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

The service was a little rough but with everything going on that's almost to be expected. They food was solid. It was pizza place quality but a little more expensive. Not sure it's worth the price. read more

Update: owners ego has gotten bigger, served raw chicken and claims its not raw, brags about bell and Evans chicken, which is not much to brag about when you can find places everywhere using locally sourced. read more

I held my father's 90th Birthday Celebration at Caffe Piazza with 18 guests. The restaurant was beautifully renovated and was very accommodating and comfortable. The family style appetizers and entrees were all amazing! Plenty of food that was delicious and presented by a great staff. They were helpful and attentive without rushing us. The variety of hot & cold appetizers were crowd pleasing. The Chicken Portogallo and Pork Agrodolce were outstanding! There was something for everyone, with the salad, pasta, and fish too! The staff helped with our cake and added chocolate covered strawberries and mini-cannoli to each plate. The party ended with everyone commenting on how wonderful the restaurant, food, and staff were. Several guest said that they'd love to come back for dinner again. Cafe Piazza is BYOB too! read more

This was very average across the board from service to quality of the food. We went there for restaurant week in H'boro. The staff didn't seem all that friendly or happy you were even there. The eggplant rollatini was very good. The main course pasta dishes were just very average. read more

For a local pizza place the restaurant next door is OK but nothing special. I would not take a date but OK for the wife and the kids. Considering the other local places in Hillsborough, this place is worth a try, but it is not worth a long drive. Moderate size room, maybe 12 four tops and 8 two tops. Decor is nothing special, maybe a little tacky. Italian-American standards playing as background music; no Sinatra. Our waiter was efficient but did not impress. BYOB is a plus. The many wine bottles on display are only for decoration. I started with the clams casino which were OK but nothing special. My wife had the mixed antipasto platter which was fine, nice mozzarella. She had a chicken dish with a demi-glace sauce which was OK but rather ordinary. I ordered the chicken parm which was good, not special. So good food overall, moderate prices, but at the same time nothing which stands out. read more

I am tardy in providing this update; since my last visit was on March 23rd, which happened to be a day before my birthday. I see that some of the negative reviews cite cost or pace of service as reason for a less than satisfactory review. If you want inexpensive (cheap) Italian food that you could get from the frozen food section or you want to rush through your meal so you can go to the movies, etc this is definitely not the place for you. If you want excellent meals eaten at a leisurely place and you feel that you have just eaten in a European bistro among amici than Cafe Piazza is your place. This time my wife had the cod special and although she always leaves with a "doggy" bag this time there was nothing left on her plate; the same for the other members of the party. We have never had a problem with a meal that was not immediately corrected. read more

We've been going to Caffe for many years, and it is our favorite "go-to" place in the area. Food is outstanding (not understanding the negative reviews below) and the owner, Tony, makes you feel like one of the family. Everything is prepared fresh so it does take time to come out, which is great because nobody likes to be rushed during a meal. The restaurant and the owner have a European flair where you enjoy a meal and get push out. You want quick and rush, go down the road to Applebee's! Tony makes his way around the dining room constantly chatting with the guest and making them feel at home, so if there are any issues he addresses them rather quickly and professionally. It is a BYOB place which makes it more enjoyable and he will upon request sub out items on the menu for something you might want of like if you ask. He has done that on several occasions for my wife and I. Here's a helpful tip, Thursday nights is 1/2-price chicken night, all chicken entrée 1/2-price, where can you get a fresh home cooked authentic Italian meal at that price? Tony- keep up the fine work, you have a good thing going here! read more

For my 2nd night in Hillsborough, my friend and his wife definitely recommended Caffe Piazza for take out. I am very rarely one to second guess my friends, although I probably should on more occasions, especially when drinking and/or women are involved. But this was not one of those occasions. Caffe Piazza has a great take-out menu with tons of options, we pretty much focused on pasta. I didn't really know what to choose, it got to the point where I asked everyone else to pick what they wanted and I would decide completely in the moment, and I went with the shrimp and scallops fra diavolo. Spicy is always a solid option for me. This time, I probably could have done better. I like the heat, but this meal was black and crushed red pepper to the point that you couldn't taste much of anything else. It was decent, and the pasta itself was great, but I can't go above three stars. Everyone else, however, loved their stuff and pretty much demolished their dinners. Plus each meal came with decent salad and they gave us a loaf of made on the premises bread that was excellent. So even though my meal wasn't the best, based on everyone else's empty plates, I definitely recommend this place. Although, to be clear, I can tell you absolutely nothing about the restaurant itself or the service or the decor. But the food is good, so what else matters? read more

Had my granddaughter's Baptism yesterday and was greatly pleased! Family style for 35 people. Everything from apps, salad, entrees to hazelnut sorbet for dessert was perfection. Service was on point and with warmth and affection. It was cozy and encouraged conversation with two sides of families meeting for the first time. Grazie, Antonio! We will be back for more family events. read more

first time and last time. the food doesn't deserve the ridiculous high price. the service is not good either.

