than that atrocious place. Staff were also rude and inattentive. To sum it up.... I'd rather take my business to another well deserving mom n pop restaurant. The waiter working the night of 8/28/21 @9:30pm was rude and low class. They advertised that they close at 10pm at 9:30pm when a friend of mine "who I warned, not to order from them!" Went in and asked to order something to go and was told "we're closed!" When it was 30 mins before closing and all he wanted was to do a take out. Stay clear! read more

delicious food amazing staff and service ! a very clean casual atmosphere. our new spot for authentic italian cuisine

It was "Our First" time to dine there, Saturday, May 15, 2021. We went at 9:00 PM and their close was at 10:00 PM... Did that stop them from being incredible?? No!! The Service was Impeccable! Food Absolutely Delicious! We were the last ones and they did not rush us, they served us as if we arrived at 7:00 PM! Greg, the owners son, very mature, a great host and well spoken! A GREAT place Antonio! We'LL be back! Thank you for a great Italian restaurant in Hillsborough! read more

Caffe Piazza - Paella! - Italian Near Me - Hillsborough, New Jersey

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The food was excellent, but was taken aback when I asked for butter for the rolls and was told they did not give butter. New meaning to BYOB, bring your own butter. read more

Dryest eggplant rollatini ever! Almost not edible! Not sure it was even eggplant. Breaded cardboard or something. So sad! The portions were tiny. I used to come here years ago and they must have new owners!! Something is wrong. Over priced for tiny serving. Please have the chef try this. I'm sure he wouldn't send it out of the kitchen!!! I'm thinking maybe it was made days before and was 'old'. It was a Saturday night and there were only a handful of tables taken. My usual go to Italian restaurant has a wait on a Saturday night. This place is small so I would think all the tables would have been taken on a Saturday night. read more

I wish I could give this restaurant a better review. The food was flavorless and watery. I expected very good traditional Jersey Italian food - did not get that experience at all. The manager/owner was nice, which is why I feel bad about saying the food is not worth the price tag. I would say if you're thinking about going to this place - think again and driving down the road to Espos and you would have less expensive and the tastiest Italian food to boot. Feel bad giving this review. read more

Even the leftovers the next day were amazing, and I can't say that about many places! Celebrated my daughters baby shower with 32 women. We took over the entire restaurant. Antonio and his son Greg could not have been any more accomodating with the decorations, mimosa bar and all the extras we brought. This is not your usual Italian eatery. Antonio is a chef and it was apparent in every dish which was served in small, family style serving dishes designed to keep the food hot. As my bestie said "OMG the food just keeps coming". Thank you Antonio! read more

3-2-24 Had dinner last night. Did not have reservations, however, when I did call to see if we could get in, they accommodated us anyway! The owner Antonio came to our table shortly after the staff sat us. We engaged in a very short conversation about the restaurant since we had "never" been there before. Very nice touch to have the owner engage with his customers, and a few of his daughters are servers. The service was impeccable! The food from the appy's (homemade rice balls) to main dishes were impressive! And its nice to see "specials" in addition to their well rounded menu! You get warmed rolls with dipping oil. And you get a very nice salad of mixed greens with a light dressing. We had homemade spinach gnocchi with shrimp, in a plum cream sauce, seasoned perfectly with herbs and garlic. We also had the short ribs with homemade pappardelle in a plum red sauce, delicious! The desserts were impressive as well. A nice variety of choices, we had a nice rich flourless chocolate cake, and a hazelnut gelato! Again very good. Upon leaving, the owner came to our table asked how our experience was, and walked us to the door. There aren't many of these types of restaurant left around here! With so much of the population being "millennial's" the days of "homemade food", "specials", and great service for dinner are long gone! The place is in a strip mall so the restaurant is not huge but cute decor and nice music playing, they also have a side room with a few tables which is where we were seated as we were late comers. The only critique I can even mention is that the "lighting" in that side room was very bright so it did not fell very intimate, but as soon as I asked our server if it was possible to "dim" the lighting she immediately did so. Please go to this place!!!! Lastly, the prices are very reasonable! Josephine read more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I can't put into words how delicious all of our food was. The Gnocchi Liguria lite & airy like little potato pillows OMG! We also tried the Lasagna (daughter declares she will never eat her dads lasagna again!), Calamari, Meatballs, Gamberi Al Vino Bianco huge shrimp, fresh taste the sauce is unbelievable. Everything from the salads to the hot crusty bread the sauces yummmm if your looking for real Italian real ingredients and most importantly real people that love their community then you MUST TRY THIS PLACE! read more

Caffe Piazza - Gamberi Al Vino Bianco, Meatballs, Calamari, Melanzane Piazza, Rigatoni Bergamasca, Gnocchi Liguria - Italian Near Me - Hillsborough, New Jersey

The menu was very good and lots of choices. the service was also very good. Very pleasant family members working and serving...felt like in Italy again, as it was decorated very nicely. read more

FOOD WAS DIVINE and customer service is amazing! The owner's son has a ton of personality, he's hilarious and one of the best servers. I highly recommend the Melanzane Rollatini it was to die for. This place has such cute decor it reminds me of little Italy. This restaurant has a great vibe with really friend people and I can't recommend this place enough. I will definitely be coming back here, it's one of my new favs! read more

Bad experience. Disappointed because we've been looking forward to dinner here for weeks. Rude staff, was clear they were ready for us to leave, complete with the busboy hovering around amount table. Food was Ok. Great appetizer, eggplant was good, scallops were over done. read more

Outstanding service and food! Always a staff favorite to make special celebrations just perfect.

