Not sure why lots of reviews seem to be quite negative about this place, but I LOVED IT. I suppose most reviewers complained about the service, but we had pretty average service (with a special little story here too). Came here on a Saturday evening with my family. We had a reservation set for 5 (but one person was meant to be a surprise for the birthday girl, so we were first seated for 4). When the birthday girl went to wash her hands before the meal, the staff was great to quickly switch us to a table for 5 so that when she came back, the surprise 5th member was there! FOOD: - Raw Sampler- Great fresh oysters, and loved all the clean flavors! - Calamari - I love when calamari isn't too oily, and just perfectly crispy! - Pappardelle - Great creamy sauce, and an excellent vegetarian choice. - Gnocchi - AMAZING. I've never had gnocchi that just melts beautifully in your mouth, and this gnocchi just blew me away! The pairing with crispy proscuitto was just lovely. - Veal Milanese - Didn't expect it to be fried! - Sea Bass (special) - Served with thin cut asparagus, truly a lovely pairing! - Filet Mignon (special) - A perfect medium rare! - Orange & Mango Sorbet - MMM tasted like it was fresh-made and served in the fruit peel too! - Key Lime Pie - A little bit too creamy for my taste, and more sour than sweet, but my boyfriend liked it! - Tiramisu - Fantastic, not too sweet and not too creamy! HEADS UP: THERE'S A SEPARATE PARKING LOT DOWN THE STREET BY THE LIQUOR STORE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO STREET PARKING HERE. read more

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Creative Italian fare combined with enthusiastic service, make this place a must-visit. Cozy indoor dining and large airy covered outside dining. Niti and his brother will make you feel special. And please try their homemade meatballs and sweet and spiciy calamri. read more

Have been there many times over many years and last week was a total disappointment. Prices have increased and the quality of the food has decreased. Not a good combination. Fried calamari appetizer tasted overdone in bad grease, totally different from the past. Chicken arugula was fried and overdone in the same bad grease. On the plus side, raw oysters were excellent and dessert of vanilla ice cream and espresso sauce was very good. Both dishes that were really good were not cooked! Who is cooking there these days? Time to look for a new chef. read more

Amazing service. Carlos, Aarón and Bryan go above and beyond for the business. The food was beyond our expectations. I highly recommend you make reservations in advance., the restaurant was super busy and I am not surprise. Great job. read more

I had made reservations for my birthday dinner with 4 other friends. We get there at about 8pm(which was the time for the reservation), there's NO HOSTESS at all whatsoever at the hostess stand. So we went in to see if the table was ready. The place was packed! We waited a little over 10 minutes to get our table. Our table was in a tiny room that had like 3 other tables in there, and since it was packed, it was very cramped in that room. When our waiter came around, we put in our orders. We got 2 orders of calamari, and it was really good! But once we ate all of that, we waited an hour and a half for our food. About another minute later, we saw a table right next to us, who had arrived AFTER us, get their food before ours. Now that got me. So one of us went and asked when our food was going to be ready, and the manager said that there were 2 tables ahead of us... we eventually get our food, which was a filet mignon, pasta w meatballs, linguine in clam sauce, lasagna and gnocchi. The filet mignon came with veggies and looked really good, but the food was cold. The gnocchi was burnt. The linguine with clam sauce was bad, the noodles were practically dry, shoestringy and the clams were salty. The only thing that was good was the lasagna and the pasta w meatballs. So we sent back the gnocchi and the filet mignon. The filet mignon was reheated, but there was no resurrecting the gnocchi. I had my linguine taken back. We called the manager over and told him about the food, and he was really cool and nice about it. The place is really nice inside and it was packed for a reason, but its a shame that I didn't get to experience that. read more

La Focaccia - Linguine in clam sauce, very dry, rubbery pasta. - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

My daughter and I had one of the worst experience at this restaurant. We had frequented this restaurant as a family multiple times in the past with great food and service. Tonight was the complete antithesis to a good experience. In addition to the server forgetting items that we ordered, our food order was forgotten and once they realized their mistakes they hastily prepared the meal. We were asked what we wanted for desert before they even brought our dinner The steak was unseasoned and the pasta was beyond al dente. All this could have been overlooked. We hardly ate the steak and asked for it to be packed with the fries. When we got in the car we realized they forgot to pack it with our other "To Go" order. I went back in and they brought out a container with steak. Only problem was that it was a different cut , cold and grey in appearance. They probably threw it away and tried to substitute it with whatever garbage they had in the back. In addition, the fries were not there so the assumption was they tossed our order. They had the audacity to serve us some piece of garbage Then we called the owner. His response was that he didn't care and that he has been in town for 25 years. This is a response from a business owner who has no concept of providing quality service especially when patrons are spending hundreds of dollars at his restaurant. We will not be ever returning to this place again. Because if the owner doesn't care about our experience, in my experience that kind of mentality often permeates the entire establishment. There are plenty of quality restaurants to chose from in the town of Summit. LikeShare read more

