Been here a few times now. In this area there is a plentitude of good Italian restaurants but this has to be among the best. As the name implies, its small. On a Saturday can be a bit tight, but it doesn't take away from the experience. The food is really outstanding. The spaghetti and meatballs is maybe the best around here. The chicken piccata is the best. Their apps - shrimp with beans, crab cakes all really good. The front of house is really very good too even when busy. And though I'm not a desert person, they have a coffee Gelato that is unbelievable. With all the choices for great Italian in this area this ranks in the top 3. Seriously that good. read more

As the name implies its small. We've been there on a Saturday night when it was busy and it didn't matter much. The food is really outstanding. There are tons of great Italian restaurants around here and this one is probably in the top 5. Frank was really attentive. Even the deserts, which I dont usually have, are great. Highly recommend. read more

Small restaurant in a strip mall, very busy on a recent Saturday night. Service was prompt and cordial. The small wait staff did a good job of controlling a very crowded space. The fig burrata and fried layered eggplant (a special) were both very flavorful appetizers. The artichoke salmon, pappardelle gamberi, and penne all vodka were all excellent. (We were told that the pappardelle pasta was homemade, but all other pastas served there are not.) Desserts (e.g. tartufo) are the usual non-homemade items found at most Italian restaurants. Cappuccino was well prepared. BYOB. read more

We've visited this restaurant multiple times and the food has always been exceptional! Service is consistently good and the atmosphere is very nice. Its location in a small strip mall is deceiving. Don't let it fool you; give this place a try! read more

Been going here for years or at least since they opened. Everything always well thought out. Best g fan of the specials!

Most bizarre dish I've ever had;. and not in a good way. A special of Lobster and Crab Ravioli, was smother in a dark brown liver gravy. I have to say I did like the place. read more

Never again. Firstly, the place is small. Real small. And experience has taught me that any time there's small space people will try and rush you, and it was no different here. Once we ordered, the food came out quickly, which was curious. You'd think food would take a minute to cook. But not here. Also, the portions were tiny, and the prices way too high for what we got. Also the food wasn't really great. The veal dish I'm told was ok, but the sole was tasteless. We also ordered calamari as an appetizer, and this was excellent. They had a nice golden brown coating and melted in your mouth. So well done to them on this one thing. The service was constant and hovering and I had to stop the woman from taking our appetizer away. We weren't done, but she wanted to take it anyway. There was a woman and a man, and both constantly walked back and forth pulling dishes away seemingly while still chewing. The thing that finally did it for me was when the man came over and took our candle off the table. He was basically saying... Ok, you need to go now. I mean, seriously? We weren't looking to loiter, but we found ourselves eating really fast because of the pressure from these two. So... to recap- with the exception of the calamari, there was nothing about our dining experience that would ever make us want to return. In fact, it was a pretty horrible experience. Being as rushed as we were was just way too stressful and uncomfortable. So, 1 star for the calamari, and 1 star for being a BYO. read more

Terrific local restaurant. Large portions of delicious food at reasonable prices. The service is attentive and the staff are knowledgeable and friendly. For a small place,they have done a good job of maximizing the space. As a frequent diner, I feel comfortable recommending La Cucina as an excellent dining experience. read more

Excellent as usual. All categories,food and delivery and wether you eat at restaurant or delivery

Small local Italian restaurant in strip mall with primarily northern Italian food; food excellent with large selection of appetizers and entrees; service pleasant and competent; byob; plenty of parking read more

Ok we went back to this restaurant tonight, 3rd Monday in a row since we found this restaurant. Amazing place to dine. Best bang for the buck. Heres tonight main courses. Pork chop and sole francese. Amazingly good. 25.95 for a double cut chop. Anywhere else its a 38.00 dollar dish read more

La Cucina Piccola - a plate of food on a table - Italian Near Me - Roseland, New Jersey

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Looking for a nice place for dinner on a Friday night. This is such a nice find. There is a great early bird dinner pre fixe menu with a decent proportion. It is appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee or tea. One caveat - no substitutes. Our server was pleasant and attentive and she documented my food allergies. It was enjoyable. I will come back. read more

Small family run Italian restaurant. Food is always excellent, service tremendous and nightly specials are always unique. Our favorite local restaurant! read more