I stopped in by chance for a late lunch. A good salad with grilled chicken for $9.95. Bargain. Lovely setting, good bread, terrific service. Most revealing: the owner's 4 kids, I'd guess middle school and younger? came in to eat by themselves and conducted themselves beautifully. I'll remember this place now. I'll be back read more

Love this restaurant. Service is always good and the owner Antonio is friendly and always interacting with the customers which I appreciate.

Always a good meal at Caffe Piazza. Whether dining in or ordering takeout, I am always happy with my meal and the service.

My husband and I had dinner here during Hillsborough Restaurant Week. We ordered off the Restaurant Week menu: signature sausage and short ribs. Both were fantastic! The sausage had a nice flavor, served over gnocchi. The short ribs were tender, flavorful, and served over pappardelle. The tiramisu dessert was delicious; the best either of us have had! Mario, our server, was wonderful. I highly recommend Caffe Piazza! read more

Don't be fooled by the empty tables here cause the food is amazing! It's a really low key place. Try the white calm seafood pasta. It's amazingly fresh & prices are good. Only wished they put more pasta into the dish cause the sauce is amazing. Ok the service is slow but who's rushing read more

This is the best Italian restaurant in Somerset County!!! Place is beautiful service is always impeccable owners are great welcoming friendly. Food is compared to NYC. Best pasta chicken dishes. I recommend go on read more

Ordered takeout during Stay at Home order due to Coronavirus. It was easy to order and pay by phone. Curbside pick up very easy and they bring to car. Thank you for doing this during this time. read more

Great place! The atmosphere is good, it's not too crowded, the decorations are great, and most importantly the service was fantastic. The only "bad" thing that happened was that they forgot to add something to my friend's dish. But once they realized, they apologized and brought it out right away. All the waiters and servers that came to us were very polite and made us feel like we had their undivided attention. And of course the food was scrumptious. This place really cares about their customers. We will definitely come here again :) read more

My favorite Italian restaurant in Hillsborough. They have good bread and amazing pasta. The staff is also extremely friendly!

If you like the Olive Garden, then you will probably think that this place is amazing. Otherwise I don't understand why anyone would eat here. We came in with a large party where we were put in a back room, which was fine because my family does tend to be loud. However, we were promptly forgotten about after that. The service here is horrendous. My uncle had to find someone to take our order, bring us more water, etc. No one came to check on us after our dinner was served, otherwise I would have told them how horrendous the food was. They didn't rush us out at the end of the night, which is about the only good thing I can say about the place. The only decent thing I ate last night was a burrata special and the garlic oil served with their stale bread that was warmed to try to mask how stale it was. They bring you a free salad which is a plate of lettuce with one grape tomato. I guess people won't complain because it's free. I ordered the stuffed rigatoni, which was clearly frozen, and probably something they bought from the freezer case at Shoprite and put some "sauce" on it. It was tomato flavored water, which lacked the consistency or flavor of a tomato sauce. I could have eaten it like a soup if I had wanted to because it was a watery mess on my plate. Had anyone bothered to check on us I would have told them that. I couldn't even eat it, it was so bad. My husband ordered their sausage dish which is apparently the specialty of the house. The sausage tasted like three day old fish stuffed with cheese in a casing. The gnocchi was clearly frozen. The "jalepenos", as described on the menu, were actually cherry peppers, which was fine because we were wondering what jalepenos were doing in an Italian dish. My husband and make our own pasta, sauce, and ravioli at home, so we know the difference between fresh and frozen. When we both had to come home and make dinner for ourselves, that goes to show you how good the food is. The chef here has clearly gotten away with serving sub par food judging by the amount of people there, and will most likely continue to do so. Do yourself a favor and stay away. read more