La Focaccia - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

I don't get why this place is so crowded. Maybe it's because there is a nice interior. But the food, well! Caesar salad had bitter Lettuce, House made Meatballs were covered with large pasta shells. I thought it said Meatballs as an appetizer; not with pasta under it. Tuscan Fish Stew must have been for starving peasants as it had 2 smaller shrimp, several cut up chunks of salmon, 3 small shelled mussels, no tomato broth but a heavy dose of tomato sauce (like for pasta) weighing on the miniscule amount of fish in it; oh yes, a very, very small, about 1 1/2 inch, piece of toast on top that I ate in 2 bites. I could not drink the water or the Coke that was served as it tasted awful; either unfiltered water or something else that was off. Lastly, the noise in the place, once it filled up, made me want to leave immediately. Not going here again unless I'm threatened with being disinherited. Wait, let me think about that. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants and we were not disappointed. We had the fig special and the zucchini flowers special. Both were delicious. My wife had the homemade lasagna and loved it. I got the pork chop special and thought it was great. We will be back. read more

Bolognese was delicious, dessert wasn't that great and my waiter was rude and awkward. Won't be back

Hands down my favorite Italian restaurant around here. It's consistently delicious and the service has always been outstanding. Most recently, I had the veal chop parmigiana and my fiancé had the fusilli with broccoli rabe and sausage-both were perfect. The molten chocolate cake and creme brûlée were delicious and the burrata melts in your mouth. Our waiter was attentive with refilling our wine and full of personality. The manager also made the rounds checking on all the tables. I can't recommend this place enough. And the bonus, it's BYOB. read more

Excellent dinner during this difficult time. Delicious artichoke salad to start and classic spaghetti and meat balls with perfect marinara sauce . Fresh foccia bread and tasty biscotti for dessert. A perfect dinner when you've been cooking all week . You just call ahead and they can bring it out to your car.. thanks for working har during these trying times and I hope others will continue to order ! read more

This was my second time here and everything was just as good as the first! Our meals exceeded expectations, from the appetizer (balsamic portobello) to the entrees (fusilli, tagliatelle Bolognese, and short ribs) to the dessert (creme brulee). Love that it's BYOB as well. read more

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I and my friend came in after my wedding dress fitting. I and her ordered a plate she ordered a plate. I wasn't about to order a lot due to the fact that I have a wedding coming soon and I have to fit into my dress lol. But the manager kept trying to tell us to leave there are a lot of people waiting. He didn't tell any other people and happened the only woman of color in that restaurant. I am not sure if the service we received was due to the small amount of food we ordered or for another reason... read more

Went here last night on a whim and I am glad we did. The ambience is cozy and well decorated. We got the endive salad and fried artichokes to start and they were both delicious. The portion of the fried artichokes was large and they gave a delicious sauce to go with it that was perfectly cool, acidic, and creamy at the same time. For entree's we got the short rib gnocchi which was crisp on the outside and pillowy on the inside. We also got the housemade pappardelle which was our favorite out of the two. We finished with a creme brulee which really hit the spot. Highly recommend La Focaccia for an Italian meal! read more

Local Sunmit resident - always consistently good food and service- which is why it's usually so busy. Enjoy coming here regularly - love the duck personally and never had a bad app, very kid friendly as well so fun for our family of 5 for a nice meal out (twin 10yr olds and a 5ye old) if local to the area a definite must try read more