Attentive service and delicious foodwent for the pre-fixe menu and it was delicious! Can't wait to go back and try more delicious meals

superb food and great service. very nice small Italian restaurant. Bring your own wine!

its a nice place but tiny. it feels too close to people. especially people who cough -_-..........but my food was very good. loved the bread rolls with the olive oil and herb dip. didn't use butter. i got the penne vodka. had most of it but took the rest home. i loved it. the menu is limited for me and a bit pricey. most of their dishes have meat or fish. it was good. maybe i'll go back in the future. read more

The food is top quality. Very reasonable. Attentive staff. Small BYOB neighborhood restaurant. You can't go wrong. I have been many times with different friends. Everyone gives it a 5-star rating. read more

Super tiny place in a strip mall. Food was excellent! They made excellent fried stuffed zucchini flowers. Chicken giambotta was flavorful and tender. Chocolate cake dessert was perfect. Service was efficient and courteous. Downside? Super small place with tables very close together. read more

Standard Italian fare that serves a need in Roseland center. Reasonably priced with adequate portions. Nothing stands out as exceptional, but nothing terrible either. The food is properly prepared and cooked well enough. Definitely service issues. I went on an evening when there were only 4 active tables. Server took her time in getting us menus, taking our order, etc. A convenient local option. Good for dinner if you live locally, but by no means a destination location. BYOB Specials Easy parking Dinner only--not open for lunch. Closed Sunday read more

Our current favorite local Italian restaurant. Early Bird is a great weekday bargain but the rest of their menu is reasonably priced and the food is well prepared. A comfortable inside space, with outdoor seating too, and a great young waiter who keeps cool while keeping things moving. I dream about their meatballs. read more

Very small place but the food that comes out of the kitchen is amazingly fresh servers are very well seasoned they they reallly know how to treat customers read more

Came here with my husband and two kids. The food was pretty good, but the place is tiny and the wait staff all seemed overwhelmed. We asked our server for a couple of things that never came out so we decided to just let it go (a coke and butter). We ordered the burrata app but it didn't have quite enough balsamic so we had to ask for more. I had the chicken Milanese, my husband had the penne vodka with grilled chicken, and the boys had the spaghetti and meatballs. Besides my server also forgetting my side order of crispy potatoes, everything else was great! If not for the service, I would've given this place 4 stars. read more

We were a party of 4 on a friday night and had a wonderful meal. started with the meatballs over risotto, calamari and a salad all were thoroughly enjoyed and finished completely. entrees were flavorful and well prepared with proper attention given to cooking instructions for both the double cut pork chop (pictured) and steak giambotto. my wife had the chicken marsala and asked to substitute a side of linguine with oil and garlic instead of the potato and veggies and there was no hesitation in accommodating her request from our waitress who is also the owners wife. we were so stuffed we ended up sharing the profiteroles and zabaglione for dessert. good food well prepared in a comfortable atmosphere that allows for quiet conversation. this is a hidden gem that we would recommend without hesitation! read more

La Cucina Piccola - pork chop - Italian Near Me - Roseland, New Jersey

Traditional Italian food is simple, unrushed, and made with fresh ingredients. La Cucina Piccola hits on all these marks. This little gem is tucked into a strip mall and easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. The staff are super friendly and always ready to accommodate their customers. They now have outdoor seating as well as takeout and delivery options. read more

This is a place we want to even during the pandemic, when there was hardly anyone there. Food is excellent, prefix menu before 6 pm is wonderful. It is small, like someone's living room. which is intimate, but you are delegated to a small table when you made reservations for two.. The tables that are for two are so close you hear every conservation and hardly room for your food. I asked if we could have a table for four when we went in at 5:30. Waiter said we could not have a table for four because there were others coming in with 4 .. After we were eating I saw a couple come in and they had a table for 4 but only two of them...Could it be they called the waiter by name? made me feel that all patrons are not created equal....obviously we were not. Good for 3-4 but not two. I asked if we came in at 4 pm, could we have a table for 4 and out by 5.....no was the answer. I am thinking twice about going again...I am not part of the in crowd obviously, read more

All the food was fresh, hot and real good. Service was so sit on. Will be back for sure! read more

I would go for 3.5 stars but giving the benefit of the doubt for the friendly servers and the nice, albeit small restaurant. Took awhile to get the bread but the olive oil dip it came with was great. The meatball appetizer was served over a risotto which was phenomenal and stood out more then the meatballs itself. The chicken Francese was oversalted but still very flavorful. The chocolate cake dessert was also very good. Overall nice experience and will probably be back. read more

Fav local BYO Italian. Tiny place good food and great service. Bread is really good too!