My husband and I ate at Cafe Piazza over 12 years ago....after a bad meal and bad service at the time,we did not go here to eat again. I decided that I would give it another try about 2 months ago.....We ate there for our anniversary and ordered a large salad and a separate dinner and split both dishes. When the bill came ,we were charged 5 dollars for this....the food was tasty and even though I thought the extra charge was petty,we decided to take out food the next week. At that time ,we were charged a different amount for the same dish. I thought that it was a mistake. The next week,we ordered the same dish and it was 10 dollars more. ...Yesterday ,We ordered the same dish and I asked for alittle extra sauce as the pasta was very dry for our last dish...when we picked it up we were charged 3.00 for the extra sauce. I finally had enough .....I called the restaurant and went thru the whole scenario....we eat out in New York and many other places in New Jersey and no restaurant we eat at nickel and dimes their customers like this.very poor customer service skills on the part of management.Sadly,we will not be back nor recommend to anyone as the food and service is not very good. read more

This has been a favorite of ours for several years. Good selection, fair prices and great atmosphere. Watch for the mid-week pasta specials as these are very good values. Their salad dressing is authentic European style and starts the meal out right. Portion size is correct for a good meal and unlike other establishments serves quality vs. overly large portions. You will finish what's served, as it is that good, but won't have any to take home. Quality vs. quantity. read more

Ordered dinners last Tuesday on 2/26 , went to pick up and with no one in the restaurant had to wait while the gentleman was on the phone , then went to the back and finally after 10 min took my payment and gave me our order. When we arrived home the bread was so stale had to be thrown away. In the chicken Parmigiana there was not cheese on top and not a lot of sauce. Food was only fair. Have not been to this place in 15 years and now I remember why. Will never return as there are some many more options for this price point as well. Bad take out service read more

Fantastic food! Everything is fresh and served hot! The service is friendly without being disruptive to the conversation. Best calamari around! read more

Been coming here for quite some time and Café Piazza has become a part of our family. The food is always great, the atmosphere is very relaxing and warm, and the staff is very friendly. Its hard to choose a favorite dish as everything is amazing but my favorites are the Shrimp and Scallops Fra Diavalo and the Chicken Rosemary. My father loves the Short Ribs and Lasagna. The fresh baked rolls with olive oil/garlic are also very good. Always had a great meal and a great time. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

Best restaurant in Hillsborough; excellent salad dressing; fresh entrees..love their Veal Amaretto. Getting pricey but we'll worth it; nice decor, BYOW. Nice specials. read more

We found the Caffe Piazza at the tail end of a long and rainy road trip. The food and service was excellent; custom seems to be bring your own bottle of wine. if passing by again, we will seek this place out! read more

The website says they are open during the week from 11-9. I stopped in around 2:30 for a late lunch, and they said they were closed. I can totally understand closing between lunch and dinner, but then that should be posted. If I were to try to go back, how would I know when they are really open? Pretty disappointing - read more

We ordered delivery from here and I will say it came quickly and that's about it. I ordered the malnzane rollatini, it was $22 and I ate it in about 4 bites it was so small. Also the description clearly says "served over spaghetti" and there was no spaghetti. My fiancé had the chicken Parm which was a decent portion size, but not very good. I will not be ordering from here again. read more

This is our go-to Italian restaurant in town. Good food, reasonably priced and its BYOB so the bill is never crazy. I don't understand the previous review comparing this restaurant to Olive Garden; I've been to Olive Garden, and this is NOT Olive Garden. Warm atmosphere, family friendly, and good food. Don't pass this one up! read more

I wonder how anyone would like this place! Food is pathetic and is not worth the price. Ambience is quiet good. But service needs a ton of improvement. read more

Tuesday night dinner, the place was not crowded, so we had very attentive service. They had no problem doing substitutions for us (with extra charge). I can't eat raw vegetables, so I got a plate of cooked veggies instead of a salad (peppers, zuchini, onions, etc). I ordered one of the specials, rissoto with scallops and shrimp. It was well prepared and tasty. They bring all the desserts out on a tray for you to drool over. We got a hazelnut gelato (with three spoons), which was lucious, and came with a surprise chocolate covered strawberry. Everything was delicious. read more