It was a last minute reservation for me and my colleagues on a Friday night which we understood to be a busy night. Hence we checked a reservation site to see if there are any reservations for us to take and there was an 8:30 availability in which we booked. When we get to the area around the restaurant to park, the designated spots were filled. Again, this is expected for a Friday night dinner so I called the restaurant to see if there are any other spots we can park and the lady who picked up the call said either the liquor store in front (full) or by Marco Polo (another restaurant beside La Focaccia) Thinking they may be sister restaurants because Marco Polo has a huge parking space, we parked there and walked our way inside. So here goes: 1. There was no attendant in the front for you to check-in with, the little booth where the host/hostess needs to be was pushed back to the window (apparent sign it wasn't being used despite a little screen monitor being on) and there's a line towards the dining hall that you will have to squeeze into to check and look for the said host/hostess which makes it a bit awkward because it's not really a huge hallway and you don't want to give an impression of cutting in line and interrupting people's conversation. Strike 1. 2. After awkwardly squeezing through the said hall and queue of people, I find a person who I am not even sure is the host but I asked if there is anybody to speak to regarding the reservations and this guy adamantly ignores me. (Maybe because I am Asian in a sea of White people but hey, okay I'm still paying for my meal) So I walked back and asked one of my colleagues to ask (who is another Asian, maybe if my European colleague had asked he'd get a better response) and when he advised that we have a reservation for 3 at 8:30, the guy whips out a clipboard and a pencil and writes the number 3 with no other explanations. Busy night, Friday, understandable and I'm sure we won't mind waiting for a while since we can see it was pretty packed but if I had placed a reservation at 8:30 I don't expect to wait in with people who did NOT have reservations. Strike 2. 3. Same colleague then proceeds to ask if it was really okay to park at Marco Polo because we just did and same guy advised that "No, because that's not our restaurant". He made it sound so stupid that my colleague said, well we just spoke to your front desk earlier and she said we can park there. Guy did not said anything after that and walked away. Strike 3. Well you know what happens when you get 3 strikes, you're out! And so are we! Very unprofessional service despite knowing there's a big corporation next to them who can very much dine with them anytime. Not saying they should provide favoritism but just know your surroundings and crowd and not because two Asians walk in you will be rude enough to ignore, I say this why? because I've seen the same guy interact with the people after us who are not Asians with such gusto. It's people like you who makes us non-racist, racist. Disgusting. And if you don't honor reservations, DON'T PUT IT OUT THERE TO HAVE ONE! read more

Really pleasant experience here - polite and attentive staff that was great with us and our young daughter. The pasta was perfectly cooked and delicious. Parking situation is a little rough but that didn't affect the overall experience too much. read more

Made reservations here because of it's high rating and many excellent reviews. I guess I ordered the 4 most subpar items they have to offer on their menu (1 was a shrimp fra diavollo special) shrimp had overpowering seafood odor and was OK at best. Antipaso Misto was terrible, fried artichokes were good, oysters were oysters, and brussel sprouts were salty. Best item was the chickpea and olive oil served to dip bread in (based on restaurant's name, bread was a real disappointment) read more

Unfortunately, we returned to an old favorite restaurant to be very disappointed. Despite asking for a dairy free, gluten free dish of grilled salmon, I received salmon on mashed potatoes covered in sauce. I sent back the dish only to receive a cold, barely cooked piece of salmon. We told the server it was uncooked. No one asked if they could help us - he took the plate and offered no substitute. Shame on them for caring so little for their patrons pleasure. My husband's pasta appeared to be out of a box. We certainly will not be returning to this restaurant. Upon leaving, the maître d' said that it was a busy night. Unacceptable! read more

Good old fashioned Italian food! Don't forget to walk to magic fountain for ice cream afterwards!

By far my favorite Italian restaurant in Summit/surrounding area. Great dessert, steak, and tuna tartare appetizer. Also have had the cornish game hen, lamb chops, and pasta with bolognese. Can't go wrong with anything. Not a huge Italian food person but this place is one of my favorites, not just Italian. read more

Great place for dinner. Usually crowded. BYOB. Their steaks are good and also the Italian dishes.

My husband and I have always loved coming here, and it was the first time we dined outside once restrictions were uplifted and thoroughly enjoyed finally having a semplance of normalcy. We had dinner tonight feeling the 35% indoor restriction and 6 feet distancing would be respected. To our dismay, we were back to back with other customers, and by the time we left, they definitely were at 75% ( on the low side..more like full capacity with staff) just like before the covid virus never existed. They should be ashamed. Hope someone took a picture of their violation and posts it to protect those vulnerable to the virus from coming here, sInce so many other restaurants are abiding by the rules and are suffering. Please support them and stay away from here for your safety. . Spoke to many other diners and told them to mark this night and post if within 14 days from this vagrant disrespect from the current rules..report they came down with the virus. Shame on them! . Just started to feel comfortable within ou 35% I cup read more

Got the fillet mignon last Friday. Was two small pieces pushed together. The meat was definitely not fresh and had a gamey taste. Very disappointed. read more

Worst dining experience I've had in NJ. The waiter was terrible and made my friend and I so uncomfortable. He was completely inappropriate and rude. The food was ok but would never go back or recommend because of the waiter. Don't waste your money! read more