Great little charming restaurant in Roseland . I dont drink so dont care that its BYOB . Went on Monday night and they had a great fixed price early bird special 19.95 includes appetizer /entree/ dessert. There was a nice selection of soups / salads/ pasta / entrees. I had the early bird and selected the spinach canellini bean and pasta soup. It arrived piping hot and tasty ... They served us HOT bread and herbed olive oil. It was so good we asked for more , diets be damned . Next I had the chicken milanese which was very tasty . Dessert was pistachio ice cream . My date had the chicken marsala ( eye rolls as he never deviates) and it was really good . It was a huge portion and lots of sauce and mushrooms. It was really good . The service was good, they were attentive . plenty of parking , dinner was 40 bucks for two. would definitely go back . Another really good thing is that they were very handicapped accessible ... a definite plus for some elderly in my family for next time . The place is also very pretty , elegantly and simple decorated. Good for a romantic date or family dinner . There were no kids .. which is always a plus to me . read more

Very good small Italian bistro. New owners clearly deliver good food and service In inviting atmosphere. We had a burrata special appetizer my wife and I shared and she had chicken scarparelli, nicely presented boneless chicken with sausage prepared with great potatoes peepers and onions and I had an excellent snapper Livornese Portions were perfect very accommodating for special requirements . Highly recommend read more

We brought three generations of our Italian-American family here and we were thrilled at our food choices--all prepared beautifully and served graciously. We enjoyed the calamari, eggplant rollatini, penne marinara, salmon with lemon sauce and chicken giambota. Lucky are the people who live near this gem. read more

Great BYOB in the center of town. Nice staff and delicious food. Nightly specials along with a menu with lots of choices. Definitely our new favorite local spot! read more

Great local byob italian spot. Husband and wife team are serving very clean sumptuous food

Excellent! We had a table of 10 celebrating a friend's birthday. The meals came out timely were amazingly delicious!! The servers were patient and pleasant taking our orders and requests. The evening flowed so beautifully. Thank You it was a Great Experience. Can't wait to take the familia! read more

We had a 70th birthday party there yesterday. It was a private party. The owners were so accommodating to what ever we wanted. Everyone loved the food. Food was served family style and was so fresh.This has been our go to place since they opened and I am even more impressed with them after our party. Looking forward to going back. read more

Small Italian in a non descript shopping plaza. Service was outstanding as 3 different people assisted in brining bread and filling water etc. started out with shrimp and bean appetizer. Very large portion with nice sized shrimp. Shared chicken Milanese with arugula salad and rigatoni bolognese. All the food was generously portioned and tasted terrific. Prices were extremely reasonable. Will go back again. read more

Excellent Italian fare. Very reasonably priced. Go for the midweek early bird special. Yelp says closed Sunday but we have been twice on Sunday so not sure it's accurate. Service is a bit slow but does not mar the experience read more

You will not find a better meal in the area.Authentic and fresh. Absolutely delicious!

I do not understand the great reviews this restaurant is getting. I wonder if is friends and family of owners. To begin with the portions are for a toddler and I have yet to experience an Italian restaurant that holds back on pasta and serves you a few strings of spaghetti. My husband and I ordered 2 dinners and looked at each other and said "now we have to go out to dinner". Their dinner is an appetizer. Appetizer size dinners are expected at gourmet restaurants where food is so amazing a tiny portion will do but this is not the case here. Their food is not any better than your local pizza parlor. We will not be returning. read more

Charming and intimate - very good food with attentive knowledgeable server Pastas and appetizers were spot on. Got the shrimp and bean appetizer and the burratta very good flavor and customized for a pork free table. Pastas and veal entree were plentiful and delicious. Zabaglione and chocolate cake were just right. Will definitely return. read more