Went here on a whim on a Sunday night with a friend. Very polished and cozy looking place with some typical Italian themed decor, veering a bit on the side of kitschy. Really quaint dinnerware, though, with rustic looking bowls and plates. Judging by the menu and the look of the place, it seems like it would be on the pretentiously fancy side, but there was a friendly and casual laid-back feel to the place. My friend and I shared everything, we both got a bowl of chicken and wild rice soup, a side salad, the special scallop appetizer, and butternut squash ravioli, also on the special menu. The bread was fresh and warm. The soup was very nice, a good generous portion. The chicken was organic and was served with fresh basil. The side salad was a basic tossed greens salad but their homemade dressing was a nice touch. I didn't care too much for the scallop appetizer mostly because I prefer scallops seared with a nice caramelization, so that's partially my own fault. It was "graham crusted" (?), but it seemed more like a paste sitting on top of the scallops, but it wasn't bad. The ravioli was very good, it was a butternut squash ravioli with a brown-butter garlic cream sauce with shrimp. Very nice comforting and warm dish for the fall season. We also ordered espressos and split a tiramisu. The tiramisu was very good, the kind with soaked lady fingers and not the cake kind you'll see at some Italian restaurants. The service was excellent, our waiter was very attentive and helpful. One thing I liked, having worked as a server myself, was that he gave us the option of having our appetizer and entree come together or separately, letting us know that he would have to give us a split charge if it came separately. I hated charging my tables splitting fees if I knew they were ordering a sufficient amount of food for two and not just trying to be cheapskates. We anticipated a split charge and would have paid for it, but really appreciated the heads up. Even though we asked to bring the appetizer and entree at once, he still split the salad for us. I'm holding back on mentioning the waiter's name because I wouldn't want him to get into trouble with the manager for skirting policy or something, but I think it's to be commended. It's little things like that that show they're taking care of their customers and trying to optimize their dinner experience. I understand why there's split charges, but as someone who's worked in my share of family and corporate restaurants, catering to customers like that is what will create loyalty and keep them coming back. The bill came out to around $63, which I think was reasonable considering we had a 5 course meal and were sufficiently full and satisfied in the end. read more

We ate here on New Years Eve. Even though they had a holiday menu with no vegetarian options the waitress said they could make an eggplant rollatini for me. When it came out I could taste that the sauce had been simmered with meat. I didn't say anything. I just ate the side dishes. I figured I could just have it wrapped for my husband. So, when we were paying I asked the waiter (who is now about the 7th person to wait on our table) where was my eggplant? He went to look. He came back and said it was gone but they were cooking me a new one. Well, we were sitting with another couple together we have 4 boys under the age of 10 who were SO ready to get out of there! I said "Don't bother making a new one. Maybe just take something off check?" The waiter left. The owner came out. He was angry. He says "What's going on here?" We explained that they lost our leftovers but we don't have time to wait for a new one to be cooked. He says "We have your eggplant. It wasn't lost. But what this about money off!?" He was attacking us. I was embarrassed in front of my friends and children. Now, I'm questioning how they lost the eggplant then found the eggplant. Ewww. I really don't want it now! I told him I didn't want it. I didn't even think it was vegetarian anyway. The sauce tasted like sausage. He was shouting that it was. I just said ok. He said "Now lets go. I have people waiting! I need this table!" Wow!!!! My girlfriend said "What did we just pay for?" Even the table next to us was is shock. They said "He really gave it to u." So, needless to say we will not be back. read more

The took my reservation on OpenTable, then turned me away at the door on Valentine's Day! They did not have the decency to honor the reservation or cancel it early enough so we could make other plans. I won't be going back here again. read more

Great specials. Everything is always good but it is overpriced for Italian. BYOB. Staff is friendly. Desserts are delicious

Enjoyed a lovely dinner there. Had chicken special - nicely done, tasty sauce, lots of lightly sauté veggies. Wife had ravioli, also nicely done. Bring your own wine. read more

Not impressed, Pizza was good for take-out, dinner was a typical pizzeria trying to do dinners. Owner is pleasant and it is quaint but would not be on my agenda to return. read more

Cafe Piazza was a regular pizza joint and then converted to a more upscale Italian restaurant some years back. Here's the skinny from a guy that grew up with an Italian mom who could absolutely crush it in the kitchen. This place has pretty authentic Italian meals that are prepared with a good amount of TLC. Portions are just ok. Little on the skimpy side but not terrible. I've met the chef/owner and they guy genuienly does seem to care about his customers and that they've had a good experience. Service is a bit inexpereinced and spotty. read more