Just had a wonderful lunch here. Plates enjoyed included a warm goat cheese salad, gnocchi in a plum tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella (with parsley garnish? should have been basil), and the pappardelle in a cream sauce. Everything tastes excellent, service was great, clean and serene atmosphere. One star deducted for the desserts... not worth it. The ricotta cheesecake was grainy and the peanut butter chocolate cake was better but not great. I'd hit up some ice cream down the street next time. read more

I had dinner here on a Sunday night a few months ago with my mom, aunt and cousins. We found parking across the street in a convenience store parking lot, with spaces parked specifically for La Focaccia, which was helpful, because there's definitely not much street parking available. The restaurant itself is very pretty and warm. It's fairly tight inside, and it was very crowded, which was surprising for a Sunday evening. I would recommend reservations. Our waiters were very attentive, refilling water glasses frequently and our plates were brought out promptly. The bread basket is absolutely delicious, I could have made a meal from this alone. I chose a special salad for my meal, with mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocados with balsamic vinegar. It was actually very filling and tasty. My mom and one cousin both ordered the pasta with bolognese sauce and loved it. My other cousin had a steak and enjoyed it, while my aunt chose a caprese salad and gnocchi. She loved both. Everything was well presented and fresh. My aunt and I also shared chocolate covered strawberries for dessert and these were wonderful. My cousin had biscotti and liked them as well. It should also be noted this restaurant is BYOB, which is nice. Overall, this is a lovely restaurant, with good service and a nice atmosphere. The prices are a little higher than I expected. I would return - it's a nice place for a date or night out with friends. read more

Ok so it took a few years but I finally made it back thanks to a $30 Amazon Local deal. I quickly checked the recent reviews and was surprised how low they've been lately. Now I know why. First of all, either I became a giant since my last visit there three years ago or their portions have become very small. I got the rigatoni with olives and capers and pignoli nuts. My mouth dropped open when I saw the portion size. I thought it was a side dish. $18 for pasta, it better be enough to at least fill me up. And the flavor was nothing to write home about. Luckily my wife let me finish her small portion of shrimp risotto, which was also very bland and lacking any pizazz. Maybe worth half of the $28 they charge. To top it all off we got a couple of cappuccinos that were served in espresso cups. It was like drinking from a tea set in a doll house. Except with a $5 per cup price tag. I would have mentioned something to our waiter but he didn't once ask us how we were doing, if we needed anything or how everything was. Not once! They open your wine and leave a carafe of water on the table and they're gone. The first time I went here I was really impressed but something has happened. They seemed uninspired and seemed to have lost they're desire for fine dining. Luckily for them they haven't lost their desire for making money because their prices are ridiculous for extremely ordinary food and service. I suggest you skip this and go elsewhere. read more

La Focaccia was incredible, "can I eat here every night?" good! Last Saturday it was packed (because they don't accept reservations for parties of 2), but they were able to honor our 8 PM reservations within 20 mins. We got a pretty corner table. The ambiance is lively and cozy. Despite the crush of people, service was impeccable and attentive. We had the seafood sampler with amazing, fresh crab meat, brussel sprout salad, clams & the Tuscan stew. All delicious! Love that it's BYO. Really well done. read more

Went there for a dinner with a old friend who is really fond of good food and wine so I knew the restaurant has to be good. I ordered burrata to start with and it was quite good. Very fresh, soft and delicious! I then had tuna with a side of spinach. Usually good restaurants don't like to serve tuna medium. I just don't like it raw. Here they served it medium without attitude and it was perfect. The sides were good as well. It is a BYOB, so you will save some money on wine. My friend brought a nice bottle and they poured it happily. The dessert was a peanut butter chocolate cake which was good...like a grown up version of peanut butter reeses! Parking is an issue as they do not have a parking lot. There is a laundry near it which was closed in the evening so we parked in their lot. No issues. read more

Had dinner for the second time here. My thoughts: first of all the price for your basic chicken parm is double the cost anywhere else with decent food. The meat dish is fair with a bit too much salt, and again overpriced. Had an issue with one of the dinners at my table and the mgmt failed to stop by, or at least offer the table a complimentary dessert. They definitely have some things to work on as a whole. Have been to lots and lots of different restaurants in all my years and this one is definitely not in my top 5. And again, make sure your pocketbook is deep if you go here. read more

consistently unable to honor a reservation. Seem not to care at all that they are unable to do so - while being rude. Food is actually not very good as well. Will not be returning. read more

Overpriced. Went with three girl friends. Enjoyed the ambiance. Our server seemed annoyed that we didnt order drinks nor apps. My salad was average and both of my girlfriends didnt finish their pasta dishes. Dont think we are coming back. read more