Ordered appetizer and the bread was delivered burnt. They sent another one out, also burnt. Ordered soup, never arrived and received our entrees. My husband ordered chicken on his salad and mine was plain. Both came out plain. Had to wait a really long time to even get the check with only 3 other tables in the place. read more

Authentic Italian food, excellent service, fresh atmosphere and spotless inside. Had two private parties here this year and have had an exceptional experience each time. The owner, Tony, is passionate about his food and only uses the freshest ingredients. The pasta is cooked to a perfect al dente, the red tomato sauce is homemade, the family-style offerings are unique, delicious and plentiful. Our guests (many of them food and wine snobs - ha!) were raving and want to come back on their own, many from out of state! You feel special here and know that every detail will be taken care of. All you have to do is show up. The chocolate covered strawberries and crispy cannolis were an awesome touch for dessert. Thank you again to Caffe Piazza and staff for another memorable occasion. We'll be back! read more

We have eaten here for years and it is top notch. I have seen that other Italian restaurants come up in Yelp's top 10 list in Somerset County and I cannot believe that this restaurant is not at the top of the list!! It has a great atmosphere including outside dining in the warm months! The food is beyond delicious! The razor clams are our favorite and are something you can't get anywhere else. Every pasta dish and entrée, from the traditional to those that Antonio has created, is great (and we've tried most of them)! They bake the delicious bread at the time of your order and the salad dressing is homemade...yum! A salad comes with your meal! The service matches the high level of the food. This is a BYO and YOU SHOULD TRY IT! We have catered Christmas Eve from them for several years. The catering is as special as the experience in the restaurant! read more

I'm so sad to have to write this, but I must share and be honest.Was to be a special birthday dinner for me as my family insisted I not cook. Here's was we ordered and how each dish was- tortellini with marinara (huge portion over cooked, mushy and flavorless), lasagna bolognese (few flat noodles in a pool of sauce), seafood melange over linguine (again, flavorless). Caesar salad good according to my one son, bruschetta was just ok for my other son. Hubby did not care for his tomato/mozzarella salad. Best part of the meal were the side salads. I don't know what happened here, but that meal was a huge disappointment. Perhaps dining in is the best way to go? $110 too much for a sad takeout meal. Not happy birthday for me :(. We will not return... read more

No flavor overpriced is the name of the game here. Quality of seafood and chicken was poor. Avoid this place for the prices they charge

Horrible service and mediocre food. Don't go here. Literally took 3 hours to be served for an event and only had 2 waitresses covering 40 people. read more

The food at "Caffe Plaza" is very Good I ordered Lasagna it was delicious along with a great service I couldn't ask for any better. read more

Caffe Piazza - The Lasgana was so Good I almost ate it all before taking the Picture . - Italian Near Me - Hillsborough, New Jersey

I almost don't want to post this because all you rubes think this place is mediocre based on its lousy rating, so it will stay uncrowded and accessible for those who know, but I must give credit where it is justly due. I hadn't been here for many years; since I was a kid when Gennaro sold it and today it is absolutely every bit as good if not better. We began with their homemade sausage appetizer and it was nothing short of amazing. Every flavor was distinct but complimentary to the others. I had their papardelle and tomato saffron sauce with shrimp and crab meat. I was hesitant because usually when you get a dish like this, with pasta this thin, it's is mush, but here it was al dente and the sauce was delicate and perfect. My sister ordered the short ribs and my wife an eggplant dish, each fantastic. The owner, Antonio, was an absolute old world gentleman who hung out at our table and chatted about his food and the way he does things. If you don't like this place, maybe they've got a table for you at Pizza & Pasta But seriously, please don't let these Medigans dissuade you. They don't get it, not one bit. A+ read more

I dont have the heart to give 1 star because it is during covid and it is hard to find staffing. That being said, 1 glass of water for over an hour with no service at at a sit down dinner is wild. Over fried calamari that looked like something that came out of kids lunch lunch box was awful. The "decor" of finished wine bottles that costumers drank and are left on the walls is not festive. Atleast put a cork in them and make an attempt. This isn't someone's college house drinking trophy cabinet, its a restaurant (I think). All we order was calamari and gnocchi and it took and hour and a half. Gnocchi was good. Still no water even asking again though. My 2 hour experience for myself and another was not well enjoyed. Also didn't leave a pen with the check. So ya going to need one so you don't write in your own tip. read more