Best dinner I have ever had in Summit. Everything was flawless. Amazing Risotto and Gnocchi. I am very much looking forward to coming back. The service is fantastic but the noise level in the room can be a little tough. The acoustics in the room make it hard to hear the person next to you. read more

Excellent Northern Italian in lovely, understated room with fine service. It's not red sauce; it's white tablecloths and more Manhattan than "classic" southern Italian / New Jersey. We started with oysters and goat cheese and beet salad; moved on to entrees of lamb chops, risotto, calves liver and veal. Finished with almond cream cake and tiramisu. Our table of four enjoyed it all in a quiet, civilized side room. Can't speak to volume level elsewhere, which others have mentioned. There were children at a nearby table, (they were fine) but I wouldn't bring mine (3, 8) here. Nice place for dinner with your partner and/or friends when you have a sitter and need an adult night out. We'll be back. read more

Too big for its britches....we have been going to this restaurant for several years. We aren't regulars but we have been there six or seven times at least. I have ordered trays for take-out during the holidays and it has always been good. We took some friends there a few weeks ago on a Saturday night and expected the stellar food and reliable service we have always enjoyed. I must admit it was a bit disappointing. It is traditionally a crowded restaurant with decibels to match. This evening was no different. What was different was the wait for our table. We didn't mind waiting about 15 minutes to be seated but the waiting area was packed and they had obviously just overbooked. In fact, my sister had a reservation one hour later and she waited nearly 45 minutes when her original reservation was at 8:30. No big deal..they opened their BYO bottle and sipped wine in the waiting area! The servers were attentive and delivered the specials and recommendations as flawlessly as usual in their charming authentic Italian tongues. We weren't particularly adventurous that evening as the so-called specials really aren't terribly original and they actually appear time and again on the right inside flap of the menu. The gazpacho, typically Spanish, was good and my usual escarole salad fresh and nicely plated. The black spaghettini with seafood in a spicy red sauce is my husband's favorite and it delivered. Our guests played it really safe and ordered two different chicken dishes. They seem to enjoy. My grilled shrimp dish was incredibly disappointing. The presentation has changed and the prawns were served grilled but cold, greens lightly dressed with balsamic dressing in lieu of sautéed greens typically served. The white beans are usually delicious but it was a cold thick pasty purée that just made the dish heavy. The temperature of the entire dish just seemed to be off. Not sure if this was intentional, though I suspect it was. They should revert to the previous entree which was hot and served with similar but better accompaniments. We didn't stay for dessert...long relaxing dinner..a plus that they didn't rush us out but we just weren't in the mood that night. Merely mediocre. We will go back since this place probably deserves the benefit of the doubt. But it has stiff competition in neighboring towns and it isn't a bargain, so it must deliver. read more

We went for a date night dinner in a Saturday night and we were very happy how clean and careful was the restaurant and the staff. The food was really good and served fast, our waiter was helpful choosing the menu items we'll definitely enjoy. Great experience coming here in the future too! read more

*BYOB* I came here with my wife for dinner one night, and the decor and experience was very good. You wouldn't think so much of La Focaccia based on it's outside appearance and location on a tighter corner of town, but it was a really delicious meal and a good experience. Parking is a bit tough, as we parked down the block and had to walk a bit. The bread and dip were great to start us off- a good sign of a solid eatery. The bread was garlic-touched and soft, so it was fantastic on the ole palette. Wine was opened quickly, which I'm also a big fan of. The meal itself was also pretty good - I got the Capellini pasta, and it was solid. Full of flavor, complimented by the wine, and done well. Thick, rich, and meaty - very Italian, which is what I'd expected. The shrimp were done very well, and had a good taste. A-OK, 3/5 - would definitely come back, but as I always say, it doesn't come up right away when thinking of an Italian restaurant to dine at one night! read more

La Focaccia - Capellini. - Italian Near Me - Summit, New Jersey

this restaurant used to be a regular place for us - no more. Went the Saturday after thanksgiving. Restaurant was full. All four entrees were barely edible. The two specials were served with the exact same sides - bland mashed potatoes and frozen vegetables. It looked like cafeteria food. Risotto was unrecognizable. Never again. read more

La Focaccia has been a neighborhood fixture for 20 years. Consistently good. Same owner, same waiters, and they can always find a table for us. Food delicious, nothing fancy or "farm to table" going on here, just solid good Italian style food. Standouts are the Tuna Tartare on Avocado; Orecchiette w/ Sausage & Broccoli Rabe; Veal Milanese and the Fried Calamari. Prices are reasonable, it's a BYOB. The place is always packed and there is a reason why. The hospitality and food keeps us coming back all these years